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

Rosuvastatin Superior to Atorvastatin for High-Risk Patients High Cholesterol - Medscape, 7/6/04 - "At the end of the 24-week study, LDL-C levels had fallen by 59.6% in the 5- and 10-mg (starting dose) rosuvastatin groups and by 52.0% in the atorvastatin group ... HDL-C levels rose by 8% in the rosuvastatin groups, but only by 0.9% in the atorvastatin group"- Yeah, but:

• Cholesterol Drug Safety Questioned - WebMD, 5/18/04 - "a citizen group has renewed its call for the FDA to ban the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor ... there have been 11 new cases of the muscle-destroying condition -- rhabdomyolysis -- and three additional cases of kidney damage in people taking Crestor"

Soy Benefits May Have Age Cutoff - WebMD, 7/6/04 - "If supplementation begins a decade of so after menopause, it may be too late"

Patients With Severe Depression Improve Using Texas Medication Algorithm Project Guidelines - Doctor's Guide, 7/6/04 - "the level of improvement in the disease-management group was twice as much better when measured by a clinician and three times as much better when the patient described his or her own level of improvement" - See the Texas Medication Algorithm Project.

Milk Helps Prevent Colon Cancer - HealthDay, 7/6/04 - "people who drank more than one eight-ounce glass of milk a day had a 15 percent reduction in risk compared to those who drank less than two glasses of milk a week"

Severe Depression Associated With Greater Number Of Nerve Cells In Thalamus Region Of Brain - Science Daily, 7/6/04 - "Studies of postmortem brains of patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) showed a 31 percent greater than average number of nerve cells in the portion of the thalamus involved with emotional regulation"

Statins May Provide Anti-Inflammatory Benefit in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 7/5/04 - "Primary outcome measures were change in disease activity score (DAS28) ... the DAS28 improved significantly in the group receiving atorvastatin compared with placebo ... In addition, C-reactive protein declined by 50%"

Atorvastatin Improves Renal Function in Patients With CHD - Medscape, 7/2/04 - "In 704 patients not treated with statins, mean decrease in CrCl was 5.2% (P < .001). In 97 patients receiving various statins as part of their usual care, CrCl increased by 4.9% (P = .003). In 783 structured care patients receiving atorvastatin, CrCl increased by 12%" - What the CrCl numbers mean:

• Recognizing the Impact of Anemia-related Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease - jcaremanagement.com - "Mild CKD patients are defined as those having CrCl of 50-89 mL/min. Moderate CKD patients are defined as those having a CrCl of 25-49 mL/min. Advanced CKD patients are defined as those having a CrCl of less than 25 mL/min"

Cortisol - Keeping a Dangerous Hormone in Check - Life Extension Magazine, 7/04 - "daily cortisol production increased by 54% from a group of 21- to 30-year-old men to a group of men over 70 ... Phosphatidylserine, DHEA, and ginkgo biloba all have been shown to reduce the amount of cortisol produced during stressful events, and these stress fighters can help retard the negative consequences of this hormone" - See iHerb or Vitacost phosphatidylserine products.  Also associated with high cortisol:

• Psychotic Depression - healthyplace.com - "Researchers aren't exactly sure what causes major depressive disorder with psychotic features (psychotic depression), but it's frequently associated with high levels in the blood of a hormone called cortisol"

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

An ideal ocular nutritional supplement? - Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2004 Jul;24(4):339-49 - "Those highlighted for possible inclusion were vitamins A, B, C and E, carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, minerals selenium and zinc, and the herb, Ginkgo biloba"

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