Recent Longevity News for the week ending 4/1/20

Case Fatality Rate for COVID-19 Near 1.4%, Increases With Age - Medscape, 3/31/20 - "The risk for death from COVID-19 is 1.38% overall, according to a new study. However, the fatality rate rises with age, from well below 1% among children aged 9 years or younger to nearly 8% for seniors aged 80 years or older ... Among those infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the risk for hospitalization also increases with age. Specifically, 11.8% of people in their 60s require admission, as do 16.6% of people in their 70s and 18.4% for those in their 80s or older" - Note: The risk of dying from the flu is 0.1%. So it's about 14 times as deadly. Yesterday I read that COVID was 1.8%. It keeps changing.

New research sheds light on potentially negative effects of cannabis - Science Daily, 3/30/20 - "More than 50% of the study participants reported having experienced coughing fits, anxiety and/or paranoia while using cannabis ... The researchers found the most frequently occurring adverse reactions were coughing fits, chest/lung discomfort and body humming, which a subset of the study group reported occurring approximately 30-40% of the time they were using cannabis ... Panic attacks, fainting and vomiting were considered"

Air pollution linked to dementia and cardiovascular disease - Science Daily, 3/30/20 - "Interestingly, we were able to establish harmful effects on human health at levels below current air pollution standards ... Our findings suggest air pollution does play a role in the development of dementia, and mainly through the intermediate step of cardiovascular disease and especially stroke"

The Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on the Microbiome of the Digestive Tract - Medscape, 3/30/20 - "In the upper gastrointestinal tract, PPI users showed overgrowth of orally derived bacteria, mostly Streptococcaceae (findings based on six independent cohorts with 126 PPI users). In faecal samples, PPIs increased multiple taxa from the orders Bacillales (eg, Staphylococcaceae), Lactobacillales (eg, Enterococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae) and Actinomycetales (eg, Actinomycetaceae, Micrococcaceae), the families Pasteurellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae and the genus Veillonella. Taxa decreased by PPIs include Bifidobacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Mollicutes (findings in faecal samples based on 19 independent cohorts with 790 PPI users)"

Here’s my pitch for getting the flu shot every year:

• Does the Flu Provide Better Immunity Than a Flu Shot? - NYT, 10/28/16 - "just over half of patients infected with the 2009 H1N1 flu still had an antibody response after six months, while only about a third of vaccinated subjects did ... a 2008 study published in Nature found that survivors of the 1918 Spanish flu got lifelong immunity to that flu virus and, as it turned out, protection against the pandemic H1N1 flu in 2009"
• There was a similar virus to covid-19 in 2003.  Click here for the video. I don’t know if the flu shot covered it but people obviously contracted it. I believe that’s why we're seeing some people contract covid-19 and experience almost no symptoms and other suffering an agonizing death. Maybe the ones with the lesser symptoms either got partial immunity from the 2003 flu shot or the actual disease itself.  True, the vaccine isn’t as effective as the disease itself but it does provide some protection which should cause the symptoms to be less severe.

Coronavirus vs. Every 2000s Epidemic (March 19 update) Fatality comparison - YouTube video that graphs the coronavirus vs. previous pandemics starting from day 1, then ranks them on the right of the screen.  See how fast Covid-19 moves up to the top on the ranking.

Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19: What's the Evidence? - Medscape, 3/25/20 - "Three patients were transferred to the ICU, one died, and the other two stopped their treatment. By the way, none of the patients in the control group died or went to the ICU. Had these six patients not been dropped, the story we might have is that hydroxychloroquine increases the rate of death and ICU transfer in COVID-19 .... Before reading this study, I was 50/50 on hydroxychloroquine. After? ... Yeah, I'm right where I started. Because of the problems with the study design—not just its observational nature but that differential loss to follow-up—the data from the French study don't move the needle for me at all"

Analysis predicts purified fish oil could prevent thousands of cardiovascular events - Science Daily, 3/25/20 - "Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have conducted a statistical analysis that predicts more than 70,000 heart attacks, strokes and other adverse cardiovascular events could be prevented each year in the U.S. through the use of a highly purified fish oil therapy ... The REDUCE-IT trial showed patients with known cardiovascular disease or diabetes and multiple risk factors who have elevated triglyceride levels and are at increased risk for ischemic events benefitted substantially from icosapent ethyl, a highly purified fish oil therapy, which lowered cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, by 25 percent. Positive results were not found in other trials, possibly due to mixtures with other omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA, or inadequate dosages according to Wong ... Icosapent ethyl is a purified stable eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which was recently approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in conjunction with maximally tolerated statin therapy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in certain adults with elevated triglyceride levels"

Higher daily step count linked with lower all-cause mortality - Science Daily, 3/24/20 - "They found that, compared with taking 4,000 steps per day, a number considered to be low for adults, taking 8,000 steps per day was associated with a 51% lower risk for all-cause mortality (or death from all causes). Taking 12,000 steps per day was associated with a 65% lower risk compared with taking 4,000 steps. In contrast, the authors saw no association between step intensity and risk of death after accounting for the total number of steps taken per day."

