Recent Longevity News for the week ending 7/20/16

Extra virgin olive oil is the best option for frying fish - Science Daily, 7/15/16 - "During the shallow-frying of the fish under domestic conditions, not only do the fish lipids migrate to the frying oil, the components of the oil are also transferred to the fillet of fish. As a result, the composition of the oil used for frying is modified: firstly, it is enriched by the acyl groups ('fatty acids') that are present in a higher concentration in the fish fat than in the original oil, and secondly, and simultaneously, it is depleted in the acyl groups present in a higher concentration in the original oil than in the fish fat. So after having been used for frying, the extra virgin olive oil was richer in omega-3, omega-1 acyl groups, linoleic and saturated fats (from the fish) and poorer in oleic, which is the main acyl group in olive oil. Likewise, after having been used for frying, the sunflower oil was richer in all the acyl group types (coming from the fish) except linoleic, which is the majority acyl group in sunflower oil. Furthermore, after frying, both types of oil were enriched by small amounts of cholesterol (from the fish)"

Can Running Make You Smarter? - NYT, 7/13/16 - "when lab rodents or other animals exercise, they create extra neurons in their brains, a process known as neurogenesis. These new cells then cluster in portions of the brain critical for thinking and recollection ... animals living in cages enlivened with colored toys, flavored varieties of water and other enrichments wind up showing greater neurogenesis than animals in drab, standard cages. But animals given access to running wheels, even if they don’t also have all of the toys and other party-cage extras, develop the most new brain cells of all"

Radical avoidance of plastics in the home: General environmental exposure limits beneficial effects - Science Daily, 7/13/16 - "The family's morning urine was measured at the start of the experiment and after a two-month period, during which they had avoided plastics at home -- this only being possible to a limited extent at work and in school -- to measure 14 phthalate metabolites and Bisphenol A (BPA), which have a health impact. The outcome: even though they avoided every possible contact with plastics at home, they still had a certain bioburden, so that the health effects are minimal ... The experiment and study show: there is no way for us to avoid this exposure." Moreover, the family in question was already very aware of following a healthy lifestyle, so that their exposure to plastics was already below average. That meant that the plastic avoidance campaign had even less effect upon their bioburden. Hutter: "In their case, it was impossible to achieve any further lasting reduction in the concentration of these ever-present substances"

Low Coenzyme Q10 Linked to Multiple System Atrophy - Medscape, 7/13/16 - "We know now that the presence of CoQ10 levels are decreased in patients even without COQ2 variants. That means supplementation of CoQ10 may be effective for patients with or without COQ2 mutations, so it may be effective for all MSA patients ... MSA is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, with patients often experiencing rapid functional decline and poor response to medical therapy ... The study, he said, "presents new data," and the findings are "significant" as CoQ10 plays an important role in mitochondrial function and energy production in cells, in particular neurons in the brain" - See ubiquinol products at Amazon.com.

Why artificial sweeteners can increase appetite - Science Daily, 7/12/16 - "After chronic exposure to a diet that contained the artificial sweetener sucralose, we saw that animals began eating a lot more ... Through systematic investigation of this effect, we found that inside the brain's reward centres, sweet sensation is integrated with energy content. When sweetness versus energy is out of balance for a period of time, the brain recalibrates and increases total calories consumed ... chronic consumption of this artificial sweetener actually increases the sweet intensity of real nutritive sugar, and this then increases the animal's overall motivation to eat more food ... The researchers also found artificial sweeteners promoted hyperactivity, insomnia and decreased sleep quality -- behaviours consistent with a mild starvation or fasting state -- with similar effects on sleep also previously reported in human studies"

Metabolic syndrome linked to sexual dysfunction in older women - Science Daily, 7/12/16 - "women with metabolic syndrome reported low sexual satisfaction, decreased desire, and diminished sexual activity. Waist size, diabetes, and hypertension were additionally associated with decreased sexual activity and elevated triglycerides were linked to lower desire"

Gut bacteria can cause, predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 7/11/16 - "Dr. Taneja treated one group of arthritis-susceptible mice with a bacterium, Prevotella histicola, and compared that to a group that had no treatment. The study found that mice treated with the bacterium had decreased symptom frequency and severity, and fewer inflammatory conditions associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment produced fewer side effects, such as weight gain and villous atrophy -- a condition that prevents the gut from absorbing nutrients -- that may be linked with other, more traditional treatments" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Belly fat: What's the best way to get rid of it? - BBC, 7/11/16 -"The fourth group was the diet group. They were not told to change the type of food they ate ... Their task was simply to reduce portion size, measuring foods with their hands and fingers. They were also told to cut out snacks between meals. The aim was to make this as easy to follow as possible ... The clear winner was the diet-control group. This group lost a collective 35kg (77lb) between them which was an average of 3.7kg (8.2lb) each over just six weeks. Their average waistline reduced by 5cm (2in)"

