Recent Longevity News for the week ending 6/12/19

Insomnia Can Kill You - NYT, 6/10/19 - "Chronic insomnia, which affects 5 percent to 10 percent of older adults, is more than just exhausting. It’s also linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart attack, depression, anxiety and premature death ... the risk of developing hypertension was five times greater among those who slept less than five hours a night and three and a half times greater for those who slept between five and six hours. But there was no increased risk among those who regularly slept six or more hours. Likewise, the risk of developing diabetes was three times greater for the shortest sleepers and twice as great for those who slept between five and six hours ... Underlying many of these problems is how the body reacts to stress. Stress stimulates the release of substances like cortisol that are known to cause arousal and sleeplessness, and healthy middle-aged people are more vulnerable to the sleep-disturbing effects of these stimulating hormones. This may explain why older people are more likely to suffer from insomnia ... Start by practicing good sleep hygiene. Avoid or minimize the use of caffeine, cigarettes, stimulants and especially alcohol ... Exercise regularly, outdoors if possible, but not close to bedtime. Exposure to natural light during the day and early evening can help set your biological clock to foster sleepiness at bedtime. Avoid eating a heavy meal just before bed. If you’re hungry, have a light snack — a banana, a glass of warm milk or some whole-grain crackers can enhance the ability to fall asleep ... the National Sleep Foundation cautions against exposure at bedtime to the blue light of e-readers (such as the Amazon Kindle), smartphones, tablets, computers and even televisions. Blue light can act as a stimulant, suppressing production of the natural sleep hormone melatonin and delaying sleep onset. Instead, read by lamplight or get a device like the Kindle Paperwhite that doesn’t use blue light"

Unhealthy gut promotes spread of breast cancer - Science Daily, 6/10/19 - "disrupting the microbiome of mice caused hormone receptor-positive breast cancer to become more aggressive. Altering the microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live in the gut and elsewhere, had dramatic effects in the body, priming the cancer to spread ... When we disrupted the microbiome's equilibrium in mice by chronically treating them antibiotics, it resulted in inflammation systemically and within the mammary tissue ... In this inflamed environment, tumor cells were much more able to disseminate from the tissue into the blood and to the lungs, which is a major site for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer to metastasize ... Most breast cancers -- 65 percent or more -- are hormone receptor positive. That means their growth is fueled by a hormone, either estrogen or progesterone ... A healthy diet, high in fiber, along with exercise, sleep -- all of those things that contribute to positive overall health" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com and prebiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Medical marijuana does not reduce opioid deaths - Science Daily, 6/10/19 - "The Stanford study, which revisited the issue after many more states had legalized medical marijuana, found no evidence of a connection between opioid deaths and the availability of medical cannabis" - Note: Another marijuana myth debunked.

Sleeping with artificial light at night associated with weight gain in women - Science Daily, 6/10/19 - "The results varied with the level of artificial light at night exposure. For example, using a small nightlight was not associated with weight gain, whereas women who slept with a light or television on were 17% more likely to have gained 5 kilograms, approximately 11 pounds, or more over the follow-up period. The association with having light coming from outside the room was more modest ... Also, the scientists wondered if not getting enough rest factored into the findings"

Commercial Trackers a Good Gauge of Total Sleep Time - Medscape, 6/10/19 - "The study compared the Fitbit Charge HR (worn on the wrist), the Beddit 2 (placed under the bedsheet), and the ResMed S+ (placed on the nightstand) for accuracy in estimating TST against the clinically-validated actigraphy (Philips Actiwatch-L) ... The devices did fairly well in estimating total sleep time when compared to actigraphy but they did worse when compared to sleep diaries — but nobody should rely just on sleep diaries anymore ... The results showed significant differences in estimated TST between the three devices and the sleep diary, with the devices underestimating TST by 25 to 49 minutes on average ... Fitbit Charge HR ... -3.3% ... Beddit 2 ... -6.4% ... Actiwatch-L ... -9.7% ... ResMed S+ ... When compared against actigraphy, average TST estimated by the Fitbit Charge HR and the Beddit 2 did not differ significantly from actigraphy, while the ResMed S+ estimated mean TST was slightly lower than actigraphy (by 12.8 minutes)"

