Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/28/09.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

New Role For Serotonin 'Ironed Out' - Science Daily, 1/27/09 - "low-functioning variants of human SERT have been associated with anxiety, depression, and reduced efficacy of SSRI medications ... Iron is required to synthesize both serotonin and dopamine, and serotonin receptors are known to regulate iron-carrying proteins. But SERT had not been previously shown to control brain iron levels. Follow-up studies with mice where the SERT gene was eliminated (SERT "knock-out" mice) verified a critical role for the transporter in controlling brain iron levels ... Because SERT is such an important drug target in treating anxiety, depression and OCD, we need to stop and think about how iron might be influencing these disorders"

Green tea may protect against breast cancer: Study - Science Daily, 1/27/09 - "Regular consumption of the beverage was associated with a “slightly decreased risk for breast cancer” of 12 per cent" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Low-Sodium, High Potassium is Effective in Lowering Blood Pressure - Science Daily, 1/26/09 - "Those with the highest sodium levels in their urine were 20% more likely to suffer strokes, heart attacks, or other forms of cardiovascular disease compared with their counterparts with the lowest sodium levels. However this link was not strong enough to be considered statistically significant ... By contrast, participants with the highest sodium-to-potassium ratio in urine were 50% more likely to experience cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest sodium-to-potassium ratios. This link was statistically significant ... To lower blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt, adults should consume 4.7 grams of potassium per day unless they have a clinical condition or medication need that is a contraindication to increased potassium intake" - See potassium citrate at Amazon.com.

Reducing Salt Intake Isn't The Only Way To Reduce Blood Pressure - Science Daily, 1/26/09 - "A new study suggests that people trying to lower their blood pressure should also boost their intake of potassium, which has the opposite effect to sodium ... To lower blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt, adults should consume 4.7 grams of potassium per day unless they have a clinical condition or medication need that is a contraindication to increased potassium intake" - See potassium citrate at Amazon.com.

• Potassium Supplementation Reduces Blood Pressure - Healthwell Exchange Daily News, 10/30/03 - "59 healthy adults between the ages of 25 and 65 years were randomly assigned to receive 600 mg of potassium chloride three times per day or a placebo for six weeks ... Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and MAP all decreased significantly in those taking potassium (by 7.6 mmHg, 6.5 mmHg, and 7.0 mmHg, respectively), compared with initial measurements. A significant increase in blood pressure was observed in those taking placebo"

Green tea catechins linked to weight loss: Study - Nutra USA, 1/26/09 - "The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 500ml per day of a beverage providing 625mg catechins, or a control beverage ... 12-week study period ... people in the catechin group were found to have lost more body weight compared to the control group ... both total abdominal fat area (P = 0.013) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (P = 0.019) had decreased more in the catechin group" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Aspirin May Prevent Liver Damage That Afflicts Millions, Study Finds - Science Daily, 1/26/09 - "Simple aspirin may prevent liver damage in millions of people suffering from side effects of common drugs, alcohol abuse, and obesity-related liver disease"

Eating Less May Not Extend Human Life: Caloric Restriction May Benefit Only Obese Mice - Science Daily, 1/26/09 - "For lean mice – and possibly for lean humans, the authors of a new study predict – the anti-aging strategy known as caloric restriction may be a pointless, frustrating and even dangerous exercise ... Today there are a lot of very healthy people who look like skeletons because they bought into this ... Contrary to what is widely believed, caloric restriction does not extend (the) life span of all strains of mice ... caloric restriction begun in older mice – both in DBA and leaner C57 individuals – actually shortened life span"

Fewer Calories, Better Memory? - WebMD, 1/26/09 - "older men and women who follow a restricted-calorie diet score better on verbal memory tests than those who do not make such diet changes"

Expert Panel: Omega-6 Won't Hurt Heart - WebMD, 1/26/09 - "reducing omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from their current levels would be more likely to increase the typical American's risk for heart disease than decrease it" - I don't know if I'd go by that.  It contradicts everything I've read but on the other hand I couldn't find anything on my omega-6 page to support that but sometimes I wonder if they read just what they want to read. - Ben

Frequent Sex And Masturbation In 20s And 30s Linked To Higher Prostate Cancer, But Risks Diminish With Age - Science Daily, 1/26/09 - "Men who are very sexually active in their twenties and thirties are more likely to develop prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate frequently ... frequent sexual activity in a man’s forties appears to have little effect and even small levels of activity in a man’s fifties could offer protection from the disease"

• Does Masturbation Protect Men’s Health? - Dr. Weil, 9/18/03 - "A team of scientists in Australia found that men who ejaculate more frequently between the ages of 20 and 50 are less likely to develop prostate cancer. The protective effect seems greatest for those in their 20s"

