Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/28/03:

PSA Values Fluctuate Over Time - Medscape, 5/28/03 - "At one or more follow-up visits, these abnormal PSA values normalized in 68 (44%) of 154 subjects with PSA level higher than 4 ng/mL, in 116 (40%) of 291 with level higher than 2.5 ng/mL, in 64 (55%) of 117 with an elevation above the age-specific cutoff, and in 76 (53%) of 143 with a level between 4 and 10 ng/mL and a free-to-total ratio of less than 0.25 ng/mL"

Fish Oil Prevents Deadly Heart Rhythms - WebMD, 5/27/03 - "omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils are stored in the cell membranes of heart cells and can prevent sudden cardiac death by blocking potentially fatal heart rhythms" - See TwinEPA at iHerb or Vitacost.

HRT Now Linked to Alzheimer's, Dementia - WebMD, 5/27/03 - "Progestin has been shown to modify the beneficial effects of estrogen -- possibly increasing the risk of heart disease and dementia ... A woman's age when she begins taking HRT, how long she takes it, and if she gets it from a patch or a pill -- all could have an effect on her risk"

Low Testosterone Linked to Heart Disease - WebMD, 5/27/03 - "men with diabetes and very low testosterone levels were more likely to develop plaque in their arteries, which can lead to heart disease and stroke" - [Abstract]

Sexual Dysfunction Common But Conservatively Treated In Depressed Patients - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03 - "Sexual dysfunction was observed in 35% of those spontaneously reporting problems and in 69% of those with problems identified by physician questioning. Of patients treated with antidepressants, 71% reported sexual dysfunction compared to 65% in untreated patients. The researchers also found that treatment with tianeptine was associated with a lower incidence of sexual dysfunction than was treatment with tricyclic antidepressant or serotonin reuptake inhibitors" - Interesting because depression is associated with high cortisol and tianeptine has been shown to counter the effects of cortisol.  That supports the theory of cortisol being the cause.  Tianeptine is available at IAS (no affiliation). - Ben

Simvastatin May Retard Progression of Severe White Matter Changes - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03 - "Simvastatin may slow down the progression of severe white matter changes in the brain, and may therefore retard cognitive decline ... The most common type of vascular dementia is due to the hardening of the arteries deep inside the brain which causes white matter changes... and its been shown that this can lead to executive dysfunction" - Note:  Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See iHerb and Vitacost red yeast products.

AHA Presentation a Champion of Breakfasts - Physician's Weekly, 5/26/03 - "breakfast may reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance syndrome by as much as 35% to 50% (compared to those who do not eat a morning meal) ... those eating breakfast consumed fewer calories and less saturated fat, and reduced their cholesterol intake while maintaining a better overall nutritional status than individuals who skipped breakfast"

Losartan Treatment Effect is Boosted by DASH Diet - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03 - "For patients receiving losartan, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly reduced from baseline on the control diet (-6.7 + 1.5/-3.7 + 1.0 mm Hg, P < .05), with an even greater effect evident for the DASH diet (-1.7 + 1.5/-6.9 + 1.0 mm Hg, P < .05) ... A reduction in systolic blood pressure in patients receiving placebo occurred on the DASH diet (-5.3 + 1.5 mm Hg, P < .05). No other significant changes to blood pressure levels were observed" - [Abstract]

Hormone Therapy: Steering the Middle Course - Physician's Weekly, 5/26/03 - "After reviewing the study design, I think the intent was to maximize resources and minimize expenses. To that end it was deliberately designed to recruit women who were older; two-thirds of the women in that study had to be older than 60 and the average age of the women was 63. Furthermore, because it was a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, individuals with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms were encouraged not to participate"

New-Onset Depression Linked to Tamoxifen - Doctor's Guide, 5/25/03 - "Results show a rate of new-onset depression of 17.82% in the tamoxifen group and 14.34% in the no-tamoxifen group" - It seems like the same might be true for men taking tamoxifen to prevent aromatization.

Expert offers advice on improving your memory - HealthScout News, 5/24/03 - "Feed your brain. Some research indicates that antioxidant vitamins may help protect against Alzheimer's disease. The B vitamins, especially B12, and folate are important in brain cell function. If necessary, take a supplement"

Esomeprazole Provides Better Acid Control Than Lansoprazole - Doctor's Guide, 5/23/03 - "A higher dose (40 mg) of esomeprazole [Nexium], a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), provided longer and more effective intragastric acid control than did either the 30 mg standard-dose or double-dose of lansoprazole [Prevacid], according to study findings. Also, the 20 mg maintenance-dose esomeprazole was shown to be more effective than the 15 mg maintenance-dose of lansoprazole and was similar to standard-dose lansoprazole"

Eating Food Too Fast Speeds Acid Reflux - WebMD, 5/23/03 - "the speedy meals induced a total of 15 GERD episodes compared to 11.5 GERD episodes triggered by the more leisurely meal. Acid reflux episodes were reported a total of 12.5 times after the five-minute meal versus 8.5 times after the 30-minute meal"

Iron Supplements May Help Fatigued Women - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/03 - "Women who experience unexplained fatigue, but who are not anaemic may benefit from iron supplementation ...The level of fatigue after one month decreased by - 1.82/6.37 points (29%) in the iron group, compared with - 0.85/6.46 points (13%) in the placebo group ... the lower limit for serum ferritin concentration is controversial: iron stores in the bone marrow may serve as a better indicator of iron deficiency, they add. The lower reference limits for serum ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations have been considered too low for women and it has been suggested should be the same as for men" - [Abstract] - See iHerb or Vitacost iron supplements.

