Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 2/13/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Green tea extract's Janus Effect on stomach health: study - Nutra USA, 2/12/08 - "The green tea polyphenol (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG) may slash the risk of gastric cancer among women by 75 per cent" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.  The abstract isn't in Medline yet.  I tried to add the journal to my RSS feed but every journal I've tried says it's not available.  There must be a problem with Medline.  I put it on my Outlook calendar and will try again in a couple days.

Vitamin D Appears to Cut Breast and Colorectal Cancer Risk - Medscape, 2/12/08 - "Compared with a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level less than 10 ng/mL, a level of 50 ng/mL reduced the risk for breast cancer by 50%. This level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D would require an average intake of 4000 IU of vitamin D per day, although the authors note that intake of 2000 IU per day combined with sun exposure of approximately 12 minutes per day with 50% of the skin exposed could also help patients achieve a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 50 ng/mL ... Compared with a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level less than 12 ng/mL, a level of at least 33 ng/mL or more was associated with a 50% reduction in the risk for incident colorectal cancer ... vitamin D intake of 1000 to 2000 IU per day would confer an appropriate balance between protection against colorectal cancer and adverse events related to hypervitaminosis" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Vision: Antioxidants May Cut Cataracts - New York Times, 2/12/08 - "Compared with the one-fifth of women who consumed the least antioxidants, the one-fifth who consumed the most reduced their risk for cataracts by 14 percent with vitamin E and 18 percent with lutein"

Natural Purple Pigments In Fruits, Vegetables And Berries, Such As Blueberries, May Help Prevent Obesity - Science Daily, 2/11/08 - "Anthocyanins fed as the whole blueberry did not prevent and may have actually increased obesity ... However, feeding purified anthocyanins from blueberries or strawberries reduced obesity"

Salt intake brings new levels of alarm - USATODAY.COM, 2/10/08 - "Salt "is the single most harmful element in the food supply, even worse than saturated fat and trans fat, or food additives and pesticides," ... most Americans consume about 3,500 to 4,000 milligrams of sodium a day ... Government guidelines recommend that certain groups in which there is a greater prevalence of high blood pressure, including black, middle-aged and older people, limit their daily sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams"

Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Weight Gain - Science Daily, 2/10/08 - "relative to rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar with 15 calories/teaspoon, the same as table sugar), rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat, and didn't make up for it by cutting back later, all at levels of statistical significance"

Dietary Fiber Intake Inversely Associated With Breast Cancer Risk - Medscape, 2/8/08 - "Among ever-users of postmenopausal hormones, a significant inverse association was observed between intake of dietary fiber, especially from cereal products, and breast cancer risk for overall, ER+PR+, and ER-PR- tumors. The adjusted relative risk for all invasive tumors was 0.50"

More Brain Research Suggests 'Use It Or Lose It' - Science Daily, 2/7/08 - "It appears that if a cell is not appropriately stimulated by other cells, it self-destructs ... This self-destruct process is also known to be an important factor in stroke, Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, leading to the loss of essential nerve cells from the adult brain"

FDA OKs First Generic Fosamax - WebMD, 2/6/07 - "The FDA today approved the first generic version of the osteoporosis drug Fosamax (alendronate)"

Want Healthy Gums? Hit The Dairy Aisle - Science Daily, 2/6/08 - "subjects that consumed 55 or more grams of products containing lactic acid each day had a significantly lower prevalence of deep PD and severe CAL, therefore demonstrating a lower instance of periodontal disease"

Turmeric (Curcumin) review - ConsumerLab.com, 2/6/08 - "ConsumerLab.com found a popular brand to contain 18.7 mcg of lead in a daily serving — the highest amount it has ever reported. Another brand was contaminated with 8.3 mcg of lead. These amounts are well above those to which people are normally exposed and should be avoided ... two other products provided only 11.5% and 49.5%, respectively, of expected curcumin compounds. A fifth product did not specify the part of the plant used — a FDA labeling requirement" - Note:  I get the paid version and it was NSI® Nutraceutical® Sciences Institute Superior™ Turmeric Curcuma Longa that contained the 18.7 mcg of lead and Solgar® Standardize Full Potency™ Turmeric Root Extract that contained the 8.3 mcg. There wasn't any that failed that I call "brand name".

