Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 11/14/01:

Aspirin as good as classic stroke drug - MSNBC, 11/14/01 - "Humble aspirin works just as well as Coumadin, the granddaddy of stroke drugs, in helping patients avoid recurrent strokes"

Study: Women Cope Better With Stress - Intelihealth, 11/14/01 - "Men with higher levels of cortisol, a hormone produced during stress, recalled fewer words than males with lower levels"

Retinoic acid prevents experimental Cushing syndrome - J Clin Invest, October 2001, Volume 108, Number 8, 1123-1131 - "This glucocorticoid [cortisol] excess produces abnormal fat deposition, adrenal hyperplasia, thinning of the skin, hypertension, and psychological disturbances" - Note:  Retinoic acid is a metabolite of vitamin A used in the treatment of cystic acne.

Antioxidants, At Certain Levels, May Reduce Blood Pressure - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/01 - "increasing levels of serum beta- carotene were associated with significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, while increasing levels of serum vitamin C were associated with significant reductions in diastolic pressure ... In contrast, serum levels of vitamin E were associated with significant increases in diastolic blood pressure"

Researchers Say Spinach And Blueberries Improve The Mental Abilities Of Rats - Intelihealth, 11/13/01 - "Spinach is rich in antioxidants, which scientists say can block the effects of free radicals. Studies suggest the lifelong accumulation of free radicals in the brain is linked to mental declines in old age and is also a probable factor in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases ... Blueberries are also rich in antioxidants ... Aging rats that were fed a blueberry-supplemented diet for four months tested as well as younger rats in their abilities to recognize objects after an hour. Aging rats fed a normal diet failed to recognize the objects"

Everbody's Getting Alzheimer's, Decline Can Happen Fast in Those Over 65 - WebMD, 11/12/01 - "We know that dementia is extremely common, especially as we age ... He recommends 800IU [of vitamin E] twice a day for people who are already have dementia; for older people at risk, 400IU twice a day. Younger people and people at low risk are advised to take 400 IU once a day"

Mechanisms of Hypertension Differ in Patients With Thyroid Disorders - Medscape, 11/9/01, user=benhess, pwd=asdfgh - "there was a significantly higher incidence of salt sensitivity in patients with hypothyroidism before treatment. It suggests that a deficiency in thyroid hormones increases the blood pressure response to salt restriction"

Diet and Hair Loss - ABC News, 11/8/01 - "Pattern baldness or permanent hair loss is simply the result of genetic programming. Increased hair shedding, or temporary hair loss can be caused by a host of different reasons. Some of these reasons include poor nutrition and diet, genes, hormones, age, medications such as chemotherapy, radiation treatment, infections, stress, chemicals used for certain hairstyles, and rapid weight loss. Certain illnesses and diseases can also cause hair loss or hair shedding. Examples include anemia, low thyroid hormone levels, lupus, and sometimes cancer. In most of these cases, hair loss is not permanent ... Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to increased hair shedding by weakening hair shafts that cause breakage to the hair and slow regrowth ... Principal nutrients that are involved include vitamin A, certain B vitamins, the vitamin biotin, vitamin C, copper, iron, zinc, protein, and water"

Putting Alzheimer's Study Into Perspective - WebMD, 11/8/01 - "The researchers also found that only certain anti-inflammatory drugs appear to have what it takes in preventing Alzheimer's disease -- ibuprofen, indomethacin, and sulindac. But aspirin, also an anti-inflammatory drug, did not do the trick ... But what you may have missed from the story is the fact that the doses of ibuprofen given were at levels that could likely lead to problems down the road if taken for a long time"

Vitamin D Supplementation During Infancy Reduces Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes - Intelihealth, 11/8/01 - "Those who regularly took at least the recommended dose of vitamin D (2000 IU daily) during their first year of life had an 80% reduced risk of type 1 diabetes compared to those who received less than the recommended amount"

Nutrients May Influence Risk Of Stomach And Esophageal Cancer - Intelihealth, 11/8/01 - "patients who consumed high amounts of fiber, beta-carotene, folate, and vitamin C (found primarily in plant-based foods) were significantly less likely to develop cancer of the esophagus or stomach than those who consumed low amounts of these nutrients. Those who took vitamin C supplements were also less likely to develop certain types of stomach cancer. In contrast, those who consumed high amounts of foods of animal origin, including dietary cholesterol, animal protein, and vitamin B12, were significantly more likely to develop these cancers than those who consumed low amounts of such nutrients"

Drugs quadruple life span of mice - CNN, 11/2/01 - "showed for the first time that these [anti-oxidant] drugs work in making mammals live longer ... Oxidation is the chemical reaction that causes metals to rust, but in cells, it can damage DNA, leading sometimes to cancer, other diseases and, many scientists believe, to the changes associated with aging ... Anti-oxidants include vitamins C and E ... may have utility in diseases like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's ... If the evidence continues to accumulate in relation to the effectiveness of these drugs against free radical damage related to aging, then I don't think its an improbable prediction that they will be effective in prolonging life span in mammals"

New research shows how broccoli beats cancer - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "Sulforaphane is most highly concentrated in broccoli, as well as in other cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower ... animal studies to date have shown that sulforaphane can dramatically reduce the number of malignant tumors, reproduction, growth rate and size, as well as delay cancer onset"

The Wizard of Oz - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "Best-selling author and nutritional guru to the rich and famous, Oz Garcia is singing the praises of the Life Extension Foundation and its products in his newest book, The Healthy High Tech Body, published in September 2001 ... Supplements at the top of Garcia's list of recommendations ... DHA ... NADH ... Alpah Lipoic Acid ... Acetyl-L-Carnitine ... An expanded list of his recommendations includes lycopene, gamma tocopherol, vinpocetine, SAMe, folic acid, carnosine, glutathione, DMAE, Huperzine A, probiotics, MSM, secretagogues, arginine pyroglutamate, IP-6, bioflavonoid formulas and grape skin/seed extracts"

Lovastatin Holds Promise For Treatment In Head And Neck, Cervical Cancers - Doctor's Guide, 11/1/01 - "five of 20 patients who were administered lovastatin after other therapies failed to control their disease were able to achieve long-term stable disease" - Note:  Lavostatin is the active ingredient in red yeast rice.

Estrogen's Two-Way Street - Nutrition Science News, 11/01 - "Studies show that when 2-hydroxylation increases, the body resists cancer, and that when 2-hydroxylation decreases, cancer risk increases ... Cell-culture studies and human clinical trials have shown that I3C at doses of 200­400 mg/day can influence estrogen metabolism and promote formation of 2-OH-estrone, and therefore may be useful in breast cancer prevention"

Cuban Lipid Crisis - Nutrition Science News, 11/01 - "Policosanol is similar in function and potency to some statin drugs ... After using 10 mg/day policosanol for two years, study participants tripled their treadmill walking distance. The placebo group experienced insignificant change"