Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/16/05

Vitamin E Harms More Than It Helps - WebMD, 3/15/05 [Abstract] - "All were over age 55. Half got high-dose vitamin E -- 400 IU every day (about 400 milligrams) -- and half got fake pills that looked the just the same ... Vitamin E was linked to a 13% higher risk of heart failure and a 21% increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure" - Note: The way I understand it, only the alpha tocopherol form (used in most supplements) is measured in IU.  So I assume they used that form for this study.  I've been saying for some time that taking just the alpha tocopherol form causes more harm than good because it lowers gamma tocopherol.  See item 6 on my home page.  With all the evidence against alpha tocopherol, I'm surprised they are still using it in studies and I'm surprised how slow vitamin companies are to offer multi-vitamins with mixed tocopherols/tocotrienols.  See Gamma E Tocopherol/Tocotrienols.

Antioxidant levels key to prostate cancer risk in some men - Nutra USA, 3/15/05 - "Greater levels of selenium, vitamin E and the tomato carotenoid lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer in one out of every four Caucasian males, or those who inherit a specific genetic variation that is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress"

Grapefruit and meds: A cocktail to avoid? - MSNBC, 3/15/05 - "Here are some of the most common grapefruit-unfriendly drugs ... Benzodiazepams (Valium, Xanax, Halcion) ... Buspirone (BuSpar) ... Carbamazepine (Tegretol) ... Fexofenadine (Allegra) ... Statins (Lovastatin, Mevacor, Zocor) ... Nifedipine (ProCardia) ... Viagra, Levitra, Cialis ... Theophylline ... Warfarin, Coumadin"

Scientists find how green tea fights cancer - MSNBC, 3/15/05 - "EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs" - See iHerb green tea products (15% discount code "qc").

Carotenoid combo reduces damage to cells, may fight disease - Nutra USA, 3/15/05 - "The mixed carotenoids supplemented group showed significantly decreased DNA damage as early as day 15 (by around 22 per cent) and this further decreased at days 29 and 43. By day 57, it had been reduced by 36 per cent" - See Nature's Way Protectamins Multi-Carotene Antioxidant Complex (15% discount code "qc")

Vitamin D and the Elderly - Medscape, 3/14/05 - "vitamin D insufficiency is related to a number of other disorders frequently observed among the elderly, such as breast, prostate and colon cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders including hypertension ... 800 IU (20 μg) vitamin D per day in combination with calcium reduces systolic blood pressure in elderly women"

Easy Blood Test May Reveal Women's Heart Risk - WebMD, 3/14/05 - "women with the highest white blood cell counts had twice the risk of dying of heart disease than those with the lowest levels ... women in the top fourth also had a 40% higher risk of nonfatal heart attack, 46% higher risk of stroke, and 50% higher risk of death due to any cause"

Eating Oily Fish May Reduce Inflammation - Science Daily, 3/14/05 - "This research group recently identified a new class of aspirin-triggered bioactive lipids, called resolvins, the activity of which may in part explain the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids"

Treating Depression Can Help Slow Physical Decline in Older Adults - Doctor's Guide, 3/14/05 - "Successful treatment of depression not only improves older adults' emotional health, but also helps them perform such daily activities as remembering to take medications"

Why Do Low-Carb Diets Cause Weight Loss? - WebMD, 3/14/05 - "participants in a new study lost weight when they restricted carbohydrates simply because -- drum roll, please -- they ate fewer calories"

Oily fish helps cut inflammation - BBC News, 3/13/05 - "We always suggest that people with arthritis eat two or three portions of oily fish a week, or take 1,500mg fish oil capsules a day" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb (15% discount code "qc").

Dark Chocolate May Lower Blood Pressure - WebMD, 3/11/05 - "100 grams (3.5 ounces) of dark chocolate ... Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids due to their high cocoa content, but white chocolate contains no cocoa, and, therefore, no flavonoids ... blood sugar metabolism was significantly improved after the dark chocolate phase ... the participants' systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) was significantly lower after 15 days of eating dark chocolate -- an average of 108 mm Hg compared with 114 mm Hg"

Pearly Teeth Could Help Save Your Heart - WebMD, 3/11/05 - "It's possible that in someone with gum disease the mouth's pesky bacteria travel through the bloodstream and prompt inflammation that clogs arteries"

Vitamin D Injections May Significantly Improve Survival In Dialysis Patients - Science Daily, 3/11/05 - "At the end of the two-year study period, 76 percent of those receiving any form of activated vitamin D were still alive, compared with 59 percent of those not receiving the therapy"

Baby Aspirin Safer for Preventing Heart Attack - WebMD, 3/10/05 - "The new study shows that taking more than 100 mg of aspirin a day increases the risk of bleeding -- from nose bleeds to bleeding in the brain"

Lycopene intake linked to lower pancreatic cancer risk - Nutra USA, 3/10/05 - "lycopene, provided mainly by tomatoes, was associated with a 31 per cent reduction in pancreatic cancer risk among men in the highest quartile of intake compared with those in the lowest quartile"

Waist Size Predicts Diabetes Risk - WebMD, 3/10/05 - "a man's waist size is a better indicator of type 2 diabetes risk than other currently used measures, such as waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height)."

