Recent Longevity News for the week ending 10/30/19

Could More Coffee Bring a Healthier Microbiome? - WebMD, 10/28/19 - "Overall, the 34 participants who drank two or more cups of coffee daily throughout the previous year exhibited better gut microbiome profiles than those who consumed less or no coffee ... Heavy coffee drinkers' bacterial species were more abundant and more evenly distributed throughout the large intestine, richer in anti-inflammatory properties, and considerably less likely to include Erysipelatoclostridium, a type of bacteria linked to metabolic abnormalities and obesity ... coffee's polyphenols and other antioxidants, compounds naturally found in plant foods, are likely what's providing a healthier microbiome"

There's 'Scarce Evidence' to Suggest Cannabis Improves Mental Health Symptoms, a New Research Review Says - Time, 10/28/19 - "overall, the literature provided “little evidence for the effectiveness of pharmaceutical CBD or medicinal cannabis for the treatment of any of these mental health disorders ... Even the positive results may not be directly linked to cannabis. The authors note that medicinal marijuana is often prescribed to patients for whom depression and anxiety are secondary conditions—that is, a chronic disease may be their “primary” diagnosis—which makes it hard to see how, exactly, the drug is helping ... Plus, many people aren’t using pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids, and a body of research suggests non-medicinal cannabis use can worsen mental health symptom ... The review also exposed just how little research has been done on cannabinoids and mental health"

Teen marijuana use may have next-generation effects - Science Daily, 10/28/19 - "Children and teens of chronic users were most likely to use alcohol and marijuana themselves, as researchers had predicted. But what came as more of a surprise was the behavior of children whose parents had primarily used during adolescence: Compared to the children of nonusers, children of adults in the "adolescent-limited" group were more than 2.5 times as likely to use marijuana and 1.8 times as likely to use alcohol. This was true even after parents' current marijuana use was accounted for ... In comparison, children of chronic users were nearly 4.5 times as likely to use marijuana, and 2.75 times as likely to use alcohol, as children of nonusers ... Children in the "late-onset" group, as it turned out, were least likely to use marijuana, as were children of nonusers. They did, however, have lower grades ... Using marijuana in adolescence is associated with a host of other problems in the present and later into adulthood ... Chronic users had the worst outcomes in terms of health and quality of life, Epstein added: Poor mental health, lower academic outcomes, less financial stability and greater tendency of criminal and/or risky behaviors were associated with frequent, lifetime marijuana use"

Trans Fats Tied to Increased Dementia Risk - Medscape, 10/25/19 - "Participants with the highest concentrations of serum elaidic acid, a major trans-fatty acid formed in the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, had a 53% increased risk of dementia. This group also had a 43% higher likelihood for developing AD compared with those with the lowest levels"

Cannabis Use Doubles Risk for Ketoacidosis in Type 1 Diabetes - Medscape, 10/25/19 - "diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) ... The researchers say that cannabis delays gastric emptying, and this is thought to play a role in disruption of blood glucose control ... Cannabis-induced alterations to gut motility, food absorption, and postprandial glycemic timing may be unexpected and inconsistent for the typical cannabis user with type 1 diabetes ... Moreover, they add that cannabis-induced increased appetite can contribute to elevated glucose levels, and the cognitive effects of the drug can alter perception of hypoglycemia ... Studies have also suggested a link between long-term cannabis use and CHS, "which is characterized by cyclic episodes of nausea and vomiting and may result in an increased risk for DKA"

Entresto Sales See Slow and Steady Upturn - Medscape, 10/25/19 - "Despite narrowly missing its primary end point of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiac deaths among patients with HF and preserved ejection fraction in PARAGON-HF, subgroup analyses in patients with an ejection fraction up to 57% and women showed significant benefits"

Chemicals in consumer products during early pregnancy related to lower IQ, especially in boys - Science Daily, 10/24/19 - "Scientists measured 26 chemicals in the blood and urine of 718 mothers during the first trimester of their pregnancies in the study of Swedish mothers and children, known as SELMA ... Researchers later followed up with the children at age 7 and found that those whose mothers had higher levels of the chemicals in their system during pregnancy had lower IQ scores -- particularly boys, whose scores were lower by two points. Within the mixture, bisphenol F (BPF), a BPA-replacement compound, made the highest contribution to lowering children's IQ, suggesting that BPF is not any safer for children than BPA ... The study found that other chemicals of concern in the mixture were the pesticide chloropyrifos; polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are found in cleaning products; triclosan, a chemical found in antibacterial soaps; and phthalates, which are found in soft polyvinyl chloride plastics and cosmetics. Many of the chemicals only stay in the body a short time, meaning that even a short-term exposure may be detrimental, so researchers believe this indicates that preventing exposures to pregnant women or women trying to become pregnant is critical to preventing neurological harm to children."