Inflammation Worsens Danger Due To Atherosclerosis - Science Daily, 1/23/09 - "inflammation increases the risk of plaque rupture in atherosclerosis"

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Long-term Risk Of Subsequent Weight Gain And Obesity Among Adults - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "increased fruit and vegetable intake was associated with significantly lower risk of a medium WG (3,41 kg) over 10 years among adults of a Spanish Mediterranean population. Dietary strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake to prevent and control overweight and obesity should be promoted more vigorously"

Smoking Linked to More Than Lung Cancer - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "smoking is a cause of many more cancer deaths besides lung cancer"

Salt May Restrict Blood Flow to Heart - WebMD, 1/22/09 - "Overweight and obese study participants with normal blood pressure who restricted the sodium in their diets showed evidence of improved endothelial function compared to participants who did not restrict salt ... The improvement appeared to be unrelated to the impact on blood pressure, suggesting that salt restriction is independently protective of blood vessel function"

Low Levels Of Vitamin D Link To Cognitive Problems In Older People - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people ... as levels of Vitamin D went down, levels of cognitive impairment went up. Compared to those with optimum levels of Vitamin D, those with the lowest levels were more than twice as likely to be cognitively impaired" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Apple Juice Can Delay Onset Of Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 1/22/09 - "drinking apple juice helped mice perform better than normal in maze trials, and prevented the decline in performance that was otherwise observed as these mice aged ... mice receiving the human equivalent of 2 glasses of apple juice per day for 1 month produced less of a small protein fragment, called "beta-amyloid" that is responsible for forming the "senile plaques" that are commonly found in brains of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease"

Red Rice Yeast for Cholesterol Control? - Dr. Weil, 1/22/09 - "Of all the natural supplements available to help lower cholesterol, red rice yeast extracts are by far the most effective" - See red yeast rice at Amazon.com.

Life Expectancy Up, Thanks to Cleaner Air - WebMD, 1/21/09 - "Americans were living 2.72 years longer, on average, at the end of a two-decade study period. Up to five months of that was because of reduced air pollution"

Low Glycemic Diets Help Diabetics Control Blood Sugar, Review Suggests - Science Daily, 1/2/0/09 - "Clinicians measured hemoglobin A1c levels, which give a picture of a person's blood glucose control over several weeks or months. The reviewers found that levels decreased by 0.5 percent with a low GI diet, noting that the findings were significant, both statistically and clinically"

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):

Vitamin D Beyond Bones in COPD: Time to Act - Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Jan 22 - "As current respiratory treatments in COPD fail to reverse disease progression, interventional trials that may exploit the broader potential of vitamin D, are warranted" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Drinking green tea modestly reduces breast cancer risk - J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):310-6 - "Compared with nondrinkers, regular drinking of green tea was associated with a slightly decreased risk for breast cancer (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.98)" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Protective Effect of Fish Consumption on Colorectal Cancer Risk. Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in Eastern Europe - Ann Nutr Metab. 2009 Jan 26;53(3-4):295-302 - "The adjusted OR showed a significant reduction in CRC already at the moderate fish intake of one or two servings per week (OR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51-0.94), but it was even lower at higher fish intake (OR = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.39-0.86)" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Association of Sexual Dysfunction With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms of BPH and BPH Medical Therapies: Results From the BPH Registry - Urology. 2009 Jan 21 - "The severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) has correlated with erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) ... The alpha(1A)-subtype nonsuperselective quinazoline alpha(1)-blockers alfuzosin, doxazosin, and terazosin appeared to be associated with better ejaculatory function than were the alpha(1A)-subtype superselective sulfonamide alpha(1)-blocker tamsulosin, 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, and alpha(1)-blocker plus 5alpha-reductase inhibitor combination therapy"

Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss in overweight and obese adults - J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):264-70 - "for 12 wk ... There was a trend (P = 0.079) toward greater loss of body weight in the catechin group compared with the control group ... Percentage changes in fat mass did not differ between the catechin [5.2 (-7.0, -3.4)] and control groups [-3.5 (-5.4, 1.6)] (P = 0.208). However, percentage changes in total abdominal fat area [-7.7 (-11.7, -3.8) vs. -0.3 (-4.4, 3.9); P = 0.013], subcutaneous abdominal fat area [-6.2 (-10.2, -2.2) vs. 0.8 (-3.3, 4.9); P = 0.019], and fasting serum triglycerides (TG) [-11.2 (-18.8, -3.6) vs. 1.9 (-5.9, 9.7); P = 0.023] were greater in the catechin group. These findings suggest that green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced changes in abdominal fat and serum TG" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

