Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/20/09.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

High, Low Estradiol Levels and Mortality in Men With Systolic HF - Medscape, 5/19/09 - "Both low and high serum levels of estradiol, compared with mid-range levels, are significantly and independently associated with increased all-cause mortality in men with chronic systolic heart failure" - Note:  See my aromatization page for ways to reduce it.  I take a quarter tablet of letrozole every day.  See letrozole at OffshoreRx1.com.
Serum Estradiol Concentration Quintiles as Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Men (With Quintile 3 as the Reference Group)

Excessive Cola Consumption Can Lead To Super-sized Muscle Problems, Warn Doctors - Science Daily, 5/19/09 - "We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes ... Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions ... It appears that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of the most common ingredients in cola drinks – glucose, fructose and caffeine"

Magnesium may benefit blood pressure in hypertensives - Nutra USA, 5/19/09 - "receive either daily supplements of 300 mg of elemental magnesium in the magnesium oxide form or placebo for 12 weeks ... At the end of the study, no significant differences were observed between the magnesium or placebo groups. However, when the researchers looked specifically at hypertensives, significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed in the magnesium group (17.1 and 3.4 mmHg, respectively), compared to placebo (6.7 and 0.8 mmHg, respectively)" - [Abstract] - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.

Magnesium Supplement Reviews - ConsumerLab.com, 5/19/09 - "25% did not meet quality standards according to our magnesium tests" - I get the paid version and never heard of the brands that failed.

Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth In Rodent Models - Science Daily, 5/18/09 - "Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

A Stronger Backbone: DHEA Hormone Replacement Increases Bone Density In Older Women - Science Daily, 5/17/09 - "Taking a DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium can significantly improve spinal bone density in older women ... The effects of the treatment differed for men and women. After the first year, women in the test group experienced an approximate 2 percent increase in bone density, while women in the control group did not see an increase. After the second year when both groups took the DHEA supplement, women in the test group experienced an additional 2 percent increase for a total of approximately 4 percent, while women who switched from placebo to DHEA also experienced an approximate 2 percent increase ... The same treatment, however, did not offer similar benefits for older men" - See DHEA at Amazon.com.

Lose Weight With a Good Night's Sleep? - WebMD, 5/16/09 - "The average BMI for short sleepers was 28.3. That compares to an average BMI of 24.5 for long sleepers. The BMI range for normal weight is considered to be 18.5-24.9 and for overweight 25.0-29.9. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and is an indicator of body fat"

High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 5/16/09 - "A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease"

Probiotics may reduce eczema risk by 60 per cent - Nutra USA, 5/15/09 - "The Dutch researchers report that parental-reported eczema was 58 per cent lower in the intervention group compared with placebo during the first three months of life, after which the incidence of eczema was similar between the groups" - [Abstract] - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Glutamine Supplements Show Promise In Treating Stomach Ulcers - Science Daily, 5/15/09 - "the amino acid glutamine, found in many foods as well as in dietary supplements, may prove beneficial in offsetting gastric damage caused by H. pylori infection ... at six-weeks-post infection, the animals exhibited increased expression of three cytokines – interleukin 4, interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor-alpha mRNA. "These all play an important role in the stomach's ability to protect against damaging effects resulting from other responses to H. pylori infection ... Of even greater significance, by week 20, the study results showed that, among the H. pylori-infected animals, the mice that were fed the L-glutamine diet exhibited lower levels of inflammation than did the mice that received the standard control diet" - See L-glutamine at Amazon.com.

Kava for Anxiety: Is Short-Term Use Safe? - WebMD, 5/14/09 - "the WHO report suggested that liver toxicity may be limited to kava formulations that used the whole kava plant, instead of just the root, or used acetone and ethanol to extract the active ingredient from the plant instead of water ... As measured by standardized anxiety and depression questionnaires, the participants reported much less anxiety when they were taking the kava than when they took placebo pills ... Depression levels also dropped among many patients who reported depression and no serious side effects were associated with kava use" - See kava products at iHerb.