Tart cherry shown to decrease joint pain, sore muscles in some breast cancer patients - Science Daily, 6/10/19 - "Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a standard treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. These agents can help prevent recurrence of the disease by inhibiting the action of aromatase, an enzyme responsible for conversion of androgens to estrogens. About half of patients who take AIs also suffer from joint and muscle pain known as aromatase inhibitor induced arthralgia, which, at times, can be debilitating and cause patients to not complete their treatments ... This randomized, double-blind trial compared the consumption of 1 ounce of tart cherry concentrate in 8 ounces of water daily for six weeks with a placebo group in women with stage 1, 2 or 3 non-metastatic breast cancer ... Patients who completed the trial recorded a 34.7% mean decrease in pain compared to 1.4% in the placebo group ... The flavonoids and anthocyanins in tart cherry have anti-inflammatory properties and may be playing a role in reducing the side effects of joint pain and muscles aches, although etiology of aromatase-induced arthralgias remain unclear at this time" - See cherry juice extract at Amazon.com.

Study links sleep-disordered breathing to age acceleration - Science Daily, 6/7/19 - "Results show that each standard deviation increase in the apnea-hypopnea index, a measure of sleep-disordered breathing severity, was associated with the equivalent of 215 days of biological age acceleration. Similarly, each standard deviation increase in the arousal index, a measure of sleep disruption, was associated with the equivalent of 321 days of age acceleration ... Sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea, is characterized by abnormalities of respiration during sleep. Episodes often result in reductions in blood oxygen saturation and are usually terminated by brief arousals from sleep. Nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. have obstructive sleep apnea. Common warning signs include snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness"

Diabetics exposed to common household chemicals have lower heart disease rates, study finds - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "It remains unknown exactly how PFAS might lower heart disease risk, but as Innes pointed out, "several factors could explain the inverse association." For example, PFAS may reduce inflammation. It's also possible that PFAS increases the body's sensitivity to insulin or ability to transport oxygen. All of these effects might promote heart health."

Study Links Use of PPIs to Fatal Heart, Kidney Disease and Stomach Cancer - DG News, 5/30/19 - "PPI use was associated with deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and upper gastrointestinal cancer. Specifically, 15 per 1,000 of the PPI users died from heart disease, 4 per 1,000 from chronic kidney disease, and 2 per 1,000 from stomach cancer ... Death rates due to cardiovascular disease were 88 among the PPI group and 73 among the H2 blockers group. For stomach cancer, death rates were 6 in the PPI group and 4 in the H2 blockers group. Death rates due to chronic kidney disease were 8 and 4 in the PPI and H2 blocker groups, respectively"

Study: Dentists Prescribe Antibiotics Far Too Often - WebMD, 6/5/19 - "Antibiotics have been recommended to dental patients who have certain heart conditions to prevent mouth bacteria from infecting the heart ... But antibiotics can cause serious side effects and contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance ... In the Northeast, 78% of the prescriptions were unnecessary, as were 83% in the Midwest and 80% in the South"

Dietary supplements linked with severe health events in children, young adults - Science Daily, 6/5/19 - "there were 977 single-supplement-related adverse event reports for the target age group. Of those, approximately 40% involved severe medical outcomes, including death and hospitalization. Supplements sold for weight loss, muscle building, and energy were associated with almost three times the risk for severe medical outcomes compared to vitamins. Supplements sold for sexual function and colon cleanse were associated with approximately two times the risk for severe medical outcomes compared to vitamins" - Note:  No one takes more supplements than me but I agree with this article.  I don't take the weird stuff.  Some doctors generalize and lump all supplements in the same category as some of the bizarre supplements from dubious suppliers on the market.  That said, 977 adverse events is a drop in the bucket compared to the adverse events from prescription meds.  The above study on PPI's is a good example.  Do the math on that and it will blow a whole right through 997 and that's just one drug and a lot less take it than supplements.

Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer’s. Why didn’t it tell the world? - Washington Post, 6/4/19 - "The company’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis therapy Enbrel, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 64 percent ... Verifying that the drug would actually have that effect in people would require a costly clinical trial — and after several years of internal discussion, Pfizer opted against further investigation and chose not to make the data public, the company confirmed ... Some outside scientists disagree with Pfizer’s assessment that studying Enbrel’s potential in Alzheimer’s prevention is a scientific dead end. Rather, they say, it could hold important clues to combating the disease and slowing cognitive decline in its earliest stages ... Meanwhile, Enbrel has reached the end of its patent life. Profits are dwindling as generic competition emerges, diminishing financial incentives for further research into Enbrel and other drugs in its class ... He said Pfizer and other companies do not want to invest heavily in further research only to have their markets undermined by generic competition ... Another former executive, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Pfizer operations, said Pfizer offered virtually no explanation internally for opting against further investigation in early 2018, when the internal debate ended ... There were more people, 302, treated with Enbrel in the group without Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In the group with Alzheimer’s, 110 had been treated with Enbrel ... The numbers may seem small, but they were mirrored in the same proportion when the researchers checked insurance claims information from another database" - Note:  It's like with Cialis reversing heart disease, by the time they finish the studies it will be generic so there's not money in paying for the studies.

Would you eat genetically modified food if you understood the science behind it? -  Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are considered safe by an overwhelming majority of scientists, including the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization, and the American Medical Association, only about one third of consumers share that view ... One reason for the divide is that critics of genetically modified food have been vocal, often decrying it as "unnatural" or "Frankenfood" -- in stark contrast to a 2016 review of published research that found no convincing evidence for negative health or environmental effects of GM foods ... The team discovered that learning the underlying science led to more positive attitudes towards genetically modified foods, a greater willingness to eat them, and a lowered perception of GM foods as risky"

Could boosting the gut microbiome be the secret to healthier older age? - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "Co-housing young and aged mice (mice naturally like to sample the faecal pellets of other mice!) or more directly performing faecal transfer from young to aged mice boosted the gut immune system in the aged mice, partly correcting the age-related decline ... To our surprise, co-housing rescued the reduced gut immune response in aged mice. Looking at the numbers of the immune cells involved, the aged mice possessed gut immune responses that were almost indistinguishable from those of the younger mice ... The results show that the poor gut immune response is not irreversible and that the response can be strengthened by challenging with appropriate stimuli, essentially turning back the clock on the gut immune system to more closely resemble the situation in a young mouse ... By demonstrating the effectiveness of interventions that have a positive impact on the composition of the gut microbiome, this research suggests that faecal transplants, probiotics, co-habitation and diet might all prove to be ways to facilitate healthy ageing" - Note the word "probiotics".  See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Beta blockers can block the effects of stress and anger in patients prone to emotion-triggered atrial fibrillation - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "patients taking beta blockers experienced anger and stress as often as those not taking these medications, however, these emotional episodes increased the odds of AF by just four times compared with 20 times in those not taking beta blockers. In participants taking beta blockers not including anti-arrhythmic properties the effect was even stronger, completely blocking the pro-arrhythmic effect of anger or stress"

Vitamin D could help cancer patients live longer - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "Vitamin D had a significant effect on lowering the risk of death among those with cancer, but unfortunately it didn't show any proof that it could protect against getting cancer" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Sleepless nights linked to high blood pressure - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "Overall, those who had lower sleep efficiency showed an increase in blood pressure during that restless night. They also had higher systolic blood pressure -- the top number in a patient's blood pressure reading -- the next day ... Blood pressure is one of the best predictors of cardiovascular health"

Red and white meats are equally bad for cholesterol - Science Daily, 6/4/19 - "Contrary to popular belief, consuming red meat and white meat such as poultry, have equal effects on blood cholesterol levels"

Protecting Sleep in the Hospital, for Both Patients and Doctors - NYT, 6/4/19 - "The next morning, the girl’s mother mentioned that it had taken another hour for her to fall asleep again. Was there anything that we could do to allow her to sleep through the night? Wouldn’t a good night’s sleep help with her condition? She had a point ... This is a fundamental question we have to ask about all of our patients, as research now shows that sleep disruption isn’t just inconvenient and doesn’t merely affect our moods or increase risk of disease. Disrupted sleep can in fact drastically affect how well patients heal from the condition that brought them into the hospital in the first place ... “Sleep is one of the most powerful, freely available health care systems you could ever wish for,” Dr. Walker told me. “But the irony is that the one place a patient needs sleep the most is the place they’re least likely to get it: in a hospital bed on the ward.” This year, his research found that a lack of sleep can worsen pain perception" - Note:  I've been pointing that out since Moby Dick was a minnow. I even wrote a scathing letter to the hospital. That and a dollar didn't even get me a cup of coffee at McDonald's.

