Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 2/1/12.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Maternal omega-3 reduces eczema risk in children: Study - Nutra USA, 1/31/12 - "children whose mothers had consumed omega-3 daily had 36% less risk of developing eczema, a 38% reduction in the chance of being sensitised to egg, and 50% less chance of having egg allergy" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed - Science Daily, 1/27/12 - "Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million ... grape seed extract both damages cancer cells' DNA (via increased reactive oxygen species) and stops the pathways that allow repair (as seen by decreased levels of the DNA repair molecules Brca1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci) ... we saw absolutely no toxicity to the mice ... the grape seed extract killed the cancer cells but not the healthy cells" - See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.

Green tea may reduce functional disability risk: Study - Nutra USA, 1/27/12 - "Compared to people who drank less than one cup per day, at least five cups of the green tea was associated with a 33% reduction in functional disability" - [Abstract] - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Oral HPV More Common in Men Than Women - NYTimes.com, 1/26/12 - "Over all, 10.1 percent of men were infected orally with HPV of one type or another, compared with 3.6 percent of women. The reason for the higher rate among men was unclear ... One line of speculation was that hormonal differences in women might play a protective role, or that oral sex on women for some reason causes a greater likelihood of transmission ... the finding that men had triple the rate of infection dovetailed with earlier research on HPV-related throat cancers, which are about three times as common in men as they are in women, a difference that until now had not been explained"

Aged garlic reduces cold and flu severity: RCT data - Nutra USA, 1/26/12 - "Supplements of an aged garlic extract may reduce the number of days a person suffers from cold and ‘flu by 61% ... Ninety days of consuming the garlic supplement also produced a 21% reduction in the number of symptoms of colds or flu" - [Abstract] - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Study unlocks Pycnogenol’s skin health mechanism - Nutra USA, 1/26/12 - "Daily supplements of an extract from French maritime pine bark may boost skin elasticity by 25% and skin hydration by 8% ... the pine bark extract was also associated with a 3% reduction in skin wrinkles" - [Abstract] - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.  Some say grape seed extract is the same thing without the patent mark-up.  See grape seed extract at Amazon.com.

Working too much is correlated with two-fold increase in likelihood of depression - Science Daily, 1/25/12 - "The odds of a major depressive episode are more than double for those working 11 or more hours a day compared to those working seven to eight hours a day"

Fiber may boost pancreatic health: Study - Nutra USA, 1/25/12 - "The greatest intakes of soluble fiber were linked to a 60% reduction in pancreatic cancer risk, while insoluble fiber intake was linked to a 50% reduction in risk" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Formulas, Fiber Perfect, 150 Veggie Caps at iHerb.

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):

Supplementation with aged garlic extract improves both NK and γδ-T cell function and reduces the severity of cold and flu symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled nutrition intervention - Clin Nutr. 2012 Jan 24 - "After 45 d of consuming an encapsulated aged garlic extract, γδ-T cells (p = 0.039, n = 56) and NK cells (p = 0.043, n = 56) were shown to proliferate better compared to placebo. After 90 d of supplementation, illness diary entries showed that the incidence of colds and flu, a secondary outcome, were not statistically different; however, the group consuming the aged garlic extract appeared to have reduced severity as noted by a reduction in the number of symptoms reported (21% fewer, p < 0.001, z-test of proportions), a reduction in the number of days (61% fewer, p < 0.001, z-test) and incidences (58% fewer p < 0.001, z-test) where the subjects functioned sub-optimally and the number of work/school days missed due to illness (58% fewer, p = 0.035, z-test) ... These results suggest that supplementation of the diet with aged garlic extract may enhance immune cell function and that this may be responsible, in part, for reduced severity of colds and flu" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Low Testosterone as an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Men with Chronic Liver Disease - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Jan 27 - "in a Cox proportional hazard model, both low total (p= 0.02) and free testosterone (p= 0.007) remained predictive of death independently of established prognostic factors, such as the Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and serum sodium levels. A decrease in TT by 1 nmol/L and in cFT by 10 pmol/L was associated with an 8% increase in mortality"

