Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 9/10/03:

How Safe Are the Sugar Substitutes? - Time, 9/15/03 - "I think that sucralose is safe, that aspartame is probably safe and that serious questions about saccharin remain"

Intensive Exercise Helpful in Rheumatoid Arthritis - Medscape, 9/10/03 - "Half of the subjects received an intensive exercise program, Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients In Training (RAPIT), consisting of biweekly one-hour sessions including 20 minutes of bicycling, 20 minutes of an exercise circuit to build muscle strength and endurance as well as joint mobility, and 20 minutes of high impact sports activities such as badminton, volleyball, soccer, and basketball ... the RAPIT group had greater improvement than did the usual care group in functional ability, including climbing stairs as well as repetitive and complex tasks ... The RAPIT group also fared better than the usual care group in physical capacity, determined by aerobic fitness and muscle strength, and in feeling more optimistic and capable of coping"

Incidence Of Cardiovascular Adverse Events Similar Among Patients Treated With Celecoxib, Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatories, Or Placebo - Doctor's Guide, 9/10/03 - "For primary cardiovascular events, the relative risks (RRs) comparing celecoxib with NSAIDs were 1.06 (95% CI 0.70 to 1.61, p = 0.79) for all patients, and 0.86 (95% CI 0.48 to 1.56, p = 0.62) for patients not treated with aspirin. The RR comparing celecoxib and placebo was 0.85"

New Healthy Ingredient Found in Red Wine - WebMD, 9/9/03 - "red wines are a significant source of saponins, which are believed to promote heart health by binding to cholesterol and preventing the absorption of cholesterol in the blood. The plant compounds are also thought to play a role in inflammation, which could have beneficial effects in reducing heart disease and cancer risks ... Of the wines tested, red zinfandel had the highest saponin levels" - See iHerb or Vitacost grape seed extracts.

Black Cohosh May Reduce Hot Flashes By Targeting Brain's Thermostat - Intelihealth, 9/9/03 - "black cohosh does not appear to be estrogenic whatsoever and, as a result, is less likely to pose some of the dangers associated with traditional estrogen replacement therapy ... Although preliminary evidence of the herb's efficacy in relieving hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of menopause is encouraging, further studies are still needed before it can be recommended ... the researchers also demonstrated that the black cohosh extract is capable of binding to human serotonin receptors, including those that help regulate body temperature. Previous studies have shown that these receptors may play a role in regulating hot flashes. Antidepressant medications, which some people believe may help reduce hot flashes, also bind to the same receptors" - See iHerb or Vitacost black cohosh products.

Moderate Exercise as Effective as Intense Workouts for Dropping Pounds - WebMD, 9/9/03 - "along with dieting, when overweight women started a new exercise routine after years of being inactive, it didn't really matter whether they came out of the gate running or walking briskly. After a year, there was only a total weight-loss difference of 1 1/2 pounds between them" - [abstract]

Modest Exercise Lowers Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 9/9/03 - "exercising a mere 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours each week -- walking briskly or similar exercise -- reduced the risk of breast cancer by 18% compared with inactive women. That protective effect is only slightly less than the 22% reduced risk observed in women who exercise at least 10 hours a week" - [abstract]

Vitamin Supplements Improve Blood Vessel Function - Physician's Weekly, 9/8/03 - "In a study where children with hyperlipidemia were given doses of the antioxidants vitamins C and E, researchers have found that the supplements can significantly improve blood vessel function ... the test group received 500 mg of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E daily. Both groups saw an 8% decline in LDL cholesterol and the test group had significant improvement in endothelial function comparable to the levels of normal healthy children"

Green Tea Lotion May Prevent Skin Cancer - WebMD, 9/8/03 - "a protein called JNK-2 appears to be directly related to the development of skin cancer and that this protein can be block blocked by the application of polyphenols. After the skin is exposed to UV light, levels of this protein rise and remain high ... green tea polyphenols reduce levels of JNK-2 in the skin and block the reaction that causes tumors to form ... a person would have to drink as many as ten cups of green tea a day in order to build up enough polyphenol molecules in the skin to produce any benefit"

Does Tea Belong in the Medicine Chest? - HealthDay, 9/8/03 - "people who drank five to six cups of black tea each day seemed to get a boost in that part of the immune system that acts as a first line of defense against infection ... Although the tea can't be viewed as a cure, it could be viewed "almost as a vitamin for the immune system," ... mice who had been genetically engineered to develop prostate cancer, and who drank the equivalent of about six cups of tea a day, did not end up developing tumors ... a green tea extract reduced body fat in mice ... drinking tea improved the function of blood vessels and platelets, and may therefore reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke" - See iHerb or Vitacost tea products and extracts.

