Recent Longevity News for the week ending 5/6/15

New link between diabetes, Alzheimer's found - Science Daily, 5/4/15 - "elevated glucose in the blood can rapidly increase levels of amyloid beta, a key component of brain plaques in Alzheimer's patients. The buildup of plaques is thought to be an early driver of the complex set of changes that Alzheimer's causes in the brain" - See my Insulin and Aging page.

Probiotics in Preventing Recurrent UTIs in Women - Medscape, 5/4/15 - "Lactobacillus probiotics, taken either orally or vaginally, are likely effective in reducing recurrent urinary tract infections in women. Although more research is needed, probiotics should be considered a useful and safe alternative to antibiotics. By minimizing exposure to antibiotics, nursing professionals have the potential to decrease antibiotic resistance in communities, de crease side effects in women, and in turn, improve their quality of life" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Magnesium Intake and Depression in Adults - Medscape, 5/4/15 - "We found a significant association between very low magnesium intake and depression, especially in younger adults" - See Jarrow Formulas, MagMind at Amazon.com.

Metformin Underused in Patients With Prediabetes - Medscape, 5/1/15 - "Metformin was prescribed for only 3.7% of patients with prediabetes, even though it can help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes ... About one in three Americans has prediabetes ... clinicians can consider metformin in those with impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, or an HbA1c of 5.7% to 6.4%" - Note: Plus many use it for anti-aging.  See my metformin page and see metformin at The Antiaging Store.

How Cannabis Causes Paranoia - Medscape, 5/1/15 - "THC significantly increased paranoia, negative affect (anxiety, worry, depression, negative thoughts about the self), and a range of anomalous experiences, and reduced working memory capacity. The increase in negative affect and in anomalous experiences fully accounted for the increase in paranoia"

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Larger Brain Volume - Medscape, 4/28/15 - "Participants who adhered more to a MeDI had larger brain volumes both in gray matter and white matter, said Dr Gu. She also noted that each additional higher MeDi adherence and total brain volume is equivalent to more than 1 year of aging (β for age = 2.5; P < .001) ... Dr Gu noted that most of the association was driven by higher intake of fish and lower intake of meat. Potential mechanisms, she said, include anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidative effects, as well as potential slowing of the accumulation of β-amyloid or tau"

Abstracts from this week:

Bilberry extract supplementation for preventing eye fatigue in video display terminal workers - J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(5):548-54 - "bilberry extract (BE) ... acute video display terminal (VDT) loads ... participants were randomized to either a BE (480 mg/day) or placebo (vehicle) group, and took allocated capsule, daily, for 8 weeks ... critical flicker fusion (CFF) and near point accommodation (NPA) ... The VDT load-induced reduction in CFF was alleviated after 8 weeks of BE supplementation (95% confidence interval, 0.10-1.60; p=0.023), in contrast to placebo supplementation, while NPA variation was not. Of the subjective symptoms of eye fatigue, VDT load-induced ocular fatigue sensation, ocular pain, eye heaviness, uncomfortable sensation, and foreign body sensation were mitigated more in the BE group than in the control group, at week 8 (p<0.05)" - See bilberry at Amazon.com.

Intake of antioxidants and subsequent decline in physical function in a racially/ethnically diverse population - J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(5):542-7 - "Oxidative stress is considered a risk factor for physical function (PF) decline with aging ... A low intake (first quartile) of vitamin E was associated with a greater decline in PF compared with the highest quartile, with a mean difference in change in PF of -1.73 (95%CI:-3.31,-0.15). Notably, this mean difference was clinically meaningful as it was equivalent to the effect estimate we found for participants who were approximately 15 years apart in age in our cohort, as 1 year increase in age was associated with a mean difference in change in PF of -0.11 (95%CI:-0.16,-0.06). PF decline was not significantly different in the lowest compared with the highest quartile of vitamin C (mean difference=-1.29, 95%CI:-2.61, 0.03) or carotenoids (mean difference=-0.62, 95%CI:-2.22,0.99)" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Effective translation of current dietary guidance: understanding and communicating the concepts of minimal and optimal levels of dietary protein - Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 29 - "The protein content of diets for adults can be based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.80 g/kg per day ... The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) reflects the interrelation between the macronutrients and affords dietitians and clinicians additional flexibility in diet planning. Accounting for the caloric value of RDAs for carbohydrate and fat, "flexible calories" emerge as an opportunity to create varied eating plans that provide for protein intakes in excess of the RDA but within the AMDR. Protein Summit 2.0 highlighted the growing body of scientific evidence documenting the benefits of higher protein intakes at amounts approximating twice the RDA, which include promotion of healthy body weight and preservation of lean body mass and functional ability with age"

