Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/10/10.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Anti-depressants bring higher risk of developing cataracts - Science Daily, 3/8/10 - "patients taking SSRIs were overall 15 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts or to have cataract surgery"

Vitamin D crucial to activating immune defenses - Science Daily, 3/7/10 - "Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, the killer cells of the immune system -- T cells -- will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Ritalin boosts learning by increasing brain plasticity - Science Daily, 3/7/10 - "Ritalin boosts both of these cognitive abilities by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine deep inside the brain. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers neurons use to communicate with each other. They release the molecule, which then docks onto receptors of other neurons. The research demonstrated that one type of dopamine receptor aids the ability to focus, and another type improves the learning itself"

Low levels of vitamin D linked to muscle fat, decreased strength in young people - Science Daily, 3/6/10 - "A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin. Since Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue ... The study by Dr. Kremer and co-investigator Dr. Vincente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern California, is the first to show a clear link between Vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue -- a factor in muscle strength and overall health" - [Nutra USA] -See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily linked to diabetes - Science Daily, 3/6/10 - "Using the Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Policy Model, a well-established computer simulation model of the national population age 35 and older, researchers estimate that the increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages between 1990 and 2000 contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of coronary heart disease (CHD), and 50,000 additional life-years burdened by coronary heart disease over the past decade"

Pine bark extract may benefit blood pressure-related kidney health - Nutra USA, 3/5/10 - "55 hypertensive patients to participate in the randomized, controlled study. Subjects were assigned to receive Ramipril [an ACE inhibitor] (10 mg per day), and 29 of these people were randomly selected to also receive Pycnogenol (150 mg per day) ... After six months in the Ramipril-only group the albumin levels decreased by 26 per cent to 64 mg per 24-hour period, while additional Pycnogenol produced levels that averaged 39 mg per 24-hour period, equivalent to a 57 per cent decrease ... Statistically significant decreases in patients’ blood pressure were also observed, with systolic and diastolic blood pressures dropping by more than 30 and 8 per cent, respectively in the Ramipril-only group, and by a further 3 to 6 per cent in the combination group ... Diastolic and systolic blood flow improved by 8 and 12 per cent, in the combination group" - [Abstract] - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.

Good Diet May Aid Ovarian Cancer Survival - WebMD, 3/4/10 - "five years, 75% of the women who ate less than one serving a week of yellow vegetables were alive, compared to about 82% of those who had three or more servings of yellow vegetables a week ... When the researchers looked at red meat lovers vs. avoiders, "we found almost a threefold risk of dying for those women who ate four or more servings of red meat a week compared to those who ate less than one serving per week over the 11-year study period"

Red clover may counter depressive symptoms in older women - Nutra USA, 3/4/10 - "by the time you reach 61 tests, there's a 95 percent chance that you'll get a significant result at random. And, let's face it—researchers want to see a significant result, so there's a strong, unintentional bias towards trying different tests until something pops out ... Symptoms of depression and anxiety were reduced by about 80 per cent following 90 days of supplements containing 80 milligrams of red clover isoflavones" - [Abstract] - See Trinovin at Amazon.com and red clover at Amazon.com.

We're so good at medical studies that most of them are wrong - arstechnica.com, 3/3/10 - "we simply have to recognize the problem and communicate it with the public, so that people don't leap to health conclusions each time a new population study gets published. Medical researchers recognize the value of replication, and they don't start writing prescriptions based on the latest gene expression study—they wait for the individual genes to be validated. As we wait for any sort of reform to arrive, caution, and explaining to the public the reasons for this caution, seems like the best we can do"

Hemoglobin A1c outperforms fasting glucose for risk prediction - Science Daily, 3/3/10 - "Measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) more accurately identify persons at risk for clinical outcomes than the commonly used measurement of fasting glucose ... people with HbA1c levels between 5.0 to 5.5 percent were identified as being within "normal" range ... With each incremental HbA1c increase, the study found, the incidence of diabetes increased as well; those at a level of 6.5 percent or greater are considered diabetic, and those between 6.0 and 6.5 percent are considered at a "very high risk" (9 times greater than those at the "normal" range) for developing diabetes"

Vitamin D lifts mood during cold weather months, researchers say - Science Daily, 3/3/10 - "A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what people in northern climates need to get through the long winter ... This nutrient lifts mood during cold weather months when days are short and more time is spent indoors ... Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a problem despite the nutrient's widely reported health benefits" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Apple fibres may boost immune health: Study - Nutra USA, 3/3/10 - "fed low-fat diets supplemented with either soluble (pectin, 10 per cent of the diet) or insoluble fibre (cellulose, 5 or 10 per cent of the diet) for six weeks. At the end of this period the mice were challenged with an endotoxin to induce sickness ... Two hours after [entotoxin] injection, the mice fed soluble fibre were only half as sick as the other group, and they recovered 50 per cent sooner. And the differences between the groups continued to be pronounced all the way out to 24 hours" - [Abstract] [Science Daily] - See pectin supplements at Amazon.com.