FDA Approved Drugs Show Promise Against COVID-19 - WebMD, 3/24/20 - "The results showed that the most promising drugs included several antiviral drugs -- including Darunavir, Nelfinavir, and Saquinavir -- and several other types of drugs, including: the ACE inhibitor Moexipril; the chemotherapy drugs Daunorubicin and Mitoxantrone; the painkiller Metamizole; the antihistamine Bepotastine; and the antimalarial drug Atovaquone ... Another promising candidate is the cholesterol-lowering statin rosuvastatin, which is sold under the brand name Crestor ... Also on the list were certain antibiotics; metformin, the go-to drug for type 2 diabetes; the schizophrenia drug haloperidol; and the malaria drug chloroquine"

Commonly used mouthwash could make saliva significantly more acidic, change microbes - Science Daily, 3/24/20 - "Overall, chlorhexidine was found to reduce microbial diversity in the mouth, although the authors cautioned more research was needed to determine if this reduction in diversity itself increased the risk of oral disease ... One of the primary roles of saliva is to maintain a neutral pH in the mouth, as acidity levels fluctuate as a result of eating and drinking. If saliva pH gets too low, damage can occur to the teeth and mucosa -- tissue surrounding the teeth and on the inside of the mouth ... chlorhexidine disrupted the ability of oral bacteria to turn nitrate into nitrite, a key molecule for reducing blood pressure. Lower saliva and blood plasma nitrite concentrations were found after using chlorhexidine mouthwash, followed by a trend of increased systolic blood pressure. The findings supported earlier research led by the University that showed the blood pressure-lowering effect of exercise is significantly reduced when people rinse their mouths with antibacterial mouthwash rather than water" - Note: I use it with a Gum Go-Between brush between the three back teeth every two weeks. If I don’t do that, those areas start to bleed when I used the Go-Between brush. Seems like once ever two weeks does the trick. I wouldn’t think that would have any appreciable affect on pH.

What Does Our Body Temperature Say About Our Health? - NYT, 3/23/20 - "Body temperature varies considerably both among and within people, based on weight, height, physical activity, the weather, clothing. Older people tend to be cooler than younger people. A recent review suggests women might tend to be slightly warmer than men. Temperature also fluctuates with the sleep-wake cycle. Of course, public health officials can’t know each person’s usual thermal patterns, so their advice is based on population averages. Yet those numbers aren’t consistent, either, and most refer to oral temperature, which is considered more accurate than an infrared scan of the forehead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers above 100 to be a flu-related fever. The National Institutes of Health says an adult with a temperature above 99 “probably” has a fever, depending on the time of day. Before the current pandemic, hospitals would generally assess fever and act upon it differently in response to individual patients and diagnoses; schools have had various thresholds to determine when parents should keep their children home." - Note:  My body temp goes up as high as 99.6 for the first 10 minutes after I wake up then goes down to around 98.6 give or take a couple tenths.  The first time I noticed it, it scared the crap out of me.  Now, I know that it's normal, as least in me.

Liver Cancer Increase Driven Mainly by NASH in Men Over 60 - Medscape, 3/23/20 - "From 1990 to 2017, the number of cancer cases increased nearly threefold in older men and more than twofold in older women (aged 60 years or more). This increase was driven mainly by an increase in liver cancer caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also termed fatty liver disease ... The fact that the most pronounced increase in liver cancer was caused by NASH suggests that more attention should be paid to weight management and obesity control as primary prevention strategies in these regions"

Alzheimer's disease: Inflammation triggers fatal cycle - Science Daily, 3/18/20 - "An immune reaction in the brain seems to play a major role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. In a way, it "adds fuel to the fire" and apparently causes an inflammation that, in a sense, keeps kindling itself ... the accumulation of Aß probably begins decades before the first symptoms of disease appear. Early intervention may be able to slow down this fateful process. "This might make it possible to treat Alzheimer's disease preventively in the future, so that there is no impairment of mental performance in the first place,""

Heartburn Drugs Tied to Bone Fractures in Children - NYT, 3/23/20 - "Over all, the use of P.P.I.’s increased the risk for fracture by 11 percent. The drugs were associated with an 8 percent increase in broken bones of the arm, a 19 percent increase in leg fractures, and a 51 percent increase in the small number of other breaks. There was no association with the very few skull and spine fractures."

Here Are the Best Ways to Sanitize Your Phone’s Surface - didyouknowfacts - "An NIH study found that both methods are effective at reducing aerobic bacterial colony count, but UV light is slightly more so ... The UV light device that performed best in the study is called the Flashbox Mini, “an easily transportable, small chamber designed for use in any healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, laboratory, or research setting.” ... There are other devices that aren’t quite as fancy and effective, but that are aimed at consumers. Check out the PhoneSoap and the Verilux Cleanwave Portable Sanitizing Wand, and others like them." - Note:  Last week, the local news said that the average cell phone had 18 times as many germs as the average toilet handle.  See smartphone UV sanitizers at Amazon.com and UV sanitizers at Amazon.com.

