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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 12/18/02:

Folic Acid Improves Endothelial Function And Blood Pressure In Smokers - Doctor's Guide, 12/18/02 - "Smokers were randomly assigned to receive either 5 milligrams of folic acid or placebo every day ... Mean blood pressure was significantly reduced from 88 +/- 2 to 83 +/- 1 mmHg in those patients who received supplementation" - Seems like they could have tested non-smokers for the same effect while they were at it.  5 points is probably half of what you'd get from the standard dose of most anti-hypertensive medications. - Ben

New reasons for eating organic? - MSNBC, 12/18/02 - "The study by researchers at the University of Washington concluded that children fed a diet of organic foods were exposed to far fewer — six to nine times less — toxic pesticides than children fed a conventional diet ... What we do know is that chronic exposures to low levels of pesticides could very well be significant ... Children exposed to high levels of organophosphate pesticides are at risk for bone and brain cancer, neuroblastoma and childhood leukemia" - It just goes to show that you can't believe every study.  It wasn't that long ago that the USDA was saying that organic wasn't safer.  See:

• Standardized Eating, USDA: Organic Doesn’t Mean Safer - ABC News, 12/7/00
• Organic Foods Not Tastier or Healthier - ABC News, 5/1/02 - This link went dead but the title shows my point. - Ben

Eating Oily Fish May Reduce Risk of Asthma - Doctor's Guide, 12/18/02 - "A study by public health experts at the University of Cambridge suggests regular consumption of fish like salmon, mackerel and herring can have a protective effect ... adds to the list of benefits ascribed to fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids ... the researchers found regular fish consumption roughly halved the risk of asthma attacks, wheezing or waking up with tightness in the chest" - I've got that.  See TwinLab Mega Twin EPA at iHerb (5% discount code "qc") and Vitacost.

Antipsychotic Drug Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer - Medscape, 12/18/02 - "Women who used antipsychotic dopamine antagonists were 16% more likely to develop breast cancer than their unexposed peers were"

Diuretics should be first choice to treat high blood pressure - USA Today, 12/17/02 - "Researchers suggest diuretics, commonly called water pills, should be the first medicine prescribed to treat high blood pressure and that, when multiple medications are needed, a diuretic be one of them" - Yeah, but what about impotence and other quality of life issues.  I was surprised that Dr. Tim Johnson of ABC News did a segment on 12/17/02 that was so pro diuretics.  If people don't take them because of the side effects, they aren't doing much good.  See:

• 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" - there was another study mentioned in Medscape that basically said the same thing but the link went dead. - Ben

Despite Study, Docs Still Like Statins - WebMD, 12/17/02 - "looks at the much-used statin sold as Pravachol. It finds that the drug doesn't reduce either heart disease or death in a cross-section of older people whose high blood pressure is under control and who have moderately high cholesterol levels ... The study looked at 10,355 people age 55 or older enrolled in a study comparing different kinds of blood-pressure drugs ... Research suggest that in people without active heart disease, half stop taking their stains only six months after their first prescription. After two years, only a third are still taking their pills"

Heart disease, cancer, and even your bones are all affected by depression - US News & World Report, 12/16/02 - "Increasingly, it appears that what we call depression is not strictly psychological but is, instead, a condition that occupies the whole body. "Depression is really the only systemic disease that affects–and complicates–almost all other diseases," ... depression not only affects and complicates existing disorders like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, even osteoporosis; it might also trigger them"

Estradiol Alone Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk - Doctor's Guide, 12/16/02 - "Hormone replacement therapy containing progestins significantly elevates breast cancer risk, but preparations containing estradiol alone do not, a large Swedish observational study suggests"

Green Tea Consumption May Protect Against MI - Medscape, 12/16/02 - ""We found...that MI was less prevalent in green tea drinkers, suggesting that regular green tea intake may be playing a protective role against the development of MI in Japanese," ... Green tea is known to contain high levels of flavonoids, compounds that have been shown to neutralize free radicals. By protecting against oxidative damage, flavonoids may decrease the risk of CAD and stroke, the researchers explain"

Pain Reliever [Acetaminophen] Top Liver Failure Cause - WebMD, 12/16/02 - "Although there is no medical data to suspect it poses danger at recommended amounts, the active ingredient in Tylenol is so toxic at high doses that a new study indicates that acetaminophen overdose has become the leading cause of sudden liver failure"

HRT May Save Women's Sight - WebMD, 12/13/02 - "Women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be more than 50% less likely to develop the common, sight-robbing condition known as macular degeneration as they grow older then women who have never used HRT"

Herb Mix Nixes Prostate Cancer in Lab - WebMD, 12/13/02 - "A number of recent studies point to COX-2 as an important factor in cancer-cell growth. In the Columbia studies, Zyflamend decreased COX-2 activity about as well as a potent COX-2-inhibiting drug ... The herbal mix is called Zyflamend, from New Chapter Inc., and has 10 herbs: holy basil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, rosemary, hu zhang, Chinese goldthread, barberry, oregano, and Scutellaria biacalensis"

World Study Reinforces Benefit Of Blood Pressure Lowering Among Over 40s - Doctor's Guide, 12/12/02 - "Not only do the present analyses confirm that there is a continuous relationship with risk throughout the normal range of usual blood pressure (down at least as far as 115/75 mm Hg), but they also demonstrate that within this range the usual blood pressure is even more strongly related to vascular mortality than had previously been supposed ... a 10 mm Hg lower usual SBP, or 5 mm Hg lower usual DBP, would, in the long term, be associated with about 40 percent lower risk of stroke death, and about 30 percent lower risk of death from ischaemic heart disease or other vascular causes throughout middle age ... For the general population, producing persistent reductions in average blood pressure of just a few mm Hg by some widely practicable methods (such as, perhaps, reducing sodium intake in manufactured foods) should avoid large absolute numbers of premature deaths and disabling stroke"

