Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 9/18/13.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Oxidative Stress in Prostate Cancer - Medscape, 9/17/13 - "increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is linked to aging processes and to the etiopathogenesis of aging-related diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis and degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Excess ROS are deleterious to normal cells, while in cancer cells, they can lead to accelerated tumorigenesis ... Reactive oxygen species (ROS), also termed oxidants, are common by-products of the standard aerobic cellular metabolism, continuously formed in the cell and synchronously scavenged by an array of antioxidant mechanisms ... At the molecular level, ROS production takes place continuously at redox-active centers within enzymes or when ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10 (CoQ)), the essential electron carrier, accepts or donates electrons ... At the molecular level, ROS production takes place continuously at redox-active centers within enzymes or when ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10 (CoQ)), the essential electron carrier, accepts or donates electrons. Unique bioenergetic conditions are required to occur, such as high NADH-H+/NAD ratio or a high proton-motive force across the inner mitochondrial membrane (Δp) and concomitantly reduced CoQ pool (CoQH2), to accelerate ROS formation in the mitochondria ... Adiponectin, a hormone inversely associated with obesity, inhibits oxidative stress in human PC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Lower levels of adiponectin in obese individuals may result in higher levels of prostatic oxidative stress, which may explain the clinical association between obesity, hypoadiponectinemia and PC ... Several foods containing natural antioxidants, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, and other phytonutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, are proposed to facilitate ROS detoxification ... Several potential suggestions have been put forth to explain the results of the study, which were contrary to the original prevention hypothesis. (i) The high dose of vitamin E (400 IU), which was eight times higher than the 50 IU used in the ABTC study, may abolish the preventive effect or even contribute to the increased risk of PC demonstrated in the study.[82] (ii) Animal studies demonstrate cancer preventive activity of γ- and δ-tocopherols, as well as for the naturally occurring mixture of tocopherols, but not by α-tocopherol,[83] the source of vitamin E used in the SELECT trail. (iii) Different individuals may respond inconsistently to antioxidant treatment depending on specific, intrinsic genetic risk factors" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Arginine Therapy Shows Promise for Sickle Cell Pain - Science Daily, 9/16/13 - "A deficiency of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator, has been identified in sickle cell disease and may contribute to episodes of blocked vessels and pain. Since arginine is a building block of nitric oxide, researchers hypothesized that arginine could be a beneficial treatment for pain related to sickle cell disease ... a randomized, double blind placebo control clinical trial of 38 children with sickle cell disease hospitalized for 56 episodes of pain. The research team discovered a 54 percent reduction in the use of opioid pain medication and significantly lower pain scores at hospital discharge in those treated with arginine over those receiving placebo" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.

Healthy diet may reverse aging, study finds - today.com, 9/16/13 - "Ornish and Blackburn’s team examined 10 prostate cancer patients who had chosen to try Ornish’s program, and compared them to 25 patients who had not. They all had early stage prostate cancer that wasn’t considered dangerous ... The program includes eating a diet high in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, unrefined grains and keeping fat to 10 percent of calories. The average American gets more than a third of calories from fat ... The 10 men who followed the Ornish plan had significantly longer telomeres five years later -- on average 10 percent longer. The 25 men who had not followed the program had shorter telomeres -- 3 percent shorter on average" - [Science Daily]

Gut Microbes Closely Linked to Proper Immune Function, Other Health Issues - Science Daily, 9/16/13 - "Problems ranging from autoimmune disease to clinical depression and simple obesity may in fact be linked to immune dysfunction that begins with a "failure to communicate" in the human gut ... Health care of the future may include personalized diagnosis of an individual's "microbiome" to determine what prebiotics or probiotics are needed to provide balance ... Appropriate sanitation such as clean water and sewers are good. But some erroneous lessons in health care may need to be unlearned -- leaving behind the fear of dirt, the love of antimicrobial cleansers, and the outdated notion that an antibiotic is always a good idea. We live in a world of "germs" and many of them are good for us" - See Garden of Life, Primal Defense at Amazon.com.

