Recent Longevity News for the week ending 4/22/15

Omega-3 Supplementation Helps Meibomian Gland Dysfunction - Medscape, 4/20/15 - "This study supports the potential of omega-3 fatty acids to prevent dry eye syndrome ... The prevalence of meibomian gland dysfunction ranges from 30.3% to 63.3% and, in Asia, the prevalence is at the top of that range ... The 30 patients in the treatment group took two capsules of fish oil twice daily. The 1.2 g daily dose of omega-3 fatty acid consisted of eicosapentaenoic acid 720 mg and docosahexaenoic acid 480 mg ... The 30 patients in the placebo group took vitamin E 400 mg daily ... improvement was seen in all measures of meibomian gland dysfunction in the two groups, except the Schirmer's test, but changes were greater in the omega-3 group" - See the table on that link for the results.  See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Oral milk thistle extract stops colorectal cancer stem cells from growing tumors - Science Daily, 4/20/15 - "It's very simple: tumors from mice that were initially fed silibinin had fewer cancer stem cells, were smaller, had lower metabolisms and showed decreased growth of new blood vessels. Importantly, when these cancer stem cells from tumors in mice fed silibinin were re-injected into new mice, we found these stem cells had lost their potential to repopulate even in the absence of silibinin exposure" - See silymarin at Amazon.com.

Broccoli sprout extract promising for head and neck cancer prevention - Science Daily, 4/19/15 - "People who are cured of head and neck cancer are still at very high risk for a second cancer in their mouth or throat, and, unfortunately, these second cancers are commonly fatal ... cruciferous vegetables that have a high concentration of sulforaphane ... his team gave sulforaphane to mice predisposed to oral cancer and found that it significantly reduced the incidence and number of tumors" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

Creatine Linked to Testicular Cancer - WebMD, 4/16/15 - "Men who use muscle-building supplements containing creatine or androstenedione may have a higher risk of getting testicular cancer ... This risk seems to rise even more among men who begin using the supplements before age 25 ... almost 20% of participants with testicular cancer had used muscle-building supplements"

Eight nutrients to protect the aging brain - Science Daily, 4/15/15 - "Cocoa Flavanols ... Omega-3 Fatty Acids ... Phosphatidylserine and Phosphatidic Acid ... Walnuts ... Citicoline ... Choline ... Magnesium ... Blueberries"

Brain development suffers from lack of fish oil fatty acids, study finds - Science Daily, 4/15/15 - "The findings suggest that women maintain a balanced diet rich in these fatty acids for themselves during pregnancy and for their babies after birth ... These fatty acids are precursors of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, which plays a key role in the healthy creation of the central nervous system" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Study: Acetaminophen reduces not only pain but pleasure - CNN.com, 4/15/15 - "acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, most forms of Midol and more than 600 other medicines, reduces not only pain but pleasure, as well"

Mechanism outlined by which inadequate vitamin E can cause brain damage - Science Daily, 4/13/15 - "that zebrafish fed a diet deficient in vitamin E throughout their life had about 30 percent lower levels of DHA-PC, which is a part of the cellular membrane in every brain cell, or neuron. Other recent studies have also concluded that low levels of DHA-PC in the blood plasma of humans is a biomarker than can predict a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease ... the deficient levels of vitamin E they were given, are equivalent to humans eating a low vitamin E diet for a lifetime. In the United States, 96 percent of adult women and 90 percent of men do not receive adequate levels of vitamin E in their diet" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

How gum disease treatment can prevent heart disease - Science Daily, 4/14/15 - "using an oral topical remedy to reduce inflammation associated with periodontitis, more commonly known as gum disease, also results in the prevention of vascular inflammation and can lower the risk of heart attack ... The study, titled, "Resolvin E1 Prevents Atheromatous Plaque Formation," will be published in print in the May issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB), a journal of the American Heart Association. It is the first paper to show a rabbit model of accelerated heart disease, demonstrating a range of atherosclerotic plaque stages that more closely resemble those in humans without genetic modification of the animal" - Here's my best solution along with regular dental cleaning:

• Periogard - Needs a prescription but is usually available at you dentist for around $10.
• GUM Go-betweens Proxabrush Cleaners Wide [3614] 8 Each (Pack of 3).  These are wide and will only word for the back four slots but that's where most of the problem lies.
• Put a few tablespoons of Periogard into a small glass.  Soak the brush in it and run it between your teeth.