Association of Plasma Phospholipid Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids with Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study - Circulation. 2012 Jan 26 - "In multivariable Cox models adjusted for other risk factors, the RR in the top versus lowest quartile of total n-3 PUFA (EPA+DPA+DHA) levels was 0.71 (95%CI=0.57-0.89, P-trend=0.004); and of DHA levels, 0.77 (95%CI=0.62-0.96, P-trend=0.01). EPA and DPA levels were not significantly associated with incident AF. Evaluated non-parametrically, both total n-3 PUFA and DHA showed graded and linear inverse associations with incidence of AF" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Vitamin E is a MIF Inhibitor - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2012 Jan 18 - "Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain ... Vitamin E inhibits not only the enzymatic activity of MIF but more importantly the biological function of MIF. Our findings suggest that Vitamin E may be attenuating hyperalgesia and reducing neuropathic pain at least in part by inhibiting MIF activity" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Increased Serum Ferritin Predicts the Development of Hypertension Among Middle-Aged Men - Am J Hypertens. 2012 Jan 26 - "After adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI), the odds ratios (OR) was substantially higher for new hypertension (OR 1.54, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.26-1.88; P for trend <0.001) in subjects with the highest ferritin quartiles compared with those in the lowest quartiles"

(n-3) Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Health: Are Effects of EPA and DHA Shared or Complementary? - J Nutr. 2012 Jan 25 - "We reviewed evidence for dietary and endogenous sources and cardiovascular effects on biologic pathways, physiologic risk factors, and clinical endpoints of EPA [20:5(n-3)], docosapentaenoic acid [DPA, 22:5(n-3)], and DHA [22:6(n-3)]. DHA requires direct dietary consumption, with little synthesis from or retroconversion to DPA or EPA. Whereas EPA is also largely derived from direct consumption, EPA can also be synthesized in small amounts from plant (n-3) precursors, especially stearidonic acid. In contrast, DPA appears principally derived from endogenous elongation from EPA, and DPA can also undergo retroconversion back to EPA. In experimental and animal models, both EPA and DHA modulate several relevant biologic pathways, with evidence for some differential benefits. In humans, both fatty acids lower TG levels and, based on more limited studies, favorably affect cardiac diastolic filling, arterial compliance, and some metrics of inflammation and oxidative stress. All three (n-3) PUFA reduce ex vivo platelet aggregation and DHA also modestly increases LDL and HDL particle size; the clinical relevance of such findings is uncertain. Combined EPA+DHA or DPA+DHA levels are associated with lower risk of fatal cardiac events and DHA with lower risk of atrial fibrillation, suggesting direct or indirect benefits of DHA for cardiac arrhythmias (although not excluding similar benefits of EPA or DPA). Conversely, EPA and DPA, but not DHA, are associated with lower risk of nonfatal cardiovascular endpoints in some studies, and purified EPA reduced risk of nonfatal coronary syndromes in one large clinical trial. Overall, for many cardiovascular pathways and outcomes, identified studies of individual (n-3) PUFA were relatively limited, especially for DPA. Nonetheless, the present evidence suggests that EPA and DHA have both shared and complementary benefits. Based on current evidence, increasing consumption of either would be advantageous compared to little or no consumption. Focusing on their combined consumption remains most prudent given the potential for complementary effects and the existing more robust literature on cardiovascular benefits of their combined consumption as fish or fish oil for cardiovascular benefits" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Dietary intake of PUFAs and colorectal polyp risk - Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Jan 25 - "n-6 PUFAs were not associated with adenomatous or hyperplastic polyps in either men or women. Marine-derived n-3 PUFAs were associated with reduced risk of colorectal adenomas in women only, with an adjusted OR of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.97) for the highest quintile of intake compared with the lowest quintile of intake (P-trend = 0.01). Dietary intake of α-linolenic acid was associated with an increased risk of hyperplastic polyps in men (P-trend = 0.03), which was not seen in women" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

• Alpha-linolenic acid - University of Maryland Medical Center - "Alpha-linolenic acid is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants"