Whole Grain Diets Lower Risk Of Chronic Disease, Study Shows - Science Daily, 2/5/08 - "Consumption of whole grains has been associated with a lower body weight and lower blood pressure ... waist circumference and body weight decreased significantly in both groups -- between 8-11 pounds on average -- but weight loss in the abdominal region was significantly greater in the whole grain group ... the whole grain group experienced a 38 percent decrease in C-reactive protein levels ... Participants in the whole grain group also showed an increased intake of fiber and magnesium, both of which may prevent or delay the potential onset of diabetes"

High-dose NSAIDs May Prevent Colon Cancer - oncologystat.com. 2/5/08 - "people who took more than 2325 mg of aspirin weekly reduced colon cancer risk by 21%, compared to people who took less aspirin. Men who took 7 to 14 aspirins a week had a 28% decreased risk, and those who took more than 14 aspirins weekly had a 70% decrease in their risk of developing the disease. The advantages were only seen after 5 years of use, and taking less than 1½ pills weekly did not reduce the risk of developing the disease. The effect was also seen with the use of other NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen"

Marijuana Linked to Early Gum Disease - WebMD, 2/5/08 - "Compared with people who smoked no pot at all, heavy marijuana users were three times more likely to have at least one gum site with evidence of severe gum disease and 60% more likely to show evidence of mild gum disease"

Dietary Strategies for Improving Post-Prandial Glucose, Lipids, and More - Medscape, 1/29/08 - "The amount and type of carbohydrate consumed with a meal is a major determinant of the post-prandial glucose excursion.[21] The glycemic index of a food is defined as the incremental increase in the area under the post-prandial glucose curve after ingestion of 50 g of a specific food compared with that noted after ingestion of 50 g of oral glucose. A meal such as white bread and jelly with a glycemic index of 80 will result in a 2-fold higher incremental increase in glucose compared with an isocaloric meal of whole-grain bread and peanut butter with a glycemic index of 40. Most studies show that diets rich in high-glycemic-index, low-fiber foods independently increase the risk of both CV disease and type 2 diabetes ... Excess intake of processed carbohydrates sets up a vicious cycle whereby the transient spikes in blood glucose and insulin early after a meal trigger reactive hypoglycemia and hunger.[25] The chronic consumption of a diet high in processed carbohydrates leads to excess visceral fat, which increases both insulin resistance and inflammation and predisposes to diabetes, hypertension, and CV disease.[25] In contrast, restriction of refined carbohydrates will improve the post-prandial levels of both glucose and triglycerides and can reduce intra-abdominal fat, particularly in individuals with insulin resistance ... Recent studies show that 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, when added to a meal containing high-glycemic-index foods such as white bread or white rice, will both: 1) lower post-prandial glucose by 25% to 35% (Fig. 5), and 2) increase post-meal satiety by more than 2-fold.[32] Thus the addition of vinegar to a standard meal can not only improve the meal-induced oxidant stress by blunting the post-prandial glucose excursion, but also can increase and prolong satiety, which should help to reduce food cravings and lower caloric intake over the subsequent 2 to 4 h" - See apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com - 4.5 tablets equals about 3 tablespoons by my calculations.  I've been popping 4 of these with meals for years and more and more research keeps backing me up.  If 1 to 2 tablespoons is correct you could get by with just two tablets.

