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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 3/1/17

Pioglitazone May Improve NASH Histology for Many Patients - Medscape, 2/15/17 - "Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is becoming a major public health issue and is a leading cause of liver transplant ... treatment with the antidiabetic drug pioglitazone reverses the more advanced stages of liver disease in NASH regardless of the presence of diabetes, which provides a rationale for evaluating the effect of this drug on clinical outcomes in this subgroup of patients at higher risk of liver-related complications ... the combined results for all studies showed that treatment with thiazolidinedione therapy improved advanced fibrosis by more than threefold compared with no treatment"

Dietary prebiotics improve sleep, buffer impacts of stress, says study - Science Daily, 2/25/17 - "Prebiotics are dietary fibers found naturally in foods like chicory, artichokes, raw garlic, leeks and onions. When beneficial bacteria digest prebiotic fiber, they not only multiply, improving overall gut health, but they also release metabolic byproducts. Some research suggests these byproducts can influence brain function ... the rats on the prebiotic diet spent more time in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, which is restful and restorative, than those on the non-prebiotic diet ... After being exposed to a stressor, the rats on the prebiotic diet also spent more time in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is believed to be critical for promoting recovery from stress, with research showing that those who get more REM sleep post-trauma are less likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder" - See prebiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Nicotinamide riboside (vitamin B3) prevents nerve pain caused by cancer drugs - Science Daily, 2/23/17 - "Although chemotherapies have improved cancer survival rates, many of these drugs also cause debilitating side effects that decrease the quality of life of patients and survivors. In particular, many anti-cancer drugs cause chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) -- nerve damage and pain ... Prophylactic treatment with daily doses of NR (200 mg/kg) for seven days before chemotherapy was started and continued for 24 days after the chemotherapy ended prevented the hypersensitivity to touch in the rats. This protective effect lasted for at least two weeks after the NR supplementation stopped" - See nicotinamide riboside at Amazon.com.

Eating up to ten portions of fruit and vegetables a day may prevent 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide - Science Daily, 2/23/17 - "The team found that although even the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduced disease risk, the greatest benefit came from eating 800g a day (roughly equivalent to ten portions -- one portion of fruit or vegetables if defined as 80g) ... Eating up to 800g fruit and vegetables a day -- or 10 portions -- was associated with a 24 per cent reduced risk of heart disease, a 33 per cent reduced risk of stroke, a 28 per cent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a 13 per cent reduced risk of total cancer, and a 31 per cent reduction in dying prematurely. This risk was calculated in comparison to not eating any fruit and vegetables"

Sugar's 'tipping point' link to Alzheimer's disease revealed - Science Daily, 2/23/17 - "Excess sugar is well known to be bad for us when it comes to diabetes and obesity, but this potential link with Alzheimer's disease is yet another reason that we should be controlling our sugar intake in our diets"

Atherosclerosis Speeds Up in Older Men on Testosterone: T Trial - Medscape, 2/24/17 - "In a randomized trial of 138 older men with age-related low testosterone levels, those who received testosterone gel (AndroGel, AbbVie) for a year to attain youthful testosterone levels had a 20% greater buildup of noncalcified plaque in their coronary arteries than those who received a placebo gel"

Testosterone Gel Didn’t Help Men’s Memories: Study - NBC News, 2/21/17 - "While testosterone use for one year appeared to strengthen bones and reduce anemia, it also showed signs of worsening artery disease and questions remain about other potential risks ... Testosterone had no effect on memory or mental function, based on tests given before, halfway and at the end of treatment to nearly 500 men with age-related memory decline"

Stress hormone measured in hair linked to persistent obesity, study finds - ABC News, 2/23/17 - "Scientists found those who had higher hair cortisol levels had a tendency to be larger and weigh more. In general, they also had the largest waists, were the heaviest in weight and had the highest body mass indexes (BMI)" -  See my cortisol page for ways to reduce it.