Consuming probiotics promotes weight loss, reduces BMI - Science Daily, 7/11/16 - "Researchers from the Department of Cardiology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou, China combined the findings of 25 randomized human trials investigating the impact of probiotic consumption on body weight and BMI in over 1,900 healthy adults. They found taking probiotics reduced BMI and body weight with the greatest reduction in BMI occurring in overweight adults. Interestingly, ingesting more than one type of probiotic and taking probiotics for 8 weeks or more resulted in increased weight loss" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Pomegranate finally reveals its powerful anti-aging secret - Science Daily, 7/11/16 - "The team started out by testing their hypothesis on the usual suspect: the nematode C. elegans. It's a favorite test subject among aging experts, because after just 8-10 days it's already considered elderly. The lifespan of worms exposed to urolithin A increased by more than 45% compared with the control group ... These initial encouraging results led the team to test the molecule on animals that have more in common with humans. In the rodent studies, like with C. elegans, a significant reduction in the number of mitochondria was observed, indicating that a robust cellular recycling process was taking place. Older mice, around two years of age, showed 42% better endurance while running than equally old mice in the control group" - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Taurine and magnesium supplementation enhances the function of endothelial progenitor cells through antioxidation in healthy men and spontaneously hypertensive rats - Hypertens Res. 2016 Jul 14 - "Endothelial damage is repaired by endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are pivotal in preventing cardiovascular diseases and prolonging lifespan ... Taurine and Mg supplementation increased EPC colony formation in healthy men and improved impaired EPC function in SHRs through antioxidation, indicating that the dietary intake of taurine and Mg may prolong lifespan by preventing the progression of cardiovascular diseases" - See Magtein at Amazon.com and taurine at Amazon.com.

Subchronic treatment with grape-seed phenolics inhibits ghrelin production despite a short-term stimulation of ghrelin secretion produced by bitter-sensing flavanols - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Jul 15 - "Grape-seed phenolic compounds have recently been described as satiating agents in rats when administered as a whole phenolic extract (GSPE) ... The sustained satiating effects of GSPE are related to a long-term decrease in ghrelin expression" - See Best Naturals Grape Seed Extract 400 mg Veggie Capsule, 120 Count.

• Ghrelin - wikipedia.org - "When the stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted. When the stomach is stretched, secretion stops.a It acts on hypothalamic brain cells both to increase hunger, and to increase gastric acid secretion and gastrointestinal motility to prepare the body for food intake"

Acute Resveratrol Consumption Improves Neurovascular Coupling Capacity in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Nutrients. 2016 Jul 12;8(7) - "Poor cerebral perfusion may contribute to cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) ... Thirty-six T2DM adults aged 40-80 years were randomized to consume single doses of resveratrol (0, 75, 150 and 300 mg) at weekly intervals ... Thirty-six T2DM adults aged 40-80 years were randomized to consume single doses of resveratrol (0, 75, 150 and 300 mg) at weekly intervals" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.

Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Meso-zeaxanthin Supplementation Associated with Macular Pigment Optical Density - Nutrients. 2016 Jul 12;8(7) - "macular pigment optical density (MPOD) ... This meta-analysis revealed that lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin supplementation improved MPOD both in AMD patients and healthy subjects with a dose-response relationship" - See carotenoids at Amazon.com.

The relationship between peripheral blood mononuclear cells telomere length and diet - unexpected effect of red meat - Nutr J. 2016 Jul 14;15(1):68 - "PBMC telomere length were measured with qualitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rtPCR) method and expressed as a T/S ratio ... Among nine food types (cereal, fruits, vegetables, diary, red meat, poultry, fish, sweets and salty snacks) and eight beverages (juices, coffee, tea, mineral water, alcoholic- and sweetened carbonated beverages) only intake of red meat was related to T/S ratio. Individuals with increased consumption of red meat have had higher T/S ratio"

A Novel Extract of Fenugreek Husk (FenuSMART™) Alleviates Postmenopausal Symptoms and Helps to Establish the Hormonal Balance: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study - Phytother Res. 2016 Jul 13 - "investigated the effect of 90-day supplementation of a standardized extract of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) (FenuSMART™), at a dose of 1000 mg/day ... There was a significant (p < 0.01) increase in plasma estradiol (120%) and improvements on various postmenopausal discomforts and quality of life of the participants in the extract-treated group, as compared with the baseline and placebo. While 32% of the subjects in the extract group reported no hot flashes after supplementation, the others had a reduction to one to two times per day from the baseline stages of three to five times a day. Further analysis of haematological and biochemical parameters revealed the safety of the extract and its plausible role in the management of lipid profile among menopausal women" - See fenugreek at Amazon.com.