Gut instincts: Researchers discover first clues on how gut health influences brain health - Science Daily, 101/23/19 - "Over the last two decades, scientists have observed a clear link between autoimmune disorders and a variety of psychiatric conditions. For example, people with autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis and multiple sclerosis may also have depleted gut microbiota and experience anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Genetic risks for autoimmune disorders and psychiatric disorders also appear to be closely related. But precisely how gut health affects brain health has been unknown ... The gut-brain axis impacts every single human being, every day of their lives ... We are beginning to understand more about how the gut influences diseases as diverse as autism, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Our study provides a new piece of understanding of how the mechanisms operate" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

High-salt diet promotes cognitive impairment through the Alzheimer-linked protein tau - Science Daily, 10/23/19 - "The 2018 study found that a high-salt diet caused dementia in mice. The rodents became unable to complete daily living tasks such as building their nests and had problems passing memory tests. The research team determined that the high-salt diet was causing cells in the small intestine to release the molecule interleukin-17 (IL-17), which promotes inflammation as part of the body's immune response ... IL-17 then entered the bloodstream and prevented the cells in the walls of blood vessels feeding the brain from producing nitric oxide. This compound works by relaxing and widening the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow. Conversely, a shortage of nitric oxide can restrict blood flow ... Based on these findings, Dr. Iadecola, Dr. Faraco and their colleagues theorized that salt likely caused dementia in mice because it contributed to restricted blood flow to the brain, essentially starving it"

New chemical weapon to combat cancer - Science Daily, 10/23/19 - "C2 -- which consists of four products (tubacin, CI-994, erlotinib and dasatinib) -- is developing a new and highly promising mechanism of action ... During our in vitro tests, we found that C2 killed up to 20 times more cancer cells than other combinations, while sparing healthy cells"

Exercise can reduce artery stiffness associated with heart failure - Science Daily, 10/22/19 - "studied three different groups of swine with heart failure: one group was inactive; a second group exercised using intervals with a higher level of intensity for short periods of time intermixed with periods of lower intensity; and the third group exercised with a constant lower level of intensity. Emter found that regardless of exercise intensity or duration, any level of exercise resulted in improved health of blood vessels in the heart"

Bed time is the best time to take blood pressure medication - Science Daily, 10/22/19 - "patients who took their medication at bedtime had nearly half the risk (45% reduction) of dying from or suffering heart attacks, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure or requiring a procedure to unblock narrowed arteries (coronary revascularisation), compared to patients who took their medication on waking"

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor muscle function in adults aged 60+ - Science Daily, 10/23/19 - "The prevalence of muscle weakness was twice as high among older adults with vitamin D deficiency (40.4%) compared with vitamin D adequacy (21.6%) ... Similarly, impaired 'muscle performance' was 3 times higher in older adults with vitamin D deficiency (25.2%) compared with vitamin D adequacy (7.9%) ... Based on more complex statistical analysis, the study showed that vitamin D deficiency significantly increased the likelihood of impaired muscle strength and performance ... It is generally accepted that vitamin D deficiency (at the 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L cut-off) should be reversed to prevent bone disease, this strategy may also protect skeletal muscle function in ageing" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Creatine powers T cells' fight against cancer - Science Daily, 10/18/19 - "Creatine, the organic acid that is popularly taken as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders, serves as a molecular battery for immune cells by storing and distributing energy to power their fight against cancer ... Taken together, these findings suggest that killer T cells really need creatine to fight cancer ... Without it, they simply can't do their jobs effectively ... These new findings add killer T cells to the list of creatine-dependent cells, all of which utilize two distinct sources of power, much like hybrid cars. The first power source is a metabolic process that is similar to a fuel engine, converting nutrients like glucose, amino acids and lipids into ATP, the energy currency of cells. The secondary power source is creatine, which -- like a hybrid car's battery -- absorbs excess energy (in this case, ATP) and stores it to be released when fuel is in short supply to keep the cells working until more fuel can be burned" - See creatine at Amazon.com.

