Recent Longevity News for the week ending 12/27/17

Low Folate, Vitamin D Implicated in First-Episode Psychosis - Medscape, 12/22/17 - "levels of vitamin C, D, and folate "should be assessed in young people being treated for psychosis, and if deficient, clinicians should recommend dietary improvement or perhaps even supplementation if diet alone cannot resolve the deficits."

FDA-approved high blood pressure drug extends life span in roundworms - Science Daily, 12/20/17 - "This is the first report of hydralazine treatment activating the NRF2/SKN-1 signaling pathway. We found the drug extends the life span of worms as well as or better than other potential anti-aging compounds such as curcumin and metformin"

• Hydralazine - wikipedia.org - "Common side effects include headache and fast heart rate.[1] It is not recommended in people with coronary artery disease or in those with rheumatic heart disease that affects the mitral valve.[1] In those with kidney disease a low dose is recommended ... It was patented in 1949 ... The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 2.78 to 9.11 USD per month ... Hydralazine is not used as a primary drug for treating hypertension because it elicits a reflex sympathetic stimulation of the heart (the baroreceptor reflex).[8] The sympathetic stimulation may increase heart rate and cardiac output, and in people with coronary artery disease may cause angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.[9] Hydralazine may also increase plasma renin concentration, resulting in fluid retention ... Prolonged treatment may cause a syndrome similar to lupus which can become fatal if the symptoms are not noticed and drug treatment stopped"

Whole eggs better for muscle building and repair than egg whites - Science Daily, 12/20/17 - "the post-workout muscle-building response in those eating whole eggs is 40 percent greater than in those consuming an equivalent amount of protein from egg whites ... The yolks also contain protein, along with key nutrients and other food components that are not present in egg whites ... And something in the yolks is boosting the body's ability to utilize that protein in the muscles ... research is showing that we need more protein in the diet than we once thought to maintain health"

California Releases Cell Phone Radiation Guidelines - WebMD, 12/19/17 - "When you sleep, you keep the cellphone at least arm's length away from your body. And also, not carrying your cellphone in your pocket, having it either in your purse or not carrying it with you ... The new guidelines also advise: reducing cellphone use when the signal is weak; less use of cellphones to stream audio or video, or to download or upload large files; keeping cellphones away from the bed at night; taking off headsets when not on a call"

Vitamin deficiency in later life - Science Daily, 12/15/17 - ""Fifty-two percent of the examined older adults had vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L and thus had a suboptimal vitamin D status." The scientists also observed shortages with regard to some of the other micronutrients. Notably, twenty-seven percent of older adults had vitamin B12 levels below the cut-off. Moreover, in eleven percent of older adults, iron levels were too low, and almost nine percent did not have enough folate in their blood."

Regular and Low-dose Aspirin, Other Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Medications and Prospective Risk of HER2-defined Breast Cancer - Medscape, 12/14/17 - "Developing breast cancer was associated inversely with taking three or more tablets of low-dose aspirin per week (23% of participants). Among women reporting this exposure, the HRR was 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72–0.98) compared to those not taking NSAIDs and this was particularly evident in women with the hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative subtype (HRR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.66–0.96). Use of three or more tablets of "other" NSAIDs was marginally associated with lower risk of breast cancer (HRR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.62–1.00). Other associations with NSAIDs were generally null"

The most germ-infested places you encounter every day — and how to avoid getting sick - Science Daily, 12/14/17 - "You might be surprised to hear that your clothes can harbor salmonella, hepatitis and other viruses. Gerba found those germs and others can survive our laundry efforts because most Americans don’t wash clothes in hot water or use bleach anymore ... If you wash your hands thoroughly and then grab your purse or cellphone, you are probably defeating the purpose"