FDA OKs New Device to Treat BPH - Medscape, 9/13/13 - "The UroLift system relieves the urine flow by pulling back the prostate tissue that is pressing on the urethra ... found a 30% increase in urine flow and a steady amount of residual urine in the bladder"

Diet during pregnancy and early life may affect children's behavior and intelligence - Science Daily, 9/13/13 - "Blood samples were taken from 493 schoolchildren, aged between seven and nine years, from 74 mainstream schools in Oxfordshire. All of the children were thought to have below-average reading skills ... Analyses of their blood samples showed that, on average, just under two per cent of the children's total blood fatty acids were Omega-3 DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and 0.5 per cent were Omega-3 EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), with a total of 2.45 per cent for these long-chain Omega-3 combined. This is below the minimum of 4 per cent recommended by leading scientists to maintain cardiovascular health in adults, with 8-12 per cent regarded as optimal for a healthy heart ... levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood significantly predicted a child's behaviour and ability to learn. Higher levels of Omega-3 in the blood, and DHA in particular, were associated with better reading and memory, as well as with fewer behaviour problems as rated by parents and teachers" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Diet during pregnancy and early life may affect children's behavior and intelligence - Science Daily, 9/13/13 - "folic acid, which is recommended in some European countries, to be taken by women during the first three months of pregnancy, can reduce the likelihood of behavioural problems during early childhood. Eating oily fish is also very beneficial, not only for the omega-3 fatty acids they which are 'building blocks' for brain cells, but also for the iodine content which has a positive effect on reading ability in children when measured at age nine"

Diets low in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be a problem for youngsters - Science Daily, 9/13/13 - "A proper ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs plays an important role in cell function, inflammation, eye development and neural functioning. However, the ideal dietary intake of PUFAs for young children is unclear ... of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decided to estimate the average intake of PUFAs in the diet for children between infancy and kindergarten ... The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 intake was high -- about 10. Some experts use this as an indicator of diet quality, with a high ratio being less healthy ... In addition, intake of a key fatty acid known as DHA in children 12 to 60 months of age was low -- lower than what infants generally consume -- and it did not increase with age ... At present, there is no official dietary recommendation in the U.S. for DHA and EPA intake or supplementation among children, although the Institute of Medicine has issued what they call a "reasonable intake" level of two 3-oz servings of fish per week for children ... children are clearly not consuming this much fish" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Mortality - Medscape, 9/13/13 - "Survival analyses were performed, including 451,151 participants from 10 European countries, recruited between 1992 and 2000 and followed until 2010 ... Consumption of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (for the highest quartile, hazard ratio = 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86, 0.94), with a rate advancement period of 1.12 years (95% CI: 0.70, 1.54), and with a preventable proportion of 2.95%. This association was driven mainly by cardiovascular disease mortality (for the highest quartile, hazard ratio = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.77, 0.93). Stronger inverse associations were observed for participants with high alcohol consumption or high body mass index and suggested in smokers. Inverse associations were stronger for raw than for cooked vegetable consumption. These results support the evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of death"

Association Between Metformin Use and Risk of Prostate Cancer - Medscape, 9/13/13 - "This large study did not find an association between metformin use and risk of prostate cancer among older men with diabetes, regardless of cancer grade or method of diagnosis" - Note:  I usually don't publish studies that don't show anything but people might see the headlines elsewhere and think otherwise on this one with the way it's worded.

Bacteria Responsible for Gum Disease Facilitates Rheumatoid Arthritis - Science Daily, 9/12/13 - "Taken together, our results suggest that bacterial PAD may constitute the mechanistic link between P. gingivalis periodontal infection and rheumatoid arthritis, but this ground-breaking conclusion will need to be verified with further research ... compared to the general population, people with periodontal disease have an increased prevalence of RA and, periodontal disease is at least two times more prevalent in RA patients. Other research has shown that a P. gingivalis infection in the mouth will precede RA, and the bacterium is the likely culprit for onset and continuation of the autoimmune inflammatory responses that occur in the disease" - See the top of my dental page for my Periogard suggestion which was the only thing that worked to get my periodontal disease under control.