• Kava's Source of Liver Damage Pinpointed - Clinical Psychiatry News, 8/02 - "Swiss researchers have linked the toxicity with an acetone-extraction manufacturing process widely used in the German and Swiss products. Dr. Stoll expects that there will be a rapid response by the supplement industry to come out with safer formulations. Kava can also be extracted with ethanol or water"

Whole-Grain, Low-Calorie Diet Reduced Body Fat Compared With Refined-Wheat Low-Calorie Diet - Doctor's Guide, 5/14/09 - "Patients consuming whole-grain foods had a significantly larger drop in body fat percentage (assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanning) compared with patients who had eaten refined foods (-6.8% vs -4.8%; P = .03) ... Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels rose by 5% in the refined-wheat group but remained unchanged in the wholemeal-wheat group"

Eating Fish, Nuts And Olive Oil May Be Associated With Reduced Risk Of Age-related Blindness - Science Daily, 5/15/09 - "Individuals who consumed higher levels of trans-unsaturated fats—found in baked goods and processed foods—were more likely to have late AMD, whereas those who consumed the most omega-three fatty acids were less likely to have early AMD. "Olive oil intake (100 milliliters or more per week vs. less than 1 milliliter per week) was associated with decreased prevalence of late AMD," the authors write. "No significant associations with AMD were observed for intakes of fish, total fat, butter or margarine."" - See the abstract below.

Antioxidants needed by exercising populations: Nutritionist - Nutra USA, 5/14/09 - "Commenting on the design of the study, Dr Childs said it was unclear if the subjects encountered the same absolute level of muscle fatigue during exercise in the supplement and control conditions and hence stimulus for antioxidant up-regulation. “Because of this, the reported ‘prevention of the ‘health promoting effects of antioxidants’ may be nothing more than an experimental artefact,” ... In addition, Dr Childs said that comments by the authors that antioxidants may block many of the beneficial effects of exercise were a “gross over extrapolation of the experimental findings on two levels”" - This article is referring to these:

• Vitamin-exercise study questioned - Nutra USA, 5/12/09 - "The authors noted that biopsies for the ‘early’ time-point were only obtained from five people in the vitamin group, and four in the placebo group. “Yet the authors conclude a “strong induction of PGCl-alpha, PGCl-beta, and PPAR-gamma expression in skeletal muscle following 4 weeks of exercise training in previously untrained, antioxidant naïve individuals” and “markedly reduced exercise-related induction” in those taking antioxidants, based on these limited number of biopsies,” ... “Would it not have made more sense to appropriately increase the intensity and duration of exercise slowly and then see if the subject’s bodies didn’t accommodate handling of ROS without a significant change in induction of these markers?” ... The study reflects a ‘transient’ increase in ROS during ‘limited periods of physical exercise only’, noted Dr Schauss, “whereas the bulk of the literature, including that in non-primate models have not observed these concerns obtained in models of ‘continuous exposure to increased levels of ROS’” ... the authors presented no evidence of adverse effects by any of the individuals from vitamin C and E supplementation"
• Do Antioxidants Curb an Exercise Benefit? - WebMD, 5/11/09 - "Physical activity induced an increase in insulin sensitivity only in the absence of antioxidants"

Lutein, Zeaxanthin Supplements May Result in Better Macular Function in Early AMD - Medscape, 5/13/09 - "Although no statistically significant difference was seen in best corrected distance visual acuity (BC DVA) at 12 months, oral supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin with coantioxidants may improve functional and morphologic outcomes at 36 months in patients at high risk for progression to late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ... Results at 36 Months Significant" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.com.

Skin Deep - Confused by Sky-High SPFs? Take a Number - NYTimes.com, 5/13/09 - "No SPF, not even 100+, offers 100 percent protection. What’s more, both UVA and UVB radiation can lead to skin cancer, which is why dermatologists now advise using sunscreens with an SPF of at least 15 and UVA-fighting ingredients like an avobenzone that doesn’t degrade in light or Mexoryl SX"

Ginseng: Nature's Anti-inflammatory? - Science Daily, 5/13/09 - "The anti-inflammatory role of ginseng may be due to the combined effects of these ginsenosides, targeting different levels of immunological activity, and so contributing to the diverse actions of ginseng in humans" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Long-term pioglitazone therapy improves arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus - Metabolism. 2009 Jun;58(6):739-45 - "pioglitazone improved abnormal arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus via a mechanism beyond the metabolic improvement" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.

Suppressive effect of EPA on the incidence of coronary events in hypercholesterolemia with impaired glucose metabolism: Sub-analysis of the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS) - Atherosclerosis. 2009 Apr 5 - "investigated the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on coronary artery disease (CAD) ... impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) and normoglycemic (NG) patients ... Compared to NG patients, IGM patients had a significantly higher CAD hazard ratio (1.71 in the non-EPA group and 1.63 in the EPA group). The treatment with EPA resulted in a 22% decrease in the CAD incidence (P=0.048) in IGM patients and an 18% decrease (P=0.062) in NG patients" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in normo-magnesemic nondiabetic overweight Korean adults - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Apr 7 - "These results suggested that magnesium supplementation does not reduce BP and enhance insulin sensitivity in normo-magnesemic nondiabetic overweight people. However, it appears that magnesium supplementation may lower BP in healthy adults with higher BP" - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.