Resveratrol may be an effective intervention for lung aging - Science Daily, 2/22/17 - "Resveratrol (RSL) ... In healthy young adults, breathing is an essential, efficient process, but natural aging of the lung occurs at a steady and irreversible rate, as measured by a decline in lung function. This natural deterioration leads to a significantly reduced quality of life, over a time frame dependent on genetic and environmental factors. Although some available therapies can ameliorate symptoms, aging-related lung failure is generally irreversible and is accompanied by high rates of morbidity and mortality due to increased disease risk, including development of COPD, with accompanying emphysema and chronic bronchitis ... The research team found that inhaled, prophylactic resveratrol treatments can slow the rate of lung function decline, alveolar enlargement and alveolar epithelial type 2 cell DNA damage that occurs in the early stages of lung aging. They concluded that administration of resveratrol directly to the lungs may be an effective intervention for lung aging, which is a significant risk factor for development of chronic lung disease" - I would think that by taking it orally it would make its way into the cells of the lungs although at a lower concentration.  See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Adjunctive low-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for major depression: An open-label pilot trial - Nutr Neurosci. 2017 Feb 22:1-5 - "A naturalistic 8-week open-label pilot trial of low-dose DHA, (260 mg or 520 mg/day) in 28 patients with MDD who were non-responsive to medication or psychotherapy, with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score of greater than 17, was conducted ... After 8 weeks, 54% of patients had a ≥50% reduction on the HAM-D, and 45% were in remission (HAM-D ≤ 7). The eta-squared statistic (0.59) indicated a large effect size for the reduction of depression (equivalent to Cohen's d of 2.4). However confidence in this effect size is tempered due to the lack of a placebo. The mean score for the Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale was significantly improved by 1.28 points" - See Docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Chronic supplementation with dietary proanthocyanidins protects from diet-induced intestinal alterations in obese rats - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Feb 20 - "The present study investigated in obese rats the role of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) chronic treatment, taken in a low, moderate or high dose, on obesity-associated intestinal alterations in response to a cafeteria diet (CAF) ... This study provides evidence for the ameliorative effect of a proanthocyanidin extract on high-fat/high-carbohydrate diet-induced intestinal alterations, specifically reducing intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress and suggesting a protection against a barrier defect" - See Best Naturals Grape Seed Extract 400 mg Veggie Capsule, 120 Count.

Oligofructose decreases serum lipopolysaccharide and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in adults with overweight/obesity - Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017 Mar;25(3):510-513 - "Participants were randomized to 21 g of oligofructose (n = 20; BMI 30.4 kg/m2 ) or a maltodextrin placebo (n = 17; BMI 29.5 kg/m2 ) for 12 weeks ... plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) ... Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ... Plasma LPS concentrations were reduced by 40% in the oligofructose group over 12 weeks compared to a 48% increase in the placebo group ... Oligofructose reduces metabolic endotoxemia and PAI-1. Incorporating prebiotics into the diet through supplements or functional foods may help mitigate some markers of obesity-associated inflammation" - [Nutra USA] - See oligofructose at Amazon.com.

L-Arginine and B vitamins improve endothelial function in subjects with mild to moderate blood pressure elevation - Eur J Nutr. 2016 Nov 5 - "unique combination of L-arginine with the vitamins B6, folic acid and B12 ... Subjects aged 40-65 years with mild to moderate blood pressure (BP) elevation not treated with anti-hypertensive drugs were randomly assigned to either the dietetic product (n = 40) or a matching placebo (n = 41) for 3 months with open follow-up for a further 3 months ... his trial confirmed the effective and safe use of dietary management with L-arginine in combination with B vitamins. The primary efficacy analysis demonstrated a statistically significant superiority of the combination of L-arginine with B vitamins over placebo in improving and restoring impaired endothelial function and lowering BP in patients with mild to moderate blood pressure elevation" - [Nutra USA]

25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 exert distinct effects on human skeletal muscle function and gene expression - PLoS One. 2017 Feb 15;12(2):e0170665 - "Age-associated decline in muscle function represents a significant public health burden. Vitamin D-deficiency is also prevalent in aging subjects, and has been linked to loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia), but the precise role of specific vitamin D metabolites in determining muscle phenotype and function is still unclear ... These data show that although 25OHD3 has potent actions on muscle gene expression, the circulating concentrations of this metabolite are more closely linked to body fat mass, suggesting that 25OHD3 can influence muscle function via indirect effects on adipose tissue. By contrast, serum 1α,25(OH)2D3 has limited effects on muscle gene expression, but is associated with increased muscle strength and lean mass in women" - [Nutra USA] - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

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