Recent Longevity News for the week ending 1/13/16

Popular heartburn medication linked to chronic kidney disease - Washington Post, 1/11/16- "When they studied the records of more than 10,000 people treated in community-based settings, the researchers found a 20 percent to 50 percent greater risk of the onset of chronic kidney disease among users of the drugs than those who did not take them. The association also turned up when they examined the records of more than 248,000 people treated in a Pennsylvania hospital system ... The link to kidney disease did not appear when the researchers looked at medications such as Zantac and Pepcid, which combat heartburn in a different way, by blocking histamine production in the cells that line the stomach"

The next iPhone software update will help you sleep better - CNET, 1/11/16 - "iOS 9.3, the next version of its mobile software, will include a feature called Night Shift that changes the display to make it "easier on your eyes" before you go to bed ... Study after study after study has shown that light given off by electronics affects our sleep. The main issue is the blue light from LED screens can slow or halt the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals our brain that it's time for bed"

Most top-selling, over-the-counter sexual treatments unproven, some could be harmful, review shows - Science Daily, 1/12/16 - "DHEA ... Fenugreek ... Ginkgo Biloba ... Ginseng ... Horny Goat Weed ... L-arginine ... Maca ... Tribulus ... Yohimbine ... Zinc"

Intravaginal DHEA Eases Postmenopausal Vaginal Dryness, Pain - Medscape, 1/6/16 - "unlike lubricants and moisturizers, it actually corrects the problem ... Gynecologists saw 86% to 121% improvements in vaginal secretions, lining thickness, and tissue color in the women who used DHEA" - [Abstract]

7 proven strategies to keep your brain sharp - today.com, 1/6/16 - "Exercise ... Consume olive oil ... Add fish to your diet ... Read and write — often ... Cut back on booze ... Get your blood sugar under control ... Keep busy"

Higher risk of leukemia linked to low sunlight, vitamin D - Science Daily, 1/6/16 - "These results suggest that much of the burden of leukemia worldwide is due to the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency we are experiencing in winter in populations distant from the equator" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Acute effects of a wild green-oat (Avena sativa) extract on cognitive function in middle-aged adults: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects trial - Nutr Neurosci. 2015 Nov 30 - "A wild green-oats extract (Neuravena®) containing a range of potentially bioactive components, including flavonoids and triterpene saponins, has previously been shown to enhance animal stress responses and memory, and improve cognitive performance in humans at a dose of 1600 mg ... The results showed that 800mg GOE increased the speed of performance across post-dose assessments on a global measure including data from all of the timed tasks. It also improved performance of a delayed word recall task in terms of errors and an executive function task (Peg and Ball) in terms of decreased thinking time and overall completion time. Working memory span (Corsi blocks) was also increased, but only on the second occasion that this dose was taken" - [Nutra USA] - See wild oat extract at Amazon.com.

Influence of exercise training with resveratrol supplementation on skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity - Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Jan;41(1):26-32 - "Physical inactivity reduces, and exercise training increases, mitochondrial capacity ... Sixteen healthy young adults were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to consume either placebo or 500 mg of resveratrol plus 10 mg of piperine, a bioenhancer to increase bioavailibilty and bioefficacy of resveratrol ... Changes in mitochondrial capacity from baseline to post-testing indicated significant differences between the resveratrol+piperine-trained arm and the placebo-trained arm (p = 0.02), with the resveratrol+piperine group increasing about 40% from baseline (Δk = 0.58), while the placebo group increased about 10% from baseline (Δk = 0.13). Neither the placebo group nor the resveratrol+piperine group exhibited changes in mitochondrial capacity in the untrained arm" - [Nutra USA] - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com and piperine extract at Amazon.com.

Single-blind, placebo controlled randomised clinical study of chitosan for body weight reduction - Nutr J. 2016 Jan 8;15(1):3 - "A phase IV, randomised, multicentre, single-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study was conducted by administering chitosan capsules (500 mg, five/day) and indistinguishable placebo capsules as daily supplements to 96 overweight and obese subjects for 90 days ... The mean changes in body weight were -1.78 ± 1.37 kg and -3.10 ± 1.95 kg at day 45 and day 90 respectively in chitosan group which were significantly different (p < 0.0001) as compared to placebo. BMI was decreased by10.91 fold compared to placebo after 90 day administration. In concert with this, there was also reduction in body composition and anthropometric parameters together with improvement in QoL score. Chitosan was also able to reduce HbA1C levels (below 6 %) in subjects who had initial higher values. The mean caloric intake shows that there was no change in dietary habits of subjects in both groups" - [Nutra USA] - Note: 3.1 kilograms is 6.8 pounds in 90 days or 27 pounds per year.  See chitosan products at Amazon.com.

Which has the stronger impact on coronary artery disease, eicosapentaenoic acid or docosahexaenoic acid? - Hypertens Res. 2016 Jan 7 - "Our findings suggest that interventions with EPA agents or supplemental EPA intake, compared with DHA agents or supplemental DHA, may confer greater benefit for plaque stabilization to prevent the onset of ACS in patients with CAD"

Greater Total Antioxidant Capacity from Diet and Supplements Is Associated with a Less Atherogenic Blood Profile in U.S. Adults - Nutrients. 2016 Jan 4;8(1) - "The findings of this study support the hypothesis that an antioxidant-rich diet and intake of supplements are beneficial to reduce CVD risk"

DHA Effects in Brain Development and Function - Nutrients. 2016 Jan 4;8(1) - "While DHA levels may affect early development, potential effects are also increasingly recognized during childhood and adult life, suggesting a role of DHA in cognitive decline and in relation to major psychiatric disorders" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Quercetin Attenuates Chronic Ethanol-Induced Hepatic Mitochondrial Damage through Enhanced Mitophagy - Nutrients. 2016 Jan 5;8(1) - "Quercetin alleviated ethanol-elicited mitochondrial damage through enhancing mitophagy, highlighting a promising preventive strategy for alcoholic liver disease" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

Association between Blood Omega-3 Index and Cognition in Typically Developing Dutch Adolescents - Nutrients. 2016 Jan 2;8(1) - "This is a possible indication for a higher information processing speed and less impulsivity in those with a higher Omega-3 Index" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Magnesium Levels in Drinking Water and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analysis - Nutrients. 2016 Jan 2;8(1) - "drinking water magnesium level was significantly inversely associated with CHD mortality" - See Jarrow Formulas, MagMind at Amazon.com.

Association between vitamin C Intake and the risk of cervical neoplasia: A meta-analysis - Nutr Cancer. 2016 Jan 5:1-10 - "In overall analysis, vitamin C intake was significantly associated with the reduced risk of CN (OR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.75; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis stratified by vitamin C dose indicated all dose categories achieved a reduced CN risk. Furthermore, increased vitamin C intake by 50 mg/day was related to the reduced risk of CN (OR = 0.92" - See American Health Products - Ester C W/Citrus Bioflavonoids, 1000 mg, 180 veg tablets at Amazon.com. 

Health Focus (Weight Management):