5 Foods for Healthy Skin - ABC News, 9/12/13 - "Strawberries ... Olive oil ... Green tea ... Pumpkin ... Pomegranate"

Middle-Aged Men Can Blame Estrogen, Too - NYTimes.com, 9/11/13 - "Estrogen, the female sex hormone, turns out to play a much bigger role in men’s bodies than previously thought, and falling levels contribute to their expanding waistlines just as they do in women’s" - [WebMD] [Abstract] - Note:  Here's the study they cite but something isn't making sense.  It says "the percentage of body fat increased in groups receiving placebo or 1.25 g or 2.5 g of testosterone daily without anastrozole".  Anastrozole increases testosterone and decreases estrogen yet they're saying that body fat increased without the anastrozole implying that body fat decreased with the anastrozole (more testosterone, less estrogen).  See my aromatization page.  Personally I feel that this study is doing to way too many things that affect the endocrine system that makes the outcome suspect.  It's disturbing how the media is taking off with it like it's written in stone.  For example, how do they know that suppressing all those hormones at the beginning then artificially replacing some didn't also alter others such as insulin, cortisol, the thyroid hormones, etc. which might affect fat?  I feel that blaming it on estrogen seems like a long shot when you're tinkering with the endocrine system that much.  Plus highest mortality was around 25 pg/mL for estradiol and I'll bet most are higher than that.

• Gonadal Steroids and Body Composition, Strength, and Sexual Function in Men - NEJM, 9/10/12 - "We provided 198 healthy men 20 to 50 years of age with goserelin acetate (to suppress endogenous testosterone and estradiol) and randomly assigned them to receive a placebo gel or 1.25 g, 2.5 g, 5 g, or 10 g of testosterone gel daily for 16 weeks. Another 202 healthy men received goserelin acetate, placebo gel or testosterone gel, and anastrozole (to suppress the conversion of testosterone to estradiol) ... The percentage of body fat increased in groups receiving placebo or 1.25 g or 2.5 g of testosterone daily without anastrozole (mean testosterone level, 44+/-13 ng per deciliter, 191+/-78 ng per deciliter, and 337+/-173 ng per deciliter, respectively). Lean mass and thigh-muscle area decreased in men receiving placebo and in those receiving 1.25 g of testosterone daily without anastrozole ... The amount of testosterone required to maintain lean mass, fat mass, strength, and sexual function varied widely in men. Androgen deficiency accounted for decreases in lean mass, muscle size, and strength; estrogen deficiency primarily accounted for increases in body fat; and both contributed to the decline in sexual function"
  • Letrozole suppresses plasma estradiol and estrone sulphate more completely than anastrozole in postmenopausal women with breast cancer - J Clin Oncol. 2008 Apr 1;26(10):1671-6 - "Letrozole reduces plasma E2 and E1S levels to a significantly greater extent than anastrozole"
  • Influence of letrozole and anastrozole on total body aromatization and plasma estrogen levels in postmenopausal breast cancer patients evaluated in a randomized, cross-over study - J Clin Oncol. 2002 Feb 1;20(3):751-7 - "estrone (E(1)), estradiol (E(2)), and estrone sulfate (E(1)S) ... Treatment with anastrozole suppressed plasma levels of E(1), E(2), and E(1)S by a mean of 81.0%, 84.9%, and 93.5%, respectively, whereas treatment with letrozole caused a corresponding decrease of 84.3%, 87.8% and 98.0%, respectively. The suppression of E(1) and E(1)S was found to be significantly better during treatment with letrozole compared with anastrozole"

'Love Hormone' May Play Wider Role in Social Interaction Than Previously Thought - Science Daily, 9/11/13 - "The new study suggests that oxytocin's role in one-on-one bonding probably evolved from an existing, broader affinity for group living ... The new study, published Sept. 12 in Nature, pinpoints a unique way in which oxytocin alters activity in a part of the brain that is crucial to experiencing the pleasant sensation neuroscientists call "reward." The findings not only provide validity for ongoing trials of oxytocin in autistic patients, but also suggest possible new treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions in which social activity is impaired ... The new discovery shows that mice do indeed have oxytocin receptors at a key location in the nucleus accumbens and, importantly, that blocking oxytocin's activity there significantly diminishes these animals' appetite for socializing" - Note:  Way too much detail in that article.  A good read for insomnia.  See Oxy Pro (Oxytocin) Nasal Spray at International Anti-aging Systems.