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

Effect of green tea on kidney tubules of diabetic rats - Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 6;:1-8 - "It has been documented that green tea (GT) and its catechin components improve renal failure and inhibit the growth of mesangial cells ... GT treatment significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the serum glucose, glycosylated protein, serum creatinine and blood urea N levels by 29.6 (sem 3.7), 22.7 (sem 5.2), 38.9 (sem 10) and 41.7 (sem 1.9) %, respectively ... the GT-treated group showed a significant 44 (sem 10.8) % higher creatinine clearance (Ccr) ... GT reduced the urea N, creatinine, glucose and protein excretion rates by 30 (sem 7.6), 35.4 (sem 5.3), 34.0 (sem 5.3) and 46.0 (sem 13.0) % compared with the 12 weeks diabetic group. Administration of GT to 12 weeks diabetic rats significantly (P < 0.001) prevented (99.98 (sem 0.27) % less) the accumulation of glycogen in the kidney tubules. These results indicate that in STZ diabetes, kidney function appears to be improved with GT consumption which also prevents glycogen accumulation in the renal tubules, probably by lowering blood levels of glucose. Therefore, GT could be beneficial additional therapy in the management of diabetic nephropathy" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Flaxseed lignan attenuates high-fat diet-induced fat accumulation and induces adiponectin expression in mice - Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 6;:1-8 - "Flaxseed lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) has been reported to prevent and alleviate lifestyle-related diseases including diabetes and hypercholesterolaemic atherosclerosis ... SDG induced adiponectin mRNA expression and showed beneficial effects on lipid metabolism in diet-induced obesity in mice. Flaxseed lignans are suggested to regulate adipogenesis-related gene expressions through an increase in PPARgamma DNA binding activity" - See Jarrow Formulas Flax Essence at iHerb.  I take it for my hair.  See:

• Flax lignans: a cure for hair loss? - Nutra USA, 5/9/05 - "Ten male sufferers of androgenetic alopecia aged between 20- and 70- years received a 50mg daily dose of SDG in the form of one 250 mg capsule of Acatris’ LinumLife Extra ... eight of the participants reported a modest improvement in their hair loss condition, one reported a great improvement and one reported no effect at all"

Low Adiponectin Levels are Associated with Atherogenic Dyslipidemia and Lipid-Rich Plaque in Non-Diabetic Coronary Arteries - Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 6;:1-8 - "Low adiponectin levels are associated with atherogenic lipoproteins (elevated triglycerides, small dense LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol), increased plaque volume, lipid-rich plaque, and ID-pathological intimal thickening in the total cohort which was driven by the non-diabetic population, suggesting an anti-atherogenic role in the early stages of lesion development"

Vitamin K(2) suppresses malignancy of HuH7 hepatoma cells via inhibition of connexin 43 - Cancer Lett. 2008 Jan 29 - "The anti-cancer potential of vitamin K(2) (VK(2)) in hepatoma has gained considerable attention" - Related studies:

• Role of Vitamin K2 in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Women With Viral Cirrhosis of the Liver - JAMA. 2004 Jul 21;292(3):358-61 - "Hepatocellular carcinoma was detected in 2 of the 21 women given vitamin K2 and 9 of the 19 women in the control group ... the risk ratio for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients given vitamin K2 was 0.13" - See Vitamin K2 products at iHerb.
• Vitamin K Therapy Slows Spread of Liver Cancer - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/02 - "Results show that 59 percent of patients treated with vitamin K-II were alive at two years compared to 29 percent of those who were not given vitamin K-II (p=0.14). Invasion of the cancer into the portal vein occurred in 2 percent of the vitamin K-II treated group at one year and in 13 percent at two years, compared to 21 and 55 percent of controls, respectively"

Low testosterone level is an independent determinant of endothelial dysfunction in men - Hypertens Res. 2007 Nov;30(11):1029-34 - "a low plasma testosterone level was associated with endothelial dysfunction in men independent of other risk factors, suggesting a protective effect of endogenous testosterone on the endothelium"

Dietary pattern and blood pressure control in a hypertension outpatient clinic - Hypertens Res. 2007 Nov;30(11):1043-50 - "those who return to a diet richer in vegetables, legumes and fish and poorer in saturated fat and salt achieve better control of their BP, without increasing the number of antihypertensive pills"

