Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 12/8/04:

Memory Loss - Medscape, 12/7/04 - "diets high in saturated fats and trans-unsaturated fats are associated with greater declines in cognitive functioning.[21] The antioxidants vitamins E and C are thought to reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD),[22] and folate, vitamins B12 and B6 have been shown to play a role in cognitive functioning in women.[23-25] Two recent reviews support the positive influences of a "heart-healthy" diet on reducing risk of cognitive decline[26] and AD.[27] Foods high in vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, unsaturated fat, and nonhydrogenated fat are the most likely to reduce risk of cognitive decline"

Cigarette Smoke A Culprit In Poor Healing And Increased Scarring - Science Daily, 12/7/04 - "Cigarette smoke, whether first- or second-hand, complicates the careful cellular choreography of wound healing"

Food for thought: Can diet protect memory? - MSNBC, 12/6/04 - "research increasingly suggests that diet may be important in preventing Alzheimer's ... older dogs fed a diet rich in antioxidants over several years were able to perform tasks — and learn new tricks — far better than fellow canines fed a normal diet ... scientists believe that curcumin, a spice used in India and known for its anti-inflammatory effects, may prevent memory loss"

Iron Supplementation May Help Children With ADHD - Medscape, 12/6/04 - "Iron deficiency has been previously considered a potent cause of poor cognitive impairment, learning disability, and psychomotor instability ... ferritin levels were significantly lower in children with ADHD"

Good for the heart, good for the brain - MSNBC, 12/6/04 - "While diets high in cholesterol are bad for the brain, getting plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, found primarily in fish, is vital for a healthy noggin ... In particular, a component of omega 3 fatty acids known as DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is key"

Shampoo Ingredient Kills Rats' Brain Cells - HealthDay, 12/6/04 - "Experiments with the brain cells of rats show that contact with an ingredient found in shampoos, hand lotions and paint causes neurons to die ... The chemical, methylisothiazolinone (MIT)"

Metyrapone May Be Effective as Additive Treatment of Major Depression - Medscape, 12/6/04 - "Alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are the most consistent pathological endocrine findings in depression"

• Metyrapone - NetDoctor.co.uk - "Metyrapone works by stopping the natural production of a steroid hormone called cortisol"

Antioxidant, B vitamin Combo to slow dementia? - Nutra USA, 12/6/04 - "the glutathione precursor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is not only a potent antioxidant but also a source of cysteine. Cysteine is required to generate hydrogen sulphide - an important neuromodulator and vasorelaxant. Levels of hydrogen sulphide levels are severely decreased in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients"

Eat Spinach, Prevent Cataracts? - WebMD, 12/3/04 - "Our results are the first to provide physical evidence suggesting that lutein and zeaxanthin decrease damage caused by ultraviolet radiation"

Cholesterol-lowering drugs have a long-term effect - US News, 12/3/04 - "Patients who'd taken simvastatin during the five-year trial were still better off five years after the trial ended. (In this case, "better off" means "more likely to be alive.")"

Dieters May Face Splenda Shortage - ABC News, 12/3/04 - "That's because the maker of sucralose, the key ingredient behind the increasingly ubiquitous no-calorie sweetener, is having trouble keeping up with demand" - See Splenda/sucralose at drugstore.com.

How much caffeine is too much? - MSNBC, 12/3/04 - "even two six-ounce cups of coffee a day may increase blood test values that measure inflammation ... two large American studies show no effect of coffee or caffeine on the incidence of heart disease ... caffeine increases the loss of calcium, raising the risk of osteoporosis ... two to three cups of coffee can raise blood pressure around 10 points"

FDA Rejects Libido Drug for Women - WebMD, 12/2/04 - "The current safety database is unable to answer many questions about the long-term safety"

Dietary Supplement Ups Antidepressant Effect - WebMD, 12/2/04 - "Half the patients in the study reported significant improvement in symptoms when they took SAMe along with their prescription antidepressant for six weeks. Forty-three percent reported having no depression symptoms at all six weeks after adding the dietary supplement to their treatment" - See iHerb or Vitacost SAMe products.

Too Much Red Meat May Boost Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk - HealthDay, 12/2/04 - "people who eat a lot of red meat have twice the risk for RA and that people who eat lots of red meat and other meat products had similar high risk levels ... High levels of protein intake from all dietary sources were also associated with increased risk for RA"

Study Links Sleep Deprivation, Obesity - ABC News, 12/2/04 - "Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a blood protein that suppresses appetite and seems to affect how the brain senses when the body has had enough food. Sleep deprivation also raises levels of grehlin, a substance that makes people want to eat"

Magnesium Maintains Memory - HealthDay, 12/1/04 - "Since it is estimated that the majority of American adults consume less than the estimated average requirement of magnesium, it is possible that such a deficit may have detrimental effects, resulting in potential declines in memory function" - See iHerb or Vitacost magnesium products.

Citrus Shows Promise For Certain Childhood Cancer - Science Daily, 12/1/04 - "Orange juice and other citrus contain potent natural compounds – limonoids – which showed dramatic results in killing certain cancer cells"

Low levels of HDL cholesterol linked to breast cancer risk - US News, 12/1/04 - "Women with high HDL levels were 25 percent less likely to get postmenopausal breast cancer than women with low HDL cholesterol. The difference was even bigger for women who were overweight"

Green Tea May Stall Prostate Cancer Growth - WebMD, 12/1/04 - "the green tea antioxidant appeared to stall cell growth by decreasing production of several proteins that promote cell survival. In addition, it reduced the production of proteins that are known to be associated with the spread of cancer cells ... the study also suggests that the antioxidant in green tea appeared to starve prostate cancer tumor cells by inhibiting the formation of blood vessels, thereby suppressing the flow of nutrients to the cancerous cells" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.

Peanuts Can Be Mother Nature's Vitamin Pill, USDA Data Shows - Medical News Today, 12/1/04 - "The 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has discovered that vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber, are all lacking in typical American diets. This study shows that eating a daily serving of peanuts or peanut butter can help children and adults meet nutrient needs"

FDA to Review Female Sex Dysfunction Drug - ABC News, 11/30/04 - "Intrinsa ... works by releasing over time testosterone through the skin in an amount a women would have produced before menopause"

Mucuna pruriens Seed May Be Helpful in Long-term Management of Parkinson's - Medscape, 11/30/04 - "The rapid onset of action and longer on time without concomitant increase in dyskinesias on mucuna seed  powder formulation suggest that this natural source of L-dopa might possess advantages over conventional L-dopa preparations in the long term management of PD"

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

High intakes of milk, but not meat, increase s-insulin and insulin resistance in 8-year-old boys - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004 Nov 17 - "a short-term high milk, but not meat, intake increased insulin secretion and resistance. The long-term consequences of this are unknown"

Vitamin D2 is much less effective than vitamin D3 in humans - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;89(11):5387-91 - "Vitamin D(2) potency is less than one third that of vitamin D(3). Physicians resorting to use of vitamin D(2) should be aware of its markedly lower potency and shorter duration of action relative to vitamin D(3)" - Note: Ergocalciferol is D2, Cholecalciferol is D3.  I noticed that several such as GNC are still selling the D2.

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