Drop the cookie: Sweet, starchy foods 'probably' cause women’s cancer - today.com, 9/10/13 - "AICR now estimates that most cases of endometrial cancer (59 percent, or about 29,500 every year) could be prevented in the U.S. if women were active for at least 30 minutes a day and maintained a healthy body weight ... Estrogen is one known cause and women who take hormones, as in hormone replacement therapy, are usually given a form of progesterone, also, to protect against endometrial cancer ... Women who are obese have two to three times the rate of endometrial cancer .. There were eight studies showing coffee lowers the risk ... The team also found at least six studies that indicate glycemic load affects the risk ... The bottom line is you want to eat whole grains instead of refined grains and sugary foods"

Some Painkillers Tied to Certain Birth Defects in Study - WebMD, 9/10/13 - "Women taking prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet early in pregnancy are twice as likely to give birth to babies with devastating neural tube defects such as spina bifida"

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):

Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk among women from five ethnic groups with light to moderate intakes: The multiethnic cohort study - Int J Cancer. 2013 Sep 12 - "Higher alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in epidemiological studies ... we prospectively examined the association in 85,089 women enrolled in the Multiethnic Cohort in Hawaii and California ... mean follow-up of 12.4 years ... Higher alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of breast cancer: compared to nondrinkers, HRs were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.06-1.42), 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00-1.45), 1.12 (95% CI: 0.95-1.31), and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.32-1.77) for 5-9.9, 10-14.9, 15-29.9, and ≥30 g/day of alcohol, respectively"

Vitamin D3 effects on lipids differ in statin and non-statin treated humans: superiority of free 25-OH D levels in detecting relationships - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Sep 12 - "D3 group: 14 men, 12 women, age 60 +/- 8y (mean +/-SD); placebo: 12 men, 11 women: 59 +/-12y with inadequate D status ... 12 week oral vitamin D3 titrated (1000-3000 IU/day) to achieve 25-OH D levels ≥ 25 ng/mL compared to placebo ... Vitamin D lipid lowering effects appear limited to statin-treated patients and are likely due to decreased cholesterol absorption" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Effects of pioglitazone on visceral fat metabolic activity in impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes mellitus - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Sep 12 - "using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging ... These patients were randomized to treatment with either pioglitazone or glimepiride for 16 weeks ... The metabolic activity of the visceral fat tissues as assessed by FDG uptake was expressed as a target-to-background ratio (TBR) of blood-normalized standardized uptake value ... Pioglitazone significantly decreased the visceral fat volume (130.5+/-53.0 to 122.1+/-51.0 cm2, P=0.013) and TBR values (0.57+/-0.16 to 0.50+/-0.11, P=0.007); glimepiride did not influence visceral fat volume or TBR values. Neither pioglitazone nor glimepiride treatment showed any effect on the volume or TBR values of subcutaneous fat. After 16-week treatment with pioglitazone reduction in visceral fat TBR was correlated to increase in HDL cholesterol levels" - Note:  Pioglitazone is one that I take in low doses for anti-aging.

Prediagnostic plasma vitamin C and risk of gastric adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a Chinese population - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep 11 - "China has some of the highest incidence rates for gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the world ... Two cohort studies and the current study were included to assess the body of evidence ... For GA, each 20-μmol/L increase in plasma vitamin C was associated with a 14% decrease in risk ... Compared with individuals with low plasma vitamin C concentrations (≤28 μmol/L), those with normal concentrations (>28 μmol/L) had a 27% reduced risk of GA ... No association between vitamin C concentrations and ESCC was seen" - See Jarrow Formulas, C 1000, Ascorbic Acid + Oleaselect Olive Fruit Extract, 250 Veggie Caps.

Dairy consumption, type 2 diabetes and changes in cardiometabolic traits-a prospective cohort study of middle-aged and older Chinese in Beijing and Shanghai - Diabetes Care. 2013 Sep 11 - "2,091 middle-aged and older Chinese men and women were recruited and followed for 6 years. Baseline dairy consumption was assessed by a 74-item food frequency questionnaire ... Compared to non-consumers, relative risks (RR) and 95%CIs of type 2 diabetes among those having 0.5-1 serving/day and >1 serving/day were 0.70(0.55, 0.88) and 0.65(0.49, 0.85), respectively, after multivariate adjustment (Ptrend<0.001), which was attenuated by further adjusting for changes in glucose during follow-up (Ptrend=0.07). Total dairy consumption was associated with favorable changes in glucose, waistline, BMI, diastolic blood pressure (All Ptrend<0.05) and systolic blood pressure (Ptrend=0.05) after multivariate adjustment including baseline values of dependent variables ... Dairy consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes and favorable changes of cardiometabolic traits in Chinese"

Relationship between metformin use, vitamin B12 deficiency, hyperhomocysteinemia and vascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes - Endocr J. 2013 Sep 8 - "Metformin-induced B12 lowering in diabetes was associated with elevation of homocysteine, and hyperhomocysteinemia was independently related to retinopathy" - See vitamin B12 at Amazon.com.

