Please keep my website in mind for your Christmas shopping.  I think you will find that Amazon.com beats everyone on price.  The price is the same if you click on my links.  I just bought a 40 inch Sony HDTV from them.  Costco didn't sell the model that I wanted (XBR4) but on the only two TVs that both Amazon.com and Costco sold, Amazon.com beat Costco by about 23% on the delivered price.  Be careful with Costco because often they sell 1,366 x 768 (720p) resolution TVs and don't tell you.  Then people compare that price to the Amazon.com price for the 1920 x 1080 (1080p)resolution.  Someone told me about their 58" Panasonic so I looked at it and neither the sign nor the box said its resolution was 1,366 x 768 (720p).  I had to ask the salesman (Panasonic sells both the 1,366 x 768 (720p) and 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolutions in the 58").  Be sure to add the tax onto the Costco price when comparing.  For example, see the Costco price on the Sony 46" Bravia 1080 ($1999.99 plus tax or $2154.99 after tax in San Diego) compared to $1749.98 delivered at Amazon.com.  That's a $405.01 delivered price difference in San Diego or 23% ($405.01/$1749.98 = 0.23).  Plus Amazon.com has a much better selection.  Make sure you are ordering from Amazon.com and not one of their affiliates to get the free shipping.  Sometimes you need to look at the right side bar on their Amazon.com's site to get Amazon.com's price.  I ordered the Sony XBR4 on a Monday with the free shipping option and received it that Friday.  I heard someone recommend Circuit City at Thanksgiving dinner.  They aren't even in the running on price.  Check their website.

Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 11/28/07.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Parkinson's, Study Says - Science Daily, 11/26/07 - "Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain against Parkinson's disease ... omega-3 fatty acids--in particular DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a specific type of omega-3--had replaced the omega-6 fatty acids already present in the brains of the mice that had been given omega-3 supplementation" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Not Enough 'Good' Cholesterol Makes It Harder To Recover From Stroke - Science Daily, 11/26/07 - "People with low levels of HDL, high levels of homocysteine, and diabetes are twice as likely as those without such problems to have poorer cognitive function and greater disability after stroke"

High-glycemic Index Carbohydrates Associated With Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes In Women - Science Daily, 11/26/07 - "Our results indicate that black women can reduce their risk of diabetes by eating a diet that is high in cereal fiber ... In another study ... Women who consumed more carbohydrates overall were more likely to develop diabetes--when they were split into five groups based on carbohydrate intake, those in the group consuming the most (about 337.6 grams per day) had a 28 percent higher risk than those in the group consuming the least (about 263.5 grams per day). Women who ate diets with a higher glycemic index and who ate more staples such as bread, noodles and rice specifically also had an increased risk. Women who ate 300 grams or more of rice per day were 78 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who ate less than 200 grams per day"

Mild Depression Tied to Bone Loss - WebMD, 11/26/07 - "Even mild depression may significantly increase a woman's risk for developing osteoporosis ... An inflammatory protein that has specifically been linked to bone loss -- interleukin-6 -- was found to be significantly elevated in the women with depression" - Not too long ago they were blaming it on the increase in cortisol of depressed people.  See:

• Relation of Cortisol Levels and Bone Mineral Density Among Premenopausal Women With Major Depression - Medscape, 5/4/07 - "a lower BMD and increased bone resorption were found in women with mild depression. Major depression had important effects on BMD and bone turnover markers. Depression should be considered among risk factors for osteoporosis in premenopausal women, therefore it may be useful to assess BMD values of MDD patients, and to treat them in cases of lower BMD values"
• How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body - Time Magazine, 1/20/03 - "More and more doctors—and patients—recognize that mental states and physical well-being are intimately connected. An unhealthy body can lead to an unhealthy mind, and an illness of the mind can trigger or worsen diseases in the body. Fixing a problem in one place, moreover, can often help the other ... Somehow depression makes the body less responsive to insulin, the hormone that processes blood sugar—plausibly through the action of cortisol, a hormone that can interfere with insulin sensitivity and that is often elevated in depressed patients ... Cortisol may also make depressed patients more prone to osteoporosis ... Cizza estimates that some 350,000 women get osteoporosis each year because of depression. Cortisol appears to interfere with the ability of the bones to absorb calcium and offset the natural calcium loss that comes with menopause and aging"
• Secondary Causes of Osteoporosis Higher in Fracture Patients - Doctor's Guide, 9/23/02 - "The most common cause of secondary osteoporosis is corticosteroid excess, whereas others include malignancy, gastric surgery, alcoholism, and anticonvulsant therapy use. Prior studies have shown that as many as 30 percent of postmenopausal women exposed to corticosteroids demonstrate causes of secondary osteoporosis"
• Apolipoprotein E May Modulate Cortisol Production - Clinical Psychiatry News, 4/02 - "increased cortisol has been associated with a higher risk of a number of age-linked diseases, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and osteoporosis. In Alzheimer's disease, increased cortisol levels may lower the threshold for damage or death of hippocampal neurons"