Busy Minds May Slow Alzheimer's - HealthDay, 3/10/05 - "mice that lived in an "enriched environment" with chew toys, running wheels and tunnels that helped keep their brains and bodies active had lower levels of Alzheimer's-associated brain plaques and protein buildup than mice that lived in less stimulating surroundings"

Yogurt: An Antidote to Bad Breath? - WebMD, 3/10/05 - "the participants ate about 3 ounces of yogurt twice daily for six weeks ... odiferous compounds, namely hydrogen sulfide, decreased in 80% of participants ... levels of plaque and the gum disease gingivitis were also significantly lower among yogurt eaters"

Component Of Green Tea Protects Injured Livers In Mice - Science Daily, 3/9/05 - "it significantly protected livers that suffered ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice"

Caffeine Tied to Blood Sugar Problems - WebMD, 3/9/05 - "caffeine reduced the men's ability to process blood sugar. It also interfered with insulin, the body's hormone that handles blood sugar ... But what about the studies that show that coffee may protect against type 2 diabetes ... Here's the catch. In the new study, caffeine came from a pill ... Coffee contains many other substances besides caffeine, such as potassium, antioxidants, and magnesium"

Sperm Swim Better With Carnitine - WebMD, 3/9/05 - "The finding could help men coping with fertility issues -- specifically, those men whose sperm don't move very well" - See iHerb (15% discount code "qc") carnitine products.

Drugs Used To Treat Alzheimer's In Nursing Homes Are Worsening Sufferers' Illness - Science Daily, 3/8/05 - "Quetiapine, a drug commonly used in nursing homes to treat agitation and related symptoms in people with Alzheimers' disease actually worsens patients' illness, speeding up their rate of decline significantly"

Doctors Seek Way to Boost Some Cholesterol - Intelihealth, 3/8/05 - "HDL works like arterial Drano, clearing away cholesterol and carrying it to the liver for disposal. The more of it, the better: each point of increase in HDL has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 2 percent to 3 percent"

New Study Finds Different Results on Efficacy of St. John's Wort for Depression - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/05 - "extract WS 5570 ... Patients whose initial response was insufficient could increase the dose of hypericum extract to 1,800 mg/day or of paroxetine to 40 mg/day ... response rates were 60% in the hypericum group and 63% in the paroxetine group, while remission rates were 46.6% with hypericum and 42.9% with paroxetine" - Note:  The WS 5570 extract is sold under the Perika(R) brand name.  See Perika at iHerb (15% discount code "qc").

Low Fatty Acid Levels, Dementia Associated in Large Study - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/05 - "The n-3 fatty acids are an important component of the neuronal membrane, influencing membrane fluidity and all the related functions, such as signal transduction and enzyme function ... Subjects with dementia had the lowest n-3 fatty acid plasma concentrations ... Subjects with dementia had the highest plasma concentrations of saturated fatty acids" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb (15% discount code "qc").

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

Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in healthy persons  - Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Mar;81(3):611-4 - "Dark, but not white, chocolate decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons"

Overweight Postmenopausal Women Lose Bone With Moderate Weight Reduction and 1 g/day Calcium Intake - J Bone Miner Res. 2005 Mar;20(3):455-63 - "Despite an intake of 1 g Ca/day, bone loss occurred at some sites because of weight loss. Calcium intake of 1.7 g/day will minimize bone loss during weight loss in postmenopausal overweight women"

Pilot Study: Potential Role of Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol) in Patients With PSA Relapse After Definitive Therapy - Nutr Cancer. 2005;51(1):32-6 - "Fifteen patients were given 2,000 IU (50 mug) of cholecalciferol daily and monitored prospectively every 2-3 mo. In 9 patients, PSA levels decreased or remained unchanged after the commencement of cholecalciferol. This was sustained for as long as 21 mo. Also, there was a statistically significant decrease in the rate of PSA rise after administration of cholecalciferol (P = 0.005) compared with that before cholecalciferol. The median PSA doubling time increased from 14.3 mo prior to commencing cholecalciferol to 25 mo after commencing cholecalciferol. Fourteen of 15 patients had a prolongation of PSA doubling time after commencing cholecalciferol. There were no side effects reported by any patient"

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