Tomato-based randomized controlled trial in prostate cancer patients: Effect on PSA - Clin Nutr. 2016 Jun 30 - "79 patients with prostate cancer were randomized to a nutritional intervention with either 1) tomato products containing 30 mg lycopene per day; 2) tomato products plus selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, soy isoflavones, grape/pomegranate juice, and green/black tea (tomato-plus); or 3) control diet for 3 weeks ... Post-hoc, exploratory analyses within intermediate risk (n = 41) patients based on tumor classification and Gleason score post-surgery, revealed that median PSA decreased significantly in the tomato group as compared to controls (-2.9% and +6.5% respectively, p = 0.016). In separate post-hoc analyses, we observed that median PSA-values decreased by 1% in patients with the highest increases in plasma lycopene, selenium and C20:5 n-3 fatty acid, compared to an 8.5% increase in the patients with the lowest increase in lycopene, selenium and C20:5 n-3 fatty acid (p = 0.003). Also, PSA decreased in patients with the highest increase in lycopene alone (p = 0.009)" - See lycopene at Amazon.com.

Waist circumference is superior to weight and BMI in predicting sexual symptoms, voiding symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms in men with hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction - Andrologia. 2016 Jul 12 - "We investigated whether three measurements of obesity, weight, body mass index and waist circumference, correlate with the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaires ... waist circumference was significantly inversely proportional to IIEF-5 and directly proportional to AMS and IPSS. Weight was inversely proportional to IIEF and directly proportional to IPSS but not associated with AMS. BMI had no proportionality to measurements of sexual function and quality of life. These results suggest that among weight, BMI and waist circumference, the latter is the best predictor of health-related QoL in men with hypogonadism"

Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials - Hypertension. 2016 Jul 11 - "Mg supplementation at a median dose of 368 mg/d for a median duration of 3 months significantly reduced systolic BP by 2.00 mm Hg" - See Magtein at Amazon.com.

The effect of pomegranate juice on clinical signs, matrix metalloproteinases and antioxidant status in patients with knee osteoarthritis - J Sci Food Agric. 2016 Jan 25 - "Significant decreases in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) total score (P= 0.01), stiffness score (p=0.00) and physical function score (p=0.01) were observed in PJ group after the intervention. The means of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -13 was significantly decreased (p=0.02) and glutathione peroxidase was increased in the intervention group compared with the control group after the study period" - [Nutra USA] - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.

Regulation of structural and functional synapse density by L-threonate through modulation of intraneuronal magnesium concentration - Neuropharmacology. 2016 Sep;108:426-39 - "Oral administration of the combination of L-threonate (threonate) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) in the form of L-Threonic acid Magnesium salt (L-TAMS) can enhance learning and memory in young rats and prevent memory decline in aging rats and in Alzheimer's disease model mice. Recent results from a human clinical trial demonstrate the efficacy of L-TAMS in restoring global cognitive abilities of older adults ... The current study provides an explanation for why threonate is an essential component of L-TAMS and supports the use of L-TAMS to promote cognitive abilities in human" - [Nutra USA] - See Magtein at Amazon.com.

Effect of Pomegranate Hull Extract on Liver Neoplastic Changes in Rats: More than an Antioxidant - Nutr Cancer. 2016 Jul 6 - "The current work was designed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumorigenic effect of pomegranate hull extract (PHE) in livers of rats exposed to the hepatocarcinogen diethyl nitrosamine (DENA) with emphasis on oxidative stress, proliferation, and apoptosis. Male albino rats were divided into three groups: normal control, DENA group, and PHE group. PHE was given to rats orally 3 times weekly for 10 wk, 4 wk before and 6 wk after DENA (200 mg/kg, single i.p. dose). The results indicated a prophylactic effect of PHE against neoplastic changes in the liver, which was evidenced by the decrease of tumor size, liver index, and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2; and the increase of glutathione. PHE group also showed decreased expression of liver cyclin D1 and β-catenin genes compared with DENA group. It is proved that PHE has antitumorigenic effect and could be a candidate for anticancer drugs" - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.

Beneficial Effects of Enteral Docosahexaenoic Acid on the Markers of Inflammation and Clinical Outcomes of Neonates Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery: An Intervention Study - Ann Nutr Metab. 2016 Jul 9 - "organ dysfunctions (ODs) ... DHA group presented less sepsis, ODs and shorter stay" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com. 

Health Focus (Homocysteine):