Vitamin E Could Help 40% Of Diabetics Ward Off Heart Attacks - Science Daily, 11/23/07 - "After 18 months of treatment, people with the haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene who took 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin E daily had more than 50 percent fewer heart attacks, strokes, and related deaths than Hp 2-2 patients who took a placebo pill. 40% of individuals with diabetes carry the Hp 2-2 gene" - Note:  Only the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E is measured in IUs and I'm leery of only taking that form.  See my vitamin E page for more information.  See:

• Effect of oral supplementation with D-alpha-tocopherol on the vitamin E content of human low density lipoproteins and resistance to oxidation - J Lipid Res. 1991 Aug;32(8):1325-32 - "gamma-Tocopherol significantly decreased in plasma and LDL during vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) supplementation" - See See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Arterial Stiffness and Memory and Concentration - Medscape, 11/23/07 - "Increasing pulse-pressure levels and higher baseline pulse-wave velocity — indications of increased arterial stiffness — were linked to a decline in memory and concentration among aging individuals who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging"

• Fish oil supplementation improves large arterial elasticity in overweight hypertensive patients - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep 5 - "After 8 weeks follow-up, the large artery elasticity in the fish oil group, compared with its baseline, was significantly improved (C(1): 15.5+/-1.5 vs 12.8+/-3.7 ml mm Hg(-1) x 10), whereas no effects were found in the placebo group (C(1): 13.0+/-3.4 vs 13.4+/-3.8 ml mm Hg(-1) x 10), P=0.027, RM-ANOVA across the two groups" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Folic acid supplementation for 3 wk reduces pulse pressure and large artery stiffness independent of MTHFR genotype - Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul;82(1):26-31 - "5 mg folic acid/d ... Folic acid reduced brachial pulse pressure by 4.7 ... Folic acid is a safe and effective supplement that targets large artery stiffness and may prevent isolated systolic hypertension" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.
• Combined effect of coenzyme Q(10) and fenofibrate on forearm microcirculatory function in type 2 diabetes - Atherosclerosis 2003 May;168(1):169-79 - "CoQ did not change plasma isoprostanes, but significantly lowered systolic blood pressure and HbA(1c)"
• Coenzyme Q10 Improves High Blood Pressure - New Hope Natural Media, 1/9/03 - "recruited 83 people with a condition called isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), in which the higher blood pressure ... These people were assigned to take either 60 mg of CoQ10 twice daily or a placebo for 12 weeks ... The people taking CoQ10 had an 18-point (18 mm Hg) reduction in systolic blood pressure (from 165 to 147 mm Hg), compared with only a 2-point decline in the placebo group ... ISH is the most common type of high blood pressure in the United States" - See iHerb and Vitacost coenzyme Q10 products.

A Fiber-rich Diet May Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk - oncologystat.com, 11/23/07 - "A diet high in whole grains and fiber may reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by as much as 40%"

Grape OPCs linked to preventing LDL cholesterol - Nutra USA, 11/23/07 - "The results of the first phase of the project are extremely promising, because they indicate that OPCs, at levels found in circulation after oral intake, are capable of protecting LDL from oxidation, and appear to be more effective protectors than vitamin E" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.

