Recent Longevity News for the week ending 7/22/15

Antibiotic Use Linked to Juvenile Arthritis - Medscape, 7/20/15 - "One or more courses of antibiotic therapy was associated with an increased risk of developing JIA when compared with control subjects (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 - 3.5), and "[t]he magnitude of the association increased with additional antibiotic courses." This association was noted after adjusting for matching, previous infection, or other autoimmune disease"

Dairy products boost effectiveness of probiotics - Science Daily, 7/17/15 - "The mice that ingested the probiotic in milk had reduced symptoms compared to those that were fed milk without the probiotic, and the ones that received the probiotic within a nonfood supplement"

Resveratrol, quercetin could provide new options for cancer therapy - Science Daily, 7/16/15 - "The co-administration of high levels of resveratrol and quercetin, in both in vitro and in vivo studies, shows that it significantly reduces the cardiac toxicity of Adriamycin," Alani said. "And these compounds have a synergistic effect that enhances the efficacy of the cancer drug, by sensitizing the cancer cells to the effects of the drug." - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com and quercetin at Amazon.com.

Nutrient Supplements Ease Anxiety, Stress Due to Disasters - Medscape, 7/15/15 - "Seventeen participants were randomly assigned to receive vitamin D supplementation (1000 IU in one capsule daily); 21 were assigned to a regimen with "few nutrients" consisting of a vitamin B–complex supplement containing B6, B12, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, d-pantothenic acid, intrinsic factor, biotin, and niacin (one capsule daily); and 18 received a broad-spectrum mineral and vitamin (BSMV) formula (four capsules daily). Overall compliance with the nutrient supplements during the 6-week study period was high in all three groups (roughly 93%) ... throughout the 6 weeks, all groups showed substantial decreases on all measures, but those taking the B-complex or the BSMV formulas showed significantly greater improvement in stress and anxiety levels relative to those taking only vitamin D, with "large" effect sizes (Cohen's d range, 0.76 - 1.08)"

Vitamin A is for anti-aging, at least when it comes to vision - The Washington Post, 7/14/15 - "There are essentially two forms of the vitamin: retinoids, or preformed vitamin A, found in animal products and carotenoids; and provitamin A, dark-colored plant pigments that are converted to vitamin A in the body ... Food sources: Liver, shrimp, salmon, sardines, halibut, cod, beef, lamb, eggs, whole milk, whole yogurt ... Carotenoids are antioxidants that prevent and repair cellular damage and aging and reduce inflammation in the eyes and elsewhere in the body. The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are found in the retina of the human eye and have been shown to help prevent age-related macular degeneration. Carotenoids also may reduce the risk for cancer ... Food sources: Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, other dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, apricots and cantaloupe ... Not only does vitamin A help with eyesight by producing the pigments of the retina and preventing macular degeneration, but it also helps create and maintain healthy skin (hence the popularity of topical Retin-A skincare products) ... Avoid excessively bright light from harsh interior lighting or strong sunlight. Most offices are twice as bright as they need to be. Use low-intensity light bulbs and floor lamps instead of fluorescent lighting" - See Puritan's Pride Lutein 20 mg with Zeaxanthin-120 Softgels at Amazon.com.

This is your brain on fried eggs: Brain, motivation and eating a high-fat diet - Science Daily, 7/14/15 - "Fulton's study is the first of its kind to show that, regardless of weight changes, unrestrained intake of saturated fats can have negative effects on the controls of motivation by the brain. "As we were able to control for changes in body weight, hormones and glucose levels, we think that the fats may be affecting the dopamine system by a direct action in the brain," Fulton said. "We in fact have separate evidence that brain inflammation could be involved in this process, as it is evoked by saturated high-fat feeding"

Abstracts from this week:

Green Tea, Intermittent Sprinting Exercise, and Fat Oxidation - Nutrients. 2015 Jul 13 - "After GTE ingestion, however, at rest and post-exercise, fat oxidation was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than that after placebo. Plasma glycerol levels at rest and 15 min during post-exercise were significantly higher (p < 0.05) after GTE consumption compared to placebo. Compared to placebo, plasma catecholamines increased significantly after GTE consumption and 20 min after ISE (p < 0.05). Acute GTE ingestion significantly increased fat oxidation under resting and post-exercise conditions when compared to placebo" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Fruit, Vegetable and Dietary Carotenoid Intakes Explain Variation in Skin-Color in Young Caucasian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study - Nutrients. 2015 Jul 15 - "Fruit and vegetables contain carotenoid pigments, which accumulate in human skin, contributing to its yellowness. This effect has a beneficial impact on appearance ... Higher combined fruit and vegetable intakes (β = 0.8, p = 0.017) were associated with higher overall skin yellowness values. Higher fruit combined fruit and vegetable intakes (β = 1.0, p = 0.004) were associated with increased unexposed skin yellowness. Combined fruit and vegetables plus dietary carotenoid intakes contribute to skin yellowness in young Caucasian women. Evaluation of interventions using improvements in appearance as an incentive for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in young women is warranted"

Atherosclerosis following renal injury is ameliorated by pioglitazone and losartan via macrophage phenotype - Atherosclerosis. 2015 Jul 4 - "Combination of pioglitazone and losartan is more effective in reducing renal injury-induced atherosclerosis than either treatment alone. This benefit reflects mitigation in macrophage cytokine production, enhanced apoptosis, and a shift toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype"

International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine - J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Jul 15 - "Daily supplementation with 4 to 6 g of beta-alanine for at least 2 to 4 weeks has been shown to improve exercise performance, with more pronounced effects in open end-point tasks/time trials lasting 1 to 4 min in duration; 5) Beta-alanine attenuates neuromuscular fatigue, particularly in older subjects, and preliminary evidence indicates that beta-alanine may improve tactical performance" - See beta-alanine at Amazon.com.

Effect of Astaxanthin Supplementation on Salivary IgA, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Young Soccer Players - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015 - "The plasma muscle enzymes levels were reduced significantly by Asx supplementation and by regular training. The increase in neutrophil count and hs-CRP level was found only in placebo group, indicating a significant blunting of the systemic inflammatory response in the subjects taking Asx. This study indicates that Asx supplementation improves sIgA response and attenuates muscle damage, thus preventing inflammation induced by rigorous physical training. Our findings also point that Asx could show significant physiologic modulation in individuals with mucosal immunity impairment or under conditions of increased oxidative stress and inflammation" - See Puritan's Pride Lutein 20 mg with Zeaxanthin-120 Softgels at Amazon.com.

L-Carnitine enhances exercise endurance capacity by promoting muscle oxidative metabolism in mice - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2015 Jul 8 - "These results suggest that LC administration promotes fat oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis while sparing stored glycogen in skeletal muscle during prolonged exercise, resulting in enhanced endurance capacity" - See acetyl l-carnitine products at Amazon.com and l-carnitine at Amazon.com. 

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