Recent Longevity News for the week ending 9/20/17

Chemotherapy pain could be eased by jetlag drug, study suggests - Science Daily, 9/15/17 - "melatonin given prior to chemotherapy limited the damaging effect on nerve cells and the development of pain symptoms ... In this study, melatonin did not alleviate pain when CINP had already developed, suggesting that its potential benefits could be as prevention rather than cure ... melatonin treatment did not interfere with the beneficial anticancer effects of chemotherapy in human breast and ovarian cancer cells ... Findings also showed that melatonin reduced damage caused by chemotherapy to vital parts of nerve cells known as mitochondria" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.

Hormone replacement therapy can slow decline in lung function for middle-aged women - Science Daily, 9/15/17 - "Our findings show that female sex hormones are important for the preservation of lung function in middle-aged women"

Skin patch dissolves 'love handles' in mice - Science Daily, 9/15/17 - "The new treatment approach was tested in obese mice by loading the nanoparticles with one of two compounds known to promote browning: rosiglitazone (Avandia) or beta-adrenergic receptor agonist (CL 316243) that works well in mice but not in humans ... Mice treated with either of the two drugs had a 20 percent reduction in fat on the treated side compared to the untreated side. They also had significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels than untreated mice"

Sodium (salt) intake is associated with a risk of developing type 2 diabetes - Science Daily, 9/14/17 - "sodium intake was associated with an average 43% increase in the risk of developing T2D for each extra gram of sodium (equivalent to 2.5 extra grams of salt) consumed per day. When dividing participants into three groups of sodium consumption (low under 2.4g; medium 2.4-3.15g; high above 3.15g), the group with highest consumption had a 58% higher risk of developing T2D compared with the lowest consumption group. However, since salt is only 40% sodium by weight, for actual salt consumption the low consumption group is 6.0 grams and under; the medium consumption group is 6.0-7.9g; and the high group is above 7.9 grams per day"

New research on probiotics in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer - Science Daily, 9/13/17 - "These results suggest that alteration of the gut microbiome with probiotics may become a new preventative or therapeutic strategy for patients at risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated CRC ... The active probiotic also reduced inflammation induced by the carcinogen plus DSS, as indicated by suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression (i.e., those encoding KC, interleukin (IL)-22, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and IL-1?) and reduced cytokine concentrations in plasma (i.e., KC, IL-22, and IL-6). The active probiotic also counteracted an increase in immature myeloid cells induced by the carcinogen" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Taking Hormones for Menopause Doesn’t Raise Early Death Risk - NYT, 9/12/17 - "In an 18-year follow-up, 27.1 percent of the hormone users and 27.6 percent of those who took a placebo, died. Death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease were the same in each group ... The findings provide reassurance to women regarding the use of hormones for menopausal symptoms in early menopause ... That’s when the symptoms are most severe and impair quality of life, and those are the women who have the most favorable results with hormone therapy"

Treating Reflux With Diet - NYT, 9/7/17 - "85 patients with an average age of 60 treated with the P.P.I.s Nexium and Dexilant, and 99 treated with alkaline water and the Mediterranean diet, a regimen low in meat and dairy, and rich in olive oil, fish, beans, fruits and vegetables ... In the P.P.I. group, 54 percent achieved a clinically significant six-point reduction on the index, compared with 63 percent for the diet cohort" - See alkaline water pitchers at Amazon.com.

• Urine pH Level Test - healthline.com - "A neutral pH is 7.0. The higher the number, the more basic (alkaline) it is. The lower the number, the more acidic your urine is. The average urine sample tests at about 6.0."

Health benefits of olives and olive oil - Science Daily, 9/12/17 - "the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease ... The discovery could help improve understanding of the scientific basis of health benefits of olive products and develop new, low-cost nutraceutical strategies to fight type 2 diabetes and related obesity" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Comparison of Two β-Alanine Dosing Protocols on Muscle Carnosine Elevations - J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Sep 14:1-9 - "Results of this investigation indicate that a BA supplementation protocol of 12 g/d-1, using a sustained-release formulation, can accelerate the increase in carnosine content in skeletal muscle while attenuating paresthesia" - See beta-alanine at Amazon.com.