Fat Hormone May Contribute To Longevity - Science Daily, 11/21/07 - "long-lived Snell dwarf mice burn less glucose and more fatty acids during periods of fasting, and as a result produce fewer free radicals ... The key to this switch may be adiponectin, a hormone produced by fat cells that helps lower glucose production and stimulates cells to use fat for energy instead. The researchers found that Snell mice had three times as much adiponectin in their blood as control mice" - See my adiponectin page for ways to increase it.  Something that was also in today's abstracts (see below) was pioglitazone, which increased adiponectin 156%.  See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com but check with a doctor first.  I've been taking it for anti-aging for some time now.

The Ethyl Ester vs. Triglyceride Form of Fish Oils - Dr. Murray's Natural Living, 11/21/07 - "Some fish oil products are made by synthesizing the free fatty acids back to a triglyceride form while others, including the pharmaceutical forms, maintain the purified oil in the ethyl ester (EE) form. Some companies selling fish oils claim that the triglyceride form is more natural, has better stability, and is better absorbed than the EE form. None of these claims is true. The recombined triglycerides are not necessarily in their natural form, they are not more stable, and they certainly are not better utilized by the body. My personal opinion is that the EE form actually possesses some advantages: ... The specific fish oil product that I recommend is RxOmega-3 Factors from Natural Factors" - See RxOmega-3 products at Amazon.com.

Too Much Sugar Turns Off Gene That Controls Effects Of Sex Steroids - Science Daily, 11/21/07 - "This discovery reinforces public health advice to eat complex carbohydrates and avoid sugar ... Glucose and fructose are metabolized in the liver. When there’s too much sugar in the diet, the liver converts it to lipid. Using a mouse model and human liver cell cultures, the scientists discovered that the increased production of lipid shut down a gene called SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), reducing the amount of SHBG protein in the blood. SHBG protein plays a key role in controlling the amount of testosterone and estrogen that’s available throughout the body"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the Medline ones at the top):

Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1420-1425 - "Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) ... higher vitamin D concentrations, which are easily modifiable through nutritional supplementation, are associated with longer LTL, which underscores the potentially beneficial effects of this hormone on aging and age-related diseases" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Molecular basis of the potential of vitamin D to prevent cancer - Curr Med Res Opin. 2007 Nov 21 - "Research strongly supports the view that efforts to improve vitamin D status would have significant protective effects against the development of cancer. The clinical research community is currently revising recommendations for optimal serum levels and for sensible levels of sun exposure, to levels greater than previously thought. Currently, most experts in the field believe that intakes of between 1000 and 4000 IU will lead to a more healthy level of serum 25(OH)D, in the range of 75 nmol/L that will offer significant protect effects against cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, ovary, lungs, and pancreas. The first randomized trial has shown significant protection against breast cancer, and other clinical trials will follow and ultimately lead to improved public health policies and significantly fewer cancers" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Aspirin and Folic Acid for the Prevention of Recurrent Colorectal Adenomas - Gastroenterology. 2007 Oct 10 - "In total, 99 (22.8%) of 434 patients receiving aspirin had a recurrent adenoma compared with 121 (28.9%) of 419 patients receiving placebo (relative risk, 0.79"

Adiponectin, the controversial hormone - Public Health Nutr. 2007 Oct;10(10A):1145-50 - "Considering the anti-inflammatory properties of adiponectin and the fact that it is negatively associated with adiposity, this cytokine could be one of the links between obesity and inflammation. The main mechanisms of action of adiponectin are directed to a protective role against atherogenic and insulin resistance processes. Research has revealed interesting new functions far beyond metabolism, such as immunity, cancer and bone formation. Contrary to all adipose-related proteins, adiponectin decreases with obesity. Most of the contradictory data surrounding adiponectin are related to plasma values and their relationship with body fat, gender differences and insulin resistance"

Pioglitazone improves myocardial blood flow and glucose utilization in nondiabetic patients with combined hyperlipidemia a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study - J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Nov 20;50(21):2051-8 - "myocardial glucose utilization (MGU) and blood flow (MBF) in nondiabetic patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) ... in the pioglitazone group HDL cholesterol (+28%; p = 0.003) and adiponectin (+156.2%; p = 0.0001) were increased and plasma insulin (-35%; p = 0.017) was reduced ... In patients with FCHL treated with conventional lipid-lowering therapy, the addition of pioglitazone led to significant improvements in MGU and MBF, with a favorable effect on blood lipid and metabolic parameters"