COVID-19: Could Hydroxychloroquine Really Be the Answer? - WebMD, 3/18/20 - "Chloroquine was ruled out due to the risk of interactions with other medications for common comorbidities in infected patients, and because of possible adverse effects in patients undergoing resuscitation"

Blood Type May Affect COVID-19 Risk: Study - WebMD, 3/20/20 - "those with A blood types had a significantly higher risk of COVID-19 while those with O blood types had a significantly lower risk"

Statins starve cancer cells to death - Science Daily, 3/12/20 - "Devreotes and his team began the new study with an unbiased screen of about 2,500 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to see which ones had the best kill rate of cells genetically engineered to have a mutation in a cancer gene called PTEN. The gene codes for an enzyme that suppresses tumor growth. Among the thousands of drugs, statins and in particular pitavastatin, emerged as a top contender in cancer-killing ability. Most of the other drugs had no effect or killed normal and engineered cells at the same rate. Equal concentrations of pitavastatin caused cell death in nearly all of the engineered cells, but very in few normal cells" -

• Pitavastatin - wikipedia.org - "It was patented in 1987 and approved for medical use in 2003.[2] It is available in Japan, South Korea and in India.[3] In the US, it received FDA approval in 2009"

Parental diet affects sperm and health of future offspring - Science Daily, 3/19/20 - "When parents eat low-protein or high-fat diets it can lead to metabolic disorders in their adult offspring."

One Joint May Cause Psychotic Symptoms: Study - WebMD, 3/18/20 - "None of the findings came as a surprise to Dr. Scott Krakower, who specializes in substance abuse treatment for teens and young adults ... Prior studies "have demonstrated that cannabis may be linked to future onset of psychotic and other mental health symptoms," said Krakower, who is assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y. He said the connection is especially strong for younger pot users, those who use the drug frequently, and people at genetic high risk for psychosis ... "What is especially concerning are the psychotic symptoms, which are least transient in nature, and may be difficult to predict," Krakower said, and "patients may not realize that even a one-time use of marijuana may cause symptoms.""

PARAGON-HF: Optimal Systolic Pressure in HFpEF is 120-129 mmHg - Medscape, 3/18/20 - "A target systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 120-129 mm Hg in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) proved to be the sweet spot with the lowest rates of major adverse cardiovascular and renal events in a new analysis from the landmark PARAGON-HF trial"

Abstracts from this week:

Associations of habitual fish oil supplementation with cardiovascular outcomes and all cause mortality: evidence from a large population based cohort study - BMJ 2020;368:m456 - "A total of 427 678 men and women aged between 40 and 69 who had no CVD or cancer at baseline were enrolled between 2006 and 2010 and followed up to the end of 2018 ... participants answered questions on the habitual use of supplements, including fish oil ... The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for habitual users of fish oil versus non-users were 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.90) for all cause mortality, 0.84 (0.78 to 0.91) for CVD mortality, and 0.93 (0.90 to 0.96) for incident CVD events. For CVD events, the association seemed to be stronger among those with prevalent hypertension" - [Nutra USA] - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Anthocyanins in berries exhibited anti-atherogenicity and antiplatelet activities in a metabolic syndrome population - Nutr Res. 2020 Feb 27 - "A total of 55 participants in two groups of Normal healthy and MetS (age 25-75y) were given 320 mg anthocyanin supplements twice daily for 4 weeks ... Four weeks of anthocyanin supplementation significantly decreased cardiometabolic risk factors including the average serum fasting blood glucose (FBG) (by 13.3%, P < .05) and lipid profiles by significant reduction in triglyceride (by 24.9%, P < .05) and LDL-C (by 33.1%, P < .05) in the MetS group. Anthocyanin supplementation also decreased high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level (by 28%, P < .05) in females. However, no significant differences in serum UA (uric acid) and HDL-C were observed between anthocyanin pre- and post-treatment in both groups. Moreover, Anthocyanin supplements decreased ADP-induced platelet activation configuration expressed as P-selectin by 40% (P < .05). There was a positive correlation between decreased hs-CRP values and the levels of LDL-C and FBG in the MetS group (P < .05). These results support the hypothesis that anthocyanin supplementation exerts anti-atherogenicity effects by improving cardiometabolic risk factors and reducing thrombogenicity in the MetS population" - [Nutra USA] - See at anthocyanins at Amazon.com.

Impact of curcumin supplementation on expression of inflammatory transcription factors in hemodialysis patients: A pilot randomized, double-blind, controlled study - Clin Nutr. 2020 Mar 13 - "Three months treatment with curcumin in CKD patients undergoing HD resulted in decreased markers of inflammation, NF-kB mRNA expression and hsCRP, suggesting that oral supplementation of curcumin may have an anti-inflammatory effect in this patient group" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Comparison between Acupuncture and Nutraceutical Treatment with Migratens® in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial - Nutