Recent Longevity News for the week ending 2/20/19

Chemical added to consumer products impairs response to antibiotic treatment - Science Daily, 2/21/19 - "Triclosan exposure may inadvertently drive bacteria into a state in which they are able to tolerate normally lethal concentrations of antibiotics -- including those antibiotics that are commonly used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs)"

Consuming garlic and onions may lower colorectal cancer risk - Science Daily, 2/21/19 - "The odds of having colorectal cancer was 79 percent lower in adults who consumed high amounts of allium vegetable compared with those who consumed low amounts" - See aged garlic at Amazon.com.

Native California medicinal plant may hold promise for treating Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 2/20/19 - "Through the screen, the lab identified a molecule called sterubin as Yerba santa's most active component. The researchers tested sterubin and other plant extracts for their impact on energy depletion in mouse nerve cells, as well as other age-associated neurotoxicity and survival pathways directly related to the reduced energy metabolism, accumulation of misfolded, aggregated proteins and inflammation seen in Alzheimer's. Sterubin had a potent anti-inflammatory impact on brain cells known as microglia. It was also an effective iron remover -- potentially beneficial because iron can contribute to nerve cell damage in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Overall, the compound was effective against multiple inducers of cell death in the nerve cells, according to Maher ... This is a compound that was known but ignored ... Not only did sterubin turn out to be much more active than the other flavonoids in Yerba santa in our assays, it appears as good as, if not better than, other flavonoids we have studied" - [Medscape] - See Yerba santa at Amazon.com.

The 'blue' in blueberries can help lower blood pressure - Science Daily, 2/20/19 - "Effects on blood vessel function were seen two hours after consumption of the blueberry drinks and were sustained for one month even after an overnight fast ... Over the course of the month, blood pressure was reduced by 5mmHg. This is similar to what is commonly seen in studies using blood pressure lowering medication ... The drinks containing purified anthocyanins led to improvements in endothelial function. Endothelial cells act as a barrier between the blood or lymph and the surrounding body tissue, as well as playing key roles in blood clotting and regulating blood pressure ... Neither the control drink, the control with fibre or the control with minerals and vitamins had a significant effect on FMD at two and six hours after consumption ... Although it is best to eat the whole blueberry to get the full benefit, our study finds that the majority of the effects can be explained by anthocyanins" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

Acetaminophen significantly reduced in-hospital delirium - Science Daily, 2/19/19 - "Patients treated with acetaminophen demonstrated a significant reduction in in-hospital delirium. Only 10 percent of the group given acetaminophen experienced signs of delirium, compared to 28 percent of those given placebo. Moreover, those given acetaminophen also were more likely to have shorter stays in the intensive care unit, less breakthrough pain. Those patients who did experience delirium had shorter bouts of the acute confusion"

Adolescent Cannabis Use Tied To Depression, Suicidal Thoughts - Medscape, 2/19/19 - "The systematic review and meta-analysis included 11 studies and more than 23,300 adolescents and teens. Results showed that the cannabis users were 37% more likely to develop depression in young adulthood than their non-using counterparts ... Similarly, the pooled odds ratios (ORs) for suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts were 1.50 and 3.46, respectively, for the adolescent cannabis users compared with non-users"

More protein and fewer calories help older people lose weight safely - Science Daily, 2/14/19 - "two groups: a six-month low-calorie meal plan that included more than 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, plus adequate calcium and vitamin D; or a weight stability group targeting .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which is the current, government-recommended dietary allowance ... Participants lost about 18 pounds, most of it fat (87 percent), and preserved muscle mass. The control group lost about half a pound ... Even when participants lost weight, they maintained bone mass. In fact, trabecular bone score, a measure of bone quality that predicts fracture risk, seemed to improve ... Fat was lost in the stomach, hips, thighs and rear, which is important for preventing or controlling cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and stroke ... Participants' score on the Healthy Aging Index, which measures biomarkers that predict mortality and longevity, improved by 0.75 points" -  See protein powder at Amazon.com.

Why Do South Asians Have Such High Rates of Heart Disease? - NYT, 2/12/19 - "Cardiovascular risks tended to be highest in two groups: those who maintained very strong ties to traditional South Asian religious, cultural and dietary customs, and those who vigorously — embraced a Western lifestyle. Those with lower risk are what the researchers call bicultural, maintaining some aspects of traditional South Asian culture while also adopting some healthy Western habits."

