Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 2/25/09.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Iron Overload: An Important Co-factor In The Development Of Liver Disease In Alcoholics - Science Daily, 2/24/09 - "A high prevalence of iron overload was found in alcoholics, which appeared to be related to the development of liver disease [odds ration for having liver disease in alcoholics with transferrin saturation greater than 45% was 2.2 (95% CI 1.37-3.54)]"

Health Spending to Double by 2018 - WebMD, 2/24/09 - "National spending on health care is expected to double to $4.4 trillion per year by 2018 ... more than 20% of the economy will be taken up by health costs by 2018"

Million Women Study Shows Even Moderate Alcohol Consumption Associated With Increased Cancer Risk - Science Daily, 2/24/09 - "Low to moderate alcohol consumption among women is associated with a statistically significant increase in cancer risk and may account for nearly 13 percent of the cancers of the breast, liver, rectum, and upper aero-digestive tract combined"

Drug Reduces Risk of Prostate Cancer in Middle-Aged Men, Medical Groups Say - washingtonpost.com, 2/24/09 - "taking finasteride, a drug that is already widely used to treat male pattern baldness and urological problems, can reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by as much as 25 percent" - Yeah, but you get 50% out of dutasteride.  See:

• Diet And Medications May Assist Prevention Of Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 9/24/07 - "dutasteride, has reduced by 50 percent the number of cancerous biopsies among men with benign prostatic hypertrophy ... In one study of selenium, the incidence of prostate cancer was reduced by 49 percent over ten years ... Data already suggests novel uses of statins, commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering agents, and insulin modulating drugs, such as metformin or the glitazones" - Plus it grows hair.  See:
• Treatment Found To Reverse Hair Loss - Science Daily, 6/11/07 - "one of each pair of twins was given 0.5 mg/day of the medication, the other receiving a placebo ... After both 6 and 12-month intervals, hair loss was found to not only have been halted in twins using dutasteride, but hair growth was actively improved"
• The importance of dual 5alpha-reductase inhibition in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: results of a randomized placebo-controlled study of dutasteride versus finasteride - J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Dec;55(6):1014-23 - "Dutasteride increased target area hair count versus placebo in a dose-dependent fashion and dutasteride 2.5 mg was superior to finasteride at 12 and 24 weeks" - If you're worried about sexual function, after six months it may actually improve it.  This is for finasteride.  I haven't seen any studies on dutasteride but would assume it would be similar.
• Prostate Drug May Not Dim Sex - WebMD, 6/26/07 - "Six months after the men started taking their assigned drugs, the survey scores were about three points higher for the men taking Proscar. By the end of the study, that gap narrowed to about two points"
• See dutasteride or finasteride at OffshoreRx1.com.

Health Care Costs To Top $8,000 Per Person - cbs2chicago.com, 2/24/09 - "As the recession cuts into tax receipts, Medicare's giant hospital trust fund is running out of cash more rapidly, and could become insolvent as early as 2016 ... That's three years sooner than previously forecast ... The health care cost forecast did not take into account recent legislation that expanded medical coverage for children of low income working parents, and added to the government's obligations ... The government statisticians estimated that health costs will reach $13,100 per person in 2018, accounting for $1 out of every $5 spent in the economy"

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Colds - WebMD, 2/23/09 - "those with the lowest vitamin D levels (less than 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood) were 36% more likely to report having a recent upper respiratory tract infection than those with higher levels (30 ng/mL or higher) ... people with asthma with the lowest vitamin D levels were five times more likely to have had a recent respiratory infection. Among those with COPD, recent respiratory infections were twice as common among those with lowest vitamin D levels" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Can B Vitamins Lower Risk of Blindness? - WebMD, 2/23/09 - "researchers randomly assigned more than 5,000 women over 40 without signs of age-related macular degeneration to take a combination of 2.5 milligrams of folic acid, 50 milligrams of vitamin B6, and one milligram of vitamin B12 or a placebo every day ... The results showed that women taking the B vitamin supplements had a 34% lower risk of any AMD and a 41% lower risk of AMD with vision loss than the placebo group ... the benefits of the vitamin Combination in preventing AMD appeared to emerge about two years after treatment began"

Calcium May Cut Cancer Risk - WebMD, 2/23/09 - "older men and women who got the most calcium from food and supplements had a 16% lower risk of colorectal and other cancers of the digestive system than those who got the least calcium"