Fifteen-Year Effects of Helicobacter pylori, Garlic, and Vitamin Treatments on Gastric Cancer Incidence and Mortality - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Jan 23 - "Garlic and vitamin treatments were associated with non-statistically significant reductions in gastric cancer incidence and mortality. Vitamin treatment was associated with statistically significantly fewer deaths from gastric or esophageal cancer, a secondary endpoint (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.30 to 0.87; P = .014)"

Beneficial effects of combined olive oil ingestion and acute exercise on postprandial TAG concentrations in healthy young women - Br J Nutr. 2012 Jan 23:1-7 - "Foods high in monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, and endurance exercise are both known to independently reduce postprandial TAG concentrations. We examined the combined effects of exercise and dietary fat composition on postprandial TAG concentrations in nine healthy pre-menopausal females (age 26.8 (sd 3.3) years, BMI 22.3 (sd 2.0) kg/m2). Each participant completed four, 2 d trials in a randomised order: (1) butter-no exercise, (2) olive oil-no exercise, (3) butter-exercise, (4) olive oil-exercise. On day 1 of the exercise trials, participants walked or ran on a treadmill for 60 min. On the no-exercise trials, participants rested on day 1. On day 2 of each trial, participants rested and consumed an olive oil meal (saturated fat 15 % and unsaturated fat 85 %) or a butter meal (saturated fat 71 % and unsaturated fat 29 %) for breakfast ... A significant main effect on physical activity (exercise or control) was obtained for plasma TAG concentration (three-way ANOVA, P = 0.043), and the total area under the concentration v. time curve for TAG was 26 % lower on the olive oil-exercise trial (4.40 (sd 0.40) mmol × 6 h/l) than the butter-no exercise trial (5.91 (sd 1.01) mmol × 6 h/l) (one-way ANOVA, P = 0.029). These findings suggest that the combination of exercise and a preference for monounsaturated dietary fat intake in the form of olive oil may be most beneficial for reducing postprandial TAG concentrations"

• Triglyceride - Wikipedia - "A triglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride)"

Associations of plasma n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors among Chinese - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012 Jan 20 - "Our results suggest that plasma PL n-3 PUFA was significantly inversely associated with hypertension in Chinese. It would seem appropriate for hypertensive subjects to increase their dietary n-3 PUFA which may help reduce BP" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Health Focus (Gallstones):

Popular Supplements:

• silymarin / omega-3 / primadophilus / vitamin C / fiber

Alternative News:

• Moderate Alcohol Intake Reduces Gallstone Risk, Study Finds - Science Daily, 6/2/09
• Garlic and onions may reduce cholesterol gallstones: Study - Nutra USA, 11/27/08 - "Mice were divided into groups – one group was fed the lithogenic diet, and the others fed the lithogenic diet supplemented with 0.6 and 2.0 per cent garlic and onion, respectively ... The incidence of gallstones in the latter group was found to be reduced by 15 to 30 per cent" - [Abstract] - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Dietary garlic and onion reduce the incidence of atherogenic diet-induced cholesterol gallstones in experimental mice - Br J Nutr. 2008 Nov 5:1-9 - "Dietary garlic and onion markedly reduced biliary cholesterol ... Serum and liver cholesterol were decreased by feeding garlic or onion compared to the LG diet. Thus, dietary Allium spices exerted antilithogenic influence by decreasing the cholesterol hyper-secretion into bile and increasing the bile acid output thus decreasing the formation of lithogenic bile in experimental mice" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.
• Magnesium linked to fewer gallstones - Nutra USA, 2/26/08 - "After adjusting the results to account for age differences, which may affect the results, Tsai and co-workers calculated that men with the highest levels of magnesium intake (454 mg/d) were 28 per cent less likely to develop gallstones, compared to men with the lowest average intake (262 mg/d)" - [Abstract] - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Long-term effect of magnesium consumption on the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease among men - Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Feb;103(2):375-82 - "The age-adjusted relative risks (RRs) for men with total magnesium intake and dietary magnesium, when the highest and lowest quintiles were compared, were 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.77, P for trend <0.0001) and 0.67 (CI 0.59-0.76, P for trend <0.0001), respectively. After adjusting for multiple potential confounding variables, when extreme quintiles were compared, the multivariate RR of total magnesium intake (RR 0.72, CI 0.61-0.86, P for trend = 0.006) and dietary magnesium (RR 0.68, CI 0.57-0.82, P for trend = 0.0006) remained significant with a dose-response relationship ... Our findings suggest a protective role of magnesium consumption in the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease among men" - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Magnesium Intake May Cut Risk of Gallstones - Medscape, 2/22/08 - "Magnesium deficiency is known to cause elevated triglyceride levels and decreased HDL cholesterol levels, both of which may raise the risk of gallstones ... Compared with the lowest quintile of total magnesium intake (median 262 mg/day), the highest quintile of intake (454 mg/day) reduced the risk of gallstone disease by 33%" - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Exercise To Avoid Gallstones, New Research Suggests - Science Daily, 2/13/08
• Long-Term Effect of Magnesium Consumption on the Risk of Symptomatic Gallstone Disease Among Men - Am J Gastroenterol. 2007 Dec 12 - "Our findings suggest a protective role of magnesium consumption in the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease among men" - See magnesium supplements at Amazon.com.
• More Unsaturated Fats, Fewer Gallstones? - WebMD, 10/4/04

