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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 2/19/03:

Tall Men at Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer - HealthScoutNews, 2/19/03 - "Among the men who were 50 to 59 years old, those 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11 had a 21 percent greater risk of prostate cancer than those under 5-foot-10. Those over 5-foot-11 had a 32 percent greater risk" - See "Alternative News" on my prostate page for ways to reduce risk.

Targeting 5HT Receptors Might Control Alzheimer's Dementia - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03 - "Compromised serotonergic function might contribute significantly to cognitive decline in senile dementia and in ageing ... acute tryptophan depletion impaired tasks of working memory in both groups"

Ovarian Function Could Decline Early In Women With A History of Depression - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03 - "Women with a lifetime history of major depression could have an early decline in ovarian function"

Chronic Painful Physical Conditions [CPPCs] Strongly Associated With Major Depression - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03 - "A diagnosis of major depressive disorder was made in 4% of participants, and 43.4% of those with major depression had at least one CPPC. The researchers point out this was four times the rate in people without major depressive disorder"

Citrus, Zinc May Cut Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk - Yahoo, 2/19/03 - "women getting less than 40 micrograms of beta-cryptoxanthin, which is found in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, were at a slightly higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than women who consumed more than that amount ... those who took zinc supplements had a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis. But getting an equivalent amount of zinc from food was not associated with decreased risk" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance 15.  Taking just zinc can cause a copper deficiency.  See:

• Vitamin Regimen Can Prevent Blindness - Intelihealth, 10/12/01 - "High doses of zinc can cause anemia, but participants also took 2 milligrams of copper daily to counter that effect"
• Inhibitory effects of zinc on magnesium balance and magnesium absorption in man - Medline, 10/94 - "the overall effect of the high Zn intake of the three groups combined, regardless of the Ca intake, was a highly significant decrease of Mg absorption and of the Mg balance"
• Zinc -- The Immune System's Missing Link? - Health & Nutrition Breakthroughs, 12/97 - "Supplementing with zinc is quite safe--its only significant side effect is lowered copper levels in the body tissues, since the two minerals compete for absorption. Considering zinc's safety, people should consider taking zinc supplements, especially as they age--being sure to include copper in the proper balance. Most practitioners who supplement their patients' diets with zinc also recommend taking copper at a ratio of 10 mg to 15 mg zinc for each milligram of copper."
• Increasing the Good Cholesterol - Health & Nutrition Breakthrough, 1/99 - "Low copper levels, which can be induced by taking more than 25 mg/day of zinc, may increase triglycerides as well as reduce HDL levels. Zinc/copper ratios should be monitored."

Why Not Drink Milk? - Dr. Weil, 2/19/03 - "lactose intolerance isn’t the only problem with milk and milk products. The milk protein, casein, can irritate the immune system and stimulate mucus production worsening allergy symptoms. This is why milk consumption is associated with recurrent childhood ear infections, eczema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and sinus conditions. Even those who are not allergic to milk, like people who have autoimmune diseases or digestive problems, may find that their symptoms improve when they eliminate milk and milk products"

Many Elderly Undiagnosed for Depression - ABC News, 2/19/03 - "One of the biggest red flags is when they have symptoms with no obvious cause, when in fact, what they have is depression ... Because doctors and patients have been conditioned to expect certain ailments in seniors weight loss, fatigue, poor concentration, forgetfulness some doctors overlook the possibility of depression and some patients forego seeking help ... Once it gets a hold of you, it can be just as fatal as pneumonia"

Frequent Runny, Stuffy Nose May Boost High Blood Pressure Rate in Men - WebMD, 2/18/03 - "Like snoring, rhinitis is characterized by "upper respiratory resistance" and may produce similar effects on blood pressure ... If you're a man who is prone to runny or stuffy nose -- whether year-round or during certain seasons -- the researchers suggest you pay particularly close attention to your blood pressure"

Hypertension, Stalking the "silent killer" - Physician's Weekly, 2/17/03 - "If you¹re just hypertensive, the goal is 140/90; if you are diabetic and you have kidney disease, the goal is 130/85; and if you have kidney disease and also spill protein in your urine, then the goal is even lower at 125/75 ... Physicians need to be more aggressive about getting people into good blood pressure control ... you shoot for a goal; if you don¹t get it you increase the dose. If that doesn't work, then you add another drug, and then you increase that dose ... patients need more than one drug most of the time ... when you get very close using just one drug, both doctor and patient are less likely to add another medication to get to goal. There is some education we need to do" - I'm not a doctor but from what I've read, a high dose ARB plus low dose ACE inhibitor looks best from a side effect/quality of life point of view, however, it may be cost prohibitive.  Also, see their Algorithm For The Treatment Of Hypertension.