• The Truth about beta-alanine - bodybuilding.com - "Carnosine increases muscle function and performance mainly through its ability to reduce acidity in muscles during prolonged high-intensity exercise. Carnosine is highly prevalent in skeletal muscle, primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers. During high-intensity exercise, certain metabolites accumulate that cause fatigue (e.g. hydrogen ions). As the concentration of hydrogen ions increases, pH drops and reduces muscle function and power output. Eventually, your body goes kaput ... The only known side effect of beta-alanine supplementation is paresthesia, a prickly sensation mainly limited to the face and hands. Doses greater than about 800 mg have generally been reported to result in moderate to severe paresthesia lasting 60-90 minutes"

Effects of Supplementation with Beef or Whey Protein Versus Carbohydrate in Master Triathletes - J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Sep 14:1-9 - "After being randomly assigned to one of the following groups-beef, whey, or carbohydrate-24 master-age (35-60 years old) male triathletes (n = 8 per treatment) ingested 20 g of supplement mixed with plain water once a day (immediately after training or before breakfast) ... Only beef significantly reduced body mass (p = 0.021) along with a trend to preserve or increase thigh muscle mass (34.1 ± 6.1 vs 35.5 ± 7.4 mm). Both whey (38.4 ± 3.8 vs 36.9 ± 2.8 mm) and carbohydrate (36.0 ± 4.8 vs 34.1 ± 4.4 mm) interventions demonstrated a significantly (p < 0.05) decreased vastus medialis thickness Additionally, the beef condition produced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in ferritin concentrations (117 ± 78.3 vs 150.5 ± 82.8 ng/mL) ... Ingesting a hydrolyzed beef protein beverage after workout or before breakfast (nontraining days) can be effective in preserving thigh muscle mass and in improving iron status in male master-age triathletes" - See hydrolyzed beef protein powder at Amazon.com.

Healthier Lipid Profiles with Vitamin D Supplementation in a Pilot Study in Argentinean Children of Two Ethnicities - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2017 Aug 21:1-8 - "These results suggest that children who had received vitamin D supplementation had significantly higher vitamin D status and HDL-C, as compared with non-supplemented children in both communities" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Cardioprotective Effects of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Juice in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease - Phytother Res. 2017 Sep 15 - "Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide ... Pomegranate juice caused significant reductions in the intensity, occurrence, and duration of angina pectoris in patients with unstable angina. Consistently, the test patients had significantly lower levels of serum troponin and malondialdehyde. Other studied parameters did not change significantly. The results of this study suggest protective effects of pomegranate juice against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury" - See pomegranate extract at Amazon.com.

The effect of anthocyanin supplementation in modulating platelet function in sedentary population: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial - Br J Nutr. 2017 Sep;118(5):368-374 - "The anti-thrombotic properties of anthocyanin (ACN) supplementation was evaluated in this randomised, double-blind, placebo (PBO) controlled, cross-over design, dietary intervention trial in sedentary population. In all, sixteen participants (three males and thirteen females) consumed ACN (320 mg/d) or PBO capsules for 28 d followed by a 2-week wash-out period ... The findings suggest that dietary ACN supplementation has the potential to alleviate biomarkers of thrombogenesis, platelet hyperactivation and hyper-aggregation in sedentary population" - See anthocyanin at Amazon.com.

Effects of Capsaicin Coadministered with Eicosapentaenoic Acid on Obesity-Related Dysregulation in High-Fat-Fed Mice - Biol Pharm Bull. 2017;40(9):1581-1585 - "Obesity-induced inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated whether the combination of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and capsaicin could protect against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and related metabolic disorders ... our study suggests that the combination of EPA and capsaicin might be beneficial for delaying the progression of obesity-related metabolic dysregulation and subsequent complications" - See capsaicin supplements at Amazon.com.

Memory enhancement of fresh ginseng on deficits induced by chronic restraint stress in mice - Nutr Neurosci. 2017 Sep 15:1-8 - "Chronic stress exposure can disrupt the balance of organisms, result in learning and memory impairments and induce oxidative stress ... Fresh ginseng (FG), an unprocessed raw root of ginseng, has antioxidant and neuroprotective activities and has been used as functional health food in Asian countries for many years ... Our results suggest that FG treatment could improve CRS-induced learning and memory impairments and oxidative stress damage. FG is an intriguing therapeutic agent and functional health food in stress-related dementia"

Health Focus (Weight Management):