Statins May Cut Postconcussion Dementia Risk - Medscape, 6/3/19 - "statin use was associated with a 13% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7% – 19%; P < .001) reduced risk for dementia, compared with no statin use (relative risk, 0.87"

Diabetes drug alleviates anxiety in mice - Science Daily, 6/3/19 - "The antidiabetic medication metformin reduces anxiety-like behaviors in male mice by increasing serotonin availability in the brain ... the insulin-sensitizing drug metformin reduces levels of amino acids that impair the entry of tryptophan in the brain and thereby limit its conversion into serotonin. The drug's antidepressant-like effects were accompanied by improved neurotransmission in the hippocampus"

Anti hypertensive drug use was associated with a decreased dementia risk - Science Daily, 6/3/19 - "The use of angiotensin II receptor blockers (odds ratios [ORs] ranging from 0.74 to 0.79), ACE inhibitors (ORs ranging from 0.85 to 0.88), calcium channel blockers (ORs ranging from 0.82 to 0.89), and beta blockers (OR=0.88) was associated with a decrease in dementia incidence. In patients treated with calcium channel blockers, increasing the duration of treatment decreased the incidence of dementia"

Lithium boosts muscle strength in mice with rare muscular dystrophy - Science Daily, 6/3/19 - "There are no medications available for people with limb girdle muscular dystrophy ... Using muscle from these mice, the researchers discovered that disease variants overactivate a protein that suppresses muscle growth. Moreover, inhibiting the protein -- called GSK3beta -- with lithium chloride improves mice's strength and muscle mass ... After a month of treatment, they improved to 75 percent of the normal mice. It's a big jump ... Lithium chloride was once sold as table salt but was taken off the shelves in 1949, when doctors realized that sprinkling it liberally on food can be deadly. But other forms of lithium such as lithium carbonate and lithium citrate are used to treat some psychiatric illnesses, so it's possible a safe form of lithium can be found to treat the rare muscular dystrophy ... I don't want people to go out and take lithium chloride right now ... We've shown that this protein is a promising therapeutic target, but more work needs to be done" - Yeah, bit it's like everything else, you never see the 'more studies'.  Is lithium going to hurt?  Maybe but some studies even claim it increases lifespan.  See lithium chloride at Amazon.com.

• Fountain of youth from the tap? Environmental lithium uptake promotes longevity, scientists demonstrate in worms - Science Daily, 2/18/11 - "A regular uptake of the trace element lithium can considerably promote longevity ... even a low concentration of lithium leads to an increased life expectancy in humans as well as in a model organism, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans ... the Jena scientists analyzed the mortality rate in 18 adjacent Japanese municipalities in relation to the amount of lithium contained in tap water from the respective regions. "We found that the mortality rate was considerably lower in those municipalities with more lithium in the drinking water," Ristow explains the key finding. In a second experiment, the Jena scientists examined exactly this range of concentration in the model organism C. elegans. The result was confirmed: "The average longevity of the worms is higher after they have been treated with lithium at this dosage," ... we know already that a higher uptake of lithium through drinking water is associated with an improvement of psychological well-being and with decreased suicide rates"
• Lithium in Drinking Water May Lower Dementia Risk - Medscape, 8/23/17 - "Animal studies have shown that lithium improves learning and memory, and observational studies suggest lithium may reduce the risk for dementia in patients with bipolar disorder ... In addition, a randomized placebo-controlled trial showed that daily treatment with subtherapeutic doses (150 to 600 mg) of lithium has stabilizing effects in adults with mild cognitive impairment, while a separate controlled trial showed that a microdose (300 µg/d) of lithium stabilized cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease ... The hypothesis that a low lithium concentration in drinking water may protect against dementia is "mechanistically plausible" as lithium effects many biological pathways linked to neuroprogressive and neurodegenerative disorders"
• More Lithium in Drinking Water Equals Lower Suicide Rates - Medscape, 5/12/11 - "The finding, similar to that from 3 different countries on different continents, adds to the evidence that lithium in the drinking water may have beneficial effects for mental health ... examined a nationwide sample of 6460 lithium measurements and then compared suicide rates across 99 districts in Austria ... the overall suicide rate and the suicide mortality ratio were inversely associated with lithium levels in drinking water ... In the 10 most lithium-depleted regions in Austria, the suicide rate was 16 per 100,000, whereas in the 10 most lithium-rich regions; the suicide rate was just 11 per 100,000"