Diabetes Prevention Efforts Achieving Good Results - Doctor's Guide, 2/17/03 - "Strategies that may prevent progression to diabetes include weight reduction, exercise, insulin secretagogues, metformin, glucosidase inhibitors and thiazolidinedione ... Diabetes risk was reduced by 31% among patients who were treated with metformin (which tends to restrain weight gain) and by 58% for patients who improved their lifestyle ... Losing even 5 to 7 kg [11 to 15.4 pounds] "has an enormous benefit" that was also apparent in cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factor reductions"

How Should Menopause Be Managed After the Women's Health Initiative? - Doctor's Guide, 2/17/03 - "According to the study's widely overlooked fact sheet, risks calculated from the study apply to the entire population. An individual's real increased risks from HRT are relatively small ... Dr. Carlson stated that there are some alternatives to HRT. Pooled study results in the Cochrane Collection show a reduction in vertebral fractures with bisphosphonate treatment. Raloxifene has also been shown to decrease vertebral fractures. In addition, it appears to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 70% and the risk of cardiovascular events by 40% in women with high risk factors. Adversely, hot flashes and venous thrombolytic events do tend to increase with this treatment. Androgen replacement therapies offer another treatment option"

Low Blood Pressure and Risk of Dementia in the Kungsholmen Project: A 6-Year Follow-up Study - Archives of Neurology, 2/03 - "Subjects with very high systolic pressure (>180 vs 141-180 mm Hg) had an adjusted relative risk of 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-2.3; P = .07) for Alzheimer disease, and 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1-2.2) for dementia ... high diastolic pressure (>90 mm Hg) was not associated with dementia incidence, whereas extremely low diastolic pressure (65 vs 66-90 mm Hg) produced an adjusted relative risk of 1.7 (95% CI, 1.1-2.4) for Alzheimer disease and 1.5 (95% CI, 1.0-2.1; P = .03) for dementia"

Dietary Fats and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease - Archives of Neurology, 2/03 - "Intakes of saturated fat and trans-unsaturated fat were positively associated with risk of Alzheimer disease, whereas intakes of -6 polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat were inversely associated. Persons in the upper fifth of saturated-fat intake had 2.2 times the risk of incident Alzheimer disease compared with persons in the lowest fifth" - See the tables on my fatty acids page.  For example, palm oil is 51% saturated fat while canola oil is 8% saturated.

Studies have mixed message for diet and Alzheimer's risks - USA Today, 2/17/03 - "The study of antioxidants involved 980 Medicare patients in New York, averaging age 75, who were asked about their food intake during the first year of the four-year study ... Thies said the results don't rule out the possibility of an Alzheimer's-related benefit from antioxidants ... it is not what you're doing in your late 70s that's going to affect your risk of dementia, it's what you're doing in your 50s and 60s"

Body's First Defense May Be Root of Diseases - Washington Post, 2/16/03 - "There is already compelling evidence that some of the damaging effects of inflammation can be countered with common medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, cholesterol drugs called statins, and possibly the new generation of "super aspirins" for arthritis such as Vioxx and Celebrex ... the case is already very strong for heart disease, strong and getting stronger for many cancers, and much more mixed but still tantalizing for illnesses such as Alzheimer's ... One of the ways aspirin may protect against hardening of the arteries is by neutralizing substances called prostaglandins, some of the chemical signals sent out during inflammation"

Ginseng Improves Memory in Dementia Patients - HealthScoutNews, 2/14/03 - "The patients in the group taking the ginseng showed a significant increase in their average score on five memory tests, including immediate and delayed story recall, delayed word recall, verbal learning and verbal recognition" - See iHerb (5% discount code "qc") or Vitacost American, Korean, and Siberian ginseng products.

Low Levels of Serum Vitamin B May Be Related to Helicobacter Pylori Infection - Doctor's Guide, 2/14/03 - "Of 25 subjects with vitamin B >145-180 pg/mL, 92% were seropositive ... Eighty-nine percent of the 47 subjects with vitamin B greater than 180-250 pg/mL were found to be seropositive compared with 51%, 31 out of 61, of subjects with B less than 250 pg/mL" - [abstract] - See the abstract.  I think they are talking about vitamin B12.  My favorite is Jarrow Methylcobolamin (Methyl B 12) (5% discount code "qc").  Helicobacter pylori is associated with stomach ulcers.

