Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/19/11.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Uric acid may increase likelihood of severe osteoarthritis - Science Daily, 1/18/11 - "The researchers looked at 159 people, who had knee osteoarthritis but no history of gout, a type of arthritis triggered by uric acid crystals in the joints. The researchers found the severity of osteoarthritis in their knees to be strongly correlated with the amount of uric acid in their knees. The results, which are published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show, despite the lack of gout history, above normal uric acid levels in 39 percent of the study population, and evidence of the form of inflammation in the joints that is typically triggered by uric acid crystals"

Healthy gums, healthy lungs: Maintaining healthy teeth and gums may reduce risk for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pumonary disease - Science Daily, 1/18/11 - "patients with respiratory diseases had worse periodontal health than the control group, suggesting a relationship between respiratory disease and periodontal disease. Researchers suspect that the presence of oral pathogens associated with periodontal disease may increase a patient's risk of developing or exacerbating respiratory disease"

Vitamin D absorption is diminished in patients with Crohn's disease, researchers find - Science Daily, 1/18/11 - "CD patients had on average a 30 percent decrease in their ability to absorb vitamin D2 when compared to normal subjects"

Use of antidepressant associated with reduction in menopausal hot flashes - Science Daily, 1/18/11 - "In the escitalopram group, average hot flash frequency at week 8 decreased to 5.26 hot flashes per day (47 percent decrease or an average of 4.6 fewer hot flashes per day than at the beginning of the study). In the placebo group, hot flash frequency decreased to 6.43 hot flashes per day (33 percent decrease or an average of 3.2 fewer hot flashes per day)" - Note:  A significant placebo effect.  Some argue on trials like this that that the people receiving the real deal know because of the side effects of the medication therefore they have a greater placebo effect.

Rates of Suicidal Ideation Among US Surgeons 'Very Concerning' - Medscape, 1/17/11 - "The fact that 6% of US surgeons thought of killing themselves in the last 12 months is certainly very concerning ... even more striking considering that surgeons are highly educated, nearly universally employed, and overwhelmingly (88%) married — all factors known to reduce risk of suicide in the general population ... rates were substantially higher among surgeons age 45 to 54 years"

Essential oil pill prevents PMS, study suggests - Science Daily, 1/16/11 - "Women who were given capsules containing 2 grams of a combination of gamma linolenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, other polyunsaturated acids and vitamin E reported significantly eased PMS symptoms at both 3 and 6 months after they began the treatment" - See borage oil at Amazon.com (GLA) and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.  Oleic acid is omega-9 in which olive oil is a good source.  Linoleic acid is omega-6.  Most Americans get about 10 to 20 times too much omega-6 to begin with (click here to Google it).  I don't know why they included it.  It makes me wonder about some of the researchers.  If they are showing a benefit, I would guess it's from the other ingredients and not the omega-6.  Gamma linolenic acid is an omega-6 also but it's a form that most don't get enough of.

Bioactive compounds in berries can reduce high blood pressure - Science Daily, 1/14/11 - "bioactive compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension. Compared with those who do not eat blueberries, those eating at least one serving a week reduce their risk of developing the condition by 10 per cent" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

Why coffee protects against diabetes - Science Daily, 1/12/11 - "A protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the biological activity of the body's sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which have long been thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. And coffee consumption, it turns out, increases plasma levels of SHBG" - Note:  I need to review SHBG but they way I understand it it lowers free testosterone (binds it) which can be a bad thing however some say that binding that testosterone keeps it from being converted to DHT suggesting that SHBG can help prevent balding.  This article claims 8% of our population has diabetes.  The below abstract  in the abstract section says "The prevalence of T2DM was 14.0% and 10.4% in men and women" [in China].  I not sure if there is a different cutoff.  Related study:

• New Sign of Diabetes Risk - WebMD, 9/16/09 - "People with the lowest SHBG levels have a tenfold higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those with the highest SHBG levels"

Study finds toxic chemicals in pregnant womens' bodies - USATODAY.com, 1/13/11 - "These chemicals include certain pesticides, flame retardants, PFCs used in non-stick cookware, phthalates (in many fragrances and plastics), pollution from car exhaust, perchlorate (in rocket fuel) and PCBs, toxic industrial chemicals banned in 1979 that persist in the environment ... BPA — an estrogen-like ingredient in plastic found in 96% of pregnant women — affects the development of the brain, prostate and behavior in children exposed both before and after birth. Lead and mercury are known to cause brain damage ... some of these chemicals may act together to cause more damage than they would alone"