Effect of Telmisartan on Nitric Oxide-Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine System. Role of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor and Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor {gamma} Signaling During Endothelial Aging - Hypertension. 2008 Feb 4 - "Telmisartan, in addition to blocking angiotensin (Ang) II type 1 receptor (AT1R), activates peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) signaling that interferes with nitric oxide (NO) system. Because aging of endothelial cells (ECs) is hallmarked by a reduction in NO synthesis, we hypothesized that telmisartan increases NO formation by regulated asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA)-dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH)-system through blocking AT1R and activating PPARgamma signaling ... During the process of aging, PPARgamma protein expression decreased significantly, whereas the expression of AT1R increased. Telmisartan reversed these effects and dose-dependently decreased reactive oxygen species and 8-iso-prostaglandin (PG) F2alpha formation ... telmisartan mainly by activating PPARgamma signaling can alter the catabolism and release of ADMA as an important cardiovascular risk factor. We therefore propose that telmisartan translationally and posttranslationally upregulated DDAH expression via activation of PPARgamma signaling, causing ADMA to diminish and increase NO synthesis sufficient to delay senescence" - Click here for why I feel telmisartan should be the first line choice for hypertension.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in atopic eczema: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial - Br J Dermatol. 2008 Jan 30 - "either DHA 5.4 g daily (n = 21) or an isoenergetic control of saturated fatty acids (n = 23) for 8 weeks ... DHA, but not the control treatment, resulted in a significant clinical improvement of atopic eczema" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Increased total and high-molecular weight adiponectin after extended-release niacin - Metabolism. 2008 Mar;57(3):404-9 - "at least part of the cardioprotective benefits of niacin may be attributed to a shift in the HMW/LMW adiponectin ratio in obese men with the metabolic syndrome" - See niacin at Amazon.com. Related articles:

• Preferential increase in high-molecular weight adiponectin after niacin - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Nov 7 - "treatment with niacin raises adiponectin between 52% and 95% in patients with the metabolic syndrome"
• Adiponectin definition - medterms.com - "High blood levels of adiponectin are associated with a reduced risk of heart attack. Low levels of adiponectin are found in people who are obese (and who are at increased risk of a heart attack)."

Telomere length in white blood cells, buccal cells and brain tissue and its variation with ageing and Alzheimer's disease - Mech Ageing Dev. 2008 Jan 31 - "We observed a significantly lower telomere length in white blood cells (P<0.0001) and buccal cells (P<0.01) in Alzheimer's patients relative to healthy age-matched controls (31.4% and 32.3%, respectively)"

• Decreased Vitamin D Levels Linked to Shorter Telomeres - Doctor's Guide, 6/5/07 - "Investigators found the difference in TRFL between the highest and lowest tertiles of vitamin D was 92.6 base pairs (P =.006). That result was equivalent to 4.2 years of telomeric aging" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Statins might reduce risk of renal cell carcinoma in humans: case-control study of 500,000 veterans - Urology. 2008 Jan;71(1):118-22 - "Statin use was significantly associated with a risk reduction of renal cell carcinoma of 48% (adjusted odds ratio 0.52"

Comparative effects of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone on fasting and postprandial low-density lipoprotein size and subclasses in patients with Type 2 diabetes - Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2008 Feb;9(3):343-9 - "HbA1c, insulin sensitivity (as assessed by the homeostasis model assessment) and LDL size and subclasses did not differ before treatments. Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone resulted in a similar improvement in HbA1c and insulin sensitivity. Fasting total cholesterol increased more after rosiglitazone compared with pioglitazone (p = 0.04), whereas triglycerides decreased after pioglitazone and increased after rosiglitazone ... Pioglitazone was more effective than rosiglitazone in increasing larger LDL concentrations (in both fasting and postprandial status) as well as in reducing levels of atherogenic small, dense particles (in postprandial status only)"

Clinical trials with thiazolidinediones in subjects with Type 2 diabetes--is pioglitazone any different from rosiglitazone? - Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2008 Feb;9(3):405-20 - "these agents have markedly different effects on lipids. Rosiglitazone increases total, low- and high-density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides, whereas pioglitazone has no effect on total or LDL cholesterol, increases HDL cholesterol and decreases triglycerides. Both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone decrease inflammatory markers. Furthermore, both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone may cause a small decrease in blood pressure, improve endothelial function and reduce restenosis. Microalbuminuria is also reduced by both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Despite the improvements in surrogate end points, there is little clear evidence that either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone cause major improvements in cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, rosiglitazone has no effect or may even increase cardiovascular outcomes, whereas, in high-risk subjects, pioglitazone has a marginal ability to decrease cardiovascular outcomes"