Brush your teeth -- postpone Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 6/3/19 - "We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain ... The bacteria produces a protein that destroys nerve cells in the brain, which in turn leads to loss of memory and ultimately, Alzheimer´s ... Brush your teeth and use floss ... Mydel and his colleagues examined 53 persons with Alzheimer´s and discovered the enzyme in 96 per cent of the cases." -  Err!  They keep ignoring the fact that there's little evidence flossing helps.  I'm for dipping GUM Go-Betweens in Periogard and going between the teeth.  You'll need to get a prescription for the Periogard from a dentist.

• Medical benefits of dental floss unproven - Washington Post, 8/2/16 - "The AP looked at the most rigorous research conducted over the past decade, focusing on 25 studies that generally compared the use of a toothbrush with the combination of toothbrushes and floss. The findings? The evidence for flossing is “weak, very unreliable,” of “very low” quality, and carries “a moderate to large potential for bias.” ... The majority of available studies fail to demonstrate that flossing is generally effective in plaque removal"

Eating blueberries every day improves heart health - Science Daily, 5/30/19 - "They looked at the benefits of eating 150 gram portions (one cup) compared to 75 gram portions (half a cup). The participants consumed the blueberries in freeze-dried form and a placebo group was given a purple-coloured alternative made of artificial colours and flavourings ... We found that eating one cup of blueberries per day resulted in sustained improvements in vascular function and arterial stiffness -- making enough of a difference to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by between 12 and 15 per cent ... Unexpectedly, we found no benefit of a smaller 75 gram (half cup) daily intake of blueberries in this at-risk group. It is possible that higher daily intakes may be needed for heart health benefits in obese, at-risk populations, compared with the general population"

High LDL linked to early-onset Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 5/28/19 - "participants with elevated LDL levels were more likely to have early-onset Alzheimer's disease, compared with patients with lower cholesterol levels. This was true even after the researchers controlled for cases with the APOE mutation, meaning cholesterol could be an independent risk factor for the disease, regardless of whether the problematic APOE gene variant is present"

Abstracts from this week:

Lithium as a Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease: The Systems Pharmacology Perspective - J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;69(3):615-62 - "Lithium chloride, a pharmacological compound approved for the therapy of psychiatric disorders, represents a poorly explored compound for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lithium has been shown to reduce downstream effects associated with the aberrant overactivation of certain molecular pathways, such as glycogen synthase kinase 3 subunit β (GSK3-β)-related pathways, involved in AD-related pathophysiology. It seems that overactivation and overexpression of GSK3-β lead to an impairment of long-term potentiation and amyloid-β induced neurotoxicity that can be normalized using lithium. Moreover, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated that lithium's GSK3-β inhibitory effect prevents tau phosphorylation in mouse models of tauopathies. Clinical data have been inconclusive, partly due to methodological limitations. The lack of studies exploring the dynamics of protein misfolding in AD and investigating the specific tau-isoforms appearing prior to the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles calls for new and optimized clinical trials. Advanced computer modeling based on a formal implementation of quantitative parameters and basic enzymatic insights into a mechanism-based model would present a good start to tackle these non-linear interactions. This innovative approach will pave the way for developing "molecularly" biomarker-guided targeted therapies, i.e., treatments specifically adapted ("tailored") to the individual, consistently with the primary objectives and key conceptual points of precision medicine and precision pharmacology" - See lithium supplements at Amazon.com.