High-molecular weight adiponectin is independently associated with the extent of coronary artery disease in men - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Nov 14 - "HMW adiponectin and the HMW/total-adiponectin ratio inversely correlate with the extent of CAD. HMW adiponectin in particular seems to be a better marker for CAD extent than total adiponectin"

Optimal vitamin d status for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis - Drugs Aging. 2007;24(12):1017-29 - "Vitamin D deficiency [as defined by a serum 25(OH)D level of <50 nmol/L (<20 ng/mL)] is pandemic. This deficiency is very prevalent in osteoporotic patients. Vitamin D deficiency causes osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteomalacia, increasing the risk of fracture. Unlike osteoporosis, which is a painless disease, osteomalacia causes aching bone pain that is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or chronic pain syndrome or is simply dismissed as depression. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness, increasing the risk of falls and fractures, and should be aggressively treated with pharmacological doses of vitamin D. Vitamin D sufficiency can be sustained by sensible sun exposure or ingesting at least 800-1000IU of vitamin D(3) daily" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

I stumbled across two more journals (Public Health Nutrition and Nutrition and Cancer) that wasn't in my RSS feed so I added them.  The following are the pertinent abstracts from the most recent 100:

n-3 Fatty acids, hypertension and risk of cognitive decline among older adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study - Public Health Nutr. 2007 Jul 12;:1-13 - "Word Fluency Test (WFT) ... Findings indicated that an increase of one standard deviation in dietary long-chain n-3 fatty acids (% of energy intake) and balancing long-chain n-3/n-6 decreased the risk of 6-year cognitive decline in verbal fluency with an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.79 (0.66-0.95) and 0.81 (0.68-0.96), respectively, among hypertensives. An interaction with hypertensive status was found for dietary long-chain n-3 fatty acids (g day-1) and WFT decline (likelihood ratio test, P = 0.06). This exposure in plasma cholesteryl esters was also protective against WFT decline, particularly among hypertensives (OR = 0.51"

Quercetin selectively inhibits bioreduction and enhances apoptosis in melanoma cells that overexpress tyrosinase - Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(2):258-68 - "quercetin can selectively sensitize Tyr+ expressing melanoma cells to apoptosis and may serve as an adjuvant to chemotherapy by enhancing cell death and interfering with GST-mediated drug resistance" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

Plasma carotenoids and prostate cancer: a population-based case-control study in Arkansas - Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(1):46-53 - "This study added to the emerging evidence that high circulating levels of lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin are associated with a low risk of prostate cancer" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.com.

Lycopene and soy isoflavones in the treatment of prostate cancer - Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(1):1-7 - "The data suggest that lycopene and soy isoflavones have activity in prostate cancer patients with PSA relapse disease and may delay progression of both hormone-refractory and hormone-sensitive prostate cancer"

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a primary tumor suppressive omega-3 fatty acid, inhibits growth of colorectal cancer independent of p53 mutational status - Nutr Cancer. 2007;58(2):178-87 - "Taken together, these findings suggest DHA is the primary tumor suppressive omega-3 fatty acid in vivo and in vitro and inhibits cancer growth by p53 dependent and independent pathways, while the marginal inhibition by EPA is p53 independent" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Lycopene and lutein inhibit proliferation in rat prostate carcinoma cells - Nutr Cancer. 2007;58(2):171-7 - "These studies are consistent with epidemiological studies that show inverse relationships of these carotenoids with prostate cancer" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.com.

Zyflamend, a polyherbal preparation, inhibits invasion, suppresses osteoclastogenesis, and potentiates apoptosis through down-regulation of NF-kappa B activation and NF-kappa B-regulated gene products - Nutr Cancer. 2007;57(1):78-87 - "Zyflamend inhibited receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand-induced osteoclastogenesis, suppressed tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced invasion, and potentiated the cytotoxicity induced by TNF and chemotherapeutic agents, all of which are known to require NF-kappa B activation. Zyflamend suppressed NF-kappa B activation induced by both TNF and cigarette smoke condensate. The expression of NF-kappa B-regulated gene products involved in antiapoptosis (inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein 1/2, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, FADD-like interleukin-1betaconverting enzyme/caspase-8 inhibitory protein, TNF receptor-associated factor-1, and survivin) and angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor, cyclooxygenase-2, intercellular adhesion molecule, and matrix metalloproteinase-9) was also down-regulated by Zyflamend. This correlated with potentiation of cell death induced by TNF and chemotherapeutic agents. Overall, our results indicate that Zyflamend suppresses osteoclastogenesis, inhibits invasion, and potentiates cytotoxicity through down-regulation of NF-kappa B activation and NF-kappa B-regulated gene products" - See Zyflamend at Amazon.com.