The flavonoid luteolin inhibits niacin-induced flush - Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Jan 28 - "Sustained release niacin effectively lowers serum cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, while raising HDL. However, 75% of patients experience cutaneous warmth and itching known as flush, leading to discontinuation. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) reduces this flush only by about 30% ... Quercetin and luteolin (4.3 mg per rat; 1000 mg per human), administered i.p. 45 min prior to niacin, inhibited the niacin effect by 96 and 88%, respectively. Aspirin (1.22 mg per rat; 325 mg per human) inhibited the niacin effect by only 30%. Niacin almost doubled plasma PGD(2) and 5-HT, but aspirin reduced only PGD(2) by 86%. In contrast, luteolin inhibited both plasma PGD(2) and 5-HT levels by 100 and 67%, respectively" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

Antihyperlipemic and antihypertensive effects of Spirulina maxima in an open sample of Mexican population: a preliminary report - Lipids Health Dis. 2007 Nov 26;6:33 - "the calculated values for cholesterol associated to low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) were significantly reduced by the Spirulina maxima ... significant differences were found comparing initial and final SYST-P and DIAST-P blood pressure in both male and female: SYST-P male 121 +/- 9 vs. 111 +/- 8 mm Hg (p < 0.01), DIAST-P male 85 +/- 6.5 vs. 77 +/- 9 mm Hg (p < 0.01); SYST-P female 120 +/- 9.5 vs. 109 +/- 11 mm Hg (p < 0.002), DIAST-P female 85 +/- 11 vs. 79 +/- 7.5 mm Hg" - See spirulina products at iHerb.

Health Focus (Periodontal Disease):

