Recent Longevity News for the week ending 3/22/17

More than half of college football athletes have inadequate levels of vitamin D - Science Daily, 3/17/17 - "Vitamin D has been shown to play a role in muscle function and strength ... The average age of the athletes was 22. Their vitamin D levels were determined with a blood test. Levels were defined as normal (? 32 ng/mL), insufficient (20 -- 31 ng/mL), and deficient (< 20 ng/mL) ... A total of 126 players (59%) were found to have an abnormal serum vitamin D level, including 22 athletes (10%) with a severe deficiency. Researchers found a significantly higher prevalence of lower extremity muscle strain and core muscle injury in those who had low vitamin D levels. Fourteen study participants reported missing at least one game due to a strain injury, and 86% of those players were found to have inadequate vitamin D levels" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Link between Vitamin D treatment and autism prevention - Science Daily, 3/17/17 - "We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits"

Dietary anti-cancer compound may work by influence on cellular genetics - Science Daily, 3/16/17 - "They found that sulforaphane, a dietary compound from broccoli that's known to help prevent prostate cancer, may work through its influence on long, non-coding RNAs ... Scientists now believe that when these lncRNAs are dysregulated they can contribute to multiple disease processes, including cancer ... Unlike many chemotherapeutic drugs that affect healthy cells as well as malignant ones and can cause undesired side effects, the control of lncRNAs may offer a new way to specifically prevent or slow the progression of malignant cells ... In particular, this research showed that one lncRNA, called LINC01116, is upregulated in a human cell line of prostate cancer, but can be decreased by treatment with sulforaphane" - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

Vitamin B an unlikely weapon in the war against pollution, new study suggests - CNN, 3/14/17 - "The experiment was then repeated, with each volunteer taking a B vitamin supplement daily -- made up of 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 ... The researchers found that four weeks of B vitamin supplements reduced the damage of PM2.5 exposure by 28-76%"

Abstracts from this week:

The Effect of Green Tea Consumption on Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression: A Systematic Review - Nutr Cancer. 2017 Apr;69(3):353-364 - "Findings demonstrate that green tea appears to be an effective chemopreventive agent, particularly in those with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Docosahexaenoic acid enrichment in NAFLD is associated with improvements in hepatic metabolism and hepatic insulin sensitivity: a pilot study - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2017 Mar 15 - "The findings from our pilot study indicate that individuals who achieved a change in erythrocyte DHA enrichment >2% show favourable changes in hepatic FA metabolism and insulin sensitivity, which may contribute to decreasing hepatic fat content" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Effects of vitamin C supplementation on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2017 Mar 15 - "Overall, vitamin C did not modify glucose, HbA1c and insulin concentrations. However, subgroup analyses showed that vitamin C significantly reduced glucose concentrations (-0.44 mmol/l, 95% CI: -0.81, -0.07, P=0.01) in patients with type 2 diabetes and in interventions with a duration greater than 30 days (-0.53%, 95% CI: -0.79, -0.10, P=0.02). Vitamin C administration had greater effects on fasting (-13.63 pmol/l, 95% CI: -22.73, -4.54, P<0.01) compared to postprandial insulin concentration. Meta-regression analyses showed that age was a modifier of the effect of vitamin C on insulin concentration ... In conclusion, greater reduction in glucose concentrations observed in patients with diabetes, older individuals and with more prolonged supplementation. Personalised interventions with vitamin C may represent a feasible future strategy to enhance benefits and efficacy of interventions" - See American Health Products - Ester C W/Citrus Bioflavonoids, 1000 mg, 180 veg tablets at Amazon.com.

Vinegar consumption can attenuate postprandial glucose and insulin responses; a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2017 Mar 2;127:1-9 - "The findings suggest that vinegar can be effective in reducing postprandial glucose and insulin levels, indicating it could be considered as an adjunctive tool for improving glycemic control" - See apple cider vinegar at Amazon.com - 1 Source Natural 500 mg tablet equals 2 teaspoons of vinegar.  4.5 tablets equals about 3 tablespoons by my calculations.