Bisphenol A may have role in ovarian dysfunction - Science Daily, 1/13/11 - "Our research shows that BPA may be more harmful to women with hormonal and fertility imbalances like those found in PCOS ... These women should be alert to the potential risks and take care of themselves by avoiding excessive every-day consumption of food or drink from plastic containers ... Blood levels of BPA were nearly 60 percent higher in lean women with PCOS and more than 30 percent higher in obese women with the syndrome when compared to controls. Additionally, as BPA levels increased, so did concentrations of the male sex hormone testosterone and androstenedione, a steroid hormone that converts to testosterone"

Room light before bedtime may impact sleep quality, blood pressure and diabetes risk - Science Daily, 1/13/11 - "exposure to electrical light between dusk and bedtime strongly suppresses melatonin levels and may impact physiologic processes regulated by melatonin signaling, such as sleepiness, thermoregulation, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis ... researchers evaluated 116 healthy volunteers aged 18-30 years who were exposed to room light or dim light in the eight hours preceding bedtime for five consecutive days. An intravenous catheter was inserted into the forearms of study participants for continuous collection of blood plasma every 30-60 minutes for melatonin measurements. Results showed exposure to room light before bedtime shortened melatonin duration by about 90 minutes when compared to dim light exposure. Furthermore, exposure to room light during the usual hours of sleep suppressed melatonin by greater than 50 percent" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.

'Longevity' protein SIRT1 may ward off precursor to prostate cancer - Science Daily, 1/13/11 - "prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) ... deletion of the Sirt1 gene in mice resulted in PIN lesion formation associated with reduced autophagy, which is the necessary degradation of a cell's own components and most likely essential for tumor suppression ... it tells you that this 'longevity' gene is normally blocking prostate cancer" - Note: Resveratrol increases Sirt1.  See resveratrol products at Amazon.com:

• Sirtuin1 may boost memory and learning ability; Discovery could lead to new drugs to fight Alzheimer's, other neurological diseases - Science Daily, 7/11/10 - "Resveratrol, found in wine, has been touted as a life-span enhancer because it activates a group of enzymes known as sirtuins, which have gained fame in recent years for their ability to slow the aging process. Now MIT researchers report that Sirtuin1 -- a protein that in humans is encoded by the SIRT1 gene -- also promotes memory and brain flexibility ... We have now found that SIRT1 activity also promotes plasticity and memory"
• 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"
• Wine Compound Spurs Diabetes Research - WebMD, 11/29/07 - "In October, Chinese researchers reported that resveratrol curbs insulin resistance in mice. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar. Insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes ... Like resveratrol, the lab-made chemicals activate a gene called SIRT1, making the diabetic mice more sensitive to insulin ... the newly developed chemicals are 1,000 times more potent than resveratrol"

'Thirdhand smoke' may be bigger health hazard than previously believed - Science Daily, 1/12/10 - "the invisible remains of cigarette smoke that deposits on carpeting, clothing, furniture and other surfaces -- may be even more of a health hazard than previously believed ... Exposure to them can occur to babies crawling on the carpet, people napping on the sofa, or people eating food tainted by thirdhand smoke ... nicotine interacts with ozone, in indoor air, to form potentially toxic pollutants on these surfaces"

Two medicines taken together improve control of blood pressure - Science Daily, 1/12/10 - "patients who start treatment with a single tablet containing a combination of drugs will have a 25% better response during the first six months of treatment than patients receiving conventional treatment, and -- remarkably -- are less likely to stop treatment because of side effects"

Synbiotics may protect kids from asthma: Danone study - Nutra USA, 1/12/11 - "probiotics are defined as "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Prebiotics are "nondigestible substances that provide a beneficial physiological effect on the host by selectively stimulating the favourable growth or activity of a limited number of indigenous bacteria". Synbiotics are a combination of the two ... One year after the study, data was available for 75 children, and this showed that the absolute risk of asthma symptoms 'frequent wheezing' and 'wheezing and/or noisy breathing apart from colds' were 20 and 28 percent lower, respectively, in the synbiotic group" - [Abstract] - See synbiotic products at iHerb.