Omega-3 may boost lung function during sport - Nutra USA, 3/3/10 - "Amateur Iranian wrestlers, and not the Hulk Hogan kind, experienced improvements in numerous measures of lung capacity, including lung volume [forced vital capacity (FVC)] and airflows [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)], and found significant improvements following 12 weeks of supplementation and training ... At the end of the study, improvements in FEV1 of 41 per cent and FVC of 53 per cent, in the omega-3 supplements and training group as well as four other measures, compared to the other groups" - [Abstract] - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Generic Drug for Enlarged Prostate Approved - WebMD, 3/2/10 - "The first generic version of Flomax, a medication to treat the signs and symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland, has won the approval of the FDA"

Coffee associated with reduced risk of hospitalization for heart rhythm disturbances - Science Daily, 3/2/10 - "those who reported drinking four or more cups of coffee each day had an 18 percent lower risk of hospitalization for heart rhythm disturbances. Those who reported drinking one to three cups each day had a 7 percent reduction in risk"

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):

Glycine Propionyl-L-carnitine Modulates Lipid Peroxidation and Nitric Oxide in Human Subjects - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2009 May;79(3):131-141 - "Nitric oxide was increased (p<0.05) from pre- to post-intervention with 3 g GPLC (21.34+/-2.27 vs. 29.46+/-3.61 micromol.L (-1))" - Note:  (29.46 - 21.34) / 21.34 = 38% increase in nitric oxide. See GPLC at Amazon.com.

Folate intake associated with lung function, breathlessness and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2010;19(1):103-9 - "The COPD patients had significantly lower habitual intake of folate (mean 231, SD 90 mug/day) than control subjects (mean 261, SD 110 mug/day), p<0.001. Lung function measures were found to be positively associated with dietary folate level. Reductions in prevalence of COPD and especially breathlessness were observed, the respective adjusted odds ratio (OR) being 0.74 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35 to 1.58) and 0.43 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.91) for the highest versus lowest quartile of folate intake. The corresponding tests for linear trend were also significant (p<0.05). In conclusion, an inverse association was evident between dietary folate intake and the prevalence of breathlessness for Japanese adults, together with a significant dose-response relationship for the COPD risk. Moreover, increased folate intake might be beneficial to lung function"

Kidney flow and function in hypertension: protective effects of pycnogenol in hypertensive participants--a controlled study - J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Mar;15(1):41-6 - "evaluated the effects of Pycnogenol as an adjunct to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor ramipril treatment of hypertensive patients presenting with early signs of renal function problems. One group of 26 patients was medicated with 10 mg ramipril per day only; a second group of 29 patients took Pycnogenol in addition to the ACE inhibitor over a period of 6 months ... Urinary albumin decreased from 87 +/- 23 to 64 +/- 16 mg/d with ramipril only. Additional Pycnogenol lowered albumin significantly better from 91 +/- 25 to 39 +/- 13 mg/day (P < .05). In both groups, serum creatinine was lowered; however, only in the combination treatment group did the effect reached statistical significance. In both groups, CRP levels decreased from 2.1 to 1.8 with ramipril and from 2.2 to 1.1 with the ramipril-Pycnogenol combination; the latter reached statistical significance. Kidney cortical flow velocity was investigated by Doppler color duplex ultrasonography. Both systolic and diastolic flow velocities increased significantly after 6 months medication with ramipril. The addition of Pycnogenol to the regimen statistically significantly further enhanced kidney cortical flow velocities, by 8% for diastolic flow and 12% for systolic flow, relative to values found for the group taking ramipril only" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.

Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D - J Bone Miner Res. 2010 Feb 8 - "Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in about a 50% increase in serum levels of 25OHD"

Improvement of postmenopausal depressive and anxiety symptoms after treatment with isoflavones derived from red clover extracts - Maturitas. 2010 Mar;65(3):258-61 - "assigned to receive two daily capsules of MF11RCE (80mg red clover isoflavones, Group A) or placebo of equal appearance (Group B) for a 90-day period ... After receiving the MF11RCE compound the total HADS (anxiety and depression subscale scores also) and the total SDS scores decreased significantly. This effect was equivalent to a 76.9% reduction in the total HADS score (76% for anxiety and 78.3% for depression) and an 80.6% reduction in the total SDS score. After placebo, total HADS (anxiety and depression subscale also) and total SDS scores also decreased significantly in comparison to baseline but only equivalent to an average 21.7% decline. CONCLUSION: Red clover derived isoflavones (MF11RCE) were effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among postmenopausal women" - See Trinovin at Amazon.com and red clover at Amazon.com.