5 Healthiest Hot Dogs For You And The Planet - rodalesorganiclife.com, 5/24/17 - Note: I tried the Applegate turkey from Ralph's on double fiber bread and sauerkraut. They taste good but they're expensive. It comes to $1 each but it's worth the peace of mind of having no sodium nitrate. 7 grams of protein in 70 calories is better than most protein sources (10 calories per gram of protein). Boost High Protein has 15 grams of protein in 240 calories or 16 calories per gram of protein.  Boost Calorie Smart is 190 calories for 16 grams of protein or 12 calories per gram of protein.  See: http://applegate.com/products/natural-uncured-turkey-hot-dog

Abstracts from this week:

Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function - J Hum Hypertens. 2017 Dec 21 - "We conducted an experimental study including 102 participants (mean age (SD): 51.9 (9.2) years, 56% male) who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants were exposed to a single sauna session (duration: 30 min; temperature: 73 °C; humidity: 10-20%) ... This study demonstrates that sauna bathing for 30 min has beneficial effects on arterial stiffness, BP, and some blood-based biomarkers" - Note: 73 degrees Celsius is 163 degrees Fahrenheit.

A Combination of Coffee Compounds Shows Insulin-Sensitizing and Hepatoprotective Effects in a Rat Model of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome - Nutrients. 2017 Dec 22;10(1) - "In conclusion, a mixture of coffee nutraceuticals improved insulin sensitivity and exhibited hepatoprotective effects in a rat model of MetS. Higher dosages with or without caffeine deserve to be studied in the future"

Intake of a Protein-Enriched Milk and Effects on Muscle Mass and Strength. A 12-Week Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial among Community-Dwelling Older Adults - J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21(10):1160-1169 - "Increased protein intake (2 x 20 g/d) did not significantly improve muscle mass, muscle strength or functional performance in healthy older weight stable adults. Whether intake of > 20 g protein to each meal is necessary for preservation of muscle mass and strength in older adults should be further investigated in a larger study. This underscores the need for well-designed studies that can differentiate between the effect of protein intake and increased energy"

Soluble Milk Proteins Improve Muscle Mass Recovery after Immobilization-Induced Muscle Atrophy in Old Rats but Do not Improve Muscle Functional Property Restoration - J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21(10):1133-1141 - "Whey proteins and soluble milk proteins improve muscle mass recovery after immobilization-induced muscle atrophy in old rats but do not allow muscle functional property restoration"

Effects of Aerobic and Resistance Training Combined with Fortified Milk on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Physical Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial - J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21(10):1349-1357 - "Fortified milk and resistance training (RT) increase muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in older adults, but it remains unclear whether RT combined with aerobic training (AT) would have stronger effects on these outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aerobic and resistance training (ART) combined with fortified milk consumption on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in older adults ... These results suggest that AT before RT combined with fortified milk consumption has similar effects on skeletal muscle mass and strength compared with RT alone, but it may be a more useful strategy to improve physical performance in older adults. Although the mechanism of our intervention is uncertain, our program would be an effective prevention for sarcopenia in older adults"

30 grams of protein in just 160 calories:

Effect of high-dose oral multivitamins and minerals in participants not treated with statins in the randomized Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) - Am Heart J. 2018 Jan;195:70-77 - "Results in the key TACT secondary end point, a combination of cardiovascular mortality, stroke, or recurrent MI, was consistent in favoring the active vitamin group (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.75; P=.002). Multiple end point analyses were consistent with these results"

Deep Ocean Mineral Supplementation Enhances the Cerebral Hemodynamic Response during Exercise and Decreases Inflammation Postexercise in Men at Two Age Levels - Front. Physiol., 12 December 2017 - "Cycling time to exhaustion at 75% VO2max and the associated plasma lactate response were similar between the Placebo and DOM trials for both age groups. In contrast, DOM significantly elevated cerebral hemoglobin levels in young men and, to a greater extent, in middle-aged men compared with Placebo. An increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was observed in middle-aged men, 2 h after exhaustive cycling, but was attenuated by DOM" - [Nutra USA] - See deep ocean minerals at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (First line medications for hypertension):