Lowering Your Cholesterol May Decrease Your Risk Of Cancer - Science Daily, 2/23/09 - "High cholesterol not only leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, but may also contribute to cancer growth and progression. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, affecting approximately 1 in 6 men. Prostate tumors accumulate high levels of cholesterol, and tumor incidence correlates with eating a high fat/high cholesterol diet "Western" diet. In addition, prostate tumor progression has been linked to serum cholesterol levels"

New Lab Evidence Suggests Preventive Effect Of Herbal Supplement In Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 2/23/09 - "Combining DHEA with transforming growth factor beta-1 increased testosterone production in the stromal cells and prostate specific antigen protein secretion two to four-fold and gene expression up to 50-fold in the cancer cells. When these cell cultures were treated with red clover isoflavones, the androgenic effects of DHEA were reversed" - See Trinovin at Amazon.com.

Hypertension Drug Dramatically Reduces Proteinuria In Kidney Disease Patients - Science Daily, 2/22/09 - "patients taking 128 mg of candesartan experienced more than a 33% reduction in proteinuria compared with those receiving 16 mg candesartan by the end of the study. This reduction was in addition to the reduction in proteinuria that the patients would have had when they first started taking candesartan at 16 mg daily"

B Vitamins May Cut Stroke Risk - WebMD, 2/20/09 - "people who took the vitamins were 25% less likely to suffer a stroke over the study period than those who took placebo"

Low Testosterone Levels Associated With Lone Atrial Fibrillation in Men - Medscape, 2/20/09 - "Mean testosterone levels in men with lone AF were significantly lower than those in healthy controls, the authors report, but mean estradiol levels did not differ significantly between the 2 groups"

Rosuvastatin Nearly Cuts in Half Risk of Stroke - Doctor's Guide, 2/20/09 - "A refined analysis of a major clinical trial indicates that treating patients with the cholesterol-lowering agent rosuvastatin dramatically reduces the incidence of stroke among patients with high levels of C-reactive protein when compared with patients taking placebo ... Patients in the study were randomised to rosuvastatin 20 mg daily or placebo"

Slowing Aging: Anti-aging Pathway Enhances Cell Stress Response - Science Daily, 2/19/09 - "The researchers discovered a new molecular relationship critical to keeping cells healthy across a long span of time: a protein called SIRT1, important for caloric restriction and lifespan and activated by resveratrol, regulates heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), keeping it active. HSF1 in turn senses the presence of damaged proteins in the cell and elevates the expression of molecular chaperones to keep a cell's proteins in a folded, functional state. Regulation of this pathway has a direct beneficial effect to cells ... decrease in SIRT1 may help explain why protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and adult-onset diabetes, are diseases of aging" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Hand Washing May Reduce Episodes of Diarrhea by 30% - Medscape, 2/19/09 - "Diarrhoea is a common cause of morbidity and a leading cause of death among children aged less than five years ... It is transmitted by ingesting contaminated food or drink, by direct person-to-person contact, or from contaminated hands. Hand washing is one of a range of hygiene promotion interventions that can interrupt the transmission of diarrhoea-causing pathogens"

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):

Effects of dietary flaxseed on intestinal tumorigenesis in apc(min) mouse - Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):276-83 - "COX-1 and COX-2 expression in the colon samples from the flaxseed meal group were significantly lower (P < 0.05) as compared to the corn meal group. Dietary flaxseed may be chemopreventive for intestinal tumor development in Apc(Min) mice possibly by increasing omega -3 fatty acid levels, lignans, and decreasing COX-1 and COX-2 levels"

Differential Effects of Selenium on Benign and Malignant Prostate Epithelial Cells: Stimulation of LNCaP Cell Growth by Noncytotoxic, Low Selenite Concentrations - Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):251-64 - "Thus, noncytotoxic selenite concentrations did not induce growth inhibition or apoptosis selectively in prostate cancer cells. Growth stimulation of LNCaP cells by low concentrations suggests the possibility of adverse effects of selenium supplementation on hormone sensitive prostate cancer, whereas inhibition of PC-3 cell proliferation at noncytotoxic concentrations suggests potential benefit of selenium in advanced prostate cancer"

Intake of plant foods and associated nutrients in prostate cancer risk - Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):216-24 - "Plant foods and associated nutrients may impact prostate cancer (PC) risk and survival ... Reduced PC risk was associated with the highest tertile of cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.35-0.75), fiber (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.35-0.89), vitamin C (OR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.41-0.88), and fruits and/or fruit juices (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.31-0.68), with significant linear trends. Increased risk of PC was associated with the highest tertile of protein (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.05-3.79) and daily servings of grains (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.23-3.22) with significant linear trends"