The effects of selected probiotic strains on the development of eczema (the PandA study) - Allergy. 2009 Apr 9 - "This particular combination of probiotic bacteria shows a preventive effect on the incidence of eczema in high-risk children, which seems to be sustained during the first 2 years of life. In addition to previous studies, the preventive effect appears to be established within the first 3 months of life" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Dietary Supplementation of L-Arginine and Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Retroperitoneal Fat Mass and Increases Lean Body Mass in Rats - J Nutr. 2009 May 13 - "We conclude that CLA and arginine modulated adipose tissue metabolism by separate, but not additive, effects. Also, CLA and arginine may have depressed muscle protein turnover" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com and L-arginine products at Amazon.com.

Intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (Prasterone), the physiological and a highly efficient treatment of vaginal atrophy - Menopause. 2009 May 8 - "All three doses (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1.0%) of DHEA ovules applied daily intravaginally induced a highly significant beneficial change in the percentage of vaginal parabasal and superficial cells and pH as well as in the most bothersome symptom at 2 weeks. At the standard 12-week time interval, 0.5% DHEA caused a 45.9 +/- 5.31 (P < 0.0001 vs placebo) decrease in the percentage of parabasal cells, a 6.8 +/- 1.29% (P < 0.0001) increase in superficial cells, a 1.3 +/- 0.13 unit (P < 0.0001) decrease in vaginal pH, and a 1.5 +/- 0.14 score unit (P < 0.0001) decrease in the severity of the most bothersome symptom. Similar changes were seen on vaginal secretions, color, epithelial surface thickness, and epithelial integrity. Comparable effects were observed at the 0.25% and 1.0% DHEA doses ... Local Prasterone, through local androgen and estrogen formation, causes a rapid and efficient reversal of all the symptoms and signs of vaginal atrophy with no or minimal changes in serum steroids, which remain well within the normal postmenopausal range. This approach avoids the fear of systemic effects common to all presently available estrogen formulations and adds a novel physiological androgenic component to therapy"

Serum steroid levels during 12-week intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone administration - Menopause. 2009 May 8 - "The present data show that local daily intravaginal DHEA administration at DHEA doses of 3.25-13 mg was able to rapidly and efficiently achieve correction of all the signs and symptoms of vaginal atrophy and improve sexual function and caused no or minimal changes in serum sex steroid levels, which all remain within the normal postmenopausal range, thus avoiding the risks of all estrogen formulations"

Efficacy and safety of low-dose regimens of conjugated estrogens cream administered vaginally - Menopause. 2009 May 8 - "At week 12, improvements in VMI with daily and twice-weekly use of low-dose CE cream (27.9% and 25.8%, respectively) were significantly greater compared with placebo (3.0% and 1.0%, respectively; P < 0.001). Improvements in vaginal pH with daily and twice-weekly CE cream (-1.6 for both) were also significantly greater relative to placebo (-0.4 and -0.3, respectively; P < 0.001). VMI and vaginal pH responses were sustained through 52 weeks. Both CE cream regimens significantly reduced most bothersome symptom scores compared with placebo (P </= 0.001), including those for dyspareunia (P </= 0.01). There was no report of endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma. Adverse events occurred with similar frequency among the active and placebo groups during the double-blind phase"

Dietary fatty acids and the 10-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study - Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 May;127(5):656-65 - "1 serving of fish per week was associated with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.69 [95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.98]), primarily among participants with less than the median linoleic acid consumption (0.57 [0.36-0.89]). Findings were similar for intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. One to 2 servings of nuts per week was associated with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.65 [95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.91])"