Common painkillers linked to increased risk of heart problems - Science Daily, 1/11/11 - "the absolute risk of cardiovascular problems among people taking painkillers was low, but the researchers did find that, relative to placebo, the drugs carried important risks ... rofecoxib and lumiracoxib were associated with twice the risk of heart attack, while ibuprofen was associated with more than three times the risk of stroke. Etoricoxib and diclofenac were associated with the highest (around four times) risk of cardiovascular death ... Naproxen appeared least harmful in terms of cardiovascular safety among the seven analysed preparations" - See the long version at http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7086.full.

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):

Use of high-intensity statin therapy with simvastatin 80 mg and atorvastatin 80 mg in primary care - Int J Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;65(2):120-6 - "The present study suggests that atorvastatin 80 mg compares favourably to simvastatin in terms of efficacy and has a similar tolerability profile. Conclusion: This retrospective observational study suggests that despite national guidelines, atorvastatin 80 mg is used in clinical practice and is more effective and at least as well tolerated as simvastatin 80 mg"

SHBG, Sex Hormones, and Inflammatory Markers in Older Women - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jan 14 - "In premenopausal and older women, high testosterone and estradiol (E2) and low SHBG levels are associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, conditions characterized by low-grade inflammation ... SHBG was negatively associated with CRP (P = 0.007), IL-6 (P = 0.008), and sIL-6r (P = 0.02). In addition, testosterone was positively associated with CRP (P = 0.006), IL-6 (P = 0.001), and TNF-α (P = 0.0002). The negative relationship between testosterone and sIL-6r in an age-adjusted model (P = 0.02) was no longer significant in a fully adjusted model (P = 0.12). E2 was positively associated with CRP (P = 0.002) but not with IL-6 in fully adjusted models. In a final model including E2, testosterone, and SHBG, and all the confounders previously considered, SHBG (0.23 +/- 0.08; P = 0.006) and E2 (0.21 +/- 0.08; P = 0.007), but not testosterone (P = 0.21), were still significantly associated with CRP. Conclusion: In late postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy, SHBG and E2 are, respectively, negative and positive, independent and significant correlates of a proinflammatory state"

RESVERATROL-MEDIATED SIRT-1 INTERACTIONS WITH P300 MODULATE RANKL-ACTIVATION OF NF-kappaB SIGNALING AND INHIBIT OSTEOCLASTOGENESIS IN BONE-DERIVED CELLS - J Biol Chem. 2011 Jan 14 - "Resveratrol is a polyphenolic phyto-estrogen that has been shown to exhibit potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic properties. Increased osteoclastic and decreased osteoblastic activity result in bone resorption and loss of bone mass. These changes have been implicated in pathological processes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. Receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), a member of the TNF superfamily, is a major mediator of bone loss. In this study we investigated the effects of resveratrol on RANKL during bone morphogenesis in high-density bone cultures in vitro ... Treatment with RANKL induced formation of TRAP positive multinucleated cells that exhibited morphological features of osteoclasts. RANKL induced NF-kappaB activation, whereas pre-treatment with resveratrol completely inhibited this activation, suppressed the activation of IkappaBα kinase, IkappaBα phosphorylation and degradation ... Resveratrol inhibited RANKL-induced acetylation and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in a time and concentration dependent manner. In addition, activation of Sirt-1 (a histone deacetylase) by resveratrol induced Sirt-1-p300 association in bone-derived and pre-osteoblastic cells, leading to deacetylation of RANKL-induced NF-kappaB, inhibition of NF-kappaB transcriptional activation and osteoclastogenesis. Co-treatment with resveratrol activated the bone transcription factor Cbfa-1, Sirt-1 and induced the formation of Sirt-1/Cbfa-1-complexes. Overall, these results demonstrate that resveratrol-activated Sirt-1 plays pivotal roles in regulating the balance between osteoclastic versus osteoblastic activity result in bone formation in vitro thereby highlighting its therapeutic potential for treating osteoporosis and RA-related bone loss" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Plasma isoflavones and the risk of lung cancer in women: A nested case-control study in Japan - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 Jan 14 - "After exclusion of 20 lung cancer cases diagnosed in the first 3 years after blood collection, an inverse association was found between plasma genistein concentration and lung cancer risk. The multivariate-adjusted OR (95% CI) of lung cancer in the highest quintile of plasma genistein concentration as compared with that in the lowest quintile was 0.31 (0.12, 0.86) (P for trend = 0.085). Other isoflavones and total isoflavones were not associated with a significant decrease in the risk of lung cancer" - See genistein at Amazon.com.

