Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/20/10.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Running Boosts Brainpower - WebMD, 1/19/10 - "Running may do more than improve your cardiovascular fitness and overall physique. It might actually make you smarter ... Scientists reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say that running has a profound impact on the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory" - Related study:

• Young adults who exercise get higher IQ Scores - Science Daily, 12/2/09 - "The study shows a clear link between good physical fitness and better results for the IQ test. The strongest links are for logical thinking and verbal comprehension ... Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen ... This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength. We are also seeing that there are growth factors that are important"

Tea compounds may boost attention span: Unilever - Nutra USA, 1/19/10 - "This study provided further evidence that the L-theanine/caffeine combination improves attention on the switch task ... The improvement in accuracy in combination with unaltered response speed is in line with previous studies ... Tentative evidence was [also] found that the effect of the L-theanine/caffeine combination on attention is not specific to the visual modality, as we found faster responses in both the visual and auditory modality on the intersensory task after the combination as compared to placebo ... Taken together with the previous studies, we conclude that a high dose of L-theanine combined with caffeine, at the level of a single cup of tea, can help to improve attention" - [Abstract] - See theanine at Amazon.com.

Fish oil given intravenously to patients in intensive care has many benefits, study finds - Science Daily, 1/18/10 - "A randomised controlled trial of fish oil given intravenously to patients in intensive care has found that it improves gas exchange, reduces inflammatory chemicals and results in a shorter length of hospital stay"

High Fructose Intake Linked to Metabolic Syndrome, Kidney Disease - Science Daily, 1/14/10 - "men who were randomized to receive 200 g fructose daily for 2 weeks without or without allopurinol ... Fructose intake was associated with an average increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 7 and 5 mm Hg, respectively ... Mean fasting triglyceride levels rose by 0.62 mmol/L (p < 0.002), while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels fell by 0.06 mmol/L ... the prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased by 25% to 33%"

Benefits of calcium and vitamin D in preventing fractures confirmed - Science Daily, 1/14/10 - "both calcium and vitamin D supplements on a daily basis reduces the risk of bone fractures, regardless of whether a person is young or old, male or female, or has had fractures in the past, a large study of nearly 70,000 patients from throughout the United States and Europe has found" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Most (56 percent) of young adults in new sexual relationship infected with HPV, study finds - Science Daily, 1/14/10 - "more than half (56 per cent) of young adults in a new sexual relationship were infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). Of those, nearly half (44 per cent) were infected with an HPV type that causes cancer ... HPV is sexually transmitted and causes cervical cancer as well as other cancers, including those of the vulva, vagina, anus, and penis" - Note: They forgot head and neck cancer.  See:

• Sharp Increase In HPV-positive Tonsil Cancer Found - Science Daily, 4/2/09 - "Because the tumours produce so few symptoms, patients seek medical care when the disease is relatively advanced, often after the tumours have spread to the lymph glands of the throat, possibly making the prognosis much worse ... More recent studies, however, have demonstrated a link between HPV and tonsil cancer, so that today an HPV infection is also one of the established risk factors ... Since 1970, the cumulative incidence of HPV-positive tonsil cancer has increased from 23 to 93 per cent"

Multivitamins may cut lung cancer risk in smokers - Nutra USA, 1/13/10 - "It impressively shows, for example, that supplements containing beta-carotene, conceivably increasing the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers when taken in extremely high doses over years, have the potential to reduce cancer risk even in smokers ... People who ate at least 12 servings of green leafy vegetables per month had a 17 per cent lower risk of methylation, while a daily folate intake of at least 750 micrograms was associated with a 16 per cent lower risk ... Current multivitamin users had a 43 per cent lower risk of gene methylation, added the researchers"

Green Tea May Cut Smokers' Lung Cancer Risk - WebMD, 1/12/10 - "Overall, the smokers and nonsmokers who didn't drink green tea had a more than five times greater risk of lung cancer compared to those who had at least a cup of green tea" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Hypertension Drugs May Cut Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 1/12/10 - "The patients taking an angiotensin receptor blocker had a 19% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those taking lisinopril [an ACE inhibitor] and a 24% lower risk compared to use of other blood pressure/heart medications. People taking both an ACE inhibitor and an angiotensin receptor blocker, which both target the angiotensin system, had a 46% lower risk of dementia compared with those taking other medications" - Click here for reasons to consider temisartan (an ARB) as a first line treatment for hypertension.

BPA May Be Linked to Heart Disease Risk - WebMD, 1/12/10 - "Nearly everyone in the U.S. carries the plastics chemical BPA in their bodies ... high BPA levels were linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and elevated liver enzymes"

Diabetes Accelerates Conversion of Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia - Medscape, 1/11/10 - "Our study demonstrates that individuals with mild cognitive impairment and diabetes are at increased risk of developing dementia"

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):

L-theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness - Appetite. 2010 Jan 13 - "The results support previous evidence that L-theanine and caffeine in combination can improve attention" - See theanine at Amazon.com.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I and Cancer Mortality in Older Men - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Jan 15 - "Higher levels of IGF-I were associated with progressively higher risk of cancer death after adjusting for age, IGF-binding protein-1, adiposity, exercise, current smoking, and previous cancer. The adjusted risk of cancer death was statistically significant for IGF-I levels above 120 ng/ml, with magnitudes of effect ranging from 1.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.28-2.02] to 2.61 (95% CI = 1.46-4.64). For the 46% of men with IGF-I above 100 ng/ml, the risk of fatal cancer was 1.82 (95% CI = 1.11-2.96) compared to the risk with lower levels" - Note:  IGF-1 is a measurement of growth hormone levels.

