Recent Longevity News for the week ending 11/28/18

Doctors said my mother was on her death bed. She just needed bananas - Washington Post, 11/23/18 - "The facility near her home in Salt Lake City was short-staffed because it was Thanksgiving weekend. I couldn’t persuade a doctor to come in and see her, and I felt as if my window to help her was closing fast ... So I spun into action: I called a mobile phlebotomist (the people who stick you to take a blood sample) to come over right away to do an independent blood panel. It was the best call I ever made. We found out that my mother wasn’t dying of sepsis at all — instead, she had critically low potassium."

The Efficacy of Prebiotics, Probiotics, Synbiotics and Antibiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Medscape, 11/22/18 - "The search identified 4017 citations. Data for prebiotics and synbiotics were sparse. Fifty-three RCTs of probiotics, involving 5545 patients, were eligible. Particular combinations of probiotics, or specific species and strains, appeared to have beneficial effects on global IBS symptoms and abdominal pain, but it was not possible to draw definitive conclusions about their efficacy. There were five trials of similar design that used rifaximin in non-constipated IBS patients, which was more effective than placebo (RR of symptoms persisting = 0.84; 95% CI 0.79–0.90). Adverse events were no more common with probiotics or antibiotics" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Routine vitamin B12 screening may prevent irreversible nerve damage in type-2 diabetes - Science Daily, 11/20/18 - "earlier detection of vitamin B12 deficiency through routine screening of all metformin-treated, type-2 diabetes patients could reduce their risk of developing irreversible, painful and potentially disabling nerve damage ... Our findings indicate that patients with diabetes taking metformin should be checked more frequently and that we need to ensure deficiencies are adequately treated to avoid irreversible nerve damage ... Metformin remains the best treatment for type-2 diabetes, these findings should not discourage patients from taking it, but encourage doctors to monitor vitamin B12 levels more routinely, so any deficiency can quickly be treated" - See vitamin B12 at Amazon.com.

Orange juice, leafy greens and berries may be tied to decreased memory loss in men - Science Daily, 11/21/18 - "The men who consumed the most vegetables were 34 percent less likely to develop poor thinking skills than the men who consumed the least amount of vegetables ... The men who drank orange juice every day were 47 percent less likely to develop poor thinking skills than the men who drank less than one serving per month ... people who ate larger amounts of fruits and vegetables 20 years earlier were less likely to develop thinking and memory problems, whether or not they kept eating larger amounts of fruits and vegetables about six years before the memory test"

Phys Ed: Regular Exercise May Keep Your Body 30 Years ‘Younger’ - NYT, 11/21/18 - "We were very interested in people who had started exercising during the running and exercise booms of the 1970s ... That era, bookended to some extent by the passage of Title IX in 1972 and the publication of “The Complete Book of Running” in 1977, introduced a generation of young men and women to recreational physical activity, Dr. Trappe says ... Instead, the muscles of the older exercisers resembled those of the young people, with as many capillaries and enzymes as theirs, and far more than in the muscles of the sedentary elderly ... In fact, when the researchers compared the active older people’s aerobic capacities to those of established data about “normal” capacities at different ages, they calculated that the aged, active group had the cardiovascular health of people 30 years younger than themselves"

Antioxidants may prevent cognitive impairment in diabetes - Science Daily, 11/20/18 - "Long-term decline in cognitive function, with everyday learning and memory tasks becoming harder and taking longer to complete, is a common consequence for patients who frequently experience low blood sugar levels when using insulin to manage their diabetes. Previous studies in mice have shown that reoccurring episodes of low blood sugar leads an accumulation of cell damaging free radicals in the brain. Whether this build-up of free radical stress directly effects cognitive function, and if the body's own antioxidative systems, which can remove free radicals, can be harnessed to counteract these changes and improve quality of life is not known."