Increase health benefits of exercise by working out before breakfast - Science Daily, 10/18-19 - "people who performed exercise before breakfast burned double the amount of fat than the group who exercised after breakfast ... They found that increased fat use is mainly due to lower insulin levels during exercise when people have fasted overnight, which means that they can use more of the fat from their fat tissue and the fat within their muscles as a fuel ... Whilst this did not lead to any differences for weight loss over six weeks, it did have 'profound and positive' effects on their health because their bodies were better able to respond to insulin, keeping blood sugar levels under control and potentially lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease"

Potato as effective as carbohydrate gels for boosting athletic performance, study finds - Science Daily, 10/18/19 - "Research has shown that ingesting concentrated carbohydrate gels during prolonged exercise promotes carbohydrate availability during exercise and improves exercise performance ... Potatoes are a promising alternative for athletes because they represent a cost-effective, nutrient-dense and whole-food source of carbohydrates ... We found no differences between the performance of cyclists who got their carbohydrates by ingesting potatoes or gels at recommended amounts of about 60 grams per hour during the experiments ... Both groups saw a significant boost in performance that those consuming only water did not achieve" - Note:  I found that out on my own.  I noticed that when I spray french-fries with avocado oil and fry them in the air fryer for 13 minutes, my swim time is significantly faster the next day.

Treatment of metabolic dysfunction could be a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 10/17/19 - "metabolic defects occur well before any significant increase in the amount of amyloid-beta protein could be detected. The research used a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans to identify these changes because it shares many similarities at the molecular level with human cells. A further breakthrough came when the team found that treatment of the worms with a common anti-diabetes drug called Metformin reversed these metabolic defects and normalised the worms' healthspan and lifespan"

Can Bugs be Drugs? The Potential of Probiotics and Prebiotics as Treatment for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - Medscape, 10/16/19 - "The most promising strategies thus far developed to alter the microbiome in NAFLD-NASH are probiotics and prebiotics. However, pre- and probiotic treatment of NAFLD-NASH is relatively new and still under development. Actual understanding of the involved mechanisms is lacking and changes in the intestinal microbiota composition after treatment are rarely measured. Furthermore, large clinical trials with comparative endpoints are unavailable. Personalised treatment based on metagenomics gut microbiota analysis will probably be part of the future diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD-NASH" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and prebiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

More aggressive blood pressure control benefits brains of older adults - Science Daily, 10/15/19 - "after three years, the accrual of white matter lesions in the brain were reduced by up to 40% in the those patients receiving the intensive blood pressure therapy compared to those who were on standard therapy ... Further, study participants on the intensive therapy had a lower rate of cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke and hospitalization from heart failure than those on standard therapy ... The INFINITY trial's results show that maintaining a systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mmHg is safe, and a reasonable and potentially more beneficial treatment goal for older adults with hypertension ... Intensive treatment of hypertension reduces the progression of small blood vessel disease in the brain and significantly lowers patients' risk of nonfatal cardiovascular events"

Abstracts from this week:

Protein Intake to Maximize Whole-Body Anabolism during Postexercise Recovery in Resistance-Trained Men with High Habitual Intakes is Severalfold Greater than the Current Recommended Dietary Allowance - J Nutr. 2019 Oct 16 - "A breakpoint protein intake of ~2.0 g.kg-1.d-1, which maximized whole-body anabolism in resistance-trained men after exercise, is greater than previous IAAO-derived estimates for nonexercising men and is at the upper range of current general protein recommendations for athletes. The capacity to enhance whole-body net balance may be greater than previously suggested to maximize muscle protein synthesis in resistance-trained athletes accustomed to a high habitual protein intake"