Iron excess in recreational marathon runners - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 3 - "Iron deficiency was defined either as a plasma ferritin (PF) concentration <15 mug/l (iron depletion) ... iron overload was defined as PF >200 mug/l ... Median PF among males was 104 mug/l"

Sickness behavior induced by endotoxin can be mitigated by the dietary soluble fiber, pectin, through up-regulation of IL-4 and Th2 polarization - Brain Behav Immun. 2010 Feb 6 - "We show that a diet rich in soluble fiber protects mice from endotoxin-induced sickness behavior by polarizing mice Th2 when compared to a diet containing only insoluble fiber. Mice fed soluble fiber became less sick and recovered faster from endotoxin-induced sickness behaviors than mice fed insoluble fiber ... These data show that a diet rich in soluble fiber protects against endotoxin-induced sickness behavior by polarizing mice Th2 and promoting alternative activation of macrophages" - See pectin supplements at Amazon.com.

The effects of omega-3 supplementation on pulmonary function of young wrestlers during intensive training - J Sci Med Sport. 2010 Mar;13(2):281-286 - "consuming omega-3 during 12 weeks training had a significantly positive effect on pulmonary variables such as FEV1, FVC, VC, MVV, FEF25-75, FIV1 (p=0.001), but no significant changes were observed in FEV1% (p=0.141) and FIV1% (p=0.117). The results of the present study suggest that consuming omega-3 during intensive wrestling training can improve pulmonary function of athletes during and in post-exercise" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Adiponectin):

Specific Recommendations:

• Thiazolidinediones
• Micardis (telmisartan)

Alternative News:

• Dietary supplementation of n-3 PUFA reduces weight gain and improves postprandial lipaemia and the associated inflammatory response in the obese JCR:LA-cp rat - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2009 Nov 16 - "n-3 PUFA treatment resulted in a significant improvement (i.e. decrease) in the postprandial response for triglyceride (45%) (p < 0.05), apoB48 (45%) (p < 0.03) and LBP (33%) (p < 0.05) compared to controls (measured as area under the clearance curve). In contrast, we observed a significant elevation in postprandial haptoglobin (165%) (p < 0.001) in obese rats supplemented with 10% n-3 PUFA. Treatment with 5% n-3 PUFA in the JCR:LA-cp obese animals resulted in a complementary decrease in total body weight gain (6%) (p < 0.001) and an increase (i.e. improvement) in adiponectin (33%) (p < 0.05) compared to controls, without a concomitant reduction in food intake" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Trans-10, cis-12-conjugated linoleic acid reduces the hepatic triacylglycerol content and the leptin mRNA level in adipose tissue in obese Zucker fa/fa rats - Br J Nutr. 2009 Mar 19:1-13 - "Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers have been reported to reduce body weight and beneficially affect glucose metabolism in animals, but the results are inconsistent and seem to depend on animal model and type of CLA isomer. In the present study, feeding male Zucker fa/fa rats diets supplemented with 1 % trans-10, cis-12-CLA for 10 d reduced the liver TAG content without improving the overall adiposity, and enhanced hepatic mitochondrial and peroxisomal beta-oxidation ... The present results suggest that dietary supplementation with trans-10, cis-12-CLA may increase the catabolism of lipids in liver and adipose tissue. Moreover, we provide new data suggesting that trans-10, cis-12-CLA modulates the expression of resistin and adiponectin inversely in adipose tissue. Hence, the present results suggest that trans-10, cis-12-CLA may have some beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and adiposity but possibly reduces insulin sensitivity" - See CLA products at iHerb.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation Enhances Antihypertensive Effect of Ramipril in Chinese Patients With Obesity-Related Hypertension - Am J Hypertens. 2009 Mar 19 - "Participants were randomized to a daily dose of 4.5 g/day CLA (nine 0.5-g capsules; a 50:50 isomer blend of c 9,t 11 and t 10,c 12 CLA) with 37.5 mg/day ramipril (group 1) or placebo with 37.5 mg/day ramipril (group 2) for 8 weeks ... Treatment with CLA significantly enhanced the reduction effect of ramipril on systolic BP and diastolic BP (P < 0.05). It also increased plasma adiponectin concentration (P < 0.05) and decreased plasma concentrations of leptin and angiotensinogen (P < 0.05); however, significant change was not observed in ACE activity" - See CLA products at iHerb.
• Grape polyphenols may protect against obesity: Study - Nutra USA, 3/18/09 - "animals fed a high-fat diet but supplemented with the grape seed extract had adiponectin levels 61 per cent higher than animals only fed the high fat diet. Adiponectin is a protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes, and levels are inversely related to body fat levels" - [Abstract] - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Chardonnay grape seed procyanidin extract supplementation prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity in hamsters by improving adipokine imbalance and oxidative stress markers - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Nov 26 - "GSE prevented in part these effects, reducing insulinemia and leptinemia by 16.5 and 45%, respectively, whereas adiponectin level increased by 61% compared with obese controls. GSE lowered glycemia and HOMA-IR and strongly prevented cardiac production of superoxide by 74% and NAD(P)H oxidase expression by 30%. This is the first time that chronic consumption of grape phenolics is shown to reduce obesity development and related metabolic pathways including adipokine secretion and oxidative stress" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.
• Red Wine's Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity - Science Daily, 6/16/08 - "resveratrol inhibited the pre-fat cells from increasing and prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Also, resveratrol hindered fat storage. Most interesting, according to Fischer-Posovszky, was that resveratrol reduced production of certain cytokines (interleukins 6 and 8), substances that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Also, resveratrol stimulated formation of a protein known to decrease the risk of heart attack. Obesity decreases this substance, called adiponectin" - [WebMD] - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