High-Dose Testosterone Promising for Depression in Men - Medscape, 11/19/18 - "The main findings are that testosterone significantly reduces depressive symptoms compared to placebo, and with testosterone, men are 2.3 times more likely to show clinically relevant symptom reduction compared to placebo"

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of premature birth - Science Daily, 11/15/18 - "They looked at 70 randomised trials and found that for pregnant women, increasing the daily intake of long-chain omega-3s: ... lowers the risk of having a premature baby (less than 37 weeks) by 11% (from 134 per 1000 to 119 per 1000 births) ... lowers the risk of having an early premature baby (less than 34 weeks) by 42% (from 46 per 1000 to 27 per 1000 births) ... reduces the risk of having a small baby (less than 2500g) by 10%" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

A New Study Says Low-Carb Diets May Help You Lose Weight. But Are Carbs Really So Bad For You? - Time, 11/16/18 - "people on low-carb diets burned more than 200 extra calories per day compared to people on high-carb diets, avoiding the reduction in calorie burning that can follow significant weight loss. Over time, the researchers write, that enhanced calorie burn could not only maintain existing weight loss but also help low-carb dieters slim down more than people on other eating plans. They estimated that a person on a low-carb plan could lose about 10% of his body weight over three years simply by reducing his carb consumption — even if his total calorie intake didn’t change ... The body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, triggering the release of insulin and potentially increasing a person’s risk of developing both Type-2 diabetes and obesity — so some researchers believe that cutting back on carbs can result in trimmer waistlines. Some studies have suggested that long-vilified fat, meanwhile, may regulate blood sugar and keep you full throughout the day, helping keep weight in check" - Note:  The article is poorly written.  On the one hand they argue that the low-carbers burned an extra 200 calories.  Then on the other hand they argue that it was water loss.  Calories and water loss are two different things.  It doesn't make sense.

Vitamin D Deficiency Elevates Colorectal Cancer Risk - Medscape, 11/15/18 - "Researchers pooled data from 17 study cohorts (5706 colorectal cancer patients and 7107 controls) to determine colorectal cancer risk at various ranges of vitamin D. They used the traditional measure for vitamin D deficiency of < 30 nmol/L. The threshold for sufficient bone health is around 50 to < 62.5 nmol/L. Vitamin D levels in this range were associated with a risk reduction for colorectal cancer of 19%, while those in the range of 87.5 to < 100 nmol/L were associated with a 27% risk reduction ... The results essentially show that the more vitamin D you get, the better. However, there seemed to be a plateau effect at 100 nmol/L. It didn't mean that more was better forever; there wasn't a linear relationship. Nonetheless, it raises the bar for vitamin D supplementation in our patients" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

How a Low-Carb Diet Might Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight - NYT, 11/14/18 - "overweight adults who cut carbohydrates from their diets and replaced them with fat sharply increased their metabolisms. After five months on the diet, their bodies burned roughly 250 calories more per day than people who ate a high-carb, low-fat diet, suggesting that restricting carb intake could help people maintain their weight loss more easily ... The new study is unique in part because of its size and rigor. It is among the largest and most expensive feeding trials ever conducted on the subject ... experts like Dr. Ludwig, argue that the obesity epidemic is driven by refined carbohydrates such as sugar, juices, bagels, white bread, pasta and heavily processed cereals. These foods tend to spike blood sugar and insulin, a hormone that promotes fat storage, and they can increase appetite"

Abstracts from this week:

Curcumin promotes burn wound healing in mice by upregulating caveolin-1 in epidermal stem cells - Phytother Res. 2018 Nov 20 - "Curcumin treatment promoted the proliferative ability of ESCs and conditioned medium from curcumin-treated ESCs enhanced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) tube formation. We also found curcumin treatment elevated caveolin-1 expression in ESCs, which was required for the beneficial effect of curcumin on ESC proliferation and HUVEC tube formation. Next, using a mouse model of burn wound healing, curcumin-treated ESCs exhibited enhanced wound closure, which also required caveolin-1 expression. Our current study demonstrates the beneficial effect of curcumin on burn wound healing in mice, which is mediated by upregulating caveolin-1 in ESCs, and supports the potential therapeutic role of curcumin in ESC-based treatment against skin wound healing" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