An encapsulated juice powder concentrate improves markers of pulmonary function and cardiovascular risk factors in heavy smokers - J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Feb;32(1):18-25 - "75 apparently healthy smokers (aged 49.2 +/- 10.6 years, >20 cigarettes/d, duration ≥10 years) randomized into 3 groups: placebo (P), fruit/vegetable (FV) and fruit/vegetable/berry (FVB) ... FVB showed a significant improvement in forced expiratory flow at 25% (FEF25; p < 0.0001 vs P and FV) and significant improvement in CO diffusion lung/alveolar volume (DLCO/VA). FV and FVB (50%) showed significant reduction in tHcy and tCys compared to T 0" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Green Tea and Vitamin E Enhance Exercise-Induced Benefits in Body Composition, Glucose Homeostasis, and Antioxidant Status in Elderly Men and Women - J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Feb;32(1):31-40 - "For 12 weeks, 22 elderly men and women (age: 71.1 +/- 1.2 years; body mass index: 28.3 +/- 0.5 kg/m(2) [mean +/- SE]) undertook 30 minutes of moderately intense walking 6 d/wk. They were randomly assigned to ingest either green tea plus vitamin E (GTVE; 3 cups and 400 IU, respectively; n = 11) or placebo (n = 11) ... Though dietary intake was unchanged, improved exercise capacity was followed by a significant reduction in body weight and fasting insulin levels in all participants. Additional consumption of GTVE resulted in a twofold increase in serum vitamin E (from 20.4 to 40.6 μmol/L, p < 0.001) and a decrease of men's and women's waist circumferences (from 100.8 and 95.7 to 96.9 and 85.0 cm, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) and fasting glucose levels (from 5.30 to 4.98 mmol/L, p < 0.01)" - Note the decrease in waist circumference from 95.7 to 85.0 cm in men.  That's a 10.7 cm reduction or 4.2 inches. - See green tea extract at Amazon.com and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

The effects of soy and whey protein supplementation on acute hormonal reponses to resistance exercise in men - J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Feb;32(1):66-74 - "For many resistance-trained men concerns exist regarding the production of estrogen with the consumption of soy protein when training for muscle strength and size. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of soy and whey protein supplementation on sex hormones following an acute bout of heavy resistance exercise in resistance trained men ... Ten resistance-trained men (age 21.7 +/- 2.8 [SD] years; height 175.0 +/- 5.4 cm; weight 84.2 +/- 9.1 kg) volunteered to participate in an investigation ... all subjects completed 3 experimental treatment conditions supplementing with whey protein isolate (WPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), and maltodextrin placebo control for 14 days with participants ingesting 20 g of their assigned supplement each morning at approximately the same time each day ... This investigation observed lower testosterone responses following supplementation with soy protein in addition to a positive blunted cortisol response with the use of whey protein at some recovery time points. Although sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) was proposed as a possible mechanism for understanding changes in androgen content, SHBG did not differ between experimental treatments. Importantly, there were no significant differences between groups in changes in estradiol concentrations" - See whey protein at Amazon.com.

Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass - J Am Coll Nutr. 2013 Apr;32(2):122-35 - "Compared to soy, whey protein is higher in leucine, absorbed quicker and results in a more pronounced increase in muscle protein synthesis ... randomized non-resistance-trained men and women into groups who consumed daily isocaloric supplements containing carbohydrate (carb; n = 22), whey protein (whey; n = 19), or soy protein (soy; n = 22) ... Lean body mass gains were significantly (p < 0.05) greater in whey (3.3 +/- 1.5 kg) than carb (2.3 +/- 1.7 kg) and soy (1.8 +/- 1.6 kg). Fat mass decreased slightly but there were no differences between groups. Fasting concentrations of leucine were significantly elevated (20%) and postexercise plasma leucine increased more than 2-fold in whey. Fasting leucine concentrations were positively correlated with lean body mass responses" - See whey protein at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Cataracts):

