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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending
7/2/08. You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.
Post-exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel - Science Daily, 7/1/08 -
"Recipe to recover more quickly from
exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and wash
down with five or six cups of strong coffee ...
Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their
muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise,
compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone" - Yeah, if you want to
fell like crap for the rest of the day. I drink by caffeine before the
workout then again after a power nap. See:
-
Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance - Science Daily, 6/9/08 -
"Getting extra sleep over an extended period of time
improves athletic performance, mood and alertness ... The athletes then
extended their sleep to 10 hours per day for six to seven weeks ... After
obtaining extra sleep, athletes swam a 15-meter meter sprint 0.51 seconds
faster, reacted 0.15 seconds quicker off the blocks, improved turn time by
0.10 seconds and increased kick strokes by 5.0 kicks"
Low
Levels Of Good Cholesterol Linked To Memory Loss, Dementia Risk - Science
Daily, 6/30/08 - "Researchers defined low HDL as less
than 40 mg/dL ... At age 60, participants with low HDL had a 53 percent
increased risk of memory loss compared to the high HDL group" - [WebMD]
- The best way to increase HDL is niacin. See
niacin at Amazon.com . Start slow maybe even with the 100
mg capsules. It took me about three months to get immune to the flush from
2000 mg per day. Taking it with soup seems to be the best.
Single
Mechanism For Hypertension, Insulin Resistance And Immune Suppression -
Science Daily, 6/30/08 - "spontaneously hypertensive rat
(SHR) ... protein receptors on the surface of SHR cells become clipped off as
the animals develop hypertension. They used a novel visualization technique to
show that after several weeks of ingesting
doxycycline in their drinking
water, the SHR rats developed cells that again bristled with normal CD18 and
insulin receptors. The animals' metabolic
conditions simultaneously improved; blood pressure normalized and symptoms
of immune suppression disappeared" - Note: I was taking Periostat (low
dose doxycycline, 20 mg) for two reasons, the help prevent gum disease and to
lower CRP. Now I have a third reason. See
doxycycline at OffshoreRx1.com
(you can use a pill cutter to quarter the pills). See:
-
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"
-
Blood Protein Predicts Stroke Risk - HealthDay, 6/23/03 -
"whether the substance [CRP] is an independent
risk factor for these episodes or merely a reflection of narrowed and
crumbling arteries hasn't been entirely clear ... New research now
suggests that the molecule, called
C-reactive protein (CRP), is
indeed its own oddsmaker ... The cholesterol-fighting drugs known as
statins have been shown to lower CRP by about 25 percent or so,
Stein says. However, it's not clear that that effect reduces
cardiovascular trouble or increases survival"
Could Caffeine Stop MS in Its Tracks? - WebMD, 6/30/08 -
"When consumed in large amounts in a newly reported
study, caffeine was found to protect against
multiple sclerosis by blocking key steps in the
development of the disease"
Shiitake
Mushrooms May Improve Human Immune Function, Especially If Grown On Old Oak Logs
- Science Daily, 6/29/08 - "These
mushrooms contain high-molecular-weight polysaccharides (HMWP), which some
studies suggest may improve human immune function.
Other research indicates that the shiitake compound eritadenine may help lower
cholesterol levels" - See
shiitake mushroom supplements at Amazon.com.
