Recent Longevity News for the week ending 6/22/16

New link found between diabetes, Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 6/21/16 - "Alzheimer's Disease and type 2 diabetes are so closely related that drugs currently used to control glucose levels in diabetes may also alleviate the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's disease ... around 80% of people with Alzheimer's disease also have some form of diabetes or disturbed glucose metabolism. This is hugely relevant as Alzheimer's is in the vast majority of cases not inherited, and lifestyle factors and comorbidities must therefore be to blame"

Pioglitazone Slows Progression to Type 2 Diabetes: More IRIS Data - Medscape, 6/17/16 - "Pioglitazone halved the progression to diabetes in people with insulin resistance and cerebrovascular disease ... pioglitazone reduced by a significant 24% the risk for recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction (MI) in people with insulin resistance, no frank diabetes, and a recent history of stroke or transient ischemic attack ... Pioglitazone also previously showed cardiovascular benefit in the 2005 PROactive trial, with a significant 16% reduction in death, MI, and stroke ... Pioglitazone is the only oral type 2 diabetes drug with clear antiatherosclerosis effects ... ACT NOW lead author, believes the time is right to take another look at pioglitazone ... I think pioglitazone, particularly in lower doses…is an ideal drug for prevention of diabetes"

5 Diet Drugs: Which Ones Work? - WebMD, 6/14/16 - "People on Qsymia typically lost the most weight -- almost 20 pounds more, versus study patients given placebo pills. They were also nine times more likely to drop at least 5 percent of their initial weight"

Abstracts from this week:

What Constitutes Normal Hemoglobin Concentrations in Community-Dwelling Older Adults? - J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Jun;64(6) - "Men with hemoglobin concentrations of 15.0 to 15.9 g/dL and women with hemoglobin concentrations of 13.0 to 13.9 g/dL had the lowest risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Risks of all-cause and cancer mortality increased significantly when hemoglobin concentrations were less than 14 g/dL in men and less than 12 g/dL in women. Even mild anemia (11.0-11.9 g/dL) was associated with greater mortality risk"

Resveratrol attenuates peripheral and brain inflammation and reduces ischemic brain injury in aged female mice - Neurobiol Aging. 2016 Aug;44:74-84 - "These results showed that resveratrol counteracted inflammation in visceral adipose tissue and in the brain and reduced stroke-induced brain injury and peripheral inflammation in aged female mice. Therefore, resveratrol administration can be a valuable strategy for the prevention of age-associated and disease-provoked inflammation in postmenopausal women" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.

Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profiles in patients with coronary artery disease - Lipids Health Dis. 2016 Jun 17;15(1):107 - "LC supplementation at a dose of 1000 mg/d showed significantly increased in HDL-C and Apo-A1 levels and a slight decrease in TG levels but no other changes in other lipids in CAD patients, and this lipid-lowering effect may be related to its antioxidant ability" - See L-carnitine at Amazon.com.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Beneficial Effects of Flavonoids - Phytother Res. 2016 Jun 16 - "Flavonoids prevent hepatosteatosis by increasing fatty acid oxidation in the liver. They can also reduce caloric intake and decrease body weight and fat deposition in visceral tissues. Flavonoids are unique antioxidants that exert their beneficial effects through inhibition of nuclear factor κB, thereby attenuating release of inflammatory cytokines, which are triggers of insulin resistance. Finally, flavonoids have shown to increase adiponectin, improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, correct dyslipidemia, and reduce blood pressure in patients with NAFLD" - See flavonoids at Amazon.com.

Garlic Attenuates Plasma and Kidney ACE-1 and AngII Modulations in Early Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats: Renal Clearance and Blood Pressure Implications - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:8142394 - "These GE induced rectifications were associated with moderation in BP elevation and renal clearance functions. Garlic attenuates modulations in plasma and kidney ACE-1 and AngII, in addition to BP and renal clearance function in type-1 DM" - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

The best air conditioner - Engadget.com, 6/21/16 - "After five summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. It cools as efficiently and effectively as any of the latest ACs with an equal Btu rating, and compared with other window ACs at this price, it's easier on the ears and gives you more control. The LG is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too ... If our main pick is sold out, grab the Frigidaire FFRE0833S1, our former top pick in this guide. It's a little bit louder and higher-pitched than our new pick, but it's an equally capable performer that's usually around the same price. The Frigidaire is also a little bit easier to install because it's smaller and lighter ... If you're installing an air conditioner in your bedroom, or you just value peace and quiet in any other room, treat yourself to the (relatively) hushed performance of the Haier Serenity Series ESAQ408P. It gets quieter than any other window air conditioner we tested, offers tons of control, and is relatively easy to install ... we think that the Haier HPN12XCM is the best portable air conditioner for most people" - The problem with reviews is that they almost never factor in repairs and reliability. I had a LG dishwasher and washing machine and trashed them both because I got feed up with the repairs. You get what you pay for.

Health Focus (Hair Loss):