Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/17/04:

Juggling Statins - Time Magazine, 3/22/04 - "No one knows yet how low LDL levels should go ... I'm currently treating patients with heart disease at LDL goals of 70 mg/dL"

Sleep easy with green tea - Nutra USA, 3/16/04 - "200mg of L-theanine or a placebo ... all subjects reported a significant absence of feeling exhausted and a reduced need for sleep when administered with the L-theanine, compared to the placebo" - See iHerb or Vitacost L-theanine products.

Fruits and Vegetables May Strengthen Girls' Bones - Yahoo, 3/16/04 - "The study of 56 white girls ages 8 to 13 found that those who ate at least three servings of fruits and vegetables each day had bigger bones than their peers. Researchers suspect that a produce-rich diet helps limit the body's excretion of calcium from the bones"

Screening Recommended for Some Men at Age 40 for Prostate Disease - Doctor's Guide, 3/15/04 - "men as young as 40 years of age should be screened for prostate cancer if they have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level greater than 0.6 ng/mL"

Green Tea's Cancer-Fighting Target Found - WebMD, 3/15/04 - "the antioxidant, known as EGCG, binds to a protein found on tumor cells and dramatically slows their growth ... the antioxidant required to produce these anticancer effects was equivalent to those found in the body after drinking only two to three cups of green tea"  - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.

Is testosterone a help for men in midlife? Maybe-or maybe it's a health hazard - US News, 3/15/04 - "heard about research using the male sex hormone testosterone to treat depression. She urged her husband to check it out. "Within a few days I started feeling mentally better,""

Glucosamine Stops Knee Arthritis in Women - WebMD, 3/15/04 - "The popular supplement glucosamine could do more than just ease arthritis knee pain. New research indicates that it may actually stop disease progression -- and possibly reverse it" - See iHerb or Vitacost glucosamine products.

Can soy fight cancer? - MSNBC, 3/15/04 - "Soy contains several natural phytochemicals that act as antioxidants and possess structural similarities to estrogen. These substances can bind to estrogen receptors in many tissues, including the breast, uterus, bones and blood vessels. In some tissues, recent research shows that soy’s isoflavones may block the effects of estrogen, thus reducing cancer risk"

Drinking Can Lead to Hearing Loss - HealthDay, 3/15/04 - "High, life-long alcohol consumption leads to damage in the central auditory cortex of the brain"

Research Links Nutrient in Eggs to Improved Memory - WebMD, 3/12/04 - "has been studying choline in animals for more than a decade and is also four years into a study examining the effects of choline deficiency in humans. He says those studies show that the current recommended intake of half a gram a day -- the amount gotten by eating two large eggs -- is probably not enough for some groups, especially young men" - See iHerb or Vitacost choline products.

Inverse Relationship Observed Between Statin Treatment and Risk of Hip Fracture - Doctor's Guide, 3/12/04 - "The risk of hip fracture decreased as the number of statin prescriptions increased ... 0.72 ... for subjects who redeemed more than 3 statin prescriptions" - Previous study:

• Statins May Help Prevent Bone Fractures - WebMD, 1/26/04 - "statin users had a 38%-81% lower risk of hip bone fractures and a 5%-51% lower risk of nonspinal fractures ... statin use was associated with a 57% reduction in the number of hip fractures reported and a 31% reduction in nonspinal fractures"

Osteoarthritis May Be Due to Aging Chondrocytes - Medscape, 3/12/04 - "chondrocytes' ability to maintain and repair cartilage is hurt by both the aging process and the introduction of free radicals into the joint space" - Thought it was interesting that some believe free radicals are even responsible for schizophrenia.  See:

• Brain cell damage caused by free radicals may explain poor response - HealthDay, 3/10/04 - "The brains of those with schizophrenia showed far greater indication of "oxidative DNA damage," something that occurs when free radicals overwhelm a cell's "antioxidant" capabilities"

Lipid-Lowering Combination May Be More Effective Than High-Dose Atorvastatin - Medscape, 3/12/04 - "The coadministration of ezetimibe plus simvastatin provided additional improvements in lipid profiles across a wide range of doses compared with titration of atorvastatin monotherapy"

Power Your Diet With Powerhouse Foods - WebMD, 3/11/04 - "cauliflower ... lettuces such as romaine and red-leaf lettuce. Pile on the spinach. And eat lots of broccoli and Brussels sprouts ... carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges, and grapefruit ... tomatoes, red peppers, and strawberries"

Vioxx, Blood Pressure Medications Don't Mix - WebMD, 3/11/04 - "taking both Vioxx and high blood pressure medications doubles the risk of a heart attack"

High DHA Intake Linked to Less Alzheimer's, Other Dementia - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/04 - "People who ate an average of 180 mg or more a day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid found in fish oil, had about 40% less Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, compared with people who consumed less DHA" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.

Green Tea Boosts Metabolism Without Increasing Heart Rate - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/04 - "Patients took two 375-mg capsules twice daily, for a total daily epigallocatechin gallate dose of 270 mg ... By week 12, body weight decreased by a mean of 4.6% and waist circumference by 4.48%" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.  I calculate 270 mg of epigallocatechin gallate to be 3.6 capsules of the Jarrow 500 mg. - Ben

Health Benefits of Folic Acid - PowerPak.com (CME), exp. 11/15/05 - "it has been estimated that up to 33% of the population may have low folic acid intake ... there is growing evidence to suggest that folic acid supplementation may be beneficial in patients with depression, as well as those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.26 And, given that folate absorption is impaired in many patients with Crohn's disease, supplementation in these individuals may be beneficial" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.

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

Effect of zinc supplementation on antidepressant therapy in unipolar depression: a preliminary placebo-controlled study - Pol J Pharmacol. 2003 Nov-Dec;55(6):1143-7 - "Zinc supplementation significantly reduced scores in both measures after 6- and 12-week supplementation when compared with placebo treatment. This preliminary study is the first demonstration of the benefit of zinc supplementation in antidepressant therapy. The mechanism(s) may be related to modulation of glutamatergic or immune systems by zinc ion" - See iHerb or Vitacost zinc products.

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