Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 4/26/06.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Pondering Prostate Problems? - Dr. Weil, 4/28/06 - "All told, this study shouldn't discourage men with mild-to-moderate BPH from using saw palmetto. I still recommend taking 160 mg of a standardized extract twice a day; this should help reduce the size of the gland in about four to six weeks"

Diabetes Drug May Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 4/25/06 - "if you are suffering Alzheimer's disease and don't have ApoE4, your results seem to get better faster with Avandia"

FDA OKs Generic Version of Pravachol - WebMD, 4/25/06 - "Bristol-Myers Squibb's patent for the drug expired on April 20. Generic pravastatin tablets (10 milligrams, 20 milligrams, and 40 milligrams) are manufactured by TEVA Pharmaceuticals in Kfar Sava, Israel"

Probiotics May Help Stressed Gut - WebMD, 4/25/06 - "Harmful bacteria latched onto cells in the intestinal wall and nearby lymph nodes of stressed rats with sterile drinking water ... Stressed rats that had gotten probiotics in their drinking water showed no signs of harmful bacteria leaking to their lymph nodes"

Does Telomere Shortening Predict Dementia? A Critical Review - Doctor's Guide, 4/24/06 - "Telomere lengths in both the dementia and non-dementia patients showed no significant decline with age"

Heavy Coffee Drinking Doesn't Hurt the Heart - Intelihealth, 4/24/06 - "Data on more than 120,000 participants in two U.S. studies that followed people for as long as two decades found no link between heart disease and a daily intake of six or more cups of coffee"

Expectant Moms Need Milk's Vitamin D - WebMD, 4/24/06 - "by not drinking milk, mothers got far too little vitamin D. And data analysis shows that it was vitamin D -- not calcium or any other milk-related nutrient -- that accounted for the infants' lower weight"

Wait a Few Minutes: Blood Pressure Readings Lower when Patients Slow Down - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/06 - "systolic blood pressure can be an average of 14 points higher when taken immediately after arriving in the exam room and sitting on an examination table rather than sitting in a chair with your back supported and feet flat on the floor"

Hormone Therapy May Prevent Heart Attacks for Women in Their 50s - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/06 - "HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60 but has mixed results for older women"

Supplemental Growth Hormone in Healthy Adults: The Endocrinologist's Responsibility - Medscape, 4/20/06 - "Without sufficient scientifically based evidence for anti-aging effects of GH, our professional societal responsibility is to adhere to regulatory guidelines appropriately restricting expensive (~US$8,000 or more per annum) adult GH therapy to bona fide replacement needs"

Elevated Plasma Glucose, Diabetes, Obesity May Increase Risk for BPH - Medscape, 4/20/06 - "Men with elevated fasting glucose (> 110 mg/dL) were more likely to have an enlarged prostate than men with normal fasting glucose (</= 110 mg/dL ... Both elevated fasting glucose and diabetes were associated with high-moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms"

Pygeum - An Extract from This Native African Tree Reduces Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - Life Extension Magazine, 4/06 - "Pygeum bark contains numerous beneficial constituents, including phytosterols such as beta-sitosterols, which exhibit anti-inflammatory action by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins in the prostate" - See iHerb pygeum products.

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

The relationship between green tea and total caffeine intake and risk for self-reported type 2 diabetes among Japanese adults - Ann Intern Med. 2006 Apr 18;144(8):554-62 - "Consumption of green tea and coffee was inversely associated with risk for diabetes after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and other risk factors. Multivariable odds ratios for diabetes among participants who frequently drank green tea and coffee (> or =6 cups of green tea per day and > or =3 cups of coffee per day) were 0.67 (95% CI, 0.47 to 0.94) and 0.58 (CI, 0.37 to 0.90), respectively, compared with those who drank less than 1 cup per week ... Total caffeine intake from these beverages was associated with a 33% reduced risk for diabetes"

Sesame ingestion affects sex hormones, antioxidant status, and blood lipids in postmenopausal women - J Nutr. 2006 May;136(5):1270-5 - "sesame ingestion benefits postmenopausal women by improving blood lipids, antioxidant status, and possibly sex hormone status"

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