People less focused on recurrent bad feelings when taking probiotics - Science Daily, 4/14/15 - "Rumination is one of the most predictive vulnerability markers of depression ... Compared to subjects who received the placebo intervention, participants who received the multispecies probiotics intervention showed significantly reduced ruminative thoughts ... Even if preliminary, these results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. As such, our findings shed an interesting new light on the potential of probiotics  to serve as adjuvant or preventive therapy for depression" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Resveratrol Protects against Methylglyoxal-Induced Hyperglycemia and Pancreatic Damage In Vivo - Nutrients. 2015 Apr 15 - "Treatment with resveratrol markedly improved blood glucose level from the oral glucose tolerance test and promoted nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) phosphorylation (p < 0.05) in the pancreas of MG-treated mice ... These findings support that resveratrol may be useful in the treatment of type-2 diabetes by protecting against pancreatic cell dysfunction" - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com.

Plasma carotenoids and risk of breast cancer over 20 y of follow-up - Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 15 - "Higher concentrations of α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, and total carotenoids were associated with 18-28% statistically significant lower risks of breast cancer (e.g., β-carotene top compared with bottom quintile RR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.88; P-trend < 0.001). Associations were apparent for total carotenoids measured ≥10 y before diagnosis (top compared with bottom quintile RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.50, 0.95; P-trend = 0.01) as well as those <10 y before diagnosis (RR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.98; P-trend = 0.04, P-interaction = 0.11). Carotenoid concentrations were strongly inversely associated with breast cancer recurrence and death (e.g., β-carotene top compared with bottom quintile RR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.51; P-trend < 0.001) compared with not recurrent and not lethal disease" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com and carotenoids at Amazon.com.

Brain atrophy in cognitively impaired elderly: the importance of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and B vitamin status in a randomized controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 15 - "included 168 elderly people (≥70 y) with mild cognitive impairment, randomly assigned either to placebo (n = 83) or to daily high-dose B vitamin supplementation (folic acid, 0.8 mg; vitamin B-6, 20 mg; vitamin B-12, 0.5 mg) (n = 85). The subjects underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging scans at baseline and 2 y later ... In subjects with high baseline ω-3 fatty acids (>590 μmol/L), B vitamin treatment slowed the mean atrophy rate by 40.0% compared with placebo (P = 0.023). B vitamin treatment had no significant effect on the rate of atrophy among subjects with low baseline ω-3 fatty acids (<390 μmol/L). High baseline ω-3 fatty acids were associated with a slower rate of brain atrophy in the B vitamin group but not in the placebo group" - Note:  I take a good multi and even that only has 4 mg of B6.  See B complex supplements at Amazon.com, folic acid products at Amazon.com, vitamin B6 at Amazon.com,  vitamin B12 at Amazon.com and fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Vegetable Intake, but Not Fruit Intake, Was Associated with a Reduction in the Risk of Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Middle-Aged Korean Men - J Nutr. 2015 Apr 15 - "Total vegetable intake was linearly associated with cancer incidence but was nonlinearly associated with cancer mortality; by comparing ≥500 g/d with <100 g/d of total vegetable intake, the multivariable-adjusted RR for total cancer incidence was 0.72 ... No associations were found between total fruit intake and total cancer incidence and mortality"

Synergistic anti-cancer activity of Capsaicin and 3,3'-Diindolylmethane in human colorectal cancer - J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Apr 15 - "The present study suggests capsaicin and DIM work synergistically to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer through modulating transcriptional activity of NF-κB, p53 and target genes associated with apoptosis" - See capsaicin supplements at Amazon.com and diindolylmethane at Amazon.com.

The association between dietary selenium intake and diabetes: a cross-sectional study among middle-aged and older adults - Nutr J. 2015 Feb 18;14(1):18 - "The multivariate adjusted OR was 1.52 (95% CI: 1.01 to 2.28, P = 0.04) for the highest quartile of dietary selenium intake in comparison with the lowest quartile. There was a significant positive association between dietary selenium intake and diabetes"

Dietary supplementation of GrandFusion® mitigates cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal damage and attenuates inflammation - Nutr Neurosci. 2015 Apr 16 - "GrandFusion® is a nutritional supplement that contains the natural nutrients from whole fruits and vegetables that include complex nutrients and phytonutrients that contain anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties ... The GrandFusion® diet was able to show a significant protection from infarct damage in the brain and an improvement in neurological outcomes ... The study demonstrates the neuroprotective effect of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables that contain anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory against the impact of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury" - Note:  I couldn't find GrandFusion® but see Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com which sounds similar.