Related Topics:

• eye care / glaucoma / macular degeneration

Popular Supplements:

• vitamin C / vitamin E / selenium / glutathione / bioflavonoids / carotenoids / zinc / alpha lipoic acid

Alternative News:

• Preventative Effects of Ginkgo biloba Extract (EGb761) on High Glucose-Cultured Opacity of Rat Lens - Phytother Res. 2013 Sep - "Diabetic cataract is one of the earliest secondary complications of diabetes ... we examined the protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) on rat lenses cultured in high-glucose conditions ... The cultured rat lenses were divided into six groups: normal group, high-glucose group, high glucose plus low, medium, and high concentrations of EGb761 groups, and a high glucose plus bendazac lysine group ... Compared with the levels in the high glucose group, EGb761 decreased the intensity of oxidative stress, decreased aldose reductase activation and the level of advanced glycosylation end products, and suppress the transforming growth factor-β2 or Smad pathway activation, further increase the expression of E-cadherin and decrease α-smooth muscle actin, and therefore, prevents the pathological changes of high glucose-induced lens epithelial cells and ameliorated lens opacity. These results suggest that EGb761 has protective effects on several pharmacological targets in the progress of diabetic cataract and is a potential drug for the prevention of diabetic cataract" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.
• Association of blood antioxidants and vitamins with risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysis of observational studies - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul 10 - "searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science for relevant studies ... A pooled estimate showed vitamin E (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.96), α-carotene (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.88), lutein (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.87), and zeaxanthin (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.82) were inversely associated with age-related cataract. Vitamins A (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.83) and C (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.78) were inversely associated with age-related cataract in Asian populations but not in Western populations. β-Carotene (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.05), lycopene (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.65, 1.15), and β-cryptoxanthin (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.02) had no significant association with risk of cataract" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.
• Nutrients Promote Eye Health in Aging, Says Panel - Medscape, 4/17/12 - "They pointed out that many multivitamin supplements do not contain nutrients important for eye health, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. "Taking a supplement specifically designed for eye health that contains these key nutrients, in addition to a general nutritional supplement, may therefore be a better approach to filling dietary shortfalls,""
• Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin and the risk of age-related nuclear cataract among the elderly Finnish population - Br J Nutr. 2011 Oct 18:1-7 - "After adjustment for age, examination year, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, serum LDL-cholesterol, serum HDL-cholesterol, years of education, use of oral corticosteroids, history of diabetes and history of hypertension with current use of antihypertensive medication, subjects in the highest tertiles of plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin had 42 and 41 % lower risks of nuclear cataract, respectively, compared with those in the lowest tertiles (relative risk (RR) = 0.58, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.98; P = 0.041 for lutein and RR = 0.59, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.99; P = 0.046 for zeaxanthin)" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com.
• Diet, vegetarianism, and cataract risk - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Mar 23 - "There was a strong relation between cataract risk and diet group, with a progressive decrease in risk of cataract in high meat eaters to low meat eaters, fish eaters (participants who ate fish but not meat), vegetarians, and vegans. After multivariable adjustment, incidence rate ratios (95% CIs) for moderate meat eaters (50-99 g meat/d), low meat eaters (<50 g meat/d), fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans compared with high-meat eaters (≥100 g meat/d) were 0.96 (0.84, 1.11), 0.85 (0.72, 0.99), 0.79 (0.65, 0.97), 0.70 (0.58, 0.84), and 0.60 (0.38, 0.96), respectively (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). Associations between cataract risk and intakes of selected nutrients and foods generally reflected the strong association with diet group"
• New Evidence That Popular Dietary Supplement May Help Prevent, Treat Cataracts - Science Daily, 7/15/09 - "The scientists exposed tissue cultures of healthy rat lenses to either guanidine — a substance known to form cataracts — or a combination of guanidine and carnosine. The guanidine lenses became completely cloudy, while the guanidine/carnosine lenses developed 50 to 60 percent less cloudiness. Carnosine also restored most of the clarity to clouded lenses. The results demonstrate the potential of using carnosine for preventing and treating cataracts, the scientists say" - See l-carnosine products at iHerb.
• Eye Drops for Cataracts? - Dr. Weil, 6/26/09
• Vision: Antioxidants May Cut Cataracts - New York Times, 2/12/08 - "Compared with the one-fifth of women who consumed the least antioxidants, the one-fifth who consumed the most reduced their risk for cataracts by 14 percent with vitamin E and 18 percent with lutein"
• Dietary carotenoids, vitamins C and e, and risk of cataract in women: a prospective study - Arch Ophthalmol. 2008 Jan;126(1):102-9 - "In these prospective observational data from a large cohort of female health professionals, higher dietary intakes of lutein/zeaxanthin and vitamin E from food and supplements were associated with significantly decreased risks of cataract"