Cranberry Extract Might Aid in Stroke Recovery - WebMD, 9/8/03 - "a concentrated cranberry extract reduced brain cell death by as much as 50% when given immediately after a stroke in laboratory tests" - See iHerb or drugstore.com cranberry extracts.

Indications and Management Strategies for Insulin Therapy in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/8/03 - "The American Diabetes Association goals for glucose control are a haemoglobin A1c level of less than 7%, a fasting glucose level between 90 and 130 mg/dL, and a post-prandial glucose concentration of less that 180 mg/dL"

Cholesterol Drugs Seem to Lower Depression Risk - Yahoo, 9/8/03 - "the risk of depression was 30% less for patients who had been prescribed a statin for high cholesterol for up to a year, and 60% less for those prescribed for longer than a year, compared subjects who had high cholesterol but had not been treated" - Note:  Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See iHerb and Vitacost red yeast products.

Heart Failure Drugs May Target Both Beta-Adrenergic and Angiotensin II Receptors - Medscape, 9/8/03 - "Beta-adrenergic receptors and angiotensin II type 1 receptors join to form receptor complexes, allowing single antagonist drugs used to treat heart failure to have a dual effect ... It's like getting two drugs for the price of one ... Because angiotensin blockers are better tolerated, they could be given alone to patients too sick to take beta-blockers" [HealthDay]

Working Off Weight Helps Those With Syndrome X - HealthDay, 9/8/03 - "A non-pharmacologic treatment for these patients is needed, since drugs prescribed to lower blood pressure have been shown to actually worsen carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in Syndrome X patients, negating the beneficial effects of those drugs ... overweight people with Syndrome X who exercised and lost weight had a 47 percent reduction in insulin overproduction, a condition called hyperinsulinemia. Patients who exercised but didn't lose weight had a 27 percent reduction"

Building Good Bones - HealthDay, 9/6/03 - "Cola has phosphoric acid, which blocks calcium absorption, and caffeine, which actually depletes calcium. Excess alcohol consumption damages bones ... Girls achieve 42 percent of their total bone mass between the ages of 12 and 18, yet 90 percent of girls don't get enough calcium. Beginning at age 9, children should get 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day in their diet" - See iHerb, Vitacost or drugstore.com/GNC calcium products.

Light Drinking Fights Metabolic Syndrome - WebMD, 9/5/03 - "men and women who drank one to two glasses of wine per day had a 16% lower risk of metabolic syndrome than those who abstained. But those who drank three to four glasses of wine per day had an 81% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and drinking more than five glasses a day doubled that increase in risk"

Can healthier living help your skin? - MSNBC, 9/5/03 - "Antioxidants are currently considered to be potent skin protectors. Normal body processes produce free radicals, highly reactive molecules that damage the DNA of our cells ... Ultraviolet light, smoking, alcohol and pollution increase free radical formation. Researchers say damage from free radicals leads to skin wrinkling, redness, brown “age spots” and increased risk of skin cancer. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and even repair some of the damage done ... For now, scientists aren’t sure whether antioxidants are best applied in lotions or creams or consumed in foods or supplements"

60-Minute Workout Stops Bone Loss - WebMD, 9/5/03 - "Postmenopausal women who work out for 60 minutes, three times a week -- and take calcium -- can stop bone loss ... calcium alone isn't enough -- you also need vitamin D"

1 in 7 Americans Has Diabetes or Risks the Disease - HealthDay, 9/4/03 - "One in seven American adults, or 29 million people, have diabetes or are well on their way toward the blood sugar disease ... Another 12.3 million adults have mild difficulty processing blood sugar, a situation called "pre-diabetes." ... Type 2 diabetes is 10 times more common than juvenile diabetes, partly because of its link with obesity"