Zinc intake from supplements and diet and prostate cancer - Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):206-15 - "Ten-year average intake of supplemental zinc was not associated with a reduced prostate cancer risk overall (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-1.14) for >15mg/day vs. nonuse, P for trend = 0.44); however, risk of advanced prostate cancer (regionally invasive or distant metastatic, n = 123) decreased with greater intake of supplemental zinc (adjusted HR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13-1.09 for 10-yr average intake > 15 mg/day vs. nonuse, P for trend = 0.04). Dietary zinc was not associated with prostate cancer. In this prospective cohort, long-term supplemental zinc intake was associated with reduced risk of clinically relevant advanced disease"

Leukocyte telomere length is associated with HDL cholesterol levels: The Bogalusa heart study - Atherosclerosis. 2009 Jan 24 - "Diminished levels of HDL-C are associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis. Shortened leukocyte telomere length (LTL) also entails an increased atherosclerotic risk ... Multivariate regression analyses showed that LTL was positively associated with HDL-C in childhood (regression coefficient (bp per mg/dL) beta=3.1, p=0.024), adulthood (beta=4.4, p=0.058) and AUC from childhood to adulthood ... A slower rate of LTL shortening per year was associated with higher HDL-C AUC in the total sample (p=0.033), adjusting for baseline LTL ... As HDL-C exerts anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and LTL registers the accruing burden of oxidative stress and inflammation, the association between HDL-C and LTL might be explained by the lifelong status of oxidative stress and inflammation" - Note:  Telomere length is associated with longer lifespan.  Niacin increases HDL.  See niacin at Amazon.com.

Selenium, folate, and colon cancer - Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):165-78 - "High levels of serum selenium and reported folate jointly were associated with a substantially reduced risk of colon cancer"

Effect of a Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol on Colon Microbiota, Inflammation and Tissue Damage in a DSS-Induced Colitis Rat Model - J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Feb 19 - "Resveratrol increased lactobacilli and bifidobacteria as well as diminished the increase of enterobacteria upon DSS treatment. Resveratrol significantly protected the colonic mucosa architecture, reduced body weight loss, diminished the induced anemia and reduced systemic inflammation markers, colonic mucosa prostaglandin E(2), cycloxygenase-2, prostaglandin E synthase and nitric oxide levels. In addition, the expression of 2,655 genes in distal colon mucosa related to important pathways was varied. These results reinforce the concept of resveratrol as a dietary beneficial compound in intestinal inflammation at doses possibly attainable with resveratrol-enriched nutraceuticals" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases and All-Cause Mortality among Men with Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2009 Feb 19 - "These data indicate that regular coffee consumption is not associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases or mortality in diabetic men"

Neat Tech Stuff :

• Trapcall.com - It unblocks blocked or unavailable calls to your cell phone (doesn't work for landlines).  I tried it. I went *67 to block my call and called my cell and it showed it as blocked then I hit "decline" and it called back with the correct number. It only works on cell phones though. I selected the free option.  Click here for the 43 second Fox News clip.  The news clip is a little misleading.  When you decline the blocked call it is forwarded to trapcall.com. Trapcall.com immediately unblocks it and forwards it back.  You don't have to wait for the caller to call you back like what is implied in that news clip.
• In addition compressed natural gas car, compact fluorescents/energy star throughout the house, etc. to help the environment, I bought a Bosch 2700ES tankless water heater from Amazon.com and installed it myself.  Click here for the information and the installation.  Click here for the Bosch brochure on it.

Supplement Focus (Red Clover):

Red Clover News & Research:

