Recent Longevity News (8/8/01):

Low-Fat, Flaxseed-Supplemented Diet May Benefit Prostate Cancer Patients - Medscape, 8/7/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "A low-fat diet supplemented with flaxseed appears to reduce the growth of prostate cancer cells"

Consumption of Tea, Chocolate May Reduce Risk of Death From Heart Disease - Medscape, 8/7/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "Consumption of catechins, a type of flavonoid found in black tea, apples and chocolate, reduces the risk of death from heart disease in older men"

Stevia adds sweetness, but don't call it a sweetener - US News & World Report, 8/6/01 - "the word is spreading among those who want to avoid sugar but don't trust chemical sweeteners. Stevia has about $10 million in annual sales in the United States"

Folate Increases Methotrexate Tolerance in Arthritis Patients - Medscape, 8/6/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "Folic and folinic acid supplementation significantly reduces toxicity-related discontinuation of methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis ... 38% of the patients in the placebo group discontinued methotrexate therapy because of adverse events compared with 17% in patients taking folic acid and 12% in patients receiving folinic acid"

Medical journals take a stand, Plan to counter drug companies’ influence on studies - MSNBC, 8/5/01 - "Surveys of the medical literature have shown that studies paid for by drug companies are more likely than those with other sponsors to show results favorable to the product tested" - I put this in here because I feel the St. John's wort study that was sponsored by Pfizer, who have the patent on Zoloft,  is a perfect example.  I still feel that the dose used was way to low for major depression and that the study was designed from the start to fail. - Ben

Happy Hour and Your Liver: Bad Combination - ABC News, 8/6/01 - Good article on how high alcohol consumption can damage your liver.  For ways to help protect your liver, see milk thistle, SAM-e and liver disease. - Ben

Osteoporosis: Not Just For Women - ABC News, 8/6/01 - "What's the first line of treatment for a man with osteoporosis? ... MICHELE MELTZER, MD: We want to ensure that a man has an adequate calcium intake, that he has Vitamin-D, and his testosterone level needs to be determined"

Low Cholesterol Levels Linked to Increased Mortality in Elderly People - Medscape, 8/3/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "Contrary to widely held beliefs, low cholesterol levels may actually increase the risk of death for elderly people"

• Cholesterol guideline goals too lenient to stop heart disease, says Cornell dean - Reuters, 9/9/98

I included the following article because some feel rasagiline may be better choice than deprenyl for anti-aging (when it becomes available).

Rasagiline Improves Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 8/3/01 - "neither patient group showed any adverse effect when challenged with tyramine, a food metabolite which can bring on fever and other effects when present with some MAO-B inhibitors"

Lower Dose Tretinoin Cream As Effective, Less Irritating Than Higher Doses In For Photodamaged Skin - Doctor's Guide, 8/2/01 - "A lower dose tretinoin cream (0.02%) appears to be as effective as a higher dose (0.05%) for as long as 12 months in treating patients with photodamaged skin"

Report: An Innovative Approach to Cancer Therapy - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01 - "For cancer patients the main anti-cancer supplements are pancreatic enzymes"

• Related article on Dr. Gonzalez : Unusual dietary treatment may fight pancreatic cancer - CNN, 11/29/99

AGE Breakers - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01 - "If ALT-711 is ever approved by the FDA, it will enable aging humans to reverse the effects of glycation, one of the most devastating consequences of aging"

DHEA: Anti-Aging Hormone - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01 - "Low levels of DHEA are associated with aging and disease states. Specifically, a deficiency of DHEA has been found to correlate with immune dysfunction, inflammation, greater risk of certain cancers, heart disease in men, and osteoporosis"

Battling Heart Disease with B Vitamins - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01 - "Studies to date have shown that folic acid alone may reduce heart disease risk by as much as 30% to 40%, primarily through its ability to lower homocysteine. In fact, folic acid has been deemed the mainstay of treatment for hyperhomocysteinaemia (elevated homocysteine).(5) However, folic acid works best when teamed up with vitamin B12, which enhances the benefits of folic acid supplementation"

Curcumin protects against mammary tumors in rats - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01

I was updating my HMB page.  Here are the first two most recent Medline hits:

Creatine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) additively increase lean body mass and muscle strength during a weight-training program - Nutrition 2001 Jul-Aug;17(7-8):558-66 - "In summary, CR and HMB can increase LBM and strength, and the effects are additive"

Body Composition in 70-Year-Old Adults Responds to Dietary beta-Hydroxy-beta-Methylbutyrate Similarly to That of Young Adults - J Nutr 2001 Jul;131(7):2049-52 - "In conclusion, changes in body composition can be accomplished in 70-y-old adults participating in a strength training program, as previously demonstrated in young adults, when HMB is supplemented daily"

The following was a Doctor's Guide web site CME course on 8/7/01.  It's good for choosing a medication for hypertension.  I'm not a doctor but here's how I see it:  Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers kill your sex life.  ACE inhibitors produce a hacking cough and increase substance P.  Substance P transmits pain and has been associated with depression.  I feel that ARB's are the best choice, if alternative measures don't work.

Therapeutic Advances in Hypertension - Lesson - Power-Pak, exp. 11/1/01

I'm updating my web pages.  It's in alphabetical order and I'm only about half done.  It will take about two more months and then I need to force myself to check at least ten pages per day.

Affiliates:

iHerb policosanol products - use this link to receive a 5% discount (discount code "qc") plus free shipping on orders over $40 - see policosanol

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