Recent Longevity News for the week ending 7/26/17

How physical exercise prevents dementia - Science Daily, 7/21/17 - "As expected, physical activity had influenced brain metabolism: it prevented an increase in choline. The concentration of this metabolite often rises as a result of the increased loss of nerve cells, which typically occurs in the case of Alzheimer's disease. Physical exercise led to stable cerebral choline concentrations in the training group, whereas choline levels increased in the control group. The participants' physical fitness also improved: they showed increased cardiac efficiency after the training period. Overall, these findings suggest that physical exercise not only improves physical fitness but also protects cells"

New supplement can repair, rejuvenate muscles in older adults - Science Daily, 7/18/17 - "The deterioration of muscle mass and strength that is a normal part of aging -known as sarcopenia -- can increase the risk for falls, metabolic disorders and the need for assisted living ... While a number of isolated nutritional ingredients have been shown to fight sarcopenia, this is the first time such ingredients -- which include whey protein, creatine, vitamin D, calcium and fish oil -- have been combined and tested for this purpose ... The results were more impressive than we expected ... Most notable, the findings showed improvements in deteriorating muscle health and overall strength for participants both before and after the exercise regimen. In the first six weeks, the supplement resulted in 700 grams of gains in lean body mass -- the same amount of muscle these men would normally have lost in a year" - See whey protein at Amazon.com and creatine at Amazon.com.

Using omega 3 fatty acids to treat Alzheimer's and other diseases? - Science Daily, 7/18/17 - "Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a key essential Omega-3 fatty acid, produces signaling molecules called docosanoids in response to disruptions in the state of equilibrium within cells caused by injury or disease. Neuroprotectin D1 (NDP1) is a docosanoid that the Bazan lab discovered and found protects neurons by controlling which and how certain genes in the retina and brain respond ... The Minireview summarizes the effects of the essential fatty acid family member DHA and its bioactive derivative NPD1 in the context of a specific target of gene regulation. The authors also describe the mechanism of a pathway of regulation by a bioactive lipid that has a significant impact on cellular homeostasis -- how NPD1 activates pro-survival genes and suppresses pro-death genes" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

The effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure in individuals with insulin resistance, prediabetes, or noncommunicable chronic diseases: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jul 19 - "Magnesium supplementation resulted in a mean reduction of 4.18 mm Hg in SBP and 2.27 mm Hg in DBP" - See Magtein at Amazon.com.

Nephroprotective Effects of Anthocyanin from the Fruits of Panax ginseng (GFA) on Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Mice - Phytother Res. 2017 Jul 21 - "Cisplatin is an effective anticancer chemotherapeutic agent, but the use of cisplatin in the clinic is severely limited by side effects. Nephrotoxicity is a major factor that contributes to the side effects of cisplatin chemotherapy. The aim of this research was to survey the nephroprotective effects of anthocyanin from the fruits of Panax ginseng (GFA) in a murine model of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury ... In conclusion, the findings from the present investigation demonstrate that GFA pre-administration can significantly prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, which may be related to its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and antiinflammatory effects" - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.

Efficacy and safety of sugarcane policosanol on dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Jul 20 - "The pooled results showed that compared with placebo, sugarcane policosanol could significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC, 95% CI: -0.87 to -0.30 mmol/L) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c, 95% CI: -1.02 to -0.40mmol/L) and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol; however, no significant effects were observed on triglyceride (TG) and body weight" - See policosanol at Amazon.com.

Inulin-type fructans and whey protein both modulate appetite but only fructans alter gut microbiota in adults with overweight/obesity: a randomized controlled trial - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Jul 21 - "125 adults with overweight/obesity were randomly assigned to receive isocaloric snack bars of: 1) Control; 2) Inulin-type fructans (ITF); 3) Whey protein; 4) ITF + Whey protein ... Compared to Control, body fat was significantly reduced in the Whey protein group at 12wks. Hunger, desire to eat and prospective food consumption were all lower with ITF, Whey protein and ITF + Whey protein compared to Control at 12 wks. Microbial community structure differed from 0 to 12 wks in the ITF and ITF +Whey Protein groups (i.e. increased Bifidobacterium) but not Whey Protein or Control ... Adding ITF, whey protein or both to snack bars improved several aspects of appetite control. Changes in gut microbiota may explain in part the effects of ITF but likely not whey protein" - See whey protein at Amazon.com and Inulin at Amazon.com.

Aged garlic extract suppresses inflammation in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Jul 20 - "The anti-atherosclerotic effect of AGE involves the suppression of inflammation by reducing the serum level of CRP and TXB2 , and the protein level of TNF-α and IRAK4, and increasing AMPK activity in liver" - See aged garlic at Amazon.com.

Amelioration of the Development of Osteoarthritis by Daily Intake of β-Cryptoxanthin - Biol Pharm Bull. 2017;40(7):1116-1120 - "Our results suggest that oral supplementation of β-cryptoxanthin would be beneficial for the maintenance of joint health and as prophylaxis against osteoarthritis" - See beta cryptoxanthin at Amazon.com.

Effect of Valerian/Hop Mixture on Sleep-Related Behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster - Biol Pharm Bull. 2017;40(7):1101-1110 - "Xanthohumol (Cascade: 827.49 µg/g, Hallertau: 763.60 µg/g, Saaz: 186.93 µg/g) ... This study demonstrates that a Valerian/Cascade mixture extract improves sleep-related behaviors, including sleeping time, by modulating GABAergic/serotonergic signaling" - See valerian root at Amazon.com and xanthohumol at Amazon.com.

The Effect of Iron Status on Risk of Coronary Artery Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study - Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2017 Jul 6 - "We find evidence of a protective effect of higher iron status on CAD risk (iron odds ratio, 0.94 per SD unit increase" - [Nutra USA] - See iron supplements at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Mediterranean Diet):