Calcium
Alone Does Not Reduce Hip Fracture Risk - Science Daily, 6/29/08 -
"a recent analysis of several studies found no reduction
in risk of hip fracture with calcium supplementation
... Future studies of fracture prevention
should focus on the best combination of calcium plus vitamin D, rather than on
calcium supplementation alone"
Israeli Study: Drinking Red Wine May Improve Meat's Healthfullness - Science
Daily, 6/27/08 - "The rats that had eaten the turkey
meat without the wine had high levels of chemicals
that promote oxidation, which has been linked to cancer, atherosclerosis, and
other serious disease ... the rats that got the turkey meat and the red wine had
less of those oxidation chemicals in their stomach and blood after their meal"
Higher
Coffee Consumption Associated With Lower Liver Cancer Risk - Science Daily,
6/26/08 - "0-1 cup, 2-3 cups, 4-5 cups, 6-7 cups, and 8
or more cups per day ... The researchers noted a significant inverse association
between coffee drinking and the risk of primary
liver cancer. They found that the
multivariable hazards ratio of liver cancer dropped for each group that drank
more coffee. It fell from 1.00, to .66, to .44, to .38 to .32 respectively"
Potential Role Of Fish-based Fatty Acids In Resolving, Preventing Asthma -
Science Daily, 6/24/08 - "a molecule produced by the
body from omega-3 fatty acids helps resolve and
prevent respiratory distress in laboratory mice"
- See
Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
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):
Advanced glycation end products and diabetic foot disease - Diabetes Metab
Res Rev. 2008 May-Jun;24 Suppl 1:S19-24 - "recent
clinical studies have shown that the AGE-breakers may be able to decrease
adverse vascular effects of
glycation with few side effects"
Resveratrol reduces endothelial progenitor cells senescence through augmentation
of telomerase activity by Akt-dependent mechanisms - Br J Pharmacol. 2008
Jun 30 - "Resveratrol
significantly increased telomerase activity and Akt phosphorylation ...
Resveratrol delayed the onset of EPC senescence and this effect was accompanied
by activation of telomerase through the
PI3K-Akt signalling pathway. The inhibition of EPCs senescence by resveratrol
might protect EPCs against dysfunction induced by pathological factors in vivo
and improve EPC functional activities in a way that may be important for cell
therapy" - See
resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
Assessing the effect of docosahexaenoic acid on cognitive functions in healthy,
preschool children: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study -
Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2008 May;47(4):355-62 -
"Regression analysis, however, yielded a statistically significant positive (P =
.018) association between the blood level of
docosahexaenoic acid and higher scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary
Test, a test of listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition" - See
Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
Panax
Ginseng Enhances Cognitive Performance in Alzheimer Disease - Alzheimer Dis
Assoc Disord. 2008 Jun 17 - "ginseng
group was treated with Panax ginseng powder (4.5 g/d) for 12 weeks ... After
ginseng treatment, the cognitive subscale of ADAS and the MMSE score began to
show improvements and continued up to 12 weeks (P=0.029 and P=0.009 vs.
baseline, respectively). After discontinuing ginseng, the improved ADAS and MMSE
scores declined to the levels of the control group. These results suggest that
Panax ginseng is clinically effective in the cognitive performance of
AD patients" - See
ginseng at Amazon.com.
Neat Tech Stuff :
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Andy Grove Offers an Energy Solution - New York Times Blog, 6/27/08 -
"Pickups, SUVs, vans, and the like represent about
80 million vehicles, with mileage of perhaps 13 to 16 miles per gallon,” he
writes. “Converting those should be our first priority ... A modest change
in the worst offenders from an energy efficiency point of view, would have
the biggest impact: Converting the worst gas guzzlers to use electricity
even for as little as 50 miles of driving range on a daily basis could cut
petroleum imports by 50 to 60 percent, Mr. Grove states"
- Click here for an Energy Information Agency
graph forecasting gasoline prices.
- Click here for a picture of my Phill garage
refueler.
- Click here to embarrass people not to buy gas
guzzlers.
