Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/1/06.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

The latest flip-flop on hormone therapy gives new hope to younger women - US News, 3/6/06 - "women like Smith who take hormones when they're relatively young and closer to menopause may actually be protected against heart disease--not at higher risk"

Fruits, Veggies Not as Vitamin Rich as in Past, Says New Data - ABC News, 3/1/06 - "Of the 13 major nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, six have declined substantially ... recently grown crops have shown decreases of up to 38 percent in protein, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron and riboflavin when compared with produce from past decades"

FDA Approves Emsam (selegiline transdermal system), the First Transdermal Patch for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder - Doctor's Guide, 2/28/06 - "the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Emsam® (selegiline transdermal system), the first transdermal patch for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults" - Note:  Many take selegiline for anti-aging.  See my selegiline page.  Related articles:

• FDA Panel Backs Selegiline Patch For Depression: Majority view 20-mg formulation as safe - Clinical Psychiatry News, 12/05 - "Unlike the transdermal formulation, the oral formulation does not achieve antidepressant levels in the central nervous system"
• Transdermal MAO Inhibitor Patch Effective for ADHD - Clinical Psychiatry News, 6/03 - "A transdermal patch containing the selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor selegiline applied daily appeared effective and well tolerated in a pilot study of children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder"
• FDA OKs Patch to Treat Depression - WebMD, 2/28/06 - "At its lowest strength, Emsam can be used without the dietary restrictions that are needed for all oral MAO inhibitors that are approved for treating major depression"

Vitamin D, calcium supplements could reduce falls in women, not men - Nutra USA, 2/28/06 - "700 IU of cholocalciferol (vitamin D3) plus 500 mg of calcium in the form of calcium citrate malate ... After three years of supplementation the researchers observed: “Long-term dietary cholocalciferol-calcium supplementation reduces the odds of falling in ambulatory (mobile) older women by 46 per cent, and especially in non-active women by 65 per cent.”"

• Calcium Citrate Shown to Have Superior Bioavailability and Protects Against Bone Loss - Medscape, 11/21/00 - "the calcium supplement formulation calcium citrate was 2.5 times more bioavailable than calcium carbonate, even when given with a meal, the optimum method of ensuring calcium carbonate absorption" - See Citracal at drugstore.com.

Cocoa May Cut Blood Pressure - WebMD, 2/27/06 - "Cocoa intake was tied to lower blood pressure and reduced death risk, the study shows. Natural compounds in cocoa called flavanols may be the reason"

Calcium Plus Vitamin-D Supplementation Does An Older Body Good - Science Daily, 2/24/06 - "The older the woman, the more likely it is that consistent use of calcium and vitamin-D supplements will play a role in reducing her risk for osteoporosis"

Preliminary Study Shows Creatine and Minocycline May Warrant Further Study in Parkinson's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 2/24/06 - "Both creatine and minocycline appeared to modify the disease features as measured by a decline in the clinical signs of Parkinson's disease"

Vitamin D Protects Against Tuberculosis - Intelihealth, 2/23/06 - "Four years of work led to the finding that the human defense mechanism involves vitamin D"

Ginkgo Biloba Extract: More Than Just For Memory? - Science Daily, 2/24/06 - "treating mice with an extract of leaves of Ginkgo biloba both before and after implanting human breast or brain (glioma) tumors decreased expression of a cell receptor associated with invasive cancer. This decreased expression slowed the growth of the breast tumors by 80 percent as long as the extract was used, compared to untreated mice" - See iHerb or Vitacost ginkgo products.

Benefits Of Eating Seafood Outweigh Risks - Science Daily, 2/24/06 - "Though some species of fish around the world's are likely to be contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxins, the benefits of eating seafood continue to outweigh the risks, a panel of scientists recently said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science" - Related study:

• Study: 20% Of Women 16-49 Have High Mercury Levels - cbs2chicago.com, 2/8/06 - "Twenty percent of women ages 16 to 49 have mercury levels that exceed the EPA's recommended limit ... the greatest single factor influencing mercury exposure was the frequency of fish consumption"

Use Of Statins Shows Improvement In Erectile Performance Of Some Men Who Previously Did Not Respond Well To Viagra - Science Daily, 2/23/06 - "There did seem to be some improvement for those who received Lipitor versus the placebo ... We theorized that if you could make the edothelium healthier through the use of statins -- so that there is more nitric oxide available -- you would improve the endothelial dysfunction and Viagra would work better for the patient" - See Lipitor at OffshoreRx1.com.

Efficacy Of Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate May Depend On Level Of Osteoarthritis Pain - Science Daily, 2/23/06 - "The popular dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate proved no better than a placebo in relieving osteoarthritis knee pain in most participants of a major national trial. But the study, published in the Feb. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, also showed a smaller subgroup of trial patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis knee pain taking the combination of the two supplements experienced significant pain relief" - [NEJM]

Low-Salt Diet May Not Cut Heart Risk - WebMD, 2/22/06 - "Over a 13-year period, people in the study who reported eating little salt were 37% more likely to die from cardiovascular causes (such as stroke and coronary heart disease) as people who ate more salt than is recommended by U.S. government guidelines" - Related study:

• Salt Reduction Has Little Impact On Cardiovascular Events Or Mortality - Doctor's Guide, 9/23/02 - "Reducing patient dietary sodium intake has little effect or either cardiovascular events or mortality ... There also are doubts about effects of salt reduction on overall health"

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

Omega 3 fatty acids: biological activity and effects on human health - Panminerva Med. 2005 Dec;47(4):245-257 - "As PUFAs are precursors of prostaglandins and leucotriens, which are involved in phlogosis and immune response, a diet rich in fish oil reduces the production of PGE2 involved in many phlogosis events. Moreover, an increase in the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) intake leads to a reduction in the production of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 1, 2, 6 and tumor necrosis factor); so, it is important to use w-3 in chronic inflammatory diseases, as the rheumatoid arthritis. It seems that w-3 could prevent the onset of hormone-dependent tumours (i.e. breast and prostatic cancer); in vitro observations, in fact, have shown that the PG of the series 2, derived from w-6, have a carcinogenic action; instead, the anticancer effect of w-3 could derive from their effect in antagonizing the formation of such PG; it can be useful, therefore, to increase the dietary w-3/w-6 ratio" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacost.

Postprandial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of extra virgin olive oil - Atherosclerosis. 2006 Feb 17 - "A significant decrease in inflammatory markers, namely TXB(2) and LTB(4), after 2 and 6h after EVOO (but not OO or CO) consumption and a concomitant increase of serum antioxidant capacity were recorded"

Affiliates (I could sure use some sales.  Click here for more stores):