Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 7/24/02:

Look Who's Running Drugs - Time Magazine, 7/29/02 - "Canadian price controls and the weak Canadian dollar mean that popular prescription drugs in Canada can be 35% to 80% less expensive than their U.S. counterparts" - Note:  I've added the Canadian drugstores mentioned in this article to my overseas pharmacies web page.

High Dose Vitamin E Appears to Reduce Alzheimer's Risk - Doctor's Guide, 7/24/02 - "An analysis of data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging suggests that vitamin E intake is associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) ... People with the highest quartile of vitamin E intake, 46.5 mg, had a 26 percent reduction in risk for developing AD."

Osteoporosis Drug May Protect Brain - WebMD, 7/24/02 - "when elderly women were given Evista at twice the approved osteoporosis dose, their risk for developing a pre-Alzheimer's condition was cut by 33% compared with women taking a placebo"

Hormone Replacement Linked to Lower Plasma Concentrations of Beta-Amyloid - Doctor's Guide, 7/23/02 - "Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with lower plasma concentrations of beta-amyloid 1-40 in postmenopausal women with Alzheimer's disease (AD) ... When treatment with estradiol was discontinued, plasma concentrations of beta-amyloid 1-40 returned towards baseline in previously HRT-naïve women"

Brain Changes Occur Long Before Alzheimer Symptoms - ABC News, 7/23/02 - "Young adults at risk of Alzheimer's disease have detectable brain abnormalities several decades before the possible onset of memory and thinking problems"

• Diet May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease - ABC News, 7/18/02 - "people taking cholesterol drugs called statins reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer's by 79 percent ... types of cholesterol-lowering drugs other than statins were not linked with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's" - Note: Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See VitaminShoppe red yeast rice products.
• Alzheimer's Cases May Triple by 2050 - ABC News, 7/22/02

Systolic Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia Identified as Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/23/02 - "persons who have apolipoprotein E (ApoE) e4 allele as well as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia have an eight-fold increase in risk for developing Alzheimer's disease"

FDA Studies Fish Diet, Pregnancy - ABC News, 7/23/02 - "Pregnant women are urged not to eat four types of fish that could contain enough mercury to hurt an unborn baby's developing brain ... Typically, the largest fish contain the most mercury ... should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish (also called golden snapper) because they contain high mercury levels"

Lead Traces Found in Potassium Supplement - ABC News, 7/23/02 - "This report is the third to be filed in 9 months about lead traces in mineral supplements. The previous two investigations discovered lead in magnesium and iron supplements ... Lead, a toxic metal found in soil, water and air, is thought to disrupt hormones and other chemicals in the brain. High blood levels of lead can cause decreased intelligence, impaired nervous system development, stunted growth, hearing abnormalities and, according to some scientists, aggressive behavior" - Note: Most of my sales are the cheapest products in their category.  Personally, I've always stayed with the best brand names and this is a perfect example of why.  It's how I came up with the name for my web site.  See my QA page for other examples, though the links went dead so I removed them on several articles.  It's easy to see quality when you are buying something like a car but people don't see what goes into supplements so they don't worry about it.  Another example is a study that showed that 67% of the supplements tested did not dissolve in time to be absorbed.  If it's not being absorbed, it doesn't matter if you paid a penny for it, you still got ripped off.  Another example is Omega-3 capsules.  Omega-3 is the total of the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), not the total fish oil that is says on the label.  Yet people by what ever cheaper and don't do the math of what they are really getting.  Plus they are most likely getting a lot more pollutants in the cheaper brands.  See:

• Transcript: Dr. Barry Sears on the Benefits of Fish Oil - ABC News, 5/8/02 - "A pharmaceutical-grade fish oil has at least 60 percent of the fatty acids consisting of Omega-3 fats. To reach that level of concentration and purity, it requires 100 gallons of health food grade fish oil (fish oil that you would buy at a health food store) to make one gallon of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. The higher purity and concentration is required when you go to higher doses of fish oil ... The solution to this dilemma is the use of purified fish oil in which the toxins, such as mercury, PCBs and DDT, have been removed"

Benefits of Exercise Inspire Elderly to Persevere - ABC News, 7/23/02 - "Indeed, a better mood, improved sleep and greater energy were just some of the benefits that kept the elderly exercisers on track."