Supplement Focus (ginseng):
Specific Ginseng Recommendations:
Ginseng News:
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I am currently
under a lot of stress. Is there an herb that I can take to help me deal with
this stressful time in my life - Dr. Murray
-
Ginseng May Help Treat Schizophrenia - WebMD, 5/8/08 -
"In a small study, patients had fewer negative
symptoms -- such as lack of motivation and a severe reduction in emotional
expression known as "flat affect" -- when they took Panax ginseng than when
they took a placebo ... patients were 50% less likely to have flat affect
when taking the higher, 200-milligram dose of ginseng than when taking
placebo"
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Ginseng May Relieve Cancer Fatigue - WebMD, 6/4/07
-
Herb
Shows Potential To Reduce Cancer-related Fatigue - Science Daily, 6/3/07
- "Of the four treatment arms, patients receiving
the placebo and the lowest dose of ginseng reported very little improvement
in fatigue or other areas of physical or psychological well-being. The
patients receiving the larger doses showed improvements in overall energy
levels, reporting higher vitality levels and less interference with activity
from fatigue. They also reported an improvement in overall mental, physical,
spiritual and emotional well-being"
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Ginseng, Ginko Biloba Do Not Interfere With Drug Absorption If Taken At
Recommended Doses - Science Daily, 5/1/07 -
"found daily use of ginseng or ginkgo biloba
supplements at the recommended doses, or the combination of both
supplements, are unlikely to alter the pharmacokinetics - by which drugs are
absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body - of the
majority of prescription or over-the counter drugs"
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Ginseng linked to improved breast cancer outcomes - Nutra USA, 8/17/06
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Product Review of Ginseng Supplements - ConsumerLab.com, 5/12/06
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Researchers Find Ginseng May Improve Breast Cancer Outcomes - Science
Daily, 3/16/06 - "They also found significant
improvements in both survival and quality of life measures in patients who
used ginseng"
-
Cortisol, Stress, and Health
- Life Extension Magazine, 12/05 -
"Supplements to reduce high
cortisol levels secondary to stress ...
Vitamin C: 1000-3000 mg/day ... Fish oil (omega-3
fatty acids):1-4 gm/day ... Phosphatidylserine:
300-800 mg/day ... Rhodiola rosea:
100-200 mg/day, standardized extract ... Ginseng: 100-300 mg/day,
standardized extract ... Ginkgo biloba:
100-200 mg/day, standardized extract ... DHEA:
25-50 mg/day (any hormone supplementation should be monitored by your
physician)"
-
Ginseng May
Reduce Number and Severity of Colds - New York Times, 11/1/05
-
Ginseng for Gesundheit? Latest Study on Colds - WebMD, 10/24/05 -
"one in 10 people in the ginseng group reported
having two or more colds that winter, compared with about 23% of those
taking the placebo ... Colds lasted about 11 days for the ginseng group and
16.5 days for the placebo group"
-
MIT Team Explains Yin-yang Of Ginseng; Work Emphasizes Need For Stronger
Regulations Of Herbal Drugs - Science Daily, 9/1/04
- Ginseng a
No-No for Patients on Coumadin - WebMD, 7/6/04
-
Herbal Supplement Ginseng Reduces Effects Of Warfarin
- Doctor's Guide, 7/6/04
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Natural Sex Boosters Gaining Ground - WebMD, 5/5/04
- Early Pregnancy
Risk With Ginseng - WebMD, 9/24/03
- Ginseng review
- ConsumerLab.com, 8/29/03 -
"A high amount of the pesticide hexachlorobenzene —
a potential human carcinogen — was found in one of five products labeled as
containing "Korean Ginseng." Levels of two other pesticides, quintozene and
lindane — were also above acceptable levels. Another product that failed the
new testing was a liquid "Chinese Ginseng" sold in single-dose bottles.
Despite being labeled "EXTRA STRENGTH" this product contained less than 10%
of the expected ginsenosides"
-
Ginseng May Improve Glucose Control - Doctor's Guide, 6/18/03
- Ginseng May
Help Treat Diabetes - WebMD, 6/16/03 -
"There are two reasons blood sugar can be out of
control in [people with
diabetes] ... Your body's tissues are not responsive enough to insulin
so they don't process it properly and/or you don't make enough insulin to
begin with ... Ginseng, he said, appears to help the patients both to
secrete more insulin and to process better the insulin they have" -
See
ginseng at Amazon.com.
- Korean Red Ginseng
Benefits Men with Impotence - New Hope Natural Media, 1/2/03 -
"Men experiencing sexual difficulties due
to inability to achieve erection may be helped by Korean red ginseng (Panax
ginseng), according to a study published in the Journal of Urology ... It is
a problem that affects nearly half of men over age forty worldwide ... Some
60% of participants reported improved erections while receiving ginseng.
Improved sexual desire was also reported during ginseng treatment.
Testosterone levels did not change with treatment, leading the
researchers to conclude that improvements observed with ginseng are not due
to hormonal effects" - See
ginseng at Amazon.com.