News & Research:

• Adiponectin definition - Medterms.com - "Low levels of adiponectin are found in people who are obese (and who are at increased risk of a heart attack)"
• 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.
• Pioglitazone Reduces ER Stress in the Liver: Direct Monitoring of in vivo ER Stress Using ER Stress-activated Indicator Transgenic Mice - Endocr J. 2009 Sep 29 - "8 weeks of pioglitazone treatment reduced the accumulation of fat droplets in the liver and attenuated the development of insulin resistance. In the liver of the ERAI transgenic mice, ERAI fluorescence activity was clearly reduced as early as after 4 weeks of pioglitazone treatment, preceding the improvement of insulin resistance. In addition, after the pioglitazone treatment, serum free fatty acid and triglyceride levels were decreased, and serum adiponectin levels were increased. These data indicate that pioglitazone treatment suppresses ER stress in the liver which may explain, at least in part, the pharmacological effects of pioglitazone to reduce insulin resistance"
• Higher Levels Of A Certain Protein Associated With Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes - Science Daily, 7/15/09 - "Persons with higher levels of adiponectin, a protein that is produced by fat cells and that has anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties, have an associated lower risk of type 2 diabetes"
• Study Links a Protein With Diabetes Risk - WebMD, 7/7/09
• Higher Levels of Adiponectin Associated With Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 7/7/09 - "Although these epidemiologic studies cannot establish causality, the consistency of the association across diverse populations, the dose-response relationship, and the supportive findings in mechanistic studies indicate that adiponectin is a promising target for the reduction of risk of type 2 diabetes"
• Low-dose pioglitazone increases serum high molecular weight adiponectin and improves glycemic control in Japanese patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2009 Jun 20 - "7.5mg/day of pioglitazone ... adiponectin increased markedly from 5.2 (2.4, 8.6)mug/ml at baseline to 9.8 (4.1, 12.6)mug/ml" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Pioglitazone Improves Endothelial Function with Increased Adiponectin and High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Type 2 Diabetes - Endocr J. 2009 Jun 9 - "After treatment, HbA1c levels equally decreased in both groups, but PIO-treated group had significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and decreased triglyceride, fasting insulin levels and HOMA-R. After treatment, increases in %FMD, plasma HDL-C and adiponectin (APN) levels were significantly greater in PIO-treated group than those in control group. Changes of %FMD showed significant positive correlations with those of plasma APN and HDL-C levels. In conclusion, the present study showed that treatment of T2DM improved endothelial function with greater increases in %FMD, APN and HDL-C levels in PIO-treated group than those in control group, suggesting the beneficial effect of PIO on endothelial function in T2DM" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Efficacy and safety of therapy with metformin plus pioglitazone in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial - Curr Med Res Opin. 2009 Mar 23 - "Mean HbA(1c) was reduced by 0.67% in patients receiving pioglitazone plus metformin versus an increase of 0.25% in those receiving metformin alone (p < 0.0001). After 8 weeks' treatment and until the end of the study, HbA(1c) was significantly lower with pioglitazone plus metformin and more patients in this group achieved an HbA(1c) < 6.5% (38.6% vs. 8.1%; p < 0.0001). FBG was also reduced by a significantly greater amount in patients receiving pioglitazone plus metformin compared with metformin monotherapy (-20.5 vs. 1.9 mg/dl; p < 0.0001). Combination therapy was associated with significantly increased HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and adiponectin, and significantly decreased levels of fasting insulin, free fatty acids, and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-R) compared with metformin monotherapy" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Adiponectin Is A Metabolic Link Between Obesity And Bone Mineral Density - Science Daily, 11/25/08 - "adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures ... In summary, elevated circulating adiponectin was associated with lower bone mass and weaker bones in growing mice compared to control animals"
• Levels Of Key Hormone During First Trimester Of Pregnancy Could Lead To Earlier Diagnosis Of Gestational Diabetes - Science Daily, 10/7/08 - "New research shows women who develop diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes mellitus) have reduced levels of an insulin-sensitive hormone, adiponectin, as early as nine weeks into the pregnancy"
• Adiponectin May Be a Marker for Type 2 Diabetes - Medscape, 9/3/08 - "Adiponectin levels were associated with a significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes in multivariate models that adjusted for body mass index (BMI). For the highest quintiles vs the lowest quintiles, odds ratio (OR) was 0.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12 - 0.25) for total adiponectin and 0.10 (95% CI, 0.06 - 0.15) for high-molecular-weight adiponectin. Even after adjustment for total adiponectin, a higher ratio of high-molecular-weight adiponectin to total adiponectin was associated with a statistically significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.31 - 0.65) "
• Adiponectin Levels Indicative of Diabetes Risk - Medscape, 4/29/08 - "Baseline levels of adiponectin are inversely related to diabetes risk in subjects at high risk for developing the condition"
• Fat Hormone May Contribute To Longevity - Science Daily, 11/21/07 - "long-lived Snell dwarf mice burn less glucose and more fatty acids during periods of fasting, and as a result produce fewer free radicals ... The key to this switch may be adiponectin, a hormone produced by fat cells that helps lower glucose production and stimulates cells to use fat for energy instead. The researchers found that Snell mice had three times as much adiponectin in their blood as control mice" - Something that was also in today's abstracts (see below) was pioglitazone, which increased adiponectin 156%.
• Key Hormone Protects Obese Mice From Diabetes - WebMD, 8/23/07 - "The high levels of adiponectin, however, made the mice physiologically skinny ... This discovery also suggests that in people who have low adiponectin levels fat cells don't send the signal that they're ready to accept fat, Dr. Scherer said. Instead, the fat is stored in dangerous places -- liver, heart and muscle tissues -- where it can cause inflammation and pave the way for disease"
• Pioglitazone Treatment Increases Concentrations of Adiponectin in Plasma - Doctor's Guide, 11/16/06 - "Results showed there was a 6.9 mcg/mL mean increase in adiponectin levels in the pioglitazone group while in non-pioglitazone patients it decreased by 0.42 mcg/mL"
• Adiponectin Level Found to be Independent Risk Factor for Endometrial Cancer - Doctor's Guide, 3/34/05 - "The investigators found that mean serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower among patients with endometrial cancer than among controls"