Gut Bacteria Tied to Depression - Medscape, 2/11/19 - "In analyzing data from 1054 individuals enrolled in the Flemish Gut Flora Project (FGFP), investigators found two groups of bacteria — Coprococcus and Dialister — were consistently depleted in people diagnosed with depression, regardless of antidepressant treatment ... They validated the results in an independent cohort of 1063 individuals from the Dutch LifeLines DEEP cohort and in a group of patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder ... They also found that Faecalibacterium and Coprococcus bacteria were consistently associated with higher quality of life indicators. Both bacteria produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that strengthens the epithelial defense barrier and reduces intestinal inflammation, and both have been reported to be depleted in association with inflammatory bowel disease and depression" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Could omega-3 fatty acids help prevent miscarriages? - Science Daily, 2/7/19 - "Approximately one in 10 U.S. infants are born before term. Between 10 and 30 percent of preterm births have been attributed to uterine infections with a type of bacteria commonly found in the mouth, F. nucleatum ... Bleeding gums create an entryway for bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. Once in the circulatory system, the bacteria can migrate to the placenta and cause inflammation there, sometimes triggering miscarriage or stillbirth ... We knew from our previous work that uterine inflammation due to infection with this bacteria is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, but in order to prevent those outcomes, we needed to determine exactly how these infections trigger inflammation ... We were looking for an anti-inflammatory agent that's safe for pregnant women to use ... The experiments showed that supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids also inhibited inflammation and bacterial growth in pregnant mice, and reduced preterm births, miscarriages, and stillbirths" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

The 1 Exceptional Magnesium that Corrects Many Neurological Problems - Dr Alan Mandell, DC - YouTube

What is The Best Magnesium Supplement? - YouTube/Dr. David Jockers

How exercise may protect against Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 2/8/19 - "A few years ago, exercise researchers discovered a hormone called irisin that is released into the circulation during physical activity. Initial studies suggested that irisin mainly played a role in energy metabolism. But newer research found that the hormone may also promote neuronal growth in the brain's hippocampus, a region critical for learning and memory ... irisin is present in the human hippocampus and that hippocampal levels of the hormone are reduced in individuals with Alzheimer's ... irisin, in mice, protects the brain's synapses and the animals' memory: When irisin was disabled in the hippocampus of healthy mice, synapses and memory weakened. Similarly, boosting brain levels of irisin improved both measures of brain health ... mice who swam nearly every day for five weeks did not develop memory impairment despite getting infusions of beta amyloid -- the neuron-clogging, memory-robbing protein implicated in Alzheimer's ... Blocking irisin with a drug completely eliminated the benefits of swimming, the researchers also found"

Does Sunlight Through Glass Provide Vitamin D? - NYT, 2/8/19 - "And you can’t get adequate UVB exposure sitting indoors or in a car. Virtually all commercial and automobile glass blocks UVB rays. As a result, you will not be able to increase your vitamin D levels by sitting in front of a sunny window, though much of the UVA radiation will penetrate the glass and may be harmful ... “It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer, you will make no vitamin D sitting in front of a window — zip,” said Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine ... Those concerned about low vitamin D levels can get more of the vitamin through foods. The best dietary source for vitamin D is old-fashioned cod liver oil."

The involvement of the gut in Parkinson's disease: hype or hope? - Science Daily, 2/7/19 - "The gut has emerged as one of the new frontiers in PD research," commented Patrik Brundin, MD, PhD, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA, and J. William Langston, MD, Stanford Udall Center, Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease. "We predict there will be several advances regarding the gut in the coming 20 years. Changes in the gut might be utilized to diagnose PD earlier; new therapies targeting these changes might slow disease progression, reduce constipation, and improve gut function in patients who have already been diagnosed."

Flaxseed fiber ferments in gut to improve health, reduce obesity - Science Daily, 2/5/19 - "The breakdown of dietary fiber in the gut -- a process called fermentation -- can produce favorable changes in the digestive system, such as an increase in beneficial fatty acids, which may reduce the production of fat tissue in the body and improve immune function. Flaxseed is a fiber-rich plant that has been shown to improve cholesterol levels and inflammation in the colon ... The flaxseed group was more physically active and had less weight gain than the other high-fat diet groups. The mice that received flaxseed supplements also had better glucose control and levels of beneficial fatty acids that were comparable to the healthy control group. When examining the cecal contents, the research team found evidence that the bacteria present ferment fibers from the thick, glue-like layer of the flaxseed shell. The bacteria that perform fermentation then produce more beneficial fatty acids ... Our data suggest that flaxseed fiber supplementation affects host metabolism by increasing energy expenditure and reducing obesity as well as by improving glucose tolerance" - See ground flaxseed at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Sarcopenia Is Related to Mortality in the Acutely Hospitalized Geriatric Patient - J Nutr Health Aging. 2019;23(2):128-137 - "Sarcopenia is prevalent in acutely hospitalized geriatric patients and is associated with significantly higher 2-year mortality"