• Eat Your Leafy Vegetables To Decreased Your Risk Of Cataracts - Science Daily, 1/14/08 - "When the participants were split into five groups based on the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin they consumed, those in the group who consumed the most (about 6,716 micrograms per day) had an 18 percent lower chance of developing cataracts than those who consumed the least (1,177 micrograms per day). The one-fifth who consumed the most vitamin E from food and supplements--about 262.4 milligrams per day--were 14 percent less likely than the one-fifth who got the least (4.4 milligrams per day)"
• Diets With High Glycemic Index May Raise Cataract Risk - Medscape, 11/30/07 - "Glycemic load, a food's glycemic index multiplied by the total available carbohydrate content, was used to gauge both carbohydrate quantity and quality ... each standard deviation increase in dietary glycemic index was associated with a 19% increase in the risk of cortical cataract. Subjects in the highest glycemic index quartile were 77% more likely to develop cataract than those in the lowest quartile"
• Carbohydrate nutrition, glycemic index, and the 10-y incidence of cataract - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1502-8 - "poorer dietary carbohydrate quality, reflected by high GI, predicted incident cortical cataract"
• Nutritional Strategies for Preventing Age-Related Vision Loss - Life Extension Magazine, 5/06
• Study: Fruits, Veggies May Help Avoid Cataracts - WebMD, 6/17/05 - "Over 10 years, the group had a total of 2,067 cataract cases. The women who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 10% to 15% less likely to be in that group"
• Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cataract in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jun;81(6):1417-1422 - "Compared with women in the lowest quintile of fruit and vegetable intake, women with higher intakes had modest 10-15% reduced risks of cataract"
• Moderate Red Wine Drinking Reduces Risk for Cataract - Medscape, 5/5/05 - "Five-year incidence of cataract was 22% in drinkers and 32.2% in nondrinkers. Based on alcohol consumption, cataracts occurred in 23% of beer drinkers, 19% of spirit drinkers, and 13% of wine drinkers"
• Tea May Help Prevent Diabetes And Cataracts - Science Daily, 4/19/05 - "At levels that would be equivalent to less than five cups of tea per day for a human, both teas significantly inhibited cataract formation relative to a control group which did not get tea, they say. The researchers found that both teas decreased glucose levels, which in turn affects other biochemical pathways that accelerate diabetic complications such as cataracts" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.  My favorite is Jarrow Green Tea at Amazon.com.
• Eat Spinach, Prevent Cataracts? - WebMD, 12/3/04 - "Our results are the first to provide physical evidence suggesting that lutein and zeaxanthin decrease damage caused by ultraviolet radiation"
• Lutein for Cataract Sufferers - New Hope Natural Media, 3/13/03 - "15 individuals with age-related cataracts were randomly assigned to receive either 15 mg of lutein, 100 IU of vitamin E, or a placebo three times per week for up to two years. Visual acuity improved significantly in the lutein group, whereas no change was seen in the vitamin E and placebo groups"
• Oxidative Stress Linked to Cataract Formation in Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 1/16/03 - "Whole blood glutathione levels and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activities were lower, while plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were higher in patients with cataracts compared to controls ... The authors suggest that their findings underscore the vital role of glutathione as a lens antioxidant" - Related Article:
  • Getting More Glutathione? - Dr. Weil, 8/29/02 - "To my knowledge, the only supplement that effectively raises glutathione levels in the body is N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). My colleague Kathleen Johnson, a dietician here at the Program in Integrative Medicine, tells me that other glutathione supplements are ineffective because they’re digested before they can get into the bloodstream" - See iHerb NAC products.
• Vitamin C Reduces The Odds Of Developing Early-Onset Cataract - Doctor's Guide, 2/22/02 - "A significant interaction was observed between age, vitamin C intake, and the prevalence of cataracts. For women younger than 60 years, the consumption of vitamin C >/= 362 mg/day was associated with a 57 percent lower risk of developing cortical opacities, and the use of vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years was associated with a 60 percent reduction in the risk of cataracts, when compared to no supplement use ... the incidence of posterior subcapsulary cataracts was considerably lower in women who had never smoked and who had high intakes of folate and carotenoids"
• What constitutes a glycation-reduced diet? - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "Glycation of proteins has been shown to play a prominent role in the development of many diseases related to diabetes, atherosclerosis and cataract formation. Glycation also occurs as a result of general aging. A glycation reduction diet would be one that is low in simple sugars and carbohydrates. There are also certain supplements that help reduce glycation, such as carnosine. Carnosine is the most effective natural anti-glycating agent ... Other supplements include alpha lipoic acid, chromium picolinate and calcium pyruvate ... Taking antioxidants can help [with cataracts]. These supplements include melatonin, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), vitamin C and bioflavonoids"
• A New Look at Eye Health - Nutrition Science News, 4/01
• Glutathione: The Eye Healer Within - Nutrition Science News, 4/01
• Vitamins and Vision, Lots of "C" May Help You See Later in Life- WebMD, 12/11/00 - "Risk of cataracts was 60% lower among people who took multivitamins or any supplement containing vitamin C or E for more than 10 years."
• Lutein: The Eyes Have It - Nutrition Science News, 11/00
• Lipoic Acid: The Universal Antioxidant - Nutrition Science News, 10/00
• Second Sight - Nutrition Science News, 4/99
• Long-Term Vitamin C Use Cuts Cataract Risk In Older Women - Doctor's Guide, 10/9/97 - "taking vitamin C supplements for more than 10 years lowers the risk of lens opacities that can lead to cataract surgery in older women"

