Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 6/7/06.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

New Research Clarifies Roles Of Calcium, Vitamin D, And Protein In Bone Health, Fracture Risk - Science Daily, 6/6/06 - "age has little bearing on the degree of deficiency. "Even young post-menopausal women should take some form of vitamin D supplementation,""

Loss of Central Vision with Age May Be Linked to Quality of Dietary Carbohydrates - Doctor's Guide, 6/6/06 - "Women who consumed diets with a relatively high dietary glycemic index had greater risk of developing signs of early age-related macular degeneration when compared with women who consumed diets with a lower dietary glycemic index"

Unfavourable Blood Fat Levels Predict Rheumatoid Arthritis Up to 10 Years Later - Doctor's Guide, 6/6/06 - "An unfavourable ratio of blood fats could herald the development of the inflammatory joint disease rheumatoid arthritis up to 10 years later ... On average, total cholesterol was 4% higher, while high density lipoprotein levels were 9% lower. Triglycerides were 17% higher and apolipoprotein B was 6% higher"

Green Tea And The 'Asian Paradox' - Science Daily, 6/6/06 - "one theory is that the average 1.2 liters of green tea consumed daily by many people in Asia offers the anti-oxidant protective effects of the polyphenolic EGCG. EGCG may prevent LDL oxidation, which has been shown to play a key role in the pathophysiology of arteriosclerosis. EGCG also reduces the amount of platelet aggregation, regulates lipids, and promotes proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells, which are all factors in reducing cardiovascular disease"

Are We Lowering LDL Cholesterol Sufficiently? - Medscape, 6/5/06 - "Evidence that cardiovascular event rates are a direct function of the LDL cholesterol concentration is robust down to levels of 2.0 mmol/l. Furthermore, with currently available agents it is feasible to achieve such levels in most people. Thus, given that there are no apparent safety issues associated with maintaining LDL cholesterol at this level, it seems logical that an LDL cholesterol target of 2.0 mmol/l should be considered for minimizing cardiovascular events in high-risk individuals"

Bone Loss Associated with Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy for Breast Cancer Confirmed - Doctor's Guide, 6/4/06 - "Aromatase inhibitor use was associated with a relative risk (RR) ratio of 1.3"

Early Estrogen Exposure Leads To Later Prostate Cancer Risk - Science Daily, 6/1/06 - "exposure to low doses of environmental estrogens during development of the prostate gland in the male fetus may result in a predisposition to prostate cancer later in life"

Hypertriglyceridemia - Medscape, 6/1/06 - "Omega-3 fatty acids (4 g per day) will reduce triglyceride levels by 30% ... ER niacin has been shown to lower the triglyceride level by ~25% and raise the HDL level by almost 30%"

Hormone Therapy: For Whom? How Long? - WebMD, 6/1/06 - "Doctors agree that hormone therapy can help women whose lives are disrupted by menopausal symptoms. Doctors agree the treatment -- estrogen plus progestin for women with a uterus, and estrogen alone for women who have had a hysterectomy -- carries risks. Doctors agree that for some women, the risks of hormone therapy outweigh the benefits ... Doctors disagree over which women need hormone therapy, and why they might need it. They disagree over when it's best to start hormone therapy. And they disagree over when to stop hormone therapy"

Copper Deficiency May Be Cause of Mysterious Neuropathy - Doctor's Guide, 5/31/06 - "Unexplained neuropathy may be the result of a copper deficiency ... Copper deficiency has long been associated with anemia and neutropenia, but its neurological consequences have only recently been recognized"

Chronic Stress, Depression and Cortisol Levels Are Potential Risk Indicators for Periodontal Disease - Doctor's Guide, 5/31/06 - "being a caregiver to relatives with dementia, hypercortisolemia (overproduction of cortisol) or stress were associated with elevated plaque levels and increased gingival bleeding in a study that examined adults aged 50 years and older"

5 Superfoods for Your Heart - WebMD, 5/31/06 - "Blueberries ... Salmon ... Soy Protein ... Oatmeal ... Spinach"

Calorie Restriction Appears Better Than Exercise At Slowing Primary Aging - Science Daily, 5/31/06 - "Sedentary rats who ate a standard diet had the shortest average life-spans," Holloszy says. "Those who exercised by running on a wheel lived longer, but animals on calorie restriction lived even longer"

Low Iron Could Help Spur Baldness - HealthDay, 5/31/06 - "Iron deficiency is the world's most common nutritional deficiency ... If iron deficiency is detected and treated in the early stages, patients may be able to grow hair more effectively"

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

Testosterone replacement therapy improves insulin resistance, glycaemic control, visceral adiposity and hypercholesterolaemia in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes - Eur J Endocrinol. 2006 Jun;154(6):899-906 - "Testosterone replacement therapy reduces insulin resistance and improves glycaemic control in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes. Improvements in glycaemic control, insulin resistance, cholesterol and visceral adiposity together represent an overall reduction in cardiovascular risk"

Omega-3 treatment of childhood depression: a controlled, double-blind pilot study - Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;163(6):1098-100 - "Analysis of variance showed highly significant effects of omega-3 on symptoms using the CDRS, CDI, and CGI ... Omega-3 fatty acids may have therapeutic benefits in childhood depression" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacost.

Effect of valsartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, on markers of oxidation and glycation in Japanese type 2 diabetic subjects: Blood pressure-independent effect of valsartan - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2006 May 29 - "low-dose valsartan treatment decreased serum AGEs level, whereas blood pressure level was unchanged. The effect of valsartan on AGEs might be a blood pressure-independent effect in type 2 diabetic subjects"

Effects of DHEA Replacement Therapy on Bone Mineral Density in Older Adults: A Randomized, Controlled Trial - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 May 30 - "DHEA replacement therapy for 1 yr improved hip BMD in older adults and spine BMD in older women"

Endocrine and metabolic effects of rosiglitazone in overweight women with PCOS: a randomized placebo-controlled study - Hum Reprod. 2006 Jun;21(6):1400-7 - "Rosiglitazone, by improving menstrual cyclicity, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia, represents an alternative treatment for overweight anovulatory women with PCOS and no pregnancy desire"

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