Coffee consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes in Chinese - Eur J Clin Invest. 2011 Jan 12 - "The prevalence of T2DM was 14.0% and 10.4% in men and women ... coffee intake was inversely associated with T2DM. Habitual coffee drinkers had 38-46% lower risk of T2DM than nondrinkers. Compared to nondrinkers, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for T2DM according to subjects with habitual coffee consumption (<1,1-6, ≥ 7 times per week) were 0.77 (0.52-1.13), 0.46 (0.28-0.76) and 0.37 (0.16-0.83), respectively. The decreasing ORs indicate a dose-response effect of coffee consumption on the likelihood of having T2DM (P < 0.001). A similar relationship was also evident in newly diagnosed T2DM (P < 0.05). The adjusted mean fasting glucose levels gradually decreased as the frequency of coffee consumption increased"

Carbohydrate Nutrition Is Associated with the 5-Year Incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease - J Nutr. 2011 Jan 12 - "participants in the 4th quartile of mean dietary GI intake compared with those in the first quartile (reference) had a 55% increased likelihood of having eGFR < 60 mL⋅min(-1)⋅1.73 m(-2) [multivariable-adjusted OR = 1.55 (95% CI = 1.07-2.26); P-trend = 0.01]. After multivariable adjustment, participants in the 4th quartile of dietary cereal fiber intake compared with those in the first quartile (reference) had a 50% reduced risk of incident moderate CKD (P-trend = 0.03). Higher baseline consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor sources of carbohydrate (e.g. cookies) yielded a 3-fold higher risk of incident CKD (P-trend = 0.01). In summary, we observed a novel link between high cereal fiber intake and reduced incidence of moderate CKD and this was supported by the cross-sectional association with dietary GI. Conversely, our data suggest that higher intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor sources of carbohydrate, potentially through acute hyperglycemia, could impair renal function"

Dietary zinc and prostate cancer survival in a Swedish cohort - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jan 12 - "High dietary zinc intake was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (HR(Q4 vs Q1): 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.94; P for trend = 0.05) in the study population. The association was stronger in men with localized tumors (HR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.66; P for trend = 0.005). Zinc intake was not associated with mortality from other causes" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance at Amazon.com (some studies show that taking zinc can cause a difficiency of copper).

Synergistic, Additive, and Antagonistic Effects of Food Mixtures on Total Antioxidant Capacities - J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Jan 11 - "When foods are consumed together, the total antioxidant capacity of food mixtures may be modified via synergistic, additive, or antagonistic interactions among these components, which may in turn alter their physiological impacts ... The results indicated that within the same food category, 13, 68, and 21% of the combinations produced synergistic, additive, and antagonistic interactions, respectively, while the combinations produced 21, 54, and 25% synergistic, additive, and antagonistic effects, respectively, across food categories. Combining specific foods across categories (e.g., fruit and legume) was more likely to result in synergistic antioxidant capacity than combinations within a food group. Combining raspberry and adzuki bean extracts demonstrated synergistic interactions in all four chemical-based assays. Compositional changes did not seem to have occurred in the mixture. Results in this study suggest the importance of strategically selecting foods or diets to maximum synergisms as well as to minimum antagonisms in antioxidant activity"