Neuroprotective Potential of Curcumin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carrier in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease: Behavioral and Biochemical Evidence - J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;69(3):671-686 - "Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and is caused by accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide and is associated with neurological abnormalities in learning and memory. The protective role of curcumin on nerve cells, along with a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, has been widely studied. However, its low bioavailability and limited transport ability across the blood-brain barrier are two major drawbacks of its application in the treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases. The present study was designed to improve the effectiveness of curcumin in the treatment of Aβ-induced cognitive deficiencies in a rat model of AD by loading it into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) ... The result of studying the neuroprotective potential of Cur-NLC in both pre-treatment and treatment modes showed that loading curcumin in NLCs is an effective strategy for increasing curcumin delivery to the brain and reducing Aβ-induced neurological abnormalities and memory defects and that it can be the basis for further studies in the area of AD prevention and treatment"

Creatine electrolyte supplement improves anaerobic power and strength: a randomized double-blind control study - J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019 May 24 - "Creatine supplementation aids the Phosphagen system by increasing the amount of free creatine and phosphocreatine available to replenish adenosine triphosphate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a creatine and electrolyte formulated multi-ingredient performance supplement (MIPS) on strength and power performance compared to a placeb ... The MIPS was found to be beneficial to recreationally trained individuals compared to a placebo. The greatest benefits are seen in bench press and back squat maximal strength as well as multiple repetition tests to fatigue during the bench press exercise" - See creatine at Amazon.com.

Fiber Intake Predicts Weight Loss and Dietary Adherence in Adults Consuming Calorie-Restricted Diets: The POUNDS Lost (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies) Study - J Nutr. 2019 Jun 7 - "Dietary fiber intake, independently of macronutrient and caloric intake, promotes weight loss and dietary adherence in adults with overweight or obesity consuming a calorie-restricted diet"

Lactobacillus acidophilus Exerts Neuroprotective Effects in Mice with Traumatic Brain Injury - J Nutr. 2019 Jun 7 - "Our results demonstrate that LA exerts neuroprotective effects that may be associated with gut microbiota remodeling in TBI mice" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Atherogenic Index Reduction and Weight Loss in Metabolic Syndrome Patients Treated with A Novel Pectin-Enriched Formulation of Bergamot Polyphenols - Nutrients. 2019 Jun 4;11(6) - "BPE-C reduced significantly fasting glucose by 18.1%, triglycerides by 32% and cholesterol parameters by up to 41.4%, leading to a powerful reduction of AIP (below 0.2) in the high dose group. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin levels were also reduced. Moreover, BPE-C decreased body weight by 14.8% and body mass index by 15.9% in BPE-C high group. This correlated with a significant reduction of circulating hormones balancing caloric intake, including leptin, ghrelin and upregulation of adiponectin. All effects showed a dose-dependent tendency. This study suggests that food supplements, containing full spectrum of bergamot juice components, such as BPE-C efficiently induce a combination of weight loss and insulin sensitivity effects together with a robust reduction of atherosclerosis risk" - See bergamot extract at Amazon.com.

Oral Ingestion of Deep Ocean Minerals Increases High-Intensity Intermittent Running Capacity in Soccer Players after Short-Term Post-Exercise Recovery: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial - Mar Drugs. 2019 May 24;17(5) - "DOM increased high-intensity running capacity by ~25% compared to PLA" - [Nutra USA] - See deep ocean minerals at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Two weeks ago I included this article on sleep apnea.  I got tested and found out that I stopped breathing 23 times per hour and my blood oxygen went as low as 85%.  24% of men have it and 9 out of 10 of them don't know it.  The below blood oxygen sensor might be the poor man's way to know.

Sleep Apnea Can Have Deadly Consequences - NYT, 5/27/19 - "Obstructive sleep apnea, an increasingly common yet often missed or untreated condition that can result in poor quality of life, a risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even cancer, and perhaps most important of all, a threefold increased risk of often-fatal motor vehicle accidents. ... There’s a constellation of symptoms, starting with unrestorative sleep no matter how long you sleep. Even if you try to sleep more on weekends, you still wake up feeling unrefreshed. The fractured sleep results in feeling like you’ve stayed up all night ... And if you’d rather not base your suspicions on symptoms alone, you might invite a close friend to share a room with you for a night or two and ask in the morning if the friend heard or was awakened by your snoring and noticed whether your noisy inspiration of air followed a seemingly prolonged stoppage of breathing. The snoring doesn’t have to be loud to be a symptom of sleep apnea, but it’s likely to be irregular and interspersed with quiet pauses."

Health Focus (Advance Glycation End Products):