• Trinovin (for men), Promensil (for women) at Amazon.com
• red clover at Amazon.com
• New Lab Evidence Suggests Preventive Effect Of Herbal Supplement In Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 2/23/09 - "Combining DHEA with transforming growth factor beta-1 increased testosterone production in the stromal cells and prostate specific antigen protein secretion two to four-fold and gene expression up to 50-fold in the cancer cells. When these cell cultures were treated with red clover isoflavones, the androgenic effects of DHEA were reversed"
• Sizing Up Alternatives to Hormones - Intelihealth, 3/30/05 - "Red clover leaf: Supplements Promensil and Rimostil contain estrogens from this plant. Although it's rich in estrogens, it appears to be no more effective than placebo in reducing hot flashes"
• Red Clover May Prevent Bone Loss in Spine - WebMD, 4/16/04 - "women who took a red clover-derived dietary supplement containing substances called isoflavones (Promensil) experienced significantly slower bone loss in the spine compared with women who took a placebo".
• Red Clover Isoflavone Reduces Loss of Lumbar Spine Bone Density - Medscape, 2/11/04 - "After one year, women receiving the isoflavone supplement lost significantly less lumbar spine bone mineral content and bone mineral density than those receiving placebo"
• New Study Questions Effectiveness of Red Clover Extract for Hot Flashes - Healthwell Exchange Daily News, 9/18/03
• Red Clover Extract Helps Vaginal Dryness - WebMD, 7/9/03
• Promensil, Rimostil, And Placebo Result In Similar Reductions In Hot Flashes Frequency - Doctor's Guide, 7/9/03
• Herbal Remedies Can Aid Prostate Health - WebMD, 2/4/03 - "Not only is this believed to help inhibit prostate and other cancer tumors, it could help treat BPH. A product commercially sold as Trinovin (and whose manufacturer paid for Katz's study) has been found in several trials to improve urine flow and decrease symptoms by as much as 23%"
• Red Clover Extract Reduces Hot Flashes in Menopausal Women - New Hope Natural Media, 10/10/02
• Red Clover Can Help Hot Flashes - USA Today,  9/13/02 - "The study found that 40 milligrams a day of Promensil reduced hot flashes by 48.5 percent, while a placebo offered a 10.5 percent reduction" -  See iHerb or Vitacost Promensil products.
• Red Clover May Tame Hot Flashes - WebMD, 8/16/02 - "Promensil is an isoflavone supplement produced from red clover and contains the same key isoflavones commonly found in soy foods. Isoflavones are plant compounds -- found commonly in soy -- that act like weak form of the female sex hormone estrogen ... Only red clover contains all four isoflavones that women need ... 30 women were given either 40 mg of Promensil or a placebo for 16 weeks. The group taking Promensil reported a 48% reduction in frequency of hot flashes, whereas the control group had an 11% decrease" - See iHerb or Vitacost Promensil products.
• Phytoestrogen review - ConsumerLab.com, 7/16/02
• Red Clover Supplement Eases Monthly Breast Pain - WebMD, 11/26/01 - "A supplement containing red clover isoflavones reduced breast pain by 44% ... The red clover isoflavones are believed to act as a weak estrogen, which reduces the amount of estrogen produced in breast cells, thereby reducing pain ... 44% taking the 40 mg treatment had relief, compared with 31% taking 80 mg and 13% taking placebo ... The supplement used in the study -- sold under the brand name Promensil -- has been used in clinical trials involving more than 1,000 women" -  See iHerb or Vitacost Promensil products.
• Rimostil May Increase Bone Density While Raising Good Cholesterol - Doctor's Guide, 9/27/99 - "The second effect was on HDL cholesterol levels. Falling HDL levels after menopause is one of the main reasons that older women suffer heart disease and stroke. P-081 caused an average 28% rise in HDL levels, essentially restoring their HDL levels to pre-menopausal levels" -  See iHerb or Vitacost Rimostil products.
• Isoflavones May Cut Menopausal Cardiovascular Risk - Nutrition Science News, 7/99 - "An important cardiovascular risk factor, artery elasticity, which diminishes with menopause, was significantly improved with red clover isoflavones"
• Great Expectations: Hot Herbs in '99 - Nutrition Science News, 1/99

Red Clover Abstracts:

• Effects of One-Year Treatment with Isoflavone Extract from Red Clover on Prostate, Liver Function, Sexual Function, and Quality of Life in Men with Elevated PSA Levels and Negative Prostate Biopsy Findings - Urology. 2008 Feb;71(2):185-90 - "isoflavonoid extract from red clover ... daily 60-mg dose of an isoflavone extract for 1 year ... The average PSA level was 10.16 ng/mL at baseline versus 7.15 ng/mL after 12 months, for a statistically significant reduction of 33% ... The sexual hormone levels did not change throughout the study. We registered a significant increase in all three liver transaminases after 3 months"
• The red clover (Trifolium pratense) isoflavone biochanin A inhibits aromatase activity and expression - Br J Nutr. 2007 Aug 29;:1-8 - "Biochanin A is an isoflavone isolated from red clover (Trifolium pratense) ... Isoflavones resemble the structure of oestrogen, and display agonistic and antagonistic interactions with the oestrogen receptor. Overexposure of oestrogen is a major contributing factor in the development of breast cancer ... In the present study the effect of biochanin A on the gene regulation and enzyme activity of aromatase was investigated. By assaying MCF-7 cells stably transfected with CYP19, biochanin A inhibited aromatase activity and hampered cell growth attributing to the enzyme activity"