In Praise of Spirulina - CancerDecisions.com, 12/12/02 - "According to a recent scientific review from Latin America, spirulina has a vast array of beneficial properties. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of allergies, anemia, cancer, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, viral infections, inflammatory conditions, liver damage, immunodeficiency, cardiovascular diseases, and other conditions ... In a 2002 Japanese study, 12 adult males were administered an oral hot water extract of spirulina, and the number and activity of their natural killer (NK) cells was measured before and after treatment. (NK cells destroy tumor cells by binding to them and delivering lethal chemicals that kill on contact.) At the study's end, there was a significant increase in the production and cancer-killing ability of these subjects' NK cells ... Spirulina also shows potential for decreasing the adverse effects of both chemotherapy and radiation" - See iHerb (5% discount code "qc") or Vitacost spirulina products.

Hypertension Increases May Be Lower with Celecoxib than with Rofecoxib - Doctor's Guide, 12/12/02 - "Elderly patients with hypertension who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for arthritis or other conditions may see fewer adverse effects on blood pressure with celecoxib than with rofecoxib"

Diet and Hair Loss - ABC News, 12/12/02 - "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"

Eating Fish May Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease - New Hope Natural Media, 12/12/02 - "People who consumed fish or seafood at least once a week reduced their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by 34% and 31%, respectively, compared with those who never ate fish ... Nutritional supplements that may help slow the progression of dementia or AD include acetyl-L-carnitine, vitamin E, thiamine (vitamin B1), melatonin, Ginkgo biloba and Huperzine A"

N-Acetyl Cysteine Improves Insulin Resistance in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - New Hope Natural Media, 12/12/02 - "PCOS ... affects up to 10% of all women of reproductive age ... characterized by enlargement of the ovaries, irregular menstrual cycle, failure to ovulate, obesity, high levels of insulin in the blood and insulin resistance, excessive hair growth (due to increased testosterone) and infertility. More than 50% of all women with PCOS have high insulin levels, which may be a risk factor for diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clots and heart disease ... Women with high initial insulin levels who took NAC had a significant reduction in insulin levels following the glucose tolerance test and also showed improved insulin sensitivity"

Tooth Loss Linked to Stroke Risk - WebMD, 12/12/02 - "tooth loss may increase the risk of stroke by as much as 74% compared with those who have a healthy mouthful of teeth ... The findings add more evidence to support the growing link between gum (periodontal) disease, which is caused by bacterial infections, and the risk of stroke and heart disease" - Possible solution?:

• Low-dose Periostat (Doxycycline) Shows Benefits in Patients with Heart Failure - Doctor's Guide, 11/20/02 - "At six-month follow-up, sub-antimicrobial dose doxycyline significantly reduced CRP levels by 45.8 percent compared to baseline values (p<0.05). The drug was also associated with a 33.5 percent reduction in interleukin-6 and a 50 percent reduction in metalloproteinase ... The findings are exciting, since research is now showing that CRP is both a key marker of inflammation leading to future acute coronary events, but also that CRP itself may contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis"

SAMe Beneficial in Treating Osteoarthritis, Depression, and Liver Disease - New Hope Natural Media, 12/12/02 - "More than 100 human studies have been published in medical journals showing that SAMe is a safe, effective treatment and, in the cases of depression and osteoarthritis, works as well as conventional medications"

A Better Antioxidant [astaxanthin]? - Dr. Weil, 12/12/02 - "to my knowledge none of the specific claims for astaxanthin as a superior antioxidant have been proved in humans ... However, I do think we all need to make an effort to eat more foods containing carotenoids, including astaxanthin"

Beyond Bran Flakes and Prunes - ABC News, 12/11/02 - "fiber keeps the digestive tract in tune — preventing constipation and maintaining regularity. But many may not know a diet rich in this complex carbohydrate can help fight obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer ... The American Dietetic Association recommends Americans eat 20-35 grams of fiber each day ... But the average American eats only 12-17 grams, only a quarter of which is soluble fiber"

Increased Mortality Risk Observed in Sub-Clinical Forms of Depression - Doctor's Guide, 12/11/02 - "The increased risk of mortality associated with depression exists not only in major depression but also in sub-clinical forms of the disease ... In many cases, depression should be considered as a life-threatening disorder"

Industry Attempts To Promote Prestigious, If Unknown, Ginkgo Study - Health Supplement Retailer, 12/10/02 - "researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration at Oxford University, England, reported that Ginkgo biloba improved cognitive function. Although the study originally came out Oct. 21, national media never picked up the story ... We came across this review and we didn't understand why mainstream media didn't pick it up ... The herb was shown to exhibit benefits on mood and emotional function at doses less than 200 mg/d at around 12 weeks compared to placebo. However, the authors, led by Jacqueline Birks, did address the negative studies that have come out on ginkgo and cognitive performance in recent memory. "Anything short of a miracle drug will generate some null or even negative results in small trials," ... The review was funded by the U.K. Alzheimer's Society"

Web Filters More Effective at Blocking Health Info Than Pornography - Medscape, 12/10/02 - "All Web filtering software mistakenly blocks access to medical information"

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