The End of the Age of Estrogen - Newsweek, 7/22/02 - "The study suggests that, on balance, a group of 10,000 long-term Prempro users would suffer 31 excess health crises each year (strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, breast cancers), while avoiding only 11 bone fractures and colon cancers. That’s a net increase of 20." - Note:  20/10,000 = 0.2% (less than 1% increased risk per year), 31/10,000 = 0.31% (less than 1% increased risk) per year.  Times 40 years, .002 times 40 is an 8% increased risk.  Those risks can be reduced.  For example, the risk of blood clots can be reduced simply by taking low dose aspirin.  The risk of stokes and heart disease can be reduced by taking statins.  Click on the links and read the "Alternative News" section.  - Ben

Lifestyle Changes May Cut Dementia Risk - ABC News, 7/22/02 - "We can now recommend a diet that is high in antioxidants--meaning at least five servings of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables daily--and one that is relatively low in fat. We are also recommending fish because fish has been shown to be protective and a vitamin B supplement, because vitamin B lowers homocysteine levels in the blood"

What’s A Woman To Do? - Newsweek, 7/22/02 - "Women have been using herbs for hot flashes and night sweats for years and some swear by them. The National Institutes of Health is now supporting a trial to test two: black cohosh, a buttercup plant, and red clover, which contains isoflavones, or plant estrogens ... Vaginal dryness, another major menopausal complaint caused by loss of estrogen, can make intercourse painful and wreck a woman’s libido. Most doctors still recommend localized estrogen, which comes in suppositories, rings and creams, to promote lubrication. Because the hormone is delivered directly to vaginal tissue (rather than through the bloodstream) and the dose is low, doctors believe it’s safe ... Cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, can dramatically reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Bone-building remedies called biphosphonates improve density, and the drug raloxifene helps prevent fractures" - Note: Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See VitaminShoppe red yeast rice products.

High-Sodium Diet May Boost Heart Failure Risk - ABC News, 7/22/02 - "Overweight people who consume a high-salt diet may be at greater risk of congestive heart failure compared with their peers who consume lower levels of sodium ... the risk of developing the illness among overweight participants was 1.43 times greater for people whose sodium intake was greater then 113 millimoles (mmol) per day compared to those in the same group who consumed much less sodium, about 50 mmol per day ... Currently, experts estimate that two thirds of Americans consume between 120 and 180 mmols (2800 to 4800 milligrams) of sodium per day--greatly exceeding the 5 to 10 mmol daily intake needed by the body ... Several organizations and government agencies suggest that people consume less than 2400 milligrams of sodium a day"

High Fat Intake in Midlife Raises Odds of Alzheimer's Disease for Some - Medscape, 7/22/02 - "Compared with individuals without the e4 allele, e4-positive individuals who consumed a low fat diet during their 40s and 50s had a 4.5-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease while those who consumed a high fat diet had a 7-fold increased risk" - Something to think about for people on the Atkin's diet. - Ben

Fighting Osteoporosis Without Hormone Replacement Therapy - ABC News, 7/22/02 - "Bisphosphonates [Fosamax and Actonel] work by adding a layer to the bone, which acts like a kind of armor or protective coating ... Parathyroid hormone is a hormone secreted by four glands (the parathyroid glands) that are near the thyroid gland in the throat. This hormone actually stimulates calcium breakdown or calcium recruitment from the bones" - See Body Wise Essential Calcium or iHerb (5% discount code "qc"), Vitacost and VitaminShoppe calcium products.

Study Backs Niacin Diabetes Drug - ABC News, 7/21/02 - "The company said it has asked for regulatory approval to expand the recommended uses for the drug, which it markets as Niaspan ... The study found that "good" cholesterol increased between 13 percent and 24 percent depending on the strength of doses, that triglyceride was also reduced at high dose levels and that "bad" cholesterol levels also fell ... The authors said extended-release niacin may be considered for use with statins -- widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs -- or "in some cases, without statins."" - The problem with Niaspan is the flush, which many cannot tolerate.  I was able to get the same rise in HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) with inositol hexanicotinate without the flush.

CDC Off On Infection Deaths - Intelihealth, 7/21/02 - "About 103,000 deaths were linked to hospital infections in 2000 — a figure 14 percent higher than government estimates — and nearly 75 percent of the deaths were preventable ... Many of the deaths were caused by unsanitary facilities, germ-laden instruments and unwashed hands"

Low-Carb Vs. Low-Fat Diets - ABC News, 7/19/02 - "healthy people tend to do two things: they actually increase good fats and good carbohydrates while cutting down on both "bad fats" and "bad carbohydrates" - I had links to studies on high carb diets that had excellent results but that was a couple years ago and the links went dead.  Every country I've been to that has a diet based largely white rice diet does not seem to have a weight problem (Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Viet Nam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Guam and Thailand).  So I wouldn't put too much emphasis on this article.  It seems to me that it's the media hype not the study results that go from one extreme to another.