Abstracts:

• Pioglitazone, but not metformin, reduces liver fat in Type-2 diabetes mellitus independent of weight changes - J Diabetes Complications. 2009 Jul 3 - "metformin (Met) ... Pio plus the American Diabetes Association diet (Pio+ADA) ... Pio plus a portion control weight loss diet (Pio+PC) ... The Pio+ADA group gained (mean+/-S.E.M.) 2.15+/-1.09 kg, while Pio+PC and Met+ADA group lost -2.59+/-1.25 and -3.21+/-0.7 kg, respectively. Pio-treated groups (Pio+ADA and Pio+PC) significantly decreased hepatic fat as indicated by increased liver density on CT scan [10.1+/-2.4: 11.4+/-1.0 Hounsfield units (HU)], compared with Met+ADA group (-2.4+/-3.1 HU). The Pio groups demonstrated significantly increased serum adiponectin, (8.6+/-1.5; 7.4+/-1.6 mug/ml) independent of weight change, compared to Met+ADA (-0.14+/-0.6 mugm/ml) group which lost weight. Serum hs-CRP decreased in groups showing weight loss (Pio+PC, -3.1+/-1.7 mg/l; Met+ADA, -1.5+/-1.2 mg/l) compared to Pio+ADA (1.8+/-3.0 mg/l) group that gained weight" - Note:  This is just one of the many reasons I take pioglitazone even though I don't have diabetes.  See pioglitazone at pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• Adiponectin Regulates Arterial Calcification - J Bone Miner Res. 2009 Mar 3 - "adiponectin inhibited osteoblastic differentiation of CVSMCs via AdipoR1/p38 signaling pathway ... Our findings firstly demonstrated that Adiponectin(-/-) mice developed arterial calcification, and this could be attributed to the loss of inhibitory action of adiponectin on osteoblastic differentiation of CVSMCs. It suggested that adiponectin play a protective role against arterial calcification"
• Effect of drinking on adiponectin in healthy men and women: A randomised intervention study of water, ethanol, red wine and beer with or without alcohol - Diabetes Care. 2009 Feb 24 - "Among females adiponectin significantly increased after with red wine (29,8% p<0.05), among men after ethanol solution (17.4%, p<0.05) and beer (16.1%, p<0.05)"
• Plasma Adiponectin Concentrations Are Associated with Body Composition and Plant-Based Dietary Factors in Female Twins - J Nutr. 2008 Dec 23 - "A significant relationship between adiponectin and 3 derived dietary patterns (F&V, dieting, traditional English), carbohydrate, protein, trans fat, and alcohol intake was also observed. Strong inverse associations with adiponectin were observed for BMI (-10.72%; 95% CI: -13.78, -7.55), total (-6.89%: 95% CI: -10.34, -3.30; P < 0.05), and central fat mass (-12.50%; 95% CI: -15.82, -9.05; P < 0.05); these relationships were significant both when twins were analyzed as individuals and when characteristics were contrasted within-twin pairs, suggesting a direct effect. We observed modest associations between dietary factors and adiponectin in female twins, independent of adiposity, and report strong inverse associations with body composition. These data reinforce the importance of weight maintenance and increasing consumption of diets rich in plant-based foods to prevent CVD and type 2 diabetes"
• Effects of Telmisartan and Ramipril on Adiponectin and Blood Pressure in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Am J Hypertens. 2008 Oct 30 - "There was a significant increase in adiponectin levels in the telmisartan (0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27 to 1.10) microg/ml, P < 0.01) but not in the ramipril group"
• Anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols in hyperlipidemic individuals - Atherosclerosis. 2008 Sep 27 - "The combination of n-3 PUFA and plant sterols reduced several inflammatory markers. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was reduced by 39% (P=0.009), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) by 10% (P=0.02), interleukin-6 (IL-6) by 10.7% (P=0.009), leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) by 29.5% (P=0.01) and adiponectin was increased by 29.5% (P=0.05). Overall cardiovascular risk was reduced by 22.6% (P=0.006) in the combination group. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated, for the first time that dietary intervention with n-3 PUFA and plant sterols reduces systemic inflammation in hyperlipidemic individuals. Furthermore, our results suggest that reducing inflammation provides a potential mechanism by which the combination of n-3 PUFA and plant sterols are cardioprotective" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Adiponectin prevents atherosclerosis by increasing cholesterol efflux from macrophages - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Aug 11
• Relation of dietary and other lifestyle traits to difference in serum adiponectin concentration of Japanese in Japan and Hawaii: the INTERLIPID Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;88(2):424-30 - "The significantly higher mean serum adiponectin concentration in Japan than in Hawaii may be attributable largely to differences in BMI"