Other News:

• An easier way to remove gallstones - Science Daily, 1/18/12 - "A tiny ultrasonic probe at the tip of the endoscope locates gallstones, even small ones embedded in the organ's lining. Surgeons can use the horn-shaped "absorbing box" to get rid of fine, difficult-to-remove "sludge-like" gallstones - which the authors say can be compared with "sand sprinkled on a carpet" - by sucking them out like a vacuum cleaner ... Approximately ten percent of the population suffers from gallstones"
• Long-term Statin Use Associated With Decreased Risk Of Gallstones Requiring Surgery - Science Daily, 11/10/09 - "Use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins for more than a year is associated with a reduced risk of having gallstones requiring surgery"
• What's The Main Risk Factor Of Gallstone Disease? - Science Daily, 9/19/08
• Statins Cut Gallstones Risk - WebMD, 10/16/07 - "The study suggested that overall, current statin use slashed the risk of having gallbladder removal surgery by 18% -- no matter how long a woman had been taking the drug ... Women with diabetes who had been taking statins for two or more years reduced their risk of surgery by 75% ... Statins improve insulin resistance in people with diabetes but not in nondiabetics"
• Yo-Yo Dieting Ups Men's Gallstone Risk - WebMD, 11/27/06 - "men who repeatedly lose, then regain 20 or more pounds through dieting are up to 76% more likely to develop gallstones later in life than men who maintain a constant weight"
• Women's Waists May Tell Gallstone Risk - WebMD, 2/13/06
• A Bulging Midriff Roughly Doubles Women's Chances of Gallstone Surgery - Doctor's Guide, 2/13/06
• 'Silent' gallstone threat alert - BBC News, 8/7/05
• Trans Fats May Raise Risk of Gallstones - WebMD, 5/11/05 - "those who consumed the most trans fats had a 23% higher risk of gallstone disease than those who ate the least amount of trans fats"
• Promising New Directions For Gallstone Treatment - Science Daily, 11/25/04
• Ursodeoxycholic Acid Prevents Gallstones After Gastric Restrictive Procedures - Medscape, 11/7/03
• Alcohol Consumption Linked to Lower Incidence of Gallstones - Medscape, 8/7/03
• Gallstones Linked to Tamoxifen Use - Medscape, 5/2/03
• Virtual Endoscopy Identifies Small Gallstones - Doctor's Guide, 12/6/02
• Hormone Therapy May Increase Risk of Gallstones - WebMD, 10/1/01 - "women taking HRT, consisting of the female hormones estrogen and progestin, were 30% to 40% more likely to need gallbladder surgery ... Although the chance of HRT leading to gallstones was not great, the study of more than 2,200 postmenopausal women does raise concerns ... women taking statins -- the most popular type of cholesterol-lowering drug -- had a 45% drop in the chance they would need gallbladder surgery"
• Combination Lithotripsy/Actigall (Ursodio) Therapy Approved In US For Gallstones - Doctor's Guide, 9/13/00
• First-Ever Gallstone Prevention Medication Now Available - Doctor's Guide, 5/7/97