Chronic oral ingestion of L-carnitine and carbohydrate increases muscle carnitine content and alters muscle fuel metabolism during exercise in humans: the dual role of muscle carnitine in exercise metabolism - J Physiol. 2011 Jan 4 - "total carnitine (TC) ... At 50% VO2max, the Carnitine group utilised 55% less muscle glycogen compared to Control (P<0.05) and 31% less pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activation (PDCa) compared to before supplementation (P<0.05). Conversely, at 80% VO2max, muscle PDCa was 38% higher (P<0.05), acetylcarnitine content showed a trend to be 16% greater (P<0.10), muscle lactate content was 44% lower (P<0.05) and the muscle PCr/ATP ratio was better maintained (P<0.05) in Carnitine compared to Control. The Carnitine group increased work output 11% from baseline in the performance trial, while Control showed no change. This is the first demonstration that human muscle TC can be increased by dietary means and results in muscle glycogen sparing during low intensity exercise (consistent with an increase in lipid utilisation) and a better matching of glycolytic, PDC and mitochondrial flux during high intensity exercise, thereby reducing muscle anaerobic ATP production. Furthermore, these changes were associated with an improvement in exercise performance" - See l-carnitine at Amazon.com.

Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on semen profile and enzymatic anti-oxidant capacity of seminal plasma in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study - Andrologia. 2011 Feb;43(1):38-47 - "Effective medical treatments of infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) have yet to be determined ... A significant improvement of sperm cell total count (from 38.7 +/- 8.7 ' 10(6) to 61.7 +/- 11.2 ' 10(6) , P = 0.001) and sperm cell concentration (from 15.6 +/- 4.1 ' 10(6) per ml to 28.7 +/- 4.4 ' 10(6) per ml, P = 0.001) was observed in the omega-3 group. A significant positive correlation was found between the EPA and DHA in seminal plasma and the semen parameters. Seminal plasma EPA and DHA concentrations were positively correlated with seminal plasma SOD-like and catalase-like activity (both P = 0.001). In seminal plasma, both SOD-like and catalase-like activity were positively correlated with sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. Oligoasthenoteratospermic men with low levels of EPA and DHA may benefit from omega-3 FA supplementation" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Synbiotics prevent asthma-like symptoms in infants with atopic dermatitis - Allergy. 2011 Feb;66(2):170-177 - "The prevalence of 'frequent wheezing' and 'wheezing and/or noisy breathing apart from colds' was significantly lower in the synbiotic than in the placebo group (13.9%vs 34.2%, absolute risk reduction (ARR) -20.3%, 95% CI -39.2% to -1.5%, and 2.8%vs 30.8%, ARR -28.0%, 95% CI -43.3% to -12.5%, respectively). Significantly less children in the synbiotic than in the placebo group had started to use asthma medication after baseline (5.6%vs 25.6%, ARR -20.1%, 95% CI -35.7% to -4.5%)" - See synbiotic products at iHerb.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

• Bario Electric Callus Remover - See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F835-qhWhk8 .  I bought one because my feet took a hit  from too much jogging when the heater didn't work for a week at the fitness club pool.  Click here for the before and after picture.

Health Focus (Skin Care):

Alternative News:

• Eating vegetables gives skin a more healthy glow than the sun, study shows - Science Daily, 1/11/11 - "people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin colour, thanks to substances called carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help soak up damaging compounds produced by the stresses and strains of everyday living, especially when the body is combating disease. Responsible for the red colouring in fruit and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes, carotenoids are important for our immune and reproductive systems ... given the choice between skin colour caused by suntan and skin colour caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin colour" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL, Mixed Carotenoid Complex at Amazon.com.
• Pomegranate compounds show skin health potential - Nutra USA, 8/10/10 - "ellagic acid may prevent the degradation of collagen in human skin cells, which would maintain skin structure and slow the formation of wrinkles ... Topical or dietary interventions with berries and pomegranate rich in ellagic acid and ellagitannins are promising strategies in curtailing skin wrinkling and cutaneous inflammation associated with chronic UV exposure leading to photoageing" - [Abstract] - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.
• Dietary compound ellagic acid alleviates skin wrinkle and inflammation induced by UV-B irradiation - Exp Dermatol. 2010 Aug;19(8):e182-90 - "Ellagic acid, a polyphenol compound present in berries and pomegranate, has received attention as an agent that may have potential bioactivities preventing chronic diseases ... These results demonstrate that ellagic acid prevented collagen destruction and inflammatory responses caused by UV-B. Therefore, dietary and pharmacological interventions with berries rich in ellagic acid may be promising treatment strategies interrupting skin wrinkle and inflammation associated with chronic UV exposure leading to photoageing" - See pomegranate at Amazon.com.
• Lack of omega-6 fatty acid linked to severe dermatitis - Science Daily, 4/14/10 - "Without arachidonic acid, the mice developed severe ulcerative dermatitis. The animals were very itchy, they scratched themselves continuously, and they developed a lot of bleeding sores" - Note:  I doubt if that's a problem in America where they get way to much omega-6 already.
• New Role Of Vitamin C In Skin Protection; Relevance To The Cosmetics Industry - Science Daily, 9/8/09 - "a form of Vitamin C helped to promote wound healing and also helped protect the DNA damage of skin cells ... Previously, the group has published evidence that DNA repair is upregulated in people consuming vitamin C supplements ... The results demonstrated that vitamin C may improve wound healing by stimulating quiescent fibroblasts to divide and by promoting their migration into the wounded area. Vitamin C could also protect the skin by increasing the capacity of fibroblasts to repair potentially mutagenic DNA lesions ... Free radicals are associated with premature skin aging, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, are known to counter these highly damaging compounds. This new evidence suggest that, in addition to ‘mopping up’ free radicals, vitamin C can help remove the DNA damage they form, if they get past the cell’s defences"
• Better skin from the beauty aisle - MSNBC, 1/18/09 - Has a doctor's evaluation of various skin aging solutions.
• LycoRed files patent for skin health science - Nutra USA, 11/7/08 - "According to LycoRed, subjects were supplemented by either Lyc-O-Mato capsules (10mg lycopene per day), or a placebo, for ten weeks. Following exposure to UV radiation at the end of the study, it was found that subjects in the tomato extract group had a sunburn cell count six times lower than in the placebo group. There was also evidence of reduced depletion of Langerhans cells, said the company" - See Jarrow Lyco-Sorb (contains Lyco-O-Mato) at Amazon.com.
• Vitamin D may protect skin from within: Study - Nutra USA, 10/8/08 - "Atopic dermatitis (AD) ... All of the participants were given daily vitamin D supplements of 4000 IUs for 21 days ... After supplementation, the skin of people with AD showed statistically significant increases in cathelicidin from 3.53 to 23.91 relative copy units (RCU). Moreover, normal skin showed a “modest increase”, said the researchers, from 1.0 to 1.78 RCU" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Flax and borage oil may boost skin health from within - 10/3/08 - "the researchers noted a significant decrease in reddening of the skin in the flaxseed and borage oil groups of 45 and 35 per cent, respectively, compared to baseline values. No differences were recorded in the placebo group ... blood flow to the in skin also decreased in the oil groups ... Measurements of water loss from the skin showed that the oil supplements were associated with decreases of about 10 per cent after six weeks, with only the flaxseed oil group showing further decreases at the end of 12 weeks (25 per cent) ... The roughness and scaling – dry peeling skin – was also decreased significantly after 12 weeks of flaxseed and borage oil supplementation, with no differences in the placebo group" - [Abstract]
• What To Eat For Glowing Healthy Skin - Science Daily, 11/14/07 - "the antioxidants in vitamins C and E can protect the skin from sun damage and help reduce damage in skin cells caused by harmful free radicals, which contribute to aging skin. Similarly, we have long known that the B vitamin biotin is responsible for forming the basis of skin, hair and nail cells, and vitamin A – found in many fruits and vegetables – maintains and repairs skin tissue"
• On The Cover: Scientifically Advanced Skin Care - Life Extension Magazine, 1/07
• Eat Right To Keep Healthy Skin - CBS 2 Chicago, 4/30/05 - "Clinical studies have found that eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and omega-3 fatty acids can help skin retain its healthy glow and look youthful ... foods for healthy skin include those rich in lycopene. That's a pigment that gives many fruits and vegetables their red color. It's a proven antioxidant, and antioxidants are important because they reduce the risk of several types of cancer and they prevent the formation of harmful byproducts of metabolism called free radicals"
• Green Tea Gives Skin Healthy Glow - HealthDay, 5/15/03 - "Green tea contains compounds called polyphenols, which help eliminate free radicals. These free radicals can cause cancer by altering DNA. Polyphenols also protect healthy cells while promoting the death of cancer cells ... Cells that migrate toward the surface of the skin normally live about 28 days, and by day 20 they basically sit on the upper layer of the skin getting ready to die. But EGCG reactivates them ... EGCG may offer potential benefits for skin conditions including psoriasis, rosacea, wrinkles and wounds" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea extracts.  My favorite is Jarrow green tea at iHerb.
• GLA: The Right Remedy for Eczema? - Dr. Weil, 11/21/02 - "It has specific nourishing effects on skin, hair, and nails that are not duplicated by omega–3 fatty acids ... It is true that a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet promotes inflammation by favoring synthesis of pro-inflammatory hormones (prostaglandins). But the amount of GLA needed to treat eczema and other skin conditions (500 milligrams twice a day) is too small to affect that ratio significantly" - See gamma linolenic acid at Amazon.com.
• Increased Blood Antioxidants And Selenium Levels May Augur A Promising Therapy For Patients With Vitiligo - Doctor's Guide, 11/8/02
• Link Found Between Vitamin E Intake and Immunoglobulin E In Treatment Of Atopic Dermatitis - Doctor's Guide, 5/31/02 - "Dietary vitamin E (VE) could be an excellent tool in treating atopic dermatitis"
• Nutrition for the Skin - What You Should Know Before Undergoing a Surgical Procedure - Wellness Insider, 5/23/02 - "free radicals can accelerate the aging process of the skin, resulting in wrinkles and sunspots, not to mention an increased risk of skin cancer ... These antioxidants are important in protecting you from disease and can help shield you from skin cancer, maintain youthful, healthy skin, and even help to promote and expedite the healing process after a surgical procedure"
• Few Vitamins Effectively Prevent or Reverse Skin Damage - Medscape, 3/02 - "Despite advertising claims, almost all available topical formulations contain very low concentrations of antioxidants that are not well absorbed by the skin ... There are 3 antioxidants that have been proven to decrease the effect of the sun on the skin and actually prevent further damage: selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C ... Recent animal studies have found that when selenium is taken orally or through the skin in the form of L-selenomethionine, it provided protection against both everyday and excessive UV damage ... New laboratory studies suggest vitamin E helps inactivate free radicals, making them less likely to cause damage ... Even minimal UV exposure can decrease the vitamin C levels in the skin by 30%, while exposure from the ozone of city pollution can decrease the level by 55%"
• Topical Vitamin C May Have Beneficial Effect On Photaged Skin - Doctor's Guide, 4/13/01 - "vitamin C levels of the skin can be severely depleted following UV irradiation ... By comparison with placebo controls, there was a highly significant increase in the skin microrelief density and a decrease of the deep furrows on the side of the neck treated with Vitamin C cream"