• Ask Well: Can Vinegar Aid Weight Loss? - NYT, 3/29/16 - "The weight loss claims hinge mostly on a 2009 clinical trial of obese Japanese adults that found those who consumed a beverage containing one or two tablespoons of vinegar every day lost two to four pounds after 12 weeks, while a comparison group given a plain beverage did not lose weight ... Several studies have shown that consuming small amounts of vinegar before a meal containing starches may blunt a rise in blood sugar afterward, reducing the glycemic response by 20 to 40 percent"
• Is apple cider vinegar really good for you? - Washington Post, 3/22/16 - "It turns out there is substantial evidence that consuming vinegar can help keep blood sugar under control, which in turn may ultimately decrease the risk of diabetes and heart disease, among other benefits ... “Vinegar appears to inhibit the enzymes that help you digest starch.” When starch is not completely digested, you get a smaller blood sugar (glycemic) response — “20-40% less in healthy people and in diabetics” — after eating a high-glycemic food such as a bagel ... On top of that, undigested starch may have a prebiotic effect, meaning as it passes through the intestines it becomes food for the good bacteria in your gut. Well-fed gut bacteria generally translates to a healthier you because these microorganisms help support good digestion and our immune systems, among other benefits ... Those undigested starch calories may also add up over time to some weight loss ... the active starch-inhibiting ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid, which is in all vinegars"
• New Evidence That Vinegar May Be Natural Fat-fighter - Science Daily, 6/22/09 - "Their new study showed that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice. Importantly, the new research adds evidence to the belief that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body"

Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid-c9t11 Prevents Collagen-Induced Arthritis, Whereas Conjugated Linoleic Acid-t10c12 Increases Arthritic Severity - Lipids. 2017 Mar 15 - "CLAt10c12 had no effect on arthritis incidence but increased arthritic severity (42%, P = 0.02); however, CLAc9t11 decreased arthritis incidence 39% compared to CO fed mice (P = 0.01), but had no effect on disease severity. CLAt10c12-induced increase in anti-collagen type II IgG antibodies may be a mechanism by which this isomer increased arthritic severity, and CLAc9t11-induced increase in Th2 paw cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10, P ≤ 0.04) may explain how CLAc9t11 reduced the arthritis incidence. While both isomers are well known to reduce inflammation in arthritic mice, these new data suggest isomer differences when fed prior to autoimmune disease" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com.

Strawberry and cranberry polyphenols improve insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant, non-diabetic adults: a parallel, double-blind, controlled and randomised clinical trial - Br J Nutr. 2017 Mar 14:1-13 - "Plant-derived foods rich in polyphenols are associated with several cardiometabolic health benefits, such as reduced postprandial hyperglycaemia ... strawberry and cranberry polyphenols (SCP) ... A 6-week dietary intervention with 333 mg of polyphenols from strawberries and cranberries improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese non-diabetic, insulin-resistant human subjects but was not effective in improving other cardiometabolic risk factors"

Effects of transdermal testosterone gel or an aromatase inhibitor on serum concentration and pulsatility of growth hormone in older men with age-related low testosterone - Metabolism. 2017 Apr;69:143-147 - "Thirty-seven men, ≥65years with total testosterone <350ng/dL were randomized to 5g transdermal testosterone gel (TT), 1mg oral aromatase inhibitor (AI) or placebo daily for 12months ... At 6months, IGF-1 significantly increased by Δ 15.3±10.3ng/ml in the TT-group compared to placebo (P=0.03). Both intervention groups significantly increased GH pulse frequency (TT-group, P=0.04; AI-group, P=0.05) compared to placebo. The GH secretory-burst mode (duration) significantly decreased in the TT-group (P=0.0018) compared to placebo while it remained unchanged in the AI-group" - Note:  Everything I've read over the years seems to indicate that low dose Femara is a better way to go than testosterone replacement (which increases estrogen as much as testosterone percentage wise).