Water Extract of Curcuma longa L. Ameliorates Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - Nutrients. 2019 Oct 21;11(10) - "Our aim was to investigate whether hot water extract (CLW) of Curcuma longa L. could prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ... These results suggest that CLW could be a potentially useful agent for the prevention of NAFLD through modulating fatty acid uptake" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Normal-range thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and cardiovascular events and mortality in type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2019 Oct 16 - "Higher TSH levels within the normal range are associated with a lower risk of stroke in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes, but not associated with the risk of other cardiovascular events or mortality"

Pterostilbene attenuates experimental atherosclerosis through restoring catalase-mediated redox balance in vascular smooth muscle cells - J Agric Food Chem. 2019 Oct 23 - "Atherosclerosis, the major risk of cardiovascular events, is a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring dimethylated analog of resveratrol and has recently been demonstrated beneficial against cardiovascular diseases ... We found that pterostilbene significantly attenuated thoracic and abdominal atherosclerotic plaque size in HFD-fed ApoE-/-mice, accompanied by modulated lipid profiles and reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, IFN-γ and TNF-α). In addition, pterostilbene restored vascular redox balance in thoracic and abdominal aorta, evidencing by enhanced catalase (CAT) expression and activities, and decreased malondyaldheide and H2O2 production. Notably, pterostilbene specifically induced CAT expression and activities in VSMC of thoracic and abdominal aorta. In vitro, pterostilbene markedly promoted the expression and activity of CAT and decreased ox-LDL-mediated VSMC proliferation and intracellular H2O2 production, which was abolished by CAT siRNA knockdown or inhibition. Pterostilbene induced CAT expression was associated with inhibition of Akt, PRAS40, and GSK-3β signaling activation and upregulation of PTEN" - See pterostilbene at Amazon.com.

Low Vitamin B12 level and Vitamin D level Adversely Affect on Cochlear Health in Women - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2019 Oct 18:1-6 - "There was a significant association between both vitamin B12 deficiency and vitamin D deficiency and cochlear health. Patients with vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiency should be evaluated for cochlear function" - See vitamin B12 at Amazon.com and vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Effect of pycnogenol supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials - Phytother Res. 2019 Oct 21 - "Pooled analysis suggested that pycnogenol supplementation can reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) of (-3.22 mmHg; 95% CI [-5.52, -0.92]) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; -1.91 mmHg; 95% CI [-3.64, -0.18]). Effect of pycnogenol on SBP was more pronounce in subgroup in which pycnogenol was administered along with other treatments. A significant effect of pycnogenol on DBP in studies with >12-week duration, whereas this favorable effect was not observed in subgroup with ≤12-week supplementation. The present systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that pycnogenol had a favorable effect on SBP and DBP" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.

The probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum 296 attenuates cardiometabolic disorders in high fat diet-treated rats - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2019 Aug 14 - "High-fat (HF) diet consumption has been associated with gut dysbiosis and increased risk of dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Probiotic administration has been suggested as a safe therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cardiometabolic disorders. This study was designed to assess the effects of probiotic Lactobacillus (L.) fermentum 296, a fruit-derived bacteria strain, against cardiometabolic disorders induced by HF diet ... The administration of L. fermentum 296 for 4 weeks recovered fecal Lactobacillus sp. counts and alleviated hyperlipidemia, sympathetic hyperactivity, and reduced systolic blood pressure in HF rats without affecting baroreflex sensibility ... Our results suggest the ability of L. fermentum 296 improve biochemical and cardiovascular parameters altered in cardiometabolic disorders" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Effect of a Resistance Training Program on Sarcopenia and Functionality of the Older Adults Living in a Nursing Home - J Nutr Health Aging. 2019;23(9):829-836 - "The resistance training program improves the functionality (muscle strength and physical performance), with the benefit of the decrease in severe sarcopenia"

A Review of Potential Beneficial Effects of Honey on Bone Health - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Sep 19;2019:8543618 - "Honey can protect the bone via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, primarily through its polyphenol content that acts upon several signalling pathways, leading to bone anabolic and antiresorptive effects. In conclusion, honey is a potential functional food for bone health, but the dose and the bioactive contents of honey need to be verified prior to its application in humans" - See honey products at Amazon.com.