Other News:

• Statins Prevent Cataracts, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 8/31/13 - "Statins lower the rate of cataract by 20 percent ... The risk of cataract was reduced by 50 percent when treatment was initiated in younger individuals (in their 40s) and the duration of therapy was longer (e.g. up to 14 years) ... The meta-analysis included 2,399,200 persons and 25,618 cataracts. The average duration of treatment was 54 months and average age was 61"
• 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"
• Common cholesterol drugs, statins, fight cataracts, too - Science Daily, 2/9/10
• Flomax Linked to Cataract Surgery Risks - WebMD, 5/19/09
• Advanced glycation end products in senile diabetic and nondiabetic patients with cataract - J Diabetes Complications. 2008 May 26 - "The AGE distribution in the senile groups corroborates the hypothesis that the advanced glycation process might have a role in cataract formation, which in diabetic patients occurs vigorously as compared with nondiabetic cataract patients"
• Medical Nanoimaging Pinpoints Cause Of Cataracts - Science Daily, 10/20/07
• Cholesterol Drugs May Avert Cataracts - WebMD, 6/20/06 - "Those who took Zocor had a 72% lower risk of nuclear cataracts. Those who took Lipitor had a 27% lower risk. Those who took Pravachol, Lescol, and Mevacor had a combined 33% lower risk"
• No Association Between Cataracts and Macular Degeneration Seen in Large Study - Doctor's Guide, 5/5/06
• Excess Body Fat May Elevate Risk for Age-Related Eye Diseases - Doctor's Guide, 9/14/05 - "excess body fat may elevate one's risk for age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts ... if the body has too much adipose tissue, too much lutein and zeaxanthin remain there in storage and do not get to the eye where they are needed"
• Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduces Risk of Cataracts in Post-Menopausal Women - Doctor's Guide, 6/11/03 - "Women who do not use hormone replacement therapy are twice as likely to develop lens opacities, and cataracts compared with women who do use HRT/oestrogen"
• Estrogen After Menopause Improves Eye Health - WebMD, 6/13/01 - "Forget hot flashes -- the real reason to take hormone replacement therapy after menopause is because of the multitude of benefits on health. The latest research demonstrates that it may even save your vision"