Recent Longevity News for the week ending 3/16/16

Blueberries, the well-known 'super fruit,' could help fight Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 3/14/16 - "One study involved 47 adults aged 68 and older, who had mild cognitive impairment, a risk condition for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers gave them either freeze-dried blueberry powder, which is equivalent to a cup of berries, or a placebo powder once a day for 16 weeks ... The blueberry group demonstrated improved memory and improved access to words and concepts ... The team also conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which showed increased brain activity in those who ingested the blueberry powder" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

One in four seniors have superbugs on their hands after a hospital stay, new research finds - Science Daily, 3/14/16 - "Researchers tested the same patients' hands after two weeks and then monthly, for up to six months or until their discharge home from the post-acute care facility. During the follow-up visits, they found not only did these organisms persist, but even more seniors acquired superbugs on their hands -- up from one in four (24.1 percent) to more than one in three (34.2 percent) ... A high level of MDROs on patient hands increases the chance that these superbugs will be transmitted to other frail patients and health care workers" - The first thing I do whenever I return home from the hospital or doctor's office is throw my closes in the laundry and take a shower.

Gum Disease Connected to Open-Angle Glaucoma - Medsacpe, 3/14/16 - "The hypothesis for this link is that local infection and inflammation at the base of the tooth could release factors that travel to the eye and trigger an inflammatory response that could lead to the development of glaucoma ... The risk for primary open-angle glaucoma was 43% higher in men who reported the loss of one or more teeth at the most recent update than in men who reported no lost teeth ... And the risk for primary open-angle glaucoma was an 86% higher in men who reported any tooth loss with periodontal disease"

Ask Well: Does Skipping Breakfast Cause Weight Gain? - NYT, 3/11/16 - "The food industry has promoted this claim for decades to sell breakfast cereal. But rigorous scientific studies have found no evidence that it’s true"

Link between gum disease and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s - 3/10/16 - "The presence of gum disease at baseline was associated with a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline in participants over the six-month follow-up period of the study ... growing evidence from a number of studies links the body's inflammatory response to increased rates of cognitive decline, suggesting that it would be worth exploring whether the treatment of gum disease might also benefit the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease" - Here's a cut and paste with my solution in addition to 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.

Serotonin deficiency implicated in rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 3/9/16 - "both the number and activity of osteoclasts were higher in 5-HT-deficient mice with arthritis. In addition, more bone resorption was detected both at the affected joints and at remote sites ... The serotonin-deficient mice with arthritis also showed changes in certain cell-signaling molecules known as cytokines (higher IL-17, higher TNF-α, and lower IL-4) in their paws. Specifically, they displayed a shift in the balance between T cell subtypes, especially regulatory T cells and Th17 lymphocytes ... "Altogether, our data show that 5-HT?deficient mice are characterized by a relative, dampened expansion of Treg associated with an enhanced shift toward a Th17 phenotype, a situation previously described in patients with arthritis" - I don't know what all the means but it raises the question whether taking 5-HTP might help.

Cannabis in First-Episode Psychosis Linked to Poor Outcomes - Medscape, 3/8/16 - "Cannabis use by patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) is associated with significantly worse clinical outcomes over time"

Abstracts from this week:

Effects of Transdermal Testosterone Gel or an Aromatase Inhibitor on Prostate Volume in older men - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Mar 7 - "Randomization to 5 g transdermal testosterone gel (TT), 1 mg oral aromatase inhibitor (AI) or placebo daily for 12 months ... lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) score ... Serum testosterone levels increased in both intervention groups; estradiol levels increased in the TT-group while it decreased in the AI-group. At 12 months, prostate volume significantly increased (4.5±1.76 cc, p<0.05) only in the TT group. Increase in PSA levels were seen in both intervention groups at 6 months (p<0.01 and p<0.001). LUTS score increased only in the TT group (p<0.05)" - Everything I've read points to AI being a better way to go then TT.  I take a quarter tablet of Femara (letrozole) twice per week.

The Dietary Inflammatory Index Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Risk in French Middle-Aged Adults in a Prospective Study - J Nutr. 2016 Mar 9 - "Chronic inflammation is one of the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis. Diet is a major source of pro- and anti-inflammatory compounds ... Consistent with mechanistic data, findings from this study indicated that proinflammatory diets are associated with increased prostate cancer risk and, in low-to-moderate alcohol drinkers, with increased overall and breast cancer risk"

Supplementation with α-Lipoic Acid Alone or in Combination with Eicosapentaenoic Acid Modulates the Inflammatory Status of Healthy Overweight or Obese Women Consuming an Energy-Restricted Diet - J Nutr. 2016 Mar 9 - "Dietary supplementation with LA improves some systemic inflammatory and cardiovascular disease-related risk markers in healthy overweight or obese women independently of weight loss, whereas EPA modulates inflammation-related genes in adipose tissue" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com and fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Effects of dutasteride on serum free-testosterone and clinical significance of testosterone changes - Andrologia. 2016 Mar 8 - "Serum free-testosterone levels were 20.4% higher after 1 month and remained constant thereafter ... These results indicate that dutasteride increases serum free-testosterone levels in BPH patients, particularly with low baseline free-testosterone levels, and the increase in free-testosterone may have further add-on impacts on their urinary tract symptoms"

The Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Explosive Performance and Optimal Individual Postactivation Potentiation Time - Nutrients. 2016 Mar 4;8(3) - "repetition maximum (1RM) strength ... After the supplementation, the 1RM strength in the creatine group significantly increased" - See creatine at Amazon.com.

A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the behavioural effects of vitamin, mineral and n-3 fatty acid supplementation in typically developing adolescent schoolchildren - Br J Nutr. 2016 Jan;115(2):361-73 - "Nutrient deficiencies have been implicated in anti-social behaviour in schoolchildren; hence, correcting them may improve sociability. We therefore tested the effects of vitamin, mineral and n-3 supplementation on behaviour in a 12-week double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial in typically developing UK adolescents aged 13-16 years ... On the Conners disruptive behaviour scale, the group given the active supplements improved, whereas the placebo group worsened" - [Nutra USA] - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.

Macronutrients Intake and Incident Frailty in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study - J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2016 Mar 4 - "monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) ... Intake of total protein, animal protein, and MUFAs was inversely associated with incident frailty. Promoting the intake of these nutrients might reduce frailty"

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

The best clothing iron and ironing board - Engadget.com, 3/8/16 - "The Rowenta DW9280 SteamForce iron was the best overall at wrinkle busting in our tests. It melted creases out of linen napkins and pressed quilt seams with almost no effort. We've never seen an iron give off more steam" - I had a Black & Decker and I'm sticking with the Rowenta.  I've got the DW5080 though.  Seems like they liked the Rowenta better also but their problem was the cost. You get what you pay for.  See Rowenta irons at Amazon.

Health Focus (First line medications for hypertension):