Recent Longevity News for the week ending 8/3/16

Resveratrol appears to restore blood-brain barrier integrity in Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 7/27/16 - "Resveratrol, given to Alzheimer's patients, appears to restore the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, reducing the ability of harmful immune molecules secreted by immune cells to infiltrate from the body into brain tissues ... The reduction in neuronal inflammation slowed the cognitive decline of patients, compared to a matching group of placebo-treated patients with the disorder" - See Reserveage Nutrition - Resveratrol with Pterostilbene 500mg, Cellular Age-Defying Formula, 60 veg capsules at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D levels predict risk of brain decline in Chinese elderly - Science Daily, 7/27/16 - "It is now believed to also play a significant role in maintaining healthy brain function. An increased risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases has been observed in those with low vitamin D levels, and studies from Europe and North America have linked low vitamin D levels with future cognitive decline ... individuals with lower vitamin D levels at the start of the study were approximately twice as likely to exhibit significant cognitive decline over time. In addition, low vitamin D levels at baseline also increased the risk of future cognitive impairment by 2-3 times" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

The impact of 1-year vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status in athletes: a dose-response study - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Jul 27 - "Nearly 70% of all athletes showed an insufficient (50-75 nmol/l) or a deficient (<50 nmol/l) 25(OH)D concentration at baseline ... Supplementation with 2200 IU/day vitamin D resulted in a sufficient 25(OH)D concentration in 80% of the athletes after 12 months" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Activation of the AMPK/Sirt1 pathway by a leucine-metformin combination increases insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle, and stimulates glucose and lipid metabolism and increases life span in Caenorhabditis elegans - Metabolism. 2016 Jul 9 - "We have previously shown leucine (Leu) to activate Sirt1 by lowering its KM for NAD+, thereby amplifying the effects of other sirtuin activators and improving insulin sensitivity. Metformin (Met) converges on this pathway both indirectly (via AMPK) and by direct activation of Sirt1 ... Leu and Met synergize to enable Sirt1 activation at low NAD+ concentrations (typical of energy replete states). Sirt1 and AMPK activations are required for Met-Leu's full action, which result in improvements in energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity" - See BulkSupplements Pure L-Leucine Powder (1 Kilogram) and metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Pioglitazone Prevents Diabetes in Insulin-Resistant Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease - Diabetes Care. 2016 Jul 27 - "Among insulin-resistant but nondiabetic patients with a recent ischemic stroke or TIA, pioglitazone decreased the risk of diabetes while also reducing the risk of subsequent ischemic events. Pioglitazone is the first medication shown to prevent both progression to diabetes and major cardiovascular events as prespecified outcomes in a single trial"

Periodontitis is associated with the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and peripheral arterial disease in Korean adults - Atherosclerosis. 2016 Jul 14;251:311-318 - "Our data showed that periodontitis is a substantially important risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease among Korean adults"

The Effects of Folate Supplementation on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Metabolic Status in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome -Ann Nutr Metab. 2016 Jul 23;69(1):41-50 - "Folate supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in maximum levels of left CIMT (-0.05 ± 0.13 vs. +0.02 ± 0.11 mm, p = 0.01) compared with the placebo" - See Methylfolate at Amazon.com.

Effects of Ginkgo Biloba Extract EGb-761 on Neuropathic Pain in Mice: Involvement of Opioid System - Phytother Res. 2016 Jul 25 - "this study suggests that the potential of EGb-761 as a new analgesic for neuropathic pain treatment, and opioid system may be involved in the EGb-761-induced attenuation of thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.

Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial - J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Apr 6 - "A total of 52 subjects under chronic stress received either Ashwagandha (300 mg) or placebo twice daily. Primary efficacy measures were Perceived Stress Scale and Food Cravings Questionnaire. Secondary efficacy measures were Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, serum cortisol, body weight, and body mass index. Each subject was assessed at the start and at 4 and 8 weeks. The treatment with Ashwagandha resulted in significant improvements in primary and secondary measures. Also, the extract was found to be safe and tolerable. The outcome of this study suggests that Ashwagandha root extract can be used for body weight management in adults under chronic stress" - See Ashwagandha at Amazon.com.

American Ginseng Attenuates Colitis Associated Colon Carcinogenesis in Mice: Impact on Gut Microbiota and Metabolomics - Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2016 Jul 21 - "oral ginseng significantly decreased AOM/DSS-induced colitis and colon carcinogenesis by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines, and restoring the metabolomic and microbiota profiles accordingly" - [Nutra USA] - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Effect of coenzyme Q10 plus nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide supplementation on maximum heart rate after exercise testing in chronic fatigue syndrome - A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial - Clin Nutr. 2016 Aug;35(4):826-34 - "80 CFS patients assigned to receive either CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation or matching placebo twice daily ... The CoQ10 plus NADH group showed a significant reduction in max HR during a cycle ergometer test at week 8 versus baseline (P = 0.022). Perception of fatigue also showed a decrease through all follow-up visits in active group versus placebo (P = 0.03). However, pain and sleep did not improve in the active group. Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH was generally safe and well tolerated" - [Nutra USA] - See ubiquinol products at Amazon.com and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide at Amazon.com.

Combined Oral Intake of GABA with Whey Protein Improves Lean Mass in Resistance-trained Men - Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 May;48(5 Suppl 1):54 - "After 12 wk, change in whole body lean mass was significantly higher in the WP+G group compared to the WP group (1340 +/- 465 vs. 146 +/- 218 g." - [Nutra USA] - See GABA at Amazon.com.  GABA is part of my sleep cocktail.  I'm sticking with leucine for the protein part. 

Health Focus (Alzheimer's Disease):