Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 2/7/07.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

The Role of Metformin and Pioglitazone in Early Combination Treatment - Medscape, 2/6/07 - "Both metformin and pioglitazone have positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Pioglitazone may reduce the progression to type 2 diabetes by effects on both pancreatic beta-cell deterioration and insulin resistance"

HDL Effects of Statins Important - Medscape, 2/6/07 - "Statins increase HDL-C by around 5% to 15% ... Substantial atheroma regression (>5%) was observed in patients with levels of LDL-C less than the mean (87.5 mg/dL) and increases of HDL-C greater than the mean (7.5%; p<0.001) during treatment ... This, to our knowledge, is the first time that increases in HDL-C levels have been shown to be an independent predictor of a beneficial outcome with statin therapy"

DCA: Cancer Breakthrough or Urban Legend? - ABC News, 2/5/07 - "In one group of rats where DCA was given after the injected tumors had been allowed to grow, the tumors immediately (in the authors' words) decreased in size" - Related article:

• Cheap, safe drug kills most cancers -  New Scientist, 1/23/07

Cochrane on Beta Blockers - Medscape, 2/2/07 - "The available evidence does not support the use of beta blockers as first-line drugs in the treatment of hypertension"

Ward off cancer with bad breath - MSNBC, 2/2/07 - "People who used the most onion or garlic about a half-cup of chopped onion daily and a self-assessed “high” garlic consumption were from 10 percent to 88 percent less likely to have various types of cancer than those who said they used little or none"

Weight-loss Supplement Shows Good And Bad Traits - Science Daily, 2/1/07 - "Mice fed a CLA-supplemented diet lost weight very fast, but also accumulated excessive amounts of fat in their livers – a common side effect of rapid weight loss. Excessive fat accumulation in the liver is linked to insulin resistance, a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes"

• Cognis responds to CLA study communication - Nutra USA, 2/1/07

Sex problems can signal more serious medical conditions - CNN, 2/1/07 - "problems in the bedroom can translate into serious medical conditions, and ignoring sexual dysfunction may mean missing early indicators for heart failure, depression or other ailments"

Selenium loss linked to cognitive decline in aged - Reuters, 2/1/07 - "cognitive decline was associated with decreases of selenium over time, after accounting for other risk factors. Subjects with the highest levels of selenium loss had a higher probability of cognitive decline" - See Selenium products at iHerb.

Erectile dysfunction affects 18 percent of men - Reuters, 2/1/07 - "staying active -- moving more and eating less -- and staying healthy, in addition to being good for your cardiovascular health may also be good for your sexual health"

On The Cover: Eating Your Way To Prostate Cancer - Life Extension Magazine, 2/07 - "Boswellia extracts have been thoroughly studied as natural remedies for inflammatory disorders. A patented extract from boswellia called 5-LOXIN® has potent ability to inhibit the enzyme 5-LOX, preventing the formation of protein-degrading enzymes, and protecting against inflammation-induced events that can promote tumor angiogenesis" - See 5-LOXIN® products at iHerb.

Lavender Oil May Spur Breasts in Boys - WebMD, 1/31/07 - "Repeated use of products containing lavender oil or tea tree oil may spur breast growth in prepubertal boys ... lavender and tea tree oil are sold over the counter in their 'pure' form and are present in an increasing number of commercial products, including shampoos, hair gels, soaps, and body lotions"

Folic acid effects two-faced depending on B12 levels, says study - Nutra USA, 1/31/07 - "In this study of older Americans in the age of folic acid fortification, we found direct associations between high serum folate and both anaemia and cognitive impairment in subjects with low vitamin B12 status ... Among subjects with normal vitamin B12 status, on the other hand, high serum folate was associated with protection from cognitive impairment" - See iHerb vitamin B12 products.

Omega-3 and joint health – more support - Nutra USA, 1/31/07 - "randomly assigned 24 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), also known as Bechterews disease, to receive either high-dose (4.55 g) or low-dose (1.95 g) daily supplement of omega-3 (Epax 5500 TG) ... The patients in the high-dose group exhibited a significant decrease in disease activity according to the Bath Ankylosing Disease Activity Index, which was not seen in the low-dose group" - [Abstract]

Air Pollution Linked to Heart Deaths - WebMD, 1/31/07 - "A resident of Birmingham, Ala., one of the smoggiest cities included in the study, would have roughly a 76% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes than someone living in Tucson, Ariz., which was among the cities with the cleanest air"

The Long-term Effects of Rosiglitazone on Serum Lipid Concentrations - Medscape, 1/31/07 - "Total cholesterol values from 3 months until 18 months after the beginning of rosiglitazone use were higher than those at baseline. Total cholesterol values from 12 to 18 months after the beginning of rosiglitazone use were significantly lower than those at the 3-month timepoint. Total cholesterol values from 15 to 18 months after the use of rosiglitazone began were significantly lower than those values at 6 months"

Men Warned Of Osteoporosis Problems - Science Daily, 1/31/07 - "Statistically, one in three men die following a fracture, compared to one in five women, possibly because of underlying health problems such as heart disease which make it difficult for them to cope with a fracture that could involve hip surgery, prolonged bed rest and rehabilitation"

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

Effect of the main dietary antioxidants (carotenoids, gamma-tocopherol, polyphenols, and vitamin C) on alpha-tocopherol absorption - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan 31 - "Naringenin, carotenoids and probably gamma-tocopherol can impair alpha-tocopherol absorption whereas vitamin C and phenolic acids have no effect"

Dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil lowers blood pressure in dyslipidaemic patients - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan 31 - "Supplementation with ALA resulted in significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels compared with LA" - See flax seed at Amazon.com.

Metabolic effects of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome treated with metformin - Intern Med J. 2007 Feb;37(2):79-86 - "Significant total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B improvement was observed in pioglitazone group after 12 months, but not in the 777 group"

Evaluation of clinical safety and beneficial effects of a fish oil containing lipid emulsion (Lipoplus, MLF541): Data from a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial - Crit Care Med. 2007 Jan 25 - "from fish oil (Lipoplus) ... there was a significantly shorter length of hospital stay of approximately 21% ... the administration of Lipoplus in the postoperative period after major abdominal surgery is safe and results in a significantly shorter length of hospital stay"

Tea consumption and basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer: Results of a case-control study - J Am Acad Dermatol. 2007 Jan 26 - "Our findings support the existence of an inverse association between tea consumption and skin carcinogenesis" - See Jarrow green tea at iHerb.

Life-threatening hyperglycemia and acidosis related to olanzapine: a case report and review of the literature - J Intensive Care Med. 2007 Jan-Feb;22(1):52-5 - "The authors postulate that treatment with olanzapine precipitated hyperglycemia, an elevated creatine kinase level, and a high amylase level"

The effects of irbesartan and telmisartan on metabolic parameters and blood pressure in obese, insulin resistant, hypertensive patients - J Endocrinol Invest. 2006 Dec;29(11):957-61 - "Group A (23) was submitted to irbesartan 150 mg/day, Group B (23) to telmisartan 80 mg/day for 6 months ... Both irbesartan or telmisartan reduced blood pressure and ameliorated the insulin sensitivity, with increased adiponectin values; in Group B, the amelioration of metabolic parameters was greater than in Group A" - Click here for research on why I feel that Micardis® (telmisartan) should be the first line treatment for hypertension.

Androgens and Diabetes in Men: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) - Diabetes Care. 2007 Feb;30(2):234-8 - "Low free and bioavailable testosterone concentrations in the normal range were associated with diabetes, independent of adiposity"

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