• My dentist tells me that I have periodontal problems and he doesn't think I will be able to keep my teeth much longer. Is there anything that I can do? - Dr. Murray
• Research shows benefits of cranberries -MSNBC, 11/20/06 - "A compound Howell discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth" - See cranberry supplements at Amazon.com.
• Diseased gums raise risk of pancreatic cancer - MSNBC, 11/13/06 - "that men with gum disease and recent tooth loss had a 2.7-fold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with those who reported neither gum disease nor tooth loss"
• Red Wine May Fight Gum Disease - WebMD, 3/10/03
• Healthy Gums May Help Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 6/20/05 - "Brushing your teeth may be one of many ways to help keep your mind healthy and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease"
• Electric Toothbrushes May Be Better At Fighting Plaque, Gum Disease - Science Daily, 4/20/05 - "Over the short term of one to three months, the rotating brushes reduced plaque by 11 percent over manual toothbrushes and reduced the signs of gingivitis, or gum inflammation, by 6 percent over the regular brushes ... The powered brushes reduced gingivitis by 17 percent over the manual brushes after more than three months’ use" - See Braun Oral-B products at drugstore.com.
• Pearly Teeth Could Help Save Your Heart - WebMD, 3/11/05 - "It's possible that in someone with gum disease the mouth's pesky bacteria travel through the bloodstream and prompt inflammation that clogs arteries"
• Yogurt: An Antidote to Bad Breath? - WebMD, 3/10/05 - "the participants ate about 3 ounces of yogurt twice daily for six weeks .... levels of plaque and the gum disease gingivitis were also significantly lower among yogurt eaters"
• Study Finds Direct Association Between Cardiovascular Disease and Periodontal Bacteria - Doctor's Guide, 2/8/05
• Guarding Your Gums? - Dr. Weil, 6/16/03 - "Periodontal disease is a chronic gum infection caused by bacteria in plaque ... Coenzyme Q10: Take 120 mg per day of a soft-gel form with meals ... young women who get less than 800 mg of calcium a day have double the risk of periodontal disease" - See iHerb or Vitacost coenzyme Q10 products.
• Green Tea Boosts Antimicrobial Properties Of Toothpaste - Intelihealth, 5/21/03 - "green tea extracts (GTE) and polyphenol (PP) have an adverse effect on bacteria that cause strep throat, dental caries, and other infections"
• What supplements for periodontal disease? - Dr. Janson's Newsletter, 12/02
• Link Between Heart Attack Risk and Gum Disease May Be Folic Acid - Doctor's Guide, 6/10/97
• Want Healthy Gums? Hit The Dairy Aisle - Science Daily, 2/6/08 - "subjects that consumed 55 or more grams of products containing lactic acid each day had a significantly lower prevalence of deep PD and severe CAL, therefore demonstrating a lower instance of periodontal disease"
• When And How Often You Consume Acidic Foods Or Beverages Affects Dental Health - Science Daily, 2/5/08
• Periodontal Disease Is Associated With Chronic Kidney Disease - Medscape, 1/30/08 - "subjects with periodontal disease and those who were edentulous were nearly twice as likely to have CKD (adjusted odds ratios, 1.60 and 1.85, respectively)"
• Treating Your Periodontal Pockets May Benefit Your Pocket Book - Science Daily, 11/28/07 - "prevention of periodontal diseases may lead to savings on not only dental costs, but also medical care costs. Periodontal, or gum diseases have been linked to systemic health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory problems ... cumulative health care costs were 21% higher for those patients with severe periodontal disease than those with no periodontal disease"
• Smoking Can Harm The Long-term Effects Of Some Oral Plastic Surgery Procedures - Science Daily, 9/18/07
• Chronic Gum Disease Associated With Tongue Cancer - Science Daily, 5/23/07
• Treat Gum Disease, Help Heart? - WebMD, 2/28/07 - "One group got standard gum disease treatment -- having a dentist scrape and polish their teeth ... The other group got more aggressive treatment, including a shot of anesthesia to let dentists remove plaque below the gum line and extract teeth, if necessary ... two months later, the intensive treatment group had better endothelial function than the standard treatment group. That advantage was still seen at the end of the six-month study"
• Gum Disease Ups Pancreatic Cancer Risk - WebMD, 1/16/07 - "subjects who reported gum disease were 64% more likely to have pancreatic cancer ... Michaud and colleagues suggest that long-standing gum infections trigger a body-wide immune response: inflammation. Inflamed tissues give off chemical signals that promote tumor growth"
• Periodontal Therapy Helps Patients With Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 10/31/06
• New Study Finds a Positive Association Between Periodontal Disease and Coronary Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 9/27/06 - "A number of pathways are suspected to be involved," said Geismar. "One way is that periodontal bacteria directly invade the arterial wall and another way is that bacterial products from the periodontal pocket exert a systemic effect on atherosclerosis development based on the immune system."
• Study Supports Findings That Periodontal Bacteria May Be Linked to Heart Disease - Doctor's Guide, 7/21/06 - "acute coronary syndrome (ACS) ... Seventy-seven percent of the participants in the ACS group and 42 percent in the control group demonstrated evidence of periodontitis"