Protein and healthy aging - Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 29 - "The potential benefits of young and middle-aged adults adopting a diet pattern whereby adequate protein is consumed at each meal as a countermeasure to sarcopenia are presented and discussed. For example, meeting a protein threshold (~25-30 g/meal) represents a promising, yet still largely unexplored dietary strategy to help maintain muscle mass and function. For many older adults, breakfast is a carbohydrate-dominated lower-protein meal and represents an opportunity to improve and more evenly distribute daily protein intake. Although both animal and plant-based proteins can provide the required essential amino acids for health, animal proteins generally have a higher proportion of the amino acid leucine. Leucine plays a key role in stimulating translation initiation and muscle protein anabolism and is the focus of ongoing research. Protein requirements should be assessed in the light of habitual physical activity. An evenly distributed protein diet provides a framework that allows older adults to benefit from the synergistic anabolic effect of protein and physical activity" - Note:  I put a scoop of leucine into an empty jelly jar with about a third cup of water and shake it then swill it every morning just before breakfast.  It's probably the worst thing you'll ever taste but I'm convinced it works for preserving muscles  See Leucine products at Amazon.com.

Carnosic acid as a major bioactive component in rosemary extract ameliorates high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome in mice - J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Apr 30 - "The mice were given a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet or a high-fat diet supplemented with either 0.14% or 0.28% (w/w) CA-enriched RE (containing 80% CA, RE#1L and RE#1H), or 0.5% (w/w) RE (containing 45% CA, RE#2), for a period of 16 weeks ... The dietary RE supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, percent of fat, plasma ALT, AST, glucose, insulin levels, liver weight, liver triglyceride and free fatty acid levels compared with the mice fed with HF diet without RE treatment. RE administration also decreased the levels of plasma and liver malondialdehyde, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and the liver expression of receptor for AGE (RAGE) compared with mice of HF group" - See rosemary extract at Amazon.com.

Vitamin E Intake and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies - Med Sci Monit. 2015 May 1;21:1249-1255 - "In total, 10 observational studies (6 case-control studies and 4 cohort studies) were included. The overall RR (95% CI) of pancreatic cancer for the highest vs. the lowest level of vitamin E intake was 0.81" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Validation of two automatic devices: Omron HEM-7252G-HP and Omron HEM-7251G for self-measurement of blood pressure according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010 - Blood Press Monit. 2015 Apr 29 - "European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010 (ESH-IP revision 2010) ... The Omron HEM-7252G-HP and HEM-7251G passed all the requirements of the ESH-IP 2010 revision" - Note:  I think that's an old model which looks like the Omron 10.

Metformin improves putative longevity effectors in peripheral mononuclear cells from subjects with prediabetes. A randomized controlled trial - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2015 Mar 24 - "Compared to baseline, metformin significantly improved metabolic parameters and insulin sensitivity, increased SIRT1 gene/protein expression and SIRT1 promoter chromatin accessibility, elevated mTOR gene expression with concomitant reduction in p70S6K phosphorylation in subjects' PBMCs, and modified the plasma N-glycan profile. Compared to placebo, metformin increased SIRT1 protein expression and reduced p70S6K phosphorylation (a proxy of mTOR activity). Plasma N-glycans were also favourably modified by metformin compared to placebo" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Antioxidant and hypolipidemic potential of aged garlic extract and its constituent, s-allyl cysteine, in rats - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:328545 - "Aged garlic extract (AGE) is one of the unique preparations standardized with 100% bioavailable active ingredients found in the bloodstream. The current research was aimed at exploring the role of AGE and its chief active constituent, s-allyl cysteine (SAC) as antioxidant and hypolipidemic agent in rats ... Both AGE and SAC significantly declined elevated levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, ALP, AST, ALT, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity, total glutathione and oxidised glutathione in serum and inclined superoxide dismutase, catalase, ferric reducing/antioxidant power, and total sulfhydryl values in liver tissue with reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive species. The protective effects were superior with AGE compared with SAC indicating potential implication of other active constituents apart from SAC in AGE for combating hyperlipidemic stress" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Influence of a Specialized Trigonella foenum-graecum Seed Extract (Libifem), on Testosterone, Estradiol and Sexual Function in Healthy Menstruating Women, a Randomised Placebo Controlled Study - Phytother Res. 2015 Apr 24 - "Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seed extract ... There was a significant increase in free testosterone and E2 in the active group as well as sexual desire and arousal compared with the placebo group. The results indicate that this extract of T. foenum-graecum may be a useful treatment for increasing sexual arousal and desire in women" - See fenugreek at Amazon.com.