The effects of probiotics on mental health and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in petrochemical workers - Nutr Neurosci. 2015 Apr 16 - "divided into three groups to receive 100 g/day probiotic yogurt + one placebo capsule (n = 25) or one probiotic capsule daily + 100 g/day conventional yogurt (n = 25) or 100 g/day conventional yogurt + one placebo capsule (n = 20) for 6 weeks. Mental health parameters including general health questionnaire (GHQ) and depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS) scores were measured ... After 6 weeks of intervention, a significant improvement of GHQ was observed in the probiotic yogurt (18.0 ± 1.5 vs. 13.5 ± 1.9, P = 0.007) and in the probiotic capsule group (16.9 ± 1.8 vs. 9.8 ± 1.9, P = 0.001), as well as a significant improvement in DASS scores in the probiotic yogurt (23.3 ± 3.7 vs. 13.0 ± 3.7, P = 0.02) and the probiotic capsule group (18.9 ± 3.2 vs. 9.4 ± 4.0, P = 0.006). However, there was no significant improvement in the conventional yogurt group (P = 0.05 for GHQ and P = 0.08 for DASS)" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults - J Am Coll Nutr. 2015 Apr 11:1-10 - "Eating L. edodes for 4 weeks resulted in increased ex vivo proliferation of γδ-T (60% more, p < 0.0001) and NK-T (2-fold more, p < 0.0001) cells. Both cell types also demonstrated a greater ability to express activation receptors, suggesting that consuming mushrooms improved cell effector function. The increase in sIgA implied improved gut immunity. The reduction in CRP suggested lower inflammation. The pattern of cytokines secreted before and after mushroom consumption was significantly different; consumption resulted in increased interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1α levels, a decreased macrophage inflammatory protein-1α/chemokine C-C ligand 3 (MIP-1α/CCL3) level, and no change to IL-6, IL-1β, MIP-1β, IL-17 and interferon (IFN)-γ levels" - [Science Daily] - See Shiitake mushroom supplements at Amazon.com.

Carotenoid intakes from natural sources and head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015 Apr 14 - "meta-analysis of the epidemiological studies ... The risk reduction associated with β-carotene equivalents intake was 46% (95% CI: 20-63%) for cancer of oral cavity and 57% (95% CI: 23-76%) for laryngeal cancer. Lycopene and β-cryptoxanthin also reduced the risk for laryngeal cancer; the ORs for the highest category compared to the lowest one of carotenoid intake were 50% (95% CI: 11-72%) and 59% (95% CI: 49-67%), respectively. Lycopene, α-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin were associated with at least 26% reduction in the rate of oral and pharyngeal cancer (95% CI: 2-44%). Our systematic-review and meta-analysis on dietary carotenoids intake and HNC showed carotenoids to act protectively against HNC, in relation to most of single-nutrients and subsites" - See Jarrow Formulas, CarotenALL at Amazon.com or Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Gut Dysbiosis Is Linked to Hypertension - Hypertension. 2015 Apr 13 - "These observations demonstrate that high blood pressure is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, both in animal and human hypertension. They suggest that dietary intervention to correct gut microbiota could be an innovative nutritional therapeutic strategy for hypertension" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Silibinin Combination with Arsenic Strongly Inhibits Survival and Invasiveness of Human Prostate Carcinoma Cells - Nutr Cancer. 2015 Apr 14:1-12 - "these in vitro findings suggest that in presence of arsenic, silibinin strongly inhibits tumorigenic and metastatic potential of PCa cells" - Note:  I don't think I'd risk killing myself with arsenic but silymarin is something I take everyday.  See silymarin at Amazon.com.

Dietary vitamin D3 improves postprandial hyperglycemia in aged mice - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2015 Apr 10 - "Recent observational and randomized studies on vitamin D3 suggested that higher plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] concentrations and more vitamin D3 intake are associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by postprandial hyperglycemia due to inappropriate glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and its age-dependent increase of onset ... When vitamin D3 is orally ingested in mice aged 12-14 weeks during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), the serum glucose profile was not changed. In contrast, when OGTT was performed with old mice aged 30-34 weeks, the glucose profile was dramatically improved with increased insulin secretion, suggesting that orally ingested vitamin D3 potentiated GSIS in aged mice. Interestingly, there was also a significant increase in plasma GLP-1 in these aged mice" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

The best iPhone 6 case (so far) - Engadget.com, 4/17/15 - "After surveying almost 1,000 Wirecutter readers and testing close to 100 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases over a period of about 50 hours (so far), our current pick for the best all-around case is the NGP from Incipio ... If you're the type of person who's always cashing in on AppleCare, we suggest something with more protection, such as Speck's CandyShell ($35), our previous top pick ... If you'd rather not carry a phone and a wallet, we recommend CM4's Q Card Case ($40). The body is sturdy rubber and fits securely, protruding in front to form a 0.8-mm screen lip. On the back, there's a faux-leather pocket that can hold up to three cards, plus some cash" - Note:  The wallet one might be the thing of the future.  With Apple Pay you may not need the credit cards.  Just carry your drivers license and a couple of $20's.  Carry the old wallet in your car glove compartment if you ever need it.

Health Focus (Triglycerides).