DHA Supplementation Decreases Serum C-Reactive Protein and Other Markers of Inflammation in Hypertriglyceridemic Men - J Nutr. 2009 Jan 21 - "DHA supplementation for 45 and 91 d decreased the number of circulating neutrophils by 11.7 and 10.5%, respectively (P < 0.05). It did not alter the circulating concentrations of other inflammatory markers tested within 45 d, but at 91 d it reduced (P < 0.05) concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) by 15%, interleukin-6 by 23%, and granulocyte monocyte-colony stimulating factor by 21% and DHA increased the concentration of antiinflammatory matrix metalloproteinase-2 by 7%. The number of circulating neutrophils was positively associated with the weight percent (wt %) of 20:4(n-6) in RBC lipids, and negatively to the wt % of 20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3). Concentrations of CRP and serum amyloid A were positively associated with the sum of SFA and negatively with the wt % of 18:1(n-9) and 17:0 in RBC lipids; CRP was also positively associated with the wt % of 20:2(n-6). The mean size of VLDL particles was positively associated with plasma concentrations of neutrophils and CRP. In conclusion, DHA may lessen the inflammatory response by altering blood lipids and their fatty acid composition" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits voltage-gated sodium channels and invasiveness in prostate cancer cells - Br J Pharmacol. 2009 Jan 16 - "Treatment with EPA inhibited I(Na) directly and also indirectly, by down-regulation of Na(v) mRNA expression in prostate cancer cells, thus inhibiting their metastatic potential" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff :

• D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router - PC Magazine's Editor's Choice.

Supplement Focus (GABA):

GABA CME:

• The Role of GABA in the Pathogenesis and Treatement of Aniety and other Neurophychiatric Disorders - vcu-cme.org, exp. - "The cliché “If you find one thing wrong in the brain, you’ll find more than one” clearly applies to psychiatric disorders. Most individuals with psychiatric disorders suffer from one or more additional disorders at some point, and it is not surprising that many patients require multipledrug therapy to control their symptoms. Unfortunately, many individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders fail to respond optimally to treatment. It is likely that specific GABA-enhancing agents will play important roles as treatment for patients with anxiety disorders, with or without comorbidity, and as adjunctive therapy in patients with more complicated neuropsychiatric disorders."

GABA News & Research:

• GABA at Amazon.com
• Anxiety Protocol - Life Extension Magazine - "Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea and produces a calming effect on the brain (Yokogoshi H et al 1998). It easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and produces subtle changes in biochemistry, including increased production of GABA and dopamine, which cause a tranquilizing effect"
• PharmaGABA: Natural Support for Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia - Dr. Murray's Natural Living, 5/17/07
• Brown rice may act against onset of Alzheimer’s - Nutra USA, 5/25/04 - "Pre-germinated brown rice, high in levels of the nutrient GABA, significantly improved levels of spatial learning in mice"
• Sleep Problems, Anxiety May Be Connected - WebMD, 9/12/03 - "both sleep and mood problems may result from a lack of the same brain chemical ... The brain chemical -- gamma-aminobutryric acid, or GABA -- is involved in regulating brain activity ... Specifically, GABA deficiencies interfere with the most important stage of sleep -- the "deep" delta sleep" - See iHerb or Vitacost GABA products.
• Study: GABA May Help Brain Aging - Physician's Weekly, 5/26/03
• GABA Makes Old Brains Act Young Again - WebMD, 5/2/03
• Chemical helps aging brains feel younger - MSNBC, 5/1/03 - "in old primates, both human and monkey, there is a decline in the levels of GABA, a chemical that inhibits neuron signals in the brain. Without enough of that control, he said, the brain is distracted and overwhelmed by stray signals, in the same way the ear is overwhelmed when trying to hear a whisper at a rock concert ... When minute quantities of GABA were injected directly into neurons, the brains of the older monkeys responded just like those of the young animals ... Added GABA appeared to have no effect on the young"
• Old Monkey Study Might Help Old Human Brains - HealthDay, 5/1/03 - "brain cells in the old monkeys have lost much of their ability to respond to the specific signals carried by GABA. Giving GABA to young monkeys did very little in terms of brain function, but it helped the old monkeys a lot ... GABA restored selectivity, so the cells worked better ... What's true for vision probably is true for other functions controlled by the cortex ... GABA is found throughout the brain, so if GABA function is diminished, brain function is diminished"
• Gabitril Receives Approval For the Treatment of Epilepsy - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/96 - "Being the first drug specifically designed as a GABA uptake inhibitor, Gabitril(R) is a new type of antiepileptic drug"