Association Between Healthy Diet and Exercise and Greater Muscle Mass in Older Adults J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015 Apr 27 - "vegetable consumption (odds ratio (OR) = 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.30-0.89) and aerobic exercise (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.39-1.00) were inversely associated with low muscle mass. Also, the odds of low muscle mass was lower in women with three or more healthy lifestyle factors versus none (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.23-0.87). In men, there were no associations between food group consumption and exercise and low muscle mass"

Low Levels of a Urinary Biomarker of Dietary Polyphenol Are Associated with Substantial Cognitive Decline over a 3-Year Period in Older Adults: The Invecchiare in Chianti Study - J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015 Apr 27 - "total urinary polyphenols (TUPs) and total dietary polyphenols (TDPs) ... High concentrations of polyphenols, a nutritional biomarker of polyphenol intake, were associated with lower risk of substantial cognitive decline in an older population studied over a 3-year period, suggesting a protective effect against cognitive impairment" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Total, dietary, and supplemental calcium intake and mortality from all-causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: A meta-analysis of observational studies - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2015 Mar 24 - "We found a significant relationship between the total calcium intake and an increased risk of CVD mortality for studies with a long follow-up time and a significant protective association between dietary calcium intake and all-cause and CVD mortality for studies with a mean follow-up of ≤10 years. Supplemental calcium intake was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality"

Whole Grain Consumption and Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Women - J Am Coll Nutr. 2015 Apr 27:1-7 - "Whole grain consumption of more than 7 times/week was associated with a 0.49-fold (odds ratio = 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.29, 0.82) lower likelihood of having breast cancer, after adjustments were made" - See brown rice pasta at Amazon.com.  My favorite is Annie Chun's Brown Rice Noodle, Maifun, 8-Ounce (Pack of 6) and I used olive oil to make the pancit along with bean sprouts, fresh spinach and either shrimp, chicken or the leanest cut of pork.  Here's for the chicken:

• In a non-stick wok, cook one pound of cut up chicken breast strips in three tablespoons of olive oil until about three fourths done. Mix the pancit mix with 1/3 cup of water (it gets the steam started to cook the vegetables and then the water in the vegetables condence) and add it to the chicken. Throw in one bag of bean sprouts and one container of organic spinach/garden mix and cook at medium low until tender. Add the brown rice pancit noodles which had been boiled for three minutes and cook about another three minutes.  For the sauce I mix Simply Asia General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce, 4.22 Oz with Panda Sauce For Broccoli Beef, 8-Ounce (Pack of 6).

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Hands On With Zojirushi's Smartest Rice Cooker - Forbes, 4/7/13 - "the Zojirushi Induction Heating Rice Cooker that I tested is to rice cooked in a pot as the iPhone is to a rotary payphone ... The machine uses induction heating combined with pressure cooking, automatically adjusting the amount of pressure depending on the menu selection. Rice cookers have used “fuzzy logic” for a while, but the new induction heating models include not only a microcomputer that adjusts based on weight, heat, moisture, but also artificial intelligence ... By holding the rice at a low temperature for an extended period of time before cooking it the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increases. Substantial intake of GABA has been shown have a number of health benefits including: lower blood pressure, improved brain functions, healthier kidneys, stress relief and many more. But who has time to sprout rice? The GABA setting on the Zojirushi holds brown rice at 104 degrees for two hours before cooking it, making healthier rice dirt simple"

• Zojirushi NP-GBC05-XT 3 Cup (Uncooked) Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, Stainless Dark Brown - owner's manual, review on YouTube
• Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel
• Zojirushi NP-HBC18 10-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel - "Brown Rice ... This is a menu setting designed to cook delicious brown rice. In order to cook hard rice bran and the rice inside, preheating time is extended for better absorption of water, and is cooked at a lower temperature to allow the rice to cook longer without becoming mushy"

The best coffeemaker - engadget.com, 5/1/15 - "In the end, there was one clear winner ... The Bonavita 1900TS makes consistently great tasting coffee. It was also the easiest to use and the fastest to brew out of the six machines we tested" - See Bonavita Bv1900ts New 8-cup Coffee Brewer with Stainless Steel Lined Thermal Carafe at Amazon.com.

• To the K-Cup and beyond: Single serve coffee makers reviewed - CNET Reviews, 9/8/13 - "what really stood out for us was the differences in flavor between each unit, even using the same kind of coffee ... The sturdy Bunn MyCafe MCU is our favorite brewer so far, for its sturdy construction, retro design, and, most importantly because it makes the most flavorful cup of coffee" - See BUNN MCU Single Cup Multi-Use Brewer at Amazon.com.  It takes both pods and coffee grounds which isn't clear until you get toward the end of the full review.  Everyone seems to be selling the pods these days including Costco and the military commissaries.  My favorite is the San Francisco French Roast at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Potassium):