• High adiponectin concentrations are associated with the metabolically healthy obese phenotype - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Aug 5 - "Certain obese individuals have adiponectin levels similar to those found in normal BMI subjects; this is associated with the metabolically healthy obese phenotype"
• Adiponectin, but not leptin or high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, is associated with blood pressure independently of general and abdominal adiposity - Hypertens Res. 2008 Apr;31(4):633-40 - "all three markers were significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (negative correlation for adiponectin and positive correlations for leptin and hs-CRP)"
• Telmisartan but not candesartan affects adiponectin expression in vivo and in vitro - Hypertens Res. 2008 Apr;31(4):601-6 - "the changes in serum adiponectin and plasma glucose over 3 months were significantly greater in the telmisartan group than in the candesartan group. In vitro, although the protein level of adiponectin was not significantly elevated, the mRNA expression of adiponectin was elevated 1.5-fold by telmisartan in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our findings suggest that telmisartan may have beneficial effects in type 2 diabetes beyond its antihypertensive effect" - I've been saying that telmisartan should be the first line treatment for hypertension for some time now if natural methods such as coenzyme Q10 don't work.
• Acarbose Treatment Increases Serum Total Adiponectin Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes - Endocr J. 2008 May 15 - "Treatment with acarbose and pioglitazone decreased HbA1c values by 0.49 % and 0.63 %, respectively. Pioglitazone, as expected, increased serum levels of total adiponectin by 2.1 fold and its high molecular weight isoform by 3.6 fold. We found that acarbose also caused a small but significant increase in serum concentrations of total adiponectin. However, in contrast to pioglitazone, no appreciable changes were observed in the levels of high molecular weight adiponectin"
• Telmisartan treatment decreases visceral fat accumulation and improves serum levels of adiponectin and vascular inflammation markers in Japanese hypertensive patients - Hypertens Res. 2007 Dec;30(12):1205-10 - "telmisartan treatment was associated with an improvement of vascular inflammation, reductions in visceral fat and increases in serum adiponectin"
• Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma agonism modifies the effects of growth hormone on lipolysis and insulin sensitivity - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2008 Mar 10 - "Adiponectin levels almost doubled during pioglitazone treatment " - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.
• 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"
• 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.
• 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"
• Adiponectin, Change in Adiponectin, and Progression to Diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Program - Diabetes. 2008 Jan 11 - "Adiponectin is a powerful marker of diabetes risk in subjects at high risk of diabetes, even after adjustment for weight. An increase in adiponectin in lifestyle and placebo was associated with a reduction in diabetes risk. However, these changes in adiponectin were comparatively small and less strongly related to diabetes outcome than baseline adiponectin levels"
• Coffee consumption is associated with higher plasma adiponectin concentrations in women with and without type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study - Diabetes Care. 2007 Dec 10 - "High consumption of caffeine-containing coffee is associated with higher adiponectin and lower inflammatory marker concentrations"
• Dietary lipoic acid-dependent changes in the activity and mRNA levels of hepatic lipogenic enzymes in rats - Br J Nutr. 2007 Dec 7;:1-9 - "Lipoic acid profoundly decreased serum and liver concentrations of TAG, and also lowered serum concentrations of phospholipid and NEFA, and the concentration of cholesterol in the liver. A hypoglycaemic effect of this compound was also observed. Lipoic acid dose-dependently decreased the activity and mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase, ATP-citrate lyase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and pyruvate kinase in the liver despite that reductions were considerably attenuated in the NADPH-producing enzymes. This compound also dose-dependently lowered the mRNA levels of spot 14, adiponutrin, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and Delta5- and Delta6-desaturases. In addition, lipoic acid dose-dependently lowered serum concentrations of insulin and leptin, but increased those of adiponectin. Lipoic acid appeared to reduce hepatic lipogenesis and hence decreases serum and liver lipid levels. Alterations in serum concentrations of insulin and (or) adiponectin may trigger this consequence" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Adiponectin, the controversial hormone - Public Health Nutr. 2007 Oct;10(10A):1145-50 - "Considering the anti-inflammatory properties of adiponectin and the fact that it is negatively associated with adiposity, this cytokine could be one of the links between obesity and inflammation. The main mechanisms of action of adiponectin are directed to a protective role against atherogenic and insulin resistance processes. Research has revealed interesting new functions far beyond metabolism, such as immunity, cancer and bone formation. Contrary to all adipose-related proteins, adiponectin decreases with obesity. Most of the contradictory data surrounding adiponectin are related to plasma values and their relationship with body fat, gender differences and insulin resistance"