Uses of Metformin May Extend Beyond Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 9/4/03 - "In type 2 diabetics, metformin appears to decrease plasma fasting glucose and HbA1c levels without causing weight gain. Metformin may also have a positive influence on a variety of cardiovascular risk factors and may be useful in preventing diabetes in overweight individuals with mild hyperglycaemia ... while further study is necessary before more widespread use is encouraged, the role of metformin may be expanded for glucose control in children and teenagers with type 2 diabetes, in non-diabetic women with PCOS, and to prevent progression to diabetes" - See Glucophage (metformin) at LowPriceMedicine.com but check with your doctor first.  Related article:

• Metformin: An Effective and Underappreciated Life Extension Drug - Dr. Ward Dean

Looking Out for Liver Problems - ABC News, 9/4/03 - "Inflammation of the liver and how it is functioning are monitored with simple blood tests including liver transaminases. The transaminases are enzymes that spill into the bloodstream whenever there is inflammation of the liver caused by a medication or an infection. The main transaminases are ALT and AST"

Red Wine Counteracts Cigarette Smoking - WebMD, 9/4/03 - "Drinking two glasses of red wine for every cigarette smoked is not a wise idea ... However, red wine contains antioxidants -- phenols -- so powerful that they can counteract something so harmful as smoking. That's his message" - See iHerb or Vitacost grape seed extracts.

New Clinical Trial Adds to Body of Evidence Showing Chromium Picolinate Lowers Blood Sugar in Insulin-Treated People with Poorly-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes - NPI Center, 9/5/03 - "After six months, the average HbA1c in the 1,000 mcg chromium treated group showed a statistically significant improvement (a decrease from 9.5% to 9.0%) ... All 52 subjects had elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels greater than 8%, despite insulin requirements of ≥ 50 units per day. (HbA1c is a marker of long-term blood sugar control)" - See iHerb or Vitacost chromium products.

ACE Inhibitors Should Be Standard Heart Disease Treatment, Study Suggests - WebMD, 9/3/03 - "Every patient with coronary disease should be on aspirin, and most on a statin and one could argue, also a beta-blocker. Now, based on this important finding, an ACE inhibitor should be one of the top three or four drugs taken by every patient ... translates to a 20% reduced risk of problems from taking the ACE inhibitor"

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

Dietary Fiber Intake and Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in US Men and Women - Arch Intern Med 2003;163 1905-1912 - "Compared with the lowest quartile of dietary fiber intake (median, 5.9 g/d), participants in the highest quartile (median, 20.7 g/d) had an adjusted relative risk of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-1.04; P = .05 for trend) for CHD events and of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.80-0.99; P = .01 for trend) for CVD events. The relative risks for those in the highest (median, 5.9 g/d) compared with those in the lowest (median, 0.9 g/d) quartile of water-soluble dietary fiber intake were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74-0.98; P = .004 for trend) for CHD events and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.99; P = .01 for trend) for CVD events" [Medscape] - See Drugstore.com/GNC fiber products.

• Fiber: Nutrition Source - Harvard School of Public Health - "Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water"

Vitamin E supplementation increases LDL resistance to ex vivo oxidation in hemodialysis patients - "Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2003 Jul;73(4):290-6 - "Since oral vitamin E supplementation prevents oxidative stress and significantly increases LDL resistance to ex vivo oxidation, supplementation by natural antioxidants such as vitamin E may be beneficial in hemodialysis patients"

Tea Intake Is Inversely Related to Blood Pressure in Older Women - J Nutr. 2003 Sep;133(9):2883-2886 - "Tea is rich in polyphenols, which have activities consistent with blood pressure-lowering potential ... Higher tea intake and higher 4-O-methylgallic acid excretion were associated with significantly lower systolic (P = 0.002 and P = 0.040, respectively) and diastolic (P = 0.027 and P < 0.001, respectively) blood pressures. A 250 mL/d (1 cup) increase in tea intake was associated with a 2.2 (0.8, 3.6) mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure and a 0.9 (0.1, 1.7) mm Hg lower diastolic blood pressure" - See iHerb or Vitacost tea products and extracts.  Related article:

• New Findings On Green Tea - The Life Extension Foundation - "Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor."

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