Alpha-Tocopheryl Succinate Seen as Auxiliary Cancer Treatment - AltMedicine.com, 5/22/03 - "alpha-tocopheryl succinate has inhibited and killed both human and rodent cancer cells in test tubes (in vitro) and later in the living body of rodents (in vivo)—without causing normal cells to proliferate. So far, tests in living human bodies have not been conducted"

Previous Treatment with Statins Improves Outcome in Non-Lacunar Ischaemic Stroke - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/03 - "Taking statins for any reason seemed to improve the outcome of NLIS as a whole, but especially in patients who had suffered atherothrombotic infarction"

Venlafaxine Beats Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors in Remission of Depression - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/03 - "The results of this largest-of-all comparative study of venlafaxine and other agents supports the conclusions of other investigators that, compared to other SSRIs, venlafaxine helps patients achieve remission of symptoms at relatively higher rates" - Note:  Venlafaxine increases both serotonin and norepinephrine, as does mirtazapine and the investigational drug duloxetine.

Simvastatin Therapy Slows Coronary Disease Progression in Patients With and Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/03 - "simvastatin/enalapril therapy versus placebo resulted in decreases in mean coronary artery diameters ... and minimum diameters ... study results support the contention that the therapeutic effect of statin lipid lowering drugs on angiographically seen coronary atherosclerosis is linked to the reduction of coronary events without regard to the presence of known cardiovascular risk factors" - Note:  Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See iHerb and Vitacost red yeast products.

Atkins Diet Lesson: Watch Those Carbs - WebMD, 5/21/03 - "our worries over the Atkins diet go way past the question of whether it is effective for losing weight or even for keeping weight off. We worry that the diet promotes heart disease. ... We have concerns over whether this is a healthy diet for preventing heart disease, stroke, and cancer. There is also potential loss of bone, and the potential for people with liver and kidney problems to have trouble with the high amounts of protein in these diets ... Those on the Atkins diet lost significantly more weight over the first six months of the study. After 12 months, there was little difference in weight between those on the Atkins diet and those who stayed on the low-fat diet" - Sounds like they maxed out with water loss and then it caught up with them.  Plus what happens at 12 months when they start eating a normal diet and they become re-hydrated again.  The TV news stations hipped this up and made the Atkins diet sound good.  The bottom line is that Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarians (almost the opposite of the Atkin's diet) and live something like eight years longer than the average person.  That's about as close as you are going to get regarding long term studies in humans. - Ben

Improving Erectile Function: Detection, Prevention, and Treatment of ED - PowerPak.com, exp. 4/1/05 - "ED was 82% more likely in men with depression ... Low serum testosterone levels are noted in up to 36% of patients with ED. However, the correction of sexual dysfunction with testosterone replacement therapy alone is poor, with treatment response at approximately 35%" - That may be because testosterone does two things that hinder sexual function.  It decreases HDL cholesterol and it increases estrogen. - Ben

Calcium Facts and the Truth about Coral Calcium - CooperAerobics.com, 5/02 - "Products that contain calcium citrate or calcium carbonate are your best choices. It is important to note the difference between these two supplement choices when it comes to food. Calcium carbonate supplements need to be taken with food because gastric acid is needed for the absorption of this form of calcium. However, calcium citrate does not need this acidity and can be taken on an empty stomach ... Since coral reefs are protected by law, coral calcium is made by grinding limestone that no longer contains live organisms. Why would you want to take limestone?"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics:

How much physical activity is enough to prevent unhealthy weight gain? - Obes Rev 2003 May;4(2):101-14 - "The following consensus statement was accepted unanimously. 'The current physical activity guideline for adults of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity daily, preferably all days of the week, is of importance for limiting health risks for a number of chronic diseases including coronary heart disease and diabetes. However for preventing weight gain or regain this guideline is likely to be insufficient for many individuals in the current environment. There is compelling evidence that prevention of weight regain in formerly obese individuals requires 60-90 minutes of moderate intensity activity or lesser amounts of vigorous intensity activity. Although definitive data are lacking, it seems likely that moderate intensity activity of approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day, or 1.7 PAL (Physical Activity Level) is required to prevent the transition to overweight or obesity. For children, even more activity time is recommended. A good approach for many individuals to obtain the recommended level of physical activity is to reduce sedentary behaviour by incorporating more incidental and leisure-time activity into the daily routine"

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