Differential expression of genes induced by resveratrol in human breast cancer cell lines - Nutr Cancer. 2006;56(2):193-203 - "The phytoalexin, trans-resveratrol (RES), is a polyphenolic compound found in plants and fruits that seems to have a wide spectrum of biological activities. It has been found to possess cancer chemopreventive effects by inhibiting diverse cellular events associated with tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. RES is also a phytoestrogen, which binds to and activates estrogen receptors (ERs) that regulate the transcription of estrogen-responsive target genes" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Nutrient intake and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a case-control study in Uruguay - Nutr Cancer. 2006;56(2):149-57 - "The odds ratio (OR) for high intake of linoleic acid was 1.4 (95% confidence interval, CI = 1.2-1.6), whereas lycopene displayed a strong protective effect (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6-0.9)" - Note:  Linoleic acid is an omega-6 oil found in most cooking oils like soy and corn oil.

Intake of fruits, vegetables, and soy foods in relation to breast cancer risk in Korean women: a case-control study - Nutr Cancer. 2007;57(1):20-7 - "Increasing consumption of grapes was linked to a significant protective effect against risk of breast cancer (OR=0.66; 95% CI=0.41-0.86; P<0.01). Among the vegetables, reduced risk was observed with high tomato intake (OR=0.62; 95% CI=0.38-0.81; P<0.01). Among soy foods, high consumption of cooked soybeans, including yellow and black soybeans, had an association with reduced breast cancer (OR=0.67; 95% CI=0.45-0.91; P<0.02)"

Supplement Focus (Sytrinol):

• Citrus flavonoids and tocotrienols help cut cholesterol - Nutra USA, 11/8/07 - "A combination of bioflavonoids from citrus fruit and tocotrienols found in Sytrinol has had a positive effect in lowering cholesterol levels ... a new ingredient Cholesstrinol, which includes both tocotrienols bioflavonoids, will be launched ... The 12-week double-blind placebo controlled study showed total cholesterol dropped by 30 per cent, LDL cholesterol by 29 per cent, triglycerides by 34 per cent compared to the placebo" - [Abstract] - Cholesstrinol isn't available yet but Sytrinol is.
• An Effective Natural Alternative to Statin Drugs to Lower Cholesterol - Dr. Murray's Natural Living, 6/21/06 - "The research on Sytrinol is extremely impressive"
• Novel Dietary Supplement [Sytrinol™] Shows Dramatic Effects in Lowering Cholesterol, LDL, and Triglycerides - Life Extension Magazine, 11/04 - "four weeks of treatment with 300 mg of Sytrinol™ daily significantly reduced levels of total cholesterol (-25%), LDL (-19%), and triglycerides (-24%). HDL levels were unchanged and body mass remained relatively stable"
• Orange, Tangerine Peels Could Be Better Than Drugs For Lowering Cholesterol - Science Daily, 5/12/04 - "A compound found in the peels of citrus fruit has the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs, and without side effects ... Marketed as a cholesterol-lowering agent under the trade name SytrinolTM, the supplement recently became available in the U.S" - See Sytrinol at Amazon.com.
• Tangerine Peels May Lower Cholesterol - WebMD, 5/12/04
• SourceOne Unveils Sytrinol Logo - NPI Center, 2/12/04
• Source Naturals(R) First National Brand To Offer Sytrinol(TM) - NPI Center, 1/19/04 - "Sytrinol, a patented proprietary formula derived from citrus and palm fruit extracts, is composed of polymethoxylated flavones and tocotrienols. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated Sytrinol acts synergistically to significantly reduce total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by 23%, 21% and 26% respectively. Unlike other cholesterol supplements, Sytrinol is not diet specific and has no known side effects" - See Sytrinol at Amazon.com.

Affiliates (I could sure use some sales.  You can drag the links onto your desktop and use them so that I get credit for the sale.  Click here for more stores):