Testosterone therapy in relation to prostate cancer in a US commercial insurance claims database - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2019 Oct 22 - "Men who received TT did not have a higher rate of prostate cancer compared with the unexposed or PDE5i comparison groups. The inverse association between TT and prostate cancer could be the result of residual confounding, contraindication bias, or undefined biologic effect"

A Phase I Trial of Berberine in Chinese with Ulcerative Colitis - Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2019 Oct 16 - "The Chinese natural product, berberine, has biological properties supporting potential efficacy as a colon cancer prevention agent. Its longstanding use in China to treat gastrointestinal tract and rheumatologic disorders is generally regarded as safe, supporting initial investigations in an at-risk population, such as individuals with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the safety of berberine in this population is not established. Individuals living in China with biopsy-proven UC, ≤ grade 2 dysplasia, and with a UC disease activity index (UCDAI) score ≤ 1 on mesalamine, were randomized 3:1 in a double-blind phase I trial to berberine 900 mg/day or placebo for 3 months, with the primary objective of assessing safety ... The combination of berberine and mesalamine is well tolerated in Chinese with UC, and may enhance mesalamine's anti-inflammatory effects in colonic tissue" - See berberine at Amazon.com.

(r)Alpha Lipoic Acid Is a Safe, Effective Pharmacologic Therapy of Chronic Orthostatic Hypotension Associated with Low Sympathetic Tone - Int J Angiol. 2019 Sep;28(3):188-193 - "Chronic orthostatic hypotension (OH), affecting 10 to 30% of the elderly, is associated with falls, and increased morbidity and mortality. Current pharmacologic therapy can cause or worsen hypertension and fluid retention. (r)α lipoic acid (ALA), a powerful natural antioxidant, avoids those complications and may assist management of chronic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) ... Glucose levels improved in the 28% of patients who were diabetic. Also, resting hypertension improved. Control patients had no ∆ BP and no increase in S tone. (r)ALA improves S-, and BP, responses to head-up postural change, and thereby NOH/OI, in a majority of patients without causing harmful side effects" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com (paid link).

A Curcumin Analog Reduces Levels of the Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Amyloid-β Protein by Modulating AβPP Processing and Autophagy - J Alzheimers Dis. 2019 Oct 17 - "Curcumin is a natural compound primarily found in the widely used culinary spice, turmeric, which displays therapeutic potential for AD. Recently, we reported the development of curcumin analogs and identified a lead compound, curcumin-like compound-R17 (CLC-R17), that significantly attenuates Aβ deposition in an AD transgenic mouse model. Here, we elucidated the mechanisms of this analog on Aβ levels and AβPP processing using cell models of AD. Using biochemical methods and our recently developed nanoplasmonic fiber tip probe technology, we showed that the lead compound potently lowers Aβ levels in conditioned media and reduces oligomeric amyloid levels in the cells. Furthermore, like curcumin, the lead compound attenuates the maturation of AβPP in the secretory pathway. Interestingly, it upregulated α-secretase processing of AβPP and inhibited β-secretase processing of AβPP by decreasing BACE1 protein levels. Collectively, our data reveal mechanisms of a promising curcumin analog in reducing Aβ levels, which strongly support its development as a potential therapeutic for AD" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Alpha-ketoglutarate, an endogenous metabolite, extends lifespan and compresses morbidity in aging mice - bioRxiv, 10/2019 - "Here we show that alpha-ketoglutarate (delivered in the form of a Calcium salt, CaAKG), a key metabolite in tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle that is reported to extend lifespan in worms, can significantly extend lifespan and healthspan in mice. AKG is involved in various fundamental processes including collagen synthesis and epigenetic changes. Due to its broad roles in multiple biological processes, AKG has been a subject of interest for researchers in various fields. AKG also influences several age-related processes, including stem cell proliferation and osteoporosis. To determine its role in mammalian aging, we administered CaAKG in 18 months old mice and determined its effect on the onset of frailty and survival, discovering that the metabolite promotes longer, healthier life associated with a decrease in levels of inflammatory factors. Interestingly the reduction in frailty was more dramatic than the increase in lifespan, leading us to propose that CaAKG compresses morbidity" - [Nutra USA]  - See alpha ketoglutarate at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Love this brand for casual shirts.  I hate dark colors and they have a good selection of bright colors plus I like the fit:

Health Focus (Hair Loss):