• High-molecular weight adiponectin is independently associated with the extent of coronary artery disease in men - Atherosclerosis. 2007 Nov 14 - "HMW adiponectin and the HMW/total-adiponectin ratio inversely correlate with the extent of CAD. HMW adiponectin in particular seems to be a better marker for CAD extent than total adiponectin"
• Pioglitazone improves myocardial blood flow and glucose utilization in nondiabetic patients with combined hyperlipidemia a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study - J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Nov 20;50(21):2051-8 - "myocardial glucose utilization (MGU) and blood flow (MBF) in nondiabetic patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) ... in the pioglitazone group HDL cholesterol (+28%; p = 0.003) and adiponectin (+156.2%; p = 0.0001) were increased and plasma insulin (-35%; p = 0.017) was reduced ... In patients with FCHL treated with conventional lipid-lowering therapy, the addition of pioglitazone led to significant improvements in MGU and MBF, with a favorable effect on blood lipid and metabolic parameters"
• Nutritional intervention to reduce the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio increases adiponectin concentration and fatty acid oxidation in healthy subjects - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug 15 - "Dietary intervention was associated with significant reductions in TNF-alpha (baseline: 2.2 (s.d. 0.3), post-intervention: 1.5 (s.d. 0.3) pg/ml, P=0.01) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (baseline: 2.5 (s.d. 0.2), post-intervention: 2.3 (s.d. 0.1) mmol/l, P=0.03) and increased adiponectin (baseline: 6.5 (s.d. 0.7), post-intervention: 7.6 (s.d. 0.6) mug/ml, P=0.02). Fasting lipid oxidation was increased (baseline: 0.7 (s.d. 0.1), post-intervention: 0.9 (s.d. 0.1) mg/kg.min, P=0.01), whereas glucose oxidation decreased in both fasting (baseline: 1.6 (s.d. 0.1), post-intervention: 1.3 (s.d. 0.1) mg/kg.min, P=0.02) and hyperinsulinaemic conditions (baseline: 3.6 (s.d. 0.1), post-intervention: 3.3 (s.d. 0.1) mg/kg.min, P=0.04). Insulin sensitivity was not affected by the intervention.  Conclusion:  A decreased n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio can be achieved with simple dietary counselling, resulting in multiple, potentially favourable effects on the metabolic and inflammatory profiles"
• The effect of thiazolidinediones on adiponectin serum level: a meta-analysis - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 Jul 21 - "The results clearly reveal an increase of endogenous serum adiponectin levels by intake of TZDs and may point to a potential new option to manage obesity-related diseases"
• Low serum adiponectin is associated with high circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease - Metabolism. 2007 Jul;56(7):881-886 - "low adiponectin concentration indicates increased oxidative state in the arterial wall, which further supports previous data on the role of adipose tissue in atherogenesis"
• The Differential Effects of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers on Microalbuminuria in Relation to Low-Grade Inflammation in Metabolic Hypertensive Patients - Am J Hypertens. 2007 May;20(5):565-72 - "There was a significant increase in high molecular weight adiponectin in the telmisartan group ... The reductions of microalbuminuria and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were significant in the telmisartan group"
• Adiponectin in health and disease - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 May;9(3):282-9 - "Adiponectin is an important adipokine because of its beneficial effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. Low levels of adiponectin are associated with disease states such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease ... Adiponectin levels in humans can be increased through indirect methods such as weight loss or treatment with thiazolidinediones"
• Adiponectin accelerates reverse cholesterol transport by increasing high density lipoprotein assembly in the liver - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 May 15 - "APN might protect against atherosclerosis by increasing HDL assembly through enhancing ABCA1 pathway and apoA-1 synthesis in the liver"