Fat consumption and its association with age-related macular degeneration - Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 May;127(5):674-80 - "Higher trans-unsaturated fat intake was associated with an increased prevalence of late AMD; the odds ratio comparing the highest with the lowest quartile of trans fat was 1.76 (95% confidence interval, 0.92-3.37; P = .02). Higher omega-3 fatty acid intake (highest quartile vs lowest quartile) was inversely associated with early AMD (odds ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-1.02; P = .03). Olive oil intake (> or =100 mL/week vs <1 mL/week) was associated with decreased prevalence of late AMD (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-1.04; P = .03). No significant associations with AMD were observed for intakes of fish, total fat, butter, or margarine" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among patients with prostate cancer - BJU Int. 2009 Apr 4 - "The frequency of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) and insufficiency (20-31 ng/mL) was 40% and 32% in men with recurrent prostate; 28% had vitamin D levels that were normal (32-100 ng/mL). Among men with localized prostate cancer, 18% were deficient, 50% were insufficient and 32% were normal. Among controls, 31% were deficient, 40% were insufficient and 29% were normal" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff :

Supplement Focus (l-glutamine):

News & Research:

• L-glutamine at Amazon.com
• Glutamine - The Natural Pharmacist
• Glutamine Supplements Show Promise In Treating Stomach Ulcers - Science Daily, 5/15/09 - "the amino acid glutamine, found in many foods as well as in dietary supplements, may prove beneficial in offsetting gastric damage caused by H. pylori infection ... at six-weeks-post infection, the animals exhibited increased expression of three cytokines – interleukin 4, interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor-alpha mRNA. "These all play an important role in the stomach's ability to protect against damaging effects resulting from other responses to H. pylori infection ... Of even greater significance, by week 20, the study results showed that, among the H. pylori-infected animals, the mice that were fed the L-glutamine diet exhibited lower levels of inflammation than did the mice that received the standard control diet"
• Glutamine Supplementation May Protect Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants - Medscape, 11/5/07
• Glutamine Independently Reduces Hospital Stay - Doctor's Guide, 10/25/05 - "The nutrient glutamine, which is often administered as part of nutritional supplementation, on its own can reduce the length of hospital stay and maintains lean body mass after elective surgery" - See iHerb or Vitacost l-glutamine products.
• Glutamine Improves Outcomes in Burn Patients - Medscape, 10/24/03
• Muscular Enhancement Supplements: Creatine, HMB, and Glutamine review - ConsumerLab.com, 9/25/03
• Ask Dr. J - Dr. Janson, 4/02 - "L-glutamine is an amino acid that helps heal the lining of the entire digestive tract, so it is useful for inflammatory bowel disease as well as esophagitis"
• Glutamine: The Essential "Non- Essential" Amino Acid - Life Extension Magazine, 9/99
• Concepts and Controversies in Nutrition, Immune-Enhancing Formulas - Medscape, 3/21/02 - "Immune-enhancing formulas (IEFs), also known as immune-modulating formulas, include arginine, glutamine, nucleic acids, and omega-3 fatty acids"
• Glutamine Helps Treat AIDS - Nutrition Science News, 9/00
• 'Building Blocks of Life' Might Help Pump You Up - WebMD, 7/28/00 - "during exercise, one particular amino acid -- glutamine -- is depleted in the blood supply. Glutamine is involved in keeping the immune system healthy to ward off illness"
• Growth Hormone Enhancer - Nutrition Science News, 1/00
• Immune-Enhancing Therapy Shortens Hospital Stays By Three Days - Doctor's Guide, 12/23/99 - "Our study shows that immunonutrition can make a significant contribution to reducing the number of infections and length of hospital stay in critically ill patients"
• Essential Nutrients for Endurance Athletes - Nutrition Science News, 5/99 - "In the seven days following the exercise, 81 percent of the glutamine-supplemented group were infection-free compared to 49 percent in the placebo group."

Abstracts:

• The role of parenteral glutamine supplement for surgical patient perioperatively: result of a single center, prospective and controlled study - Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2008 Aug 20 - "In terms of morbidity, there was no difference between the two groups, but two patients in the control group had wound infection; none was noted in the Gln group (p = 1.0). No surgical mortality was noted in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative parenteral nutrition supplemented with Gln is beneficial for patients undergoing GI surgery. Gln supplementation significantly attenuated postoperative inflammation and ameliorated postoperative immunodepression as well as nutritional depression in GI surgery"
• Glutamine: role in critical illness and ongoing clinical trials - Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2008 Mar;24(2):190-7 - "Severe glutamine deficiencies occur rapidly in critical illness. The magnitude of glutamine deficiency is correlated with ICU mortality. Further, metaanalysis reveals glutamine reduces morbidity and mortality in critical illness"
• Glutamine supplementation increases postprandial energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans - JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2006 Mar-Apr;30(2):76-80
• Glutamine, exercise and immune function. Links and possible mechanisms - Sports Med. 1998 Sep;26(3):177-91

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