The protective role of melatonin and curcumin in the testis of young and aged rats - Andrologia. 2018 Nov 22:e13203 - "Aged Melatonin (MLT; n = 6, 10 mg/kg, s.c.); (d) Aged Curcumin (CUR; n = 6, 30 mg/kg, i.p.). At the end of 21 days, the rats were sacrificed, and testicular tissues were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA) in the testicular tissue was determined with thiobarbituric acid reactive substances formation, and glutathione (GSH) was determined with modified Ellman method; testosterone level was determined with chemiluminescence method and histologic changes were determined with Haematoxylin-Eosin and Johnsen's scoring; Apoptotic cell counts were made with TUNEL staining of seminiferous tubule in testis. With ageing, MDA level increased in testicular tissue, but GSH and blood testosterone levels decreased. Melatonin treatment for aged rats significantly decreased Paired total testicular/body weight ratio compared to aged control group (p < 0.05). Curcumin treatment for aged rats significantly increased GSH level compared to the aged control group (p < 0.05). Besides, melatonin and curcumin treatment significantly decreased the number of apoptotic cells and significantly increased Johnsen's score" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.

Recent Trends in Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome - Associated Hospitalizations with Liberalization of Cannabis Use in the State of Colorado - Intern Med J. 2018 Nov 13 - "cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) ... There was a significant increase in CVS- related hospitalizations by 46% from 806 in 2010 to 1,180 in 2014 when CVS was included as all-listed diagnoses (P<0.001). The overall prevalence of cannabis use in CVS (13% with CVS as primary diagnosis and 17% with CVS as all-listed diagnoses) was much higher than non-CVS related hospitalizations (1.7%) (P<0.001 for both comparisons). Cannabis use increased dramatically in both CVS and non-CVS related hospitalizations following legalization of cannabis for recreational use in 2012" - See 11/21/18 Former drug adviser says pot industry if fooling you like tobacco czars did on YouTube.  Well said.

Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol Administration-Focus on Potential Biochemical Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Conditions - Nutrients. 2018 Nov 21;10(11) - "Beneficial effects of resveratrol activity probably result from its ability to purify the body from ROS (reactive oxygen species), inhibition of COX (cyclooxygenase) and activation of many anti-inflammatory pathways. Administration of the polyphenol has a potential to slow down the development of CVD (cardiovascular disease) by influencing on certain risk factors such as development of diabetes or atherosclerosis. Resveratrol induced an increase in Sirtuin-1 level, which by disrupting the TLR4/NF-κB/STAT signal cascade (toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor κ-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells/signal transducer and activator of transcription) reduces production of cytokines in activated microglia. Resveratrol caused an attenuation of macrophage/mast cell-derived pro-inflammatory factors such as PAF (platelet-activating factor), TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α and histamine. Endothelial and anti-oxidative effect of resveratrol may contribute to better outcomes in stroke management. By increasing BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) serum concentration and inducing NOS-3 (nitric oxide synthase-3) activity resveratrol may have possible therapeutical effects on cognitive impairments and dementias especially in those characterized by defective cerebrovascular blood flow" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Breakfast Skipping Is Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies - J Nutr. 2018 Nov 9 - "In total 6 studies, based on 96,175 participants and 4935 cases, were included. The summary RR for type 2 diabetes comparing ever with never skipping breakfast was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.22, 1.46, n = 6 studies) without adjustment for BMI, and 1.22 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.34, n = 4 studies) after adjustment for BMI. Nonlinear dose-response meta-analysis indicated that risk of type 2 diabetes increased with every additional day of breakfast skipping, but the curve reached a plateau at 4-5 d/wk, showing an increased risk of 55% (summary RR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.41, 1.71). No further increase in risk of type 2 diabetes was observed after 5 d of breakfast skipping/wk"

Benign prostatic hypertrophy: Pycnogenol® supplementation improves prostate symptoms and residual bladder volume - Minerva Med. 2018 Aug;109(4):280-284 - "BPH symptoms like emptying, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak flow, straining, nocturia, were all significantly improved with Pycnogenol® (P<0.05) and the difference with both control groups was statistically significant" - [Nutra USA] - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.

Supplementation with Beef Extract Improves Exercise Performance and Reduces Post-Exercise Fatigue Independent of Gut Microbiota - Nutrients 2018, 10(11), 1740 - "BE supplementation improved endurance and reduced fatigue, which might be related to BE composition, but had no correlation with the gut microbiota" - [Nutra USA] - See beet root powder at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Another stocking stuffer. This would be my pick. It's got more power than the 257025 model. It was $299 last week. Now $224. See the Honey graph.

Health Focus (Alpha Lipoic Acid):