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Recent Longevity News (6/26/01):

Managing patients with difficult hypertension - US News, 6/25/01 - "There is good evidence that aspirin reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by about one-fifth when used for secondary prevention"

Aspirin Could Preserve Sight in Diabetic Patients - ABC News, 6/22/01 - "drugs to dissolve blood clots could help prevent a type of eye damage common in diabetic patients"

Maintaining Memory - ABC News, 6/22/01 - "Vitamin E has been shown to prevent the decline of patients with Alzheimer's disease, and there is good reason to believe that its anti-oxidant properties prevent brain aging ..."

Diet Linked to One in Three Cancers - ABC News, 6/22/01 - "Almost one in three cancers could be prevented through healthier eating"

Combination of Risedronate [Actonel] And HRT Improves BMD in Postmenopausal Women - Medscape, 6/22/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "After 12 months of therapy, lumbar spine BMD was significantly increased from baseline in both treatment groups, 4.6% in the HRT group and 5.2% in the risedronate plus HRT group"

A sweet alternative: Raising stevia instead of cane - USA Today, 6/22/01 - "the planet's sweetest known natural substance ... Stevia contains a white crystalline compound called stevioside, the molecule that makes the herb's leaves 10 to 15 times as sweet as table sugar, although extracts range from 100 to 300 times as sweet. Proponents say it contains virtually no calories, doesn't raise blood-sugar levels or promote tooth decay, and lacks the chemical aftertastes of many artificial sweeteners, though the leaf has a slight licorice taste"

Primary Prevention With Lovastatin [Mevacor] Effective for Patients at Moderate Risk of CVD - Medscape, 6/22/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "In patients who have no cardiovascular disease who are in the average risk category, with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, we could reduce the risk of the first cardiac event by 37% over a 5-year period ... These patients all had average levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and below-average levels of HDL cholesterol"

Newly Hip Nutrient May Stave Off Heart Disease - WebMD, 6/21/01 - "the scientists measured the thickness of the neck arteries, an indicator for hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, elsewhere in the body and blood lutein levels in 500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. They repeated the tests 18 months later, and found that arteries had thickened the most -- an early sign of atherosclerosis and heart disease -- in those with the lowest lutein levels ... the team gave lutein supplements to two types of heart-disease prone mice. These treated mice had significantly less atherosclerosis than did similar mice that hadn't received the supplemental lutein" - I question their motive on the bias against supplements, even after the use of supplements had been backed up in the mice study.  The remark about beta-carotene only applies to people smoking over 20 cigarettes per day.  The opposite was shown for less than 10.  However, lutein is just one of over 600 carotenoids.  Some feel that taking just one carotenoid in large quantities will cause a deficiency of the others.  OnHealth.com went out of business but they used to have an article titled "Looking For Supplements That Aid Vision" which said:  "There are over 600 carotenoids in the food we eat," says Dr. Donald S. Fong, a California ophthalmologist who has done research at the National Institutes of Health on the importance of nutrients in retinal diseases. "So if you supplement with high doses of any single one, you block the absorption of other carotenoids you may need. And, in addition, you might increase the risk of disease in other parts of the body." -  I feel the way to go is mixed carotenoid supplements.  Body Wise products has it's mixed carotenoids via dunaliella salina algae.  Nature's Way has a mixed carotenoid supplement called Protectamins Multi-Carotene Antioxidant Complex.  I also take small lycopene and lutein supplements, which contain other other carotenoids as well, on top of that.   - Ben

Elevated PCB Levels Blamed for Mental Decline - ABC News, 6/21/00 - "the only treatment is prevention ... "Once PCBs are in the body they get stored in body fat and remain for a very long time. That's why older people tend to have higher levels of PCBs--they gradually build up (bio-accumulate) over the life span,"

• High Levels of Dangerous Toxin Found in Some Lake Fish - WebMD, 6/8/01 - "Although the new study focuses on fish from the Great Lakes, where PCB levels are known to be high, PCBs exist everywhere, and according to Schantz, "We are all getting exposed, mostly through foods that we eat, like meat, dairy products, and fish.""

Replacing Estrogen Via Skin Patch Decreases Nerve Activity, Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women - Doctor's Guide, 6/19/01 - "administering replacement estrogen via a skin patch is superior to oral estrogen replacement therapy in lowering blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity - the neural control of blood pressure - in postmenopausal women"

Glucosamine Tops Ibuprofen in Treatment of TMJ Osteoarthritis - Medscape, 6/21/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "Glucosamine sulfate proved to be more effective than ibuprofen in reducing pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ... Glucosamine also exhibited a carryover effect that was absent from ibuprofen treatment"

No MD Required: Patients Can Order Their Own Medical Tests - WebMD, 6/20/01 - "Several companies, including Quest Diagnostics, CompleteBloodWork.com, and HealthChecksUSA.com, allow consumers to go to their web sites and choose from practically every medical test available ... The consumer never has to be evaluated by a physician, and the testing companies do not make physicians available to discuss the test results" - See my web page on ordering blood tests.

Iron Deficiency Can Hamper Kids' Learning, Performance - WebMD, 6/20/01 - "Even if it's not severe, iron deficiency could affect your child's performance in school"

If Menopause Is Getting You Down, Estrogen May Help Pick You Up - WebMD, 6/21/01 - "Estrogen replacement therapy in women approaching menopause is believed to be protective against heart disease and the bone thinning that causes osteoporosis. Now there is growing evidence that the female hormone acts as a powerful antidepressant in these women too"

Nature's Way Stevia products

iHerb stevia products

Nature's Way Dim-plus at iHerb - use this link for a 5% discount (discount code "qc") plus free shipping on ordered over $40.

Red yeast rice (non-prescription statin) at VitaminShoppe

Anti-aging Recommendations

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