Protecting your bones without HRT - MSNBC, 7/19/02 - "For some, exercise and lots of calcium in supplements or in the diet may be enough. For those who do need medications, there are now several alternatives. The drugs are tested and FDA- approved, but only a few years old, so long-term effects are unknown ... Fosamax and Actonel — pills that can be taken once a week — strengthen bones — as does Miacalcin, a nasal spray. Evista is a hormone-like drug without many of the drawbacks" - See Body Wise Essential Calcium or iHerb (5% discount code "qc"), Vitacost and VitaminShoppe calcium products.

US Obesity Fight Needs Help from Docs, Government - ABC News, 7/19/02 - "The US healthcare system is not serious enough about tackling the rapidly growing "obesity epidemic," ... The fact that US doctors don't typically initiate discussions on nutrition and weight control may be at least partly behind the nation's failure to trim its bulging waistline"

Patient Compliance with Antihypertensive Therapy Appears Longer for Those Taking Angiotensin II Antagonists - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/02 - "One of the most challenging problems in the care of patients with high blood pressure is patient noncompliance with antihypertensive therapy ... Angiotensin II antagonists had the highest rate of persistence followed by ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, and diuretics"

Folic Acid Supplement Reduces Cell Proliferation In High Risk Colorectal Cancer Patients - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/02 - "Patients at high risk of colorectal cancer could cut their risk dramatically with a daily supplement of 2 mg of folic acid" - See iHerb (5% discount code "qc"), Vitacost and VitaminShoppe folic acid products.

Unlocking Aloe Vera's Healing Secrets - ABC News, 7/18/02 - "when the researchers added the aloe pectin, they found that it served as a binding agent, welding growth factors together and thus protecting them from degradation ... The healing power is particularly potent for older victims ... Wounds that normally would take three weeks to heal actually healed in two"

WebMD - Atkins Diet Works; Safety Unknown - WebMD, 7/18/02 - "At the end of six months, 80% of the participants were still on the diet, and they had lost an average of 10% of their original body weight. LDL, or bad cholesterol, decreased in all but one of the dieters, while HDL, or good cholesterol, improved ... there is no mystery to why participants lost weight on the low-carbohydrate diet. Even though calories were not restricted, the dieters ate an average of 1,450 calories per day. Without carbohydrates the body goes into a state called ketosis, which tends to lower appetite ... more study is needed to pronounce the carbohydrate-restricting diet safe" - They should have stated how much of the 10% weight lose was dehydration.  See:

• Getting the Skinny on High-Protein Diets - ABC News, 12/13/01 - "High-protein diets cause dehydration, which looks like immediate and dramatic weight loss"

Diet May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease - ABC News, 7/18/02 - "high cholesterol and high blood pressure seemed to be more strongly linked to the risk of developing Alzheimer's than was a certain gene variation ... a diet of more fruit and vegetables, and less red meat, offers more protection against the development of Alzheimer's ...low-fat diets containing vitamins such as A, C and E in fruit and vegetables are associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer's ... people taking cholesterol drugs called statins reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer's by 79 percent ... types of cholesterol-lowering drugs other than statins were not linked with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's" - Note: Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See VitaminShoppe red yeast rice products.

Obesity Doubles Colon Cancer Risk in Young Women - ABC News, 7/18/02 - "Obese women who have not yet experienced menopause are twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer as slimmer women of the same age ... Previous studies have consistently found that obesity increases the risk of colorectal cancer in men"

Cranberry Juice May Prevent Urinary Tract Infections - New Hope Natural Media, 7/18/02 - "Women who consume cranberry juice (Vaccinium macrocarpon) on a daily basis may help prevent the urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association ... Another herbal treatment that may be helpful for UTIs is uva ursi"

Coenzyme Q10 Effective for Migraine Prevention - New Hope Natural Media, 7/18/02 - "In the new study, 31 migraine sufferers were given 150 mg of CoQ10 per day for three months. The average number of days per month on which participants experienced headaches was 60% lower during the last two months of CoQ10 treatment than during the month prior to treatment. In addition, the average number of migraine attacks per month decreased by 42% with CoQ10 ... Two other nutrients that play a role in intracellular energy production (magnesium and riboflavin) have also been shown to reduce the recurrence rate of migraines" - See iHerb (5% discount code "qc"), Vitacost and VitaminShoppe coenzyme Q10 products.

Modafinil May Reduce Residual Fatigue, Sleepiness - Clinical Psychiatry News, 7/02 - "Fatigue, sleepiness, and such related phenomena as impaired concentration and reduced energy are extremely common in depression, and may remain—sometimes for years—after the disorder has resolved ... There were significant declines in both sleepiness and fatigue in the medication [modafinil] group, compared with placebo, at the first week of treatment (for sleepiness) and the second (for fatigue)."

Patch May Cut Depression During Perimenopause - Clinical Psychiatry News, 7/02 - "Short-term transdermal estradiol rapidly and substantially ameliorated depressive symptoms in perimenopausal but not postmenopausal"

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