Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/10/04:

Gout Risk Tied to Eating Red Meat, Fish - HealthDay, 3/10/04 - "Those who consumed the highest amount of meat were 40 percent likelier to have the disease compared to those who ate the least, while those who ate the most seafood saw their risk rise 50 percent"

Rosuvastatin Lowers Cholesterol Most in Metabolic Syndrome Patients - Doctor's Guide, 3/10/04 - "In a comparison of 4 cholesterol-lowering drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor) resulted in the greatest reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ... rosuvastatin also was better than the other statins in raising high density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol and in lowering triglycerides" - Yeah but:

• Group seeks ban of latest statin because of muscle side effect - USA Today, 3/4/04 - "A 39-year-old woman has died of a muscle-destroying condition linked to the controversial new anti-cholesterol drug Crestor ... Crestor also was linked to some cases of kidney abnormalities not seen with other statins"

DHEA poses risks for athletes using high doses - Nutra USA, 3/10/04 - "the testosterone created from DHEA does not stay long in the blood, but instead, quickly breaks down into other hormones associated with prostate gland growth ... When the body gets an excess of DHEA, it appears to preferentially turn the DHEA into testosterone, then DHT and then ADG"

Coffee Each Day Might Keep Diabetes Away - HealthDay, 3/9/04 - "the higher your coffee consumption, the lower your risk of type 2 diabetes ... the researchers hypothesize that something other than caffeine was responsible for the effect. That could be phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant properties, and that antioxidant activity might decrease insulin resistance"

Statin Dosing Rarely Meets Recommended Therapeutic Goals - Doctor's Guide, 3/9/04 - "in clinical practice statins are routinely underdosed, thus significant numbers of patients never receive the protective benefits of these agents"

Diet Linked to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - WebMD, 3/9/04 - "if a person has a higher intake of animal protein, they will have a higher risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ... And people who have a higher intake of saturated fat have an increased risk. On the other hand, if you have higher-than-average intake of dietary fiber -- particularly if you frequently eat vegetables and fruits with a high fiber content -- you have a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma"

Testosterone Replacement Therapy - Physician's Weekly, 3/8/04 - "there is no compelling evidence whatsoever that TRT in men with low testosterone increases the risk of prostate cancer ... there is really no dispute in the literature that testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men provides improvements in the areas of libido, muscle mass, and bone density. Areas that have shown promise include effects on mood, strength, frailty, cognition, and erectile dysfunction"

Cholesterol Should Be Lower Than Thought - WebMD, 3/8/04 - "LDL "bad" cholesterol levels should be less than 62 mg/dL -- much lower than the current recommendation of 100 -- in order to get maximum benefit from cholesterol-lowering drugs ... Super-low cholesterol reduced death from any cause by 28% and fatal heart attacks by 18%"

C-Reactive Protein as Independent Predictor of Type 2 Diabetes in Women - Doctor's Guide, 3/8/04 - "Elevated plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory biomarker, is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes in females ... C-reactive protein is a sensitive and stable marker for systemic inflammation, and may be a potential target for intervention in healthy subjects" - See my CRP page for ways to reduce it.

New Study Reveals Lycopene from Tomatoes May Activate Special Cancer Preventive Enzymes - NPI Center, 3/8/04 - "a diet rich in tomato products may activate special cancer-preventive enzymes called “phase II” detoxification enzymes. These enzymes effectively remove harmful carcinogens from the cells and from the body" - See Lyco-sorb at iHerb.

More Carbs, More Exercise = More Weight Loss - WebMD, 3/5/04 - "The thinnest people eat the most carbs ... Without exception, a high-complex-carbohydrate, high-vegetable-protein diet is associated with low body mass ... High-protein diets were associated with higher body weight"

48,000 Lives Saved by Vitamin Additive - WebMD, 3/5/04 - "folic acid has another benefit -- this one for adults. It lowers blood levels of a bad actor called homocysteine. High homocysteine levels weaken the walls of blood vessels, making a person more prone to heart disease and stroke" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.

'Statin' Cholesterol Drugs Lower Stroke Risk - WebMD, 3/4/04 - "Statin therapy should now be considered routinely for all patients at high risk of stroke, irrespective of their initial cholesterol concentrations or the presence of heart disease"

Vitamin B12 levels linked to bone loss - Nutra USA, 3/4/04 - "after adjusting for age, weight and clinic site, women with the lowest levels of B12 (below 280 pg/ml) experienced significantly more rapid hip bone loss than women with higher levels of B12" - See iHerb or Vitacost B12 products.

Seniors + Vitamins = Higher Quality of Life - NPI Center, 3/4/04 - "In a recent survey, these seniors are crediting improvements in their health, energy levels, physical activity, sleeping and eating habits, concentration, emotions, and self-esteem to the free daily vitamins they received through Vitamin Relief USA Senior Support™ program" - See Centrum at drugstore.com.

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

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