-
Ginseng May Help Regulate Blood Glucose - Natural Foods Merchandiser,
8/02 - "Three new studies, performed jointly by
researchers at the University of Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto
and the University of Ottawa, show that American ginseng can lower
blood-sugar levels in diabetic and
nondiabetic patients" - See
ginseng at Amazon.com.
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Ginseng's New Powers - HealthScout, 5/24/02
- Ginseng Berry
Shows Promise for Diabetes - WebMD, 5/24/02
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Ginseng: Fewer Adverse Events if Used Alone - Clinical Psychiatry News,
4/02
-
Ginseng Helps Regulate Blood Glucose - Nutrition Science News, Spring
'02 - "Three new studies, performed jointly by
researchers at the University of Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto,
and the University of Ottawa, show that American ginseng can lower
blood-sugar levels in
diabetic and nondiabetic patients ... They found no significant
differences between the three doses—each lowered postprandial glucose levels
an average of 11.4 percent"
- Some Herbs Boost
Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 3/26/02 - "Our
studies show that dong quai and ginseng stimulate the growth of [breast
cancer] cells"
-
Notoginseng Cuts Bleeding Time in Half - Nutrition Science News, 12/01
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Bright Future For Chinese Mountain Herb - Natural Foods Merchandiser,
9/01
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Ginseng Lowers Blood Glucose - Nutrition Science News, 7/01
- Not All Ginseng
Supplements Are Alike - WebMD, 6/26/01 - "a new
analysis of 25 commercial ginseng products suggests that the actual
concentration of ginseng is lower than the label says about half the time
and in six products the concentration was only 1%"
-
Study: Supplement Can Help Take the 'Dys' Out of Female Sexual Dysfunction,
Researchers Promote Idea of 'Sexual Wellness' - WebMD, 6/5/01 -
"ArginMax -- a
dietary cocktail consisting of ginseng, ginkgo, B vitamins, calcium, folic
acid, and other vitamins and minerals -- is being heralded as one component
of a lifestyle that improves sexual performance and helps prevent problems
associated with intimacy"
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Sustain the Brain - Nutrition Science News, 2/01
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Beyond the Label: American Ginseng Protects - Nutrition Science News,
2/01 - "American ginseng has been shown to display
synergistic effects against breast cancer cell growth when combined with
chemotherapy. From the protective perspective, American ginseng displays
potent antioxidant defenses against free radical damage to human LDL
cholesterol, which is reinforced by the vitamin C that inhabits LDL. The
most striking results attributable to this American root are found in its
ability to smooth out post-meal blood-sugar surges and carbohydrate
metabolism in both nondiabetics and type II diabetics."
-
American Ginseng Protects - Nutrition Science News, 2/01
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Ginseng Laced With Pesticides - Nutrition Science News, 9/00
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Saving Yourself from AGE - Life Enhancement Magazine, 8/00 - with
American Ginseng, "The researchers found a reduction
in plasma prolactin, a hormone connected with passive "nesting" behavior,
suggesting that this may play a role in the ability of American ginseng to
stimulate sexual activity in the male rat."
(see
prolactin)
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Want a love potion? What to know before you try - CNN, 6/15/00 -
"Tissue and animal studies of one form of ginseng,
called panax, give some credence to the root's sexy reputation. A study
published in the May 1995 issue of the journal British Pharmacology, for
instance, concluded that substances in ginseng extract known as ginsenosides
may work in a similar way to Viagra. Viagra enhances the effects of nitric
oxide, which helps relax artery walls, allowing more blood flow into the
penis. Ginsenosides may encourage the release of more nitric oxide."
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Ginseng May Enhance Immune Function - WebMD, 6/5/00
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Stress: The Hidden Factor For Weight Gain - Nutrition Science News, 4/01
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Ergogenics for Endurance Athletes - Nutrition Science News, 3/00
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Herbal Aids for Cancer - Nutrition Science News, 3/00
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Be All That You Can Be - Life Enhancement Magazine, 7/99
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Chinese Herbs Enhance Sexual Vitality - Nutrition Science News, 3/99
Ginseng Abstracts:
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