• Low-dose Periostat (Doxycycline) Shows Benefits in Patients with Heart Failure - Doctor's Guide, 11/20/02 - "At six-month follow-up, sub-antimicrobial dose doxycyline significantly reduced CRP levels by 45.8 percent compared to baseline values (p<0.05). The drug was also associated with a 33.5 percent reduction in interleukin-6 and a 50 percent reduction in metalloproteinase ... The findings are exciting, since research is now showing that CRP is both a key marker of inflammation leading to future acute coronary events, but also that CRP itself may contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis"
• Periodontitis Associated With Pregnancy Complications - Doctor's Guide, 2/6/06
• Treating Gum Disease May Reduce The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease - Science Daily, 1/6/06 - "inflammation in the mouth has a measurable effect in the bloodstream, and therefore the rest of the body"
• Electric Toothbrushes May Be Better At Fighting Plaque, Gum Disease - Science Daily, 4/20/05 - "Over the short term of one to three months, the rotating brushes reduced plaque by 11 percent over manual toothbrushes and reduced the signs of gingivitis, or gum inflammation, by 6 percent over the regular brushes ... The powered brushes reduced gingivitis by 17 percent over the manual brushes after more than three months’ use"
• Live Oral Bacteria Found In Arterial Plaque - Science Daily, 3/31/05 - "Gum disease has been linked to hardening of the arteries ... This report certainly provides a smoking gun that live bacteria have become seeded from the oral cavity to become inhabitants of the vessel wall ... The exciting implications focus on the known ability of these bacteria to destroy connective tissue in the mouth, suggesting that when infecting the vessel wall they may contribute to the instability of the atherosclerotic plaque — leading to acute events such as heart attack or stroke"
• Columbia Study Suggests Brushing Your Teeth May Reduce Risk Of Stroke And Heart Attack - Science Daily, 2/17/05 - "people with gum disease are more likely to suffer from atherosclerosis – a narrowing of blood vessels that can lead to stroke or heart attack ... one possible explanation for the link is that the bacteria that cause the gum disease may migrate throughout the body via the bloodstream and stimulate the immune system, causing inflammation that results in the clogging of arteries"
• Possible Link Between Oral and Overall Health in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/04
• Further Evidence Reveals The Association Between Periodontal Disease And Coronary Artery Disease - Science Daily, 10/27/04 - "One reason is that periodontal pathogens could enter the bloodstream, invade the blood vessel walls and ultimately cause atherosclerosis ... Another hypothesis is based on several studies that have shown that periodontal infections can be correlated with increased plasma levels of inflammation such as fibrinogen (this creates blood clots), C-reactive protein, or several cytokines"
• Repeated Treatment Of Gum Disease Reduces Levels Of Inflammatory Factors Known To Increase Heart Disease Risk - Science Daily, 4/8/04 - "in people who had elevated levels of CRP at baseline, removal of dental plaque bacteria by scaling or scaling combined with topical antibiotics produced a statistically significant reduction, bringing CRP levels close to the low-risk level. Both treatments also significantly reduced levels of fibrinogen in patients with elevated fibrinogen levels"
• Angry, Lonely Men Prone to Gum Disease - WebMD, 12/22/03
• Obesity Leads to Gum Disease - WebMD, 6/2/03
• Periodontal Diseases Increase C-Reactive Protein In Haemodialysis Patients - Doctor's Guide, 11/7/02
• Risk of Preterm Low Birth Weight in Women With Periodontal Disease Reduced By Periodontal Therapy - Doctor's Guide, 9/2/02
• Subantimicrobial Dose Doxycycline Reduces Deep Pockets In Severe Periodontitis - Doctor's Guide, 8/8/02
• Periodontitis Link to Autoreactive B Cells - Doctor's Guide, 5/17/02
• Strong Link Found Between Mother's Gum Disease and Premature Birth, Low Birth Weight - Doctor's Guide, 3/7/02
• Incidence of Periodontal Disease High In People With Rheumatoid Arthritis - Doctor's Guide, 6/21/01
• Brush Your Teeth -- It Prevents More Than Cavities, Oral Health Strongly Impacts Overall Health - WebMD, 4/19/01 - "having bad teeth and gums contributes to high cholesterol, which is linked to a host of other illnesses, including heart disease. Poor oral health also may place you at increased risk for developing diabetes"
• Chronic Periodontal Disease May Be Risk Factor For Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 4/20/01 - "While it has been established that people with diabetes are more prone to developing periodontal disease, new research is suggesting that periodontal disease may, in turn, be a risk factor for diabetes ... Periodontal disease can cause bacteria to enter the bloodstream and activate immune cells. These activated cells produce inflammatory biological signals (cytokines) that have a destructive effect throughout the entire body"
• Link May Exist Between Passive Smoking And Periodontal Disease, Researchers Say - Doctor's Guide, 2/15/98
• New Research Finds Link Between Gum Disease, Acute Heart Attacks - Doctor's Guide, 11/13/00
• Periodontal Disease May Increase Risk Of Stroke - Doctor's Guide, 4/21/99
• First Capsule For Adult Periodontitis, Periostat, Available in U.S. - Doctor's Guide, 11/18/98

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