Get the facts on fiber-filled foods - MSNBC, 2/14/03 - "The newest governmental dietary recommendations call for women under age 50 to get at least 21 grams of total fiber each day, and those over 50 should aim for at least 25. Men under age 50 should aim for 30 grams of total fiber and for those over 50, at least 38 grams ... By adding bulk and softness to stools, insoluble fiber keeps bowels moving smoothly. And scientists believe it lowers the risk of colon cancer ... You get insoluble fiber from whole-wheat products, wheat bran, corn bran, many vegetables, certain fruits and dried beans ...Soluble fiber dissolves to a rather gummy substance. By binding fatty substances in the digestive tract, it helps lower blood cholesterol, and it helps control blood sugar by slowing carbohydrate absorption. You get soluble fiber from oats, barley, dried beans and a variety of fruits and vegetables ... A mega-size muffin with more bran may supply 3 to 8 grams of fiber, but may also yield 400 or more calories" - Assuming that the average brand muffin has 5.5 grams of fiber and 400 calories, for a male over 50 to get 38 grams of fiber from bran muffins, he would have to consume 2764 calories of bran muffins.  Millbrook 100% whole wheat bread has 2 grams of fiber per 80 calorie slice.  If you do the math on that, to get 38 grams of fiber you would have to consume 19 slices per day which is 1520 calories.  Millbrook lists 22 slices per loaf so throw then ends out and that's about a loaf per day.  See Drugstore.com psyllium products.

Baby, Coated Aspirin Don't Thin Blood as Well - HealthScoutNews, 2/14/03 - "over half of the patients taking 81 milligrams a day did not have an antiplatelet effect, which was significant ... Out of the patients who were taking coated aspirin, over 60 percent did not have an antiplatelet effect compared to the people taking 325 milligrams of uncoated aspirin" - See drugstore.com aspirin products.

Light Sleeper, Heavy Gainer - HealthScoutNews, 2/14/03 - "Sleep loss can result in high blood levels of glucose, which causes your body to overproduce insulin and makes it easier to gain weight ... Sleep deprivation can increase production of cortisol, a stress hormone that stimulates the appetite ... Lack of sleep can lead to a growth hormone deficiency, which can cause you to put on fat, rather than muscle"

Vitamin C May Aid People with Diabetes - New Hope Natural Media, 2/13/03 - "randomly assigned to receive 500 mg of vitamin C per day or a placebo. After four weeks of treatment, the average blood pressure decreased significantly in the group taking vitamin C, whereas no change was seen in the placebo group. The systolic blood pressure (the higher number) decreased by an average of 9.8 mm Hg, while the diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) decreased by 4.4 mm Hg. These changes in blood pressure are nearly as great as one might expect from taking a prescription blood pressure-lowering medication. In addition, the stiffness of the arteries decreased significantly in the vitamin C group ... Vitamin C inhibits all three of the biochemical reactions that are believed to contribute to the development of these complications: (1) the production of oxygen-derived free radicals, (2) the accumulation of sorbitol within cells, and (3) a tissue-damaging reaction called glycosylation" - [Journal Hypertension/Medline] - See iHerb (5% discount code "qc"), Body Wise or Vitacost vitamin C products.

DHEA Augmentation Improves Schizophrenic Symptoms - Medscape, 2/13/03 - "In humans, DHEA has demonstrated efficacy in the improvement of mood, with increased energy, interest, confidence, and activity levels in various populations ... DHEA demonstrates potent neuroprotective qualities and plays an important role in neurodevelopment" - Yet the government want to outlaw it.

Study Warns of Mixing Ibuprofen with Aspirin - HealthScoutNews, 2/13/03 - "those who took aspirin and ibuprofen had much higher death rates than those who took another aspirin-painkiller combination or just aspirin itself ... ibuprofen may zap the blood-thinning properties of aspirin. Even when patients took ibuprofen throughout the day and aspirin only in the morning, the ibuprofen appeared to make aspirin less beneficial"

Flavonoids found in chocolate may help reduce risk of heart disease - HealthScoutNews, 2/13/03 - "the main flavonoids in cocoa -- flavan-3-ols -- are associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease ... Also, a third of the fat in chocolate is made up of oleic acid. That's a monosaturated fat, also found in olive oil, that's been shown to benefit heart health"

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