Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 8/10/05.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Strategies to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes - Medscape, 8/8/05 - "Low glycemic load, high fiber diet which contains adequate amounts of mono-unsaturated and omega-3 fats and lean protein can improve satiety and dietary thermo-genesis (basal metabolic rate) and decrease insulin resistance ... Nutrients that have also been associated with worsening insulin sensitivity include trans-fats and saturated fats ... Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and lowers glucose levels both acutely and for up to 48 h after physical activity ... metformin reduced the risk of diabetes by 31% ... Valsartan reduced the incidence of new-onset diabetes by 23% ... Traditional beta-blockers worsen insulin sensitivity and increase the risk of developing new diabetes"

Elevated Insulin Levels Appear to Increase Levels of Inflammatory Markers and Beta-Amyloid, Which May Contribute to Alzheimer's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 8/8/05 - "Moderately elevated levels of insulin increase the levels of inflammatory markers and beta-amyloid in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid, and these markers may contribute to Alzheimer's disease"

• Obesity Today, Alzheimer's Disease Tomorrow? - WebMD, 8/8/05 - "people with high insulin levels -- long before they get diabetes -- already are on the road to Alzheimer's disease"

Tiny Roundworm's Telomeres Help Scientists To Tease Apart Different Types Of Aging - Science Daily, 8/8/05 - "telomeres alone do not dictate aging and lifespan ... For successful aging you have to control both, aging in your dividing cells, which hinges on telomere maintenance, but also aging in your non-dividing cells. We thought that telomeres might play a role in the later but that's clearly not the case ... What is probably playing a role in the other half of aging is the insulin signaling pathway, proper mitochondrial function and dietary restriction"

Vegetarians, older folk advised to get enough B12 - Reuters, 8/9/05 - "Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common than doctors once thought, and experts advise that those most at risk -- vegetarians and older adults -- be sure to take supplemental forms of the vitamin" - See iHerb B12 products.

White Bread Gets Whole-Grain Makeover - ABC News, 8/8/05 - "developing Ultragrain White Whole Wheat. The grain was bred for its properties and is not considered genetically modified ... Interstate Bakeries Corp.'s Wonder Bread a name synonymous with fluffy white bread is test-marketing its own white bread with 100 percent whole grain, and plans a wide release next year"

Vitamin K in the Treatment and Prevention of Osteoporosis - Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2005;62(15):1574-1581/Medscape, 8/5/05 - "The results of two dose-response studies have indicated that (1) the amount of vitamin K needed for optimal γ-carboxylation of osteocalcin is significantly higher than what is provided by diet alone and (2) there is a need to increase current dosage recommendations to optimize bone mineralization" - See iHerb vitamin K products.

Blood Pressure Over Normal? Nip It in the Bud - WebMD, 8/4/05 - "If your blood pressure is notching above normal, it's to your heart's advantage to stop that trend as soon as possible"

FDA Approves Diovan (Valsartan) to Reduce Cardiovascular Death in Heart Attack Survivors at High Risk - Doctor's Guide, 8/4/05 - "was a rigorous comparison of Diovan vs. captopril, an ACE inhibitor, vs. the combination of both ... Diovan was reported to improve survival and reduce cardiovascular events including recurrent heart attack and hospitalizations for heart failure in these patients"

Level of Activity Key to Cutting Stroke Risk - WebMD, 8/4/05 - "Being moderately to highly active during leisure time can slash stroke risk ... This means vigorous activity (like running, swimming, or heavy gardening) for more than three hours a week"

More evidence coffee may cut risk of liver cancer - Nutra USA, 8/4/05 - "those who drink coffee occasionally reduced their risk by almost 30 per cent, while those drinking one or more cups a day had a risk of just 0.58 compared with the non-drinkers"

Breast Cancer, Hormone Link Clarified - WebMD, 8/4/05 - "combination of estrogen and progestin ... the risk in a 50-year-old woman increased from 6.1% to 6.7% if she took combined hormones for five years. The risk for the same woman who took hormones for a decade was estimated to be 7.7%"

'Prehypertension' triples heart attack risk - MSNBC, 8/4/05 - "People whose blood pressure is slightly elevated — a condition called prehypertension — have triple the risk of a heart attack compared to those with healthy blood pressure ... defines prehypertension as blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89"

Study Shows that Provigil (Modafinil) Tablets Improves Patients' Ability to Remain Awake and Alert - Doctor's Guide, 8/4/05 - "patients taking Provigil showed improvements in their wakefulness, performance and level of attention" [MSNBC] - See Modafinil at International Anti-aging Systems.

Diabetes raises pancreatic cancer risk - MSNBC, 8/3/05 - "For three years after their diagnosis with diabetes, patients have eight times the risk of developing pancreatic cancer"

Fitness Level Predicts Likelihood of Death - WebMD, 8/3/05 - "Having a good fitness level for one's age predicts better survival ... If you are below the fitness level for your age, you are more likely to die ... women double their risk of death if they can't exercise at 85% of the level normal for their age"

• Fitness Level Declines Dramatically With Age - WebMD, 7/25/05 - "By participating in a training program, you can raise your aerobic capacity 15% to 25%, which in our study would be equivalent to being 10-20 years younger"

Consumers Have Had Their Fill of Atkins Diet - washingtonpost.com, 8/2/05 - "In February of last year, more than 9 percent of Americans said they were following a low-carb diet, according to NPD. This month, that number was 2.2 percent"

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

Cholinesterase inhibitors for patients with Alzheimer's disease: systematic review of randomised clinical trials - BMJ. 2005 Aug 6;331(7512):321-327 - "Because of flawed methods and small clinical benefits, the scientific basis for recommendations of cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is questionable"

Vitamin d for health and in chronic kidney disease - Semin Dial. 2005 Jul-Aug;18(4):266-75 - "In addition to its role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, vitamin D is now being recognized as important for maintaining maximum muscle strength and for the prevention of many chronic diseases, including type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular heart disease, and many common cancers" - See iHerb vitamin D products.

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