Glucoraphanin Ameliorates Obesity and Insulin Resistance Through Adipose Tissue Browning and Reduction of Metabolic Endotoxemia in Mice - Diabetes. 2017 Feb 16 - "Thus, we examined whether dietary glucoraphanin, a stable precursor of the Nrf2 inducer sulforaphane, ameliorates systemic energy balance, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and NAFLD in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Glucoraphanin supplementation attenuated weight gain, decreased hepatic steatosis, and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in HFD-fed wild-type mice but not in HFD-fed Nrf2-knockout mice ... By promoting fat browning, limiting metabolic endotoxemia-related chronic inflammation, and modulating redox stress, glucoraphanin may mitigate obesity, insulin resistance, and NAFLD" - [Nutra USA] - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.  Here's a Science Daily article on it from last week:

• Sulforaphane, a phytochemical in broccoli sprouts, ameliorates obesity - Science Daily, 3/7/17 - "the mice fed with sulforaphane exhibited the weight gain rate 15% lower than that of the mice fed without sulforaphane, 20% visceral fat reduction, and reduction of augmentation of their hepatic steatosis and blood glucose level" - See Jarrow Formulas BroccoMax at Amazon.com.

Regular consumption of HolisFiit, a polyphenol-rich extract-based food supplement, improves mind and body well-being of overweight and slightly obese volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, parallel trial - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Feb 23:1-9 - "Overweight and obese volunteers, for which well-being might be perceived degraded, were included in a 16-week double-blind, randomized and parallel trial with a daily supplementation of HolisFiit®, a polyphenol-rich food supplement ... Body composition significantly rebalanced by 7.7% (p = .019) of the lean-to-fat mass ratio. Also, sleep quality significantly improved by 43% (p = .00015) as well as both physical and mental components from SF-36, respectively by 10% (p = .004) and 7% (p = .021). These data altogether, suggest that regular consumption of HolisFiit®, might significantly improve mind and body well-being"

• Holisfiit® - fytexia.com - "HolisFiit® is a natural formula which combines the benefits of green tea and yerba mate extracts with grape, grapefruit, black carrot, and vitamin B3"

Vitamin B-6 and colorectal cancer risk: a prospective population-based study using 3 distinct plasma markers of vitamin B-6 status - Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Mar 8 - "Higher plasma concentrations of the vitamin B-6 marker pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) have been associated with reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) risk ... Plasma PLP concentrations were associated with a reduced CRC risk for the third compared with the first quartile and for PLP sufficiency compared with deficiency [OR: 0.60" - A couple other recent studies on B-6:

• B-Vitamin Intake and Biomarker Status in Relation to Cognitive Decline in Healthy Older Adults in a 4-Year Follow-Up Study - Nutrients. 2017 Jan 10;9(1) - "Participants (aged 60-88 years; n = 155) who had been previously screened for cognitive function were reassessed four years after initial investigation using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). At the 4-year follow-up assessment when participants were aged 73.4 ± 7.1 years, mean cognitive MMSE scores had declined from 29.1 ± 1.3 at baseline to 27.5 ± 2.4 (p < 0.001), but some 27% of participants showed a greater than expected rate of cognitive decline (i.e., decrease in MMSE > 0.56 points per year). Lower vitamin B6 status, as measured using pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP; <43 nmol/L) was associated with a 3.5 times higher risk of accelerated cognitive decline, after adjustment for age and baseline MMSE score (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.58 to 7.63; p < 0.05). Correspondingly, lower dietary intake (0.9-1.4 mg/day) of vitamin B6 was also associated with a greater rate of cognitive decline (OR, 4.22; 95% CI, 1.28-13.90; p < 0.05). No significant relationships of dietary intake or biomarker status with cognitive decline were observed for the other B-vitamins" - [Nutra USA] - Note:  B6 also helps with melatonin absorption.  I take 25 mg of B6 with 1 mg of melatonin every night.  See Best Naturals Vitamin B-6 25 mg 250 Tablets at Amazon.com.  Related study:
  • Brain atrophy in cognitively impaired elderly: the importance of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids and B vitamin status in a randomized controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 15 - "folic acid, 0.8 mg; vitamin B-6, 20 mg; vitamin B-12, 0.5 mg ... B vitamin treatment slowed the mean atrophy rate by 40.0% compared with placebo"

Effect of Fibre Supplementation on Body Weight and  Composition, Frequency of Eating and Dietary  Choice in Overweight Individuals - Nutrients. 2017 Feb 16;9(2) - "In the PGXG group, intention-to-treat analysis showed there was a significant reduction in waist circumference (2.5 cm; p = 0.003) [about an inch]" - [Nutra USA] - See PGX at Amazon.com. 

Health Focus (Impotence):