Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/7/04:

Telmisartan Reduces Blood Pressure and Left Ventricular Mass Index in Patients with Hypertension - Doctor's Guide, 1/7/04 - "Telmisartan was significantly more effective in reducing blood pressure and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) than was hydrochlorothiazide in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension ... Reducing LVM is a primary objective to managing hypertension because of the increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with increases in LVM"

Increased Free Radical Levels May Cause Fibromyalgia - Doctor's Guide, 1/7/04 - "These data suggest, claim the authors, that the "oxidant/antioxidant imbalance related to the disease process, and the increase in free radical levels may be responsible for the development of fibromyalgia.""

Low Magnesium Intake May be Associated with Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 1/6/04 - "Statistical analyses revealed a significant inverse association between magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes" - See iHerb or Vitacost magnesium products.

Drinking Water May Speed Weight Loss - WebMD, 1/5/04 - "The researchers estimate that over the course of a year, a person who increases his water consumption by 1.5 liters a day would burn an extra 17,400 calories, for a weight loss of approximately five pounds"

The Changing Paradigm in Osteoporosis Treatment - Physician's Weekly, 1/5/04 - "Patients should wait 4 to 6 hours between doses of calcium servings because the body will not absorb more than 500 mg at a time"

Ease Arthritis Pain by Treating Depression - Physician's Weekly, 1/5/03 - "treating elderly patients for depression can ease arthritis pain"

High Vitamin B12 Levels May be Linked to Better Treatment Outcome for Major Depressive Disorder - Doctor's Guide, 1/5/04 - "Low levels of folate have also been associated with a poor response to antidepressive therapy ... patients with greater HDRS responses had higher vitamin B12 levels both at baseline (r = 0.39, P < .001) and at 6 months ... The positive relationship between higher vitamin B12 levels and improved HDRS score was also confirmed by linear regression analysis" - [Abstract] - See iHerb B12 products.

Coffee May Cut Type 2 Diabetes Risk - WebMD, 1/5/04 - "Those who drank six or more cups per day had the lowest risk of having type 2 diabetes compared with those who drank less coffee ... Caffeine may stimulate muscles to burn fat and sugar more efficiently and could trigger the breakdown of fat in other tissue as well"

Testosterone OK for Men with Precancerous Prostate - Yahoo, 1/2/04 - "Testosterone replacement therapy for men with low levels of the hormone does not appear to promote the development of prostate cancer, even when they have a precancerous condition called prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia"

A New Take on Weight-Loss Resolutions - HealthDay, 1/2/04 - "The number one problem [with trying to lose weight] is supersizing [of portions]"

The skinny on sweeteners - MSNBC, 1/1/04 - "Based on what sweeteners are available now, my choice is Splenda, or sucralose, when used by itself" - See Splenda at drugstore.com.

What You Don’t Know About Blood Sugar - Life Extension Magazine, 1/04 - "it now appears that optimal fasting blood glucose levels should probably be under 86 mg/dL ... Chromium supplements have been shown to reduce blood glucose significantly.70-74 The dose used in human studies ranges from 200 to 1000 mcg of elemental chromium a day, with best results occurring when 400 mcg or more of chromium is taken daily ... Nondiabetics using metformin may start off at 500 mg a day and gradually build up to 1000-1500 mg a day. The objective is not to take so much metformin as to induce a hypoglycemic state" - See iHerb or Vitacost chromium products.

The Alphabet Soup of EFAs - Health Supplement Retailer, 1/04 - "today’s typical American diet still contains too many omega-6s, compared to omega-3s ... High levels of the omega-6 oils without the restraining effects of the omega-3s actually promotes the diseases that are supposed to be prevented ... The scientific community even recommends a 1-to-1 ratio of omega-3s-toomega- 6s for optimum health effects. However, it is reported that many Americans consume an omega-6-to omega-3 ratio of about 30-to-1" - See Mega Twin EPA at Vitacost or iHerb.

Red Wine Molecule May Battle Alzheimer's Damage - Medline Plus, 12/31/03 - "Resveratrol does indeed protect cells from beta-amyloid induced oxidative damage ... Resveratrol seemed to help cells survive by encouraging the mopping of harmful free radicals ... The antioxidant action of resveratrol was limited to a particular type of damage ... The substance did not protect cells from oxidative stress that was not caused by beta-amyloid" - See iHerb or Vitacost resveratrol products.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics:

Effect of vitamin D on muscle strength and relevance in regard to osteoporosis prevention - Z Rheumatol. 2003 Dec;62(6):518-521 - "The protective effect of vitamin D on fractures has been attributed to the established moderate benefit of vitamin D on bone mineral density. However, an alternative explanation might be that vitamin D affects factors directly related to muscle strength, thus, reducing fracture risk through improved function and fall prevention, in addition to its benefits on calcium homeostasis"

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