Vitamin D is related to hand grip strength in adult men aged 50 years and over: a population study from the TCLSIH cohort study - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2019 Feb 18 - "Serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly related to HGS in males aged above 50y, independent of confounding factors" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Systolic blood pressure increases in patients with atrial fibrillation regaining sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion - J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2019 Feb 14 - "Systolic BP increased by 9 (±16) mm Hg (P < 0.01) and diastolic BP decreased by 3 (±9) mm Hg (P < 0.01) after conversion to SR. In the group of patients with restored SR, there was a 40% increase in the proportion of patients with a hypertensive BP level (≥140/90 mm Hg) after DC cardioversion compared to before. Patients still in AF had no significant change in BP. Systolic BP increases and diastolic BP slightly decreases when persistent AF is converted to SR" - Note: I think it's saying that a pacemaker will raise your systolic blood pressure by 9 points and lower diastolic by 3.  It doesn't know the reason but it makes sense.  If you have all chamber firing at the same time there is going to be more systolic and less diastolic.

Docosahexaenoic Acid at 0.4% of Dietary Weight Enhances Lean Mass in Young Female Sprague-Dawley Rats - J Nutr. 2019 Feb 15 - "Overall, a 6% increase (P < 0.05) in whole-body and abdominal lean mass was observed in the 0.4%-DHA diet group compared with the control diet group. Moreover, the abdominal visceral fat mass was 31.4% lower in rats in the 0.4%-DHA than in the 1.2%-DHA diet group (P < 0.001). Rats in the 1.2%-DHA diet group showed greater percent differences in whole-body (32.5% and 40.6% higher) and in abdominal (33.9% and 49.4% higher) fat mass relative to the 0.1%- and 0.4%-DHA diet groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Accordingly, serum leptin concentration was lower in the 0.1%-DHA (38.2%) and 0.4%-DHA (43.8%) diet groups (P < 0.01) than in the 1.2%-DHA diet group and positively related to whole-body fat mass" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

The Bone—Vasculature Axis: Calcium Supplementation and the Role of Vitamin K - Front. Cardiovasc. Med., 05 February 2019 - "Data suggest that supplementing post-menopausal women with high doses of calcium has a detrimental impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are prone to vascular calcification in part due to impaired phosphate excretion. Calcium-based phosphate binders further increase risk of vascular calcification progression. In both bone and vascular tissue, vitamin K-dependent processes play an important role in calcium homeostasis and it is tempting to speculate that vitamin K supplementation might protect from the potentially untoward effects of calcium supplementation. This review provides an update on current literature on calcium supplementation among post-menopausal women and CKD patients and discusses underlying molecular mechanisms of vascular calcification. We propose therapeutic strategies with vitamin K2 treatment to prevent or hold progression of vascular calcification as a consequence of excessive calcium intake" - [Nutra USA] - See vitamin K2 at Amazon.com.

Wuzhi capsule (Schisandra Sphenanthera extract) attenuates liver steatosis and inflammation during non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development - Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, February 2019 - "Wuzhi (WZ) capsule contains an ethanol extract of Schisandra sphenanthera ... Liver histology revealed significantly less steatosis, inflammation, and necrosis, which was confirmed by decreased intrahepatic triglycerides and serum ALT in WZ-treated mice. WZ also reduced the liver mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and the serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6. Sensitivity to steatohepatitis due to WZ administration correlated significantly with alterations in the expression of PPAR-α/γ, as well as the NF-κB signalling pathway ... WZ plays a protective role against MCD-induced steatohepatitis. The underlying mechanism likely involves the upregulation of PPAR-α/γ and downregulation of the NF-κB signalling pathway. Based on its beneficial effects on the liver, WZ is a promising therapeutic for NAFLD patients" - [Nutra USA] - See schizandra at Amazon.com. 

Health Focus (Hypertension):