• Do low levels of circulating adiponectin represent a biomarker or just another risk factor for the metabolic syndrome? - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 May;9(3):246-58 - "The metabolic syndrome is currently defined by various combinations of insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. The tendency for these risk factors to appear simultaneously suggests a single aetiologic basis. A low level of circulating adiponectin is associated with the appearance of each metabolic syndrome risk factor ... An association between the metabolic syndrome and low adiponectin supports the view that the development of the metabolic syndrome may be triggered by a single underlying mechanism. Clinical studies in the future may show that a low level of circulating adiponectin is a primary biomarker for a specific cluster of metabolic syndrome risk factors rather than all the possible combinations of risk factors currently used to identify the metabolic syndrome"
• Decreased Plasma Adiponectin is Associated with Insulin Resistance and HDL Cholesterol in Overweight Subjects - Endocr J. 2007 May;54(2):221-6 - "In overweight subjects, adiponectin levels negatively correlated with body weight (r = -0.35, P<0.001), body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.28, P<0.006), systolic blood pressure (r = -0.21, P<0.04), fasting insulin (r = -0.19, P<0.01) and HOMA-IR (r = -0.20, P<0.01) and positively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (r = 0.27, P<0.009). Overweight subjects with low HDL-C levels had significantly decreased plasma adiponectin levels compared to those with high HDL-C levels ... findings may suggest that circulating adiponectin is associated with insulin resistance and HDL-C levels independent from BMI in overweight subjects"
• Raised alanine transaminase and decreased adiponectin are features of the metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 May;9(3):438-40 - "Mean ALT was significantly higher in patients with the MS and higher ALT was associated with lower adiponectin levels. As the number of features of MS increased, ALT increased and adiponectin decreased independent of glycaemic control"
• The effect of testosterone replacement therapy on adipocytokines and C-reactive protein in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes - Eur J Endocrinol. 2007 May;156(5):595-602 - "Testosterone treatment reduced leptin (-7141.9 +/- 1461.8 pg/ml; P=0.0001) and adiponectin levels"
• Lower plasma adiponectin is a marker of increased intima-media thickness associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and with male gender - Eur J Endocrinol. 2007 Mar;156(3):387-94 - "Increased IMT in type 2 diabetes may in part be explained by lower plasma adiponectin and higher triglycerides, but not by leptin, resistin, and TNF-alpha"
• Effect of antihypertensive agents on plasma adiponectin levels in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome - Nephrology (Carlton). 2007 Apr;12(2):147-53 - "Ramipril and valsartan increased the plasma adiponectin levels significantly higher than the other regimens"
• Rosiglitazone treatment increases plasma levels of adiponectin and decreases levels of resistin in overweight women with PCOS: a randomized placebo-controlled study - European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 156, Issue 2, 263-269 - "Rosiglitazone had beneficial effects on serum levels of adiponectin and resistin, suggesting that these adipocytokines may contribute to the improvement in insulin sensitivity observed during the treatment"
• Comparison of the effects of pioglitazone and metformin on insulin resistance and hormonal markers in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and early diabetes - Hypertens Res. 2007 Jan;30(1):23-30 - "pioglitazone was superior to metformin for the improvement of insulin resistance and adiponectin "
• Telmisartan improves lipid metabolism and adiponectin production but does not affect glycemic control in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes - Adv Ther. 2007 Jan-Feb;24(1):146-53 - "Triglyceride levels were significantly decreased, however, and adiponectin levels were significantly increased"
• Effect of PPAR-gamma agonist on adiponectin levels in the metabolic syndrome: lessons from the high fructose fed rat model - Am J Hypertens. 2007 Feb;20(2):206-10 - "rosiglitazone increased plasma levels of adiponectin fourfold from 4.3 +/- 0.1 to 18.4"
• The effects of irbesartan and telmisartan on metabolic parameters and blood pressure in obese, insulin resistant, hypertensive patients - J Endocrinol Invest. 2006 Dec;29(11):957-61 - "Group A (23) was submitted to irbesartan 150 mg/day, Group B (23) to telmisartan 80 mg/day for 6 months ... Both irbesartan or telmisartan reduced blood pressure and ameliorated the insulin sensitivity, with increased adiponectin values; in Group B, the amelioration of metabolic parameters was greater than in Group A"

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