Telmisartan ameliorates hyperglycemia and metabolic profile in nonobese Cohen-Rosenthal diabetic hypertensive rats via peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-gamma activation - Metabolism. 2010 Jan 12 - "adiponectin was significantly (60%, P < .01) increased by telmisartan ... The telmisartan-induced increase in adiponectin was most probably associated with a decrease in glucose and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels. Therefore, in addition to its hypotensive effect, telmisartan demonstrated beneficial thiazolidinedione-like effects" - See telmisartan at OffshoreRx1.com.

Pro-ulcer effects of resveratrol in mice with indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers are reversed by l-arginine - Br J Pharmacol. 2010 Jan 8 - "Although resveratrol is currently being evaluated in pre-clinical studies as a potential cancer chemopreventive agent and cardiovascular stress-releasing compound, treatment with resveratrol severely delays healing of pre-existing gastric ulcers. Resveratrol treatment can also induce endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression ... Resveratrol significantly aggravated damage from indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers, and delayed healing, as shown by increased DS and MPO activity. The mRNA for cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, but not that for COX-2, was inhibited by resveratrol treatment, with reduced synthesis of PGE(2) by gastric tissue. However, resveratrol treatment induced eNOS gene expression and shifted the eNOS/iNOS balance. l-Arginine given before resveratrol in mice with indomethacin-induced ulcers significantly increased tissue NO synthesis and improved ulcer healing" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.

Examination of the Antiglycemic Properties of Vinegar in Healthy Adults - Ann Nutr Metab. 2010 Jan 4;56(1):74-79 - "Vinegar reduces postprandial glycemia (PPG) in healthy adults ... Two teaspoons of vinegar ( approximately 10 g) effectively reduced PPG, and this effect was most pronounced when vinegar was ingested during mealtime as compared to 5 h before the meal ... The antiglycemic properties of vinegar are evident when small amounts of vinegar are ingested with meals composed of complex carbohydrates. In these situations, vinegar attenuated PPG by approximately 20% compared to placebo" - See apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com - 1 Source Natural 500 mg tablet equals 2 tsb of vinegar.  4.5 tablets equals about 3 tablespoons by my calculations.

Pioglitazone improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypertensive patients with impaired glucose tolerance in part through a decrease in oxidative stress - Atherosclerosis. 2010 Jan 4 - "Pioglitazone improved endothelial function in hypertensive patients with IGT through an increase in nitric oxide bioavailability by, in part, a decrease in oxidative stress" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.  Pioglitazone is one that I take to help prevent diabetes and for anti-aging.  See my Insulin and Aging  page.

Neat Tech Stuff (invisible flush button):

Click here for the video.
What you'll need:

• Kohler Power Lite Toilet - It's the black and blue wire for #1 or the black and white wires for #2.
• Insteon Motion Sensor
• Insteon contact closure device - Black goes to Com, white or blue goes to N/C
• Optional 9-Volt adapter for motion sensor

Supplement Focus (Rhodiola Rosea):

News & Research:

• Rhodiola rosea at Amazon.com
• Rhodiola for What Ails You? - Dr. Weil, 5/15/08 - "A 2002 review in Herbalgram, the Journal of the American Botanical Council, reported that over the years, numerous studies of rhodiola in humans and animals have shown that it helps prevent fatigue, stress and the damaging effects of oxygen deprivation. Evidence also suggests that it has an antioxidant effect, enhances immune system function and can increase sexual energy ... A study published in 2007 in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry showed that patients with mild-to-moderate depression who took a rhodiola extract reported fewer symptoms than those who took a placebo. And a study by researchers at the University of California at Irvine found that fruit flies that ate a diet supplemented with rhodiola lived an average of 10 percent longer than flies that didn't eat this herb"
• Herbal Extract Found To Increase Lifespan - Science Daily, 12/5/07 - "Flies that ate a diet rich with Rhodiola rosea, an herbal supplement long used for its purported stress-relief effects, lived on an average of 10 percent longer than fly groups that didn’t eat the herb ... Although this study does not present clinical evidence that Rhodiola can extend human life, the finding that it does extend the lifespan of a model organism, combined with its known health benefits in humans, make this herb a promising candidate for further anti-aging research ... Rhodiola rosea ... has been used by Scandinavians and Russians for centuries for its anti-stress qualities ... patients taking a Rhodiola extract called SHR-5 reported fewer symptoms of depression than did those who took a placebo"
• Warming to a Cold War Herb - Science News, 9/22/07 - "Government scientists had noted that rhodiola boosted the body's response to stress ... Almost immediately, my mind seemed clearer ... After a few days, I noticed I recovered from exercise more quickly"
• Rhodiola - The Cellular Energy-Boosting Herb - Life Extension Magazine, 2/06 - "With its ability to increase mental energy and physical endurance, rhodiola has tremendous potential to counteract many negative effects of the aging process. Studies show that rhodiola can favorably support the body’s stress reaction, both mentally and physically. In research trials, rhodiola has been shown to boost brain function and have anti-cancer effects"
• 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)"
• Research puts rhodiola to the stress test - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 7/04
• Natural Sex Boosters Gaining Ground - WebMD, 5/5/04
• I have heard that the herb Rhodiola rosea is helpful for breast cancer patients. Can you give me some information about it? - Dr. Weil, 6/25/03
• Stress: The Hidden Factor For Weight Gain - Nutrition Science News, 4/01

Abstract:

• Evaluation of Rhodiola crenulata and Rhodiola rosea for management of Type II diabetes and hypertension - Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2006;15(3):425-32 - "The ability of the above Rhodiola extracts to inhibit rabbit lung angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) was investigated. The ethanol extracts of R.rosea had the highest ACE inhibitory activity (38.5 %) followed by water extract of R.rosea (36.2 %) and R.crenulata (15.4 %)"

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