Other Information:

• New Ingredients In Drug-like Anti-aging Products Improve Skin - Science Daily, 12/28/07 - "skin surface irregularity can be improved through the topical application of niacin, while the appearance of fine lines can be diminished through the application of moisturizers containing engineered peptides and over-the-counter retinoids. Skin pigmentation can become more regular with the use of photoprotective ingredients. Furthermore, combining cosmeceutical ingredients in a moisturizing agent can magnify benefits and improve skin appearance"
• Vitamin A Helps Reduce Wrinkles Associated With Natural Skin Aging - Science Daily, 5/21/07 - "Applying vitamin A to the skin appears to improve the wrinkles associated with natural aging and may help to promote the production of skin-building compounds ... Researchers applied a lotion containing 0.4 percent retinol"
  • Wrinkle creams: Your guide to younger looking skin - CNN - "Retinol is less potent than the vitamin A derivative tretinoin" - Note:  Tretinoin is Retin A.
• New Skin Cream [Avage] Reverses Sun Damage - WebMD, 11/22/02 - "At the 24-week point, researchers found significantly more patients who used the tazarotene cream experienced a more than 50% overall improvement in skin appearance compared to those who received the placebo. The Avage users also reported less wrinkling, mottled pigmentation, and skin roughness"
• The Right Way to Apply Sunscreen - WebMD, 6/20/02 - "The sun protection factor, or SPF, that a sunscreen delivers is determined by testing skin that's been generously slathered with a thick coat of sunscreen. But studies have shown that most people apply only 25% to 75% of this amount"
• Spring and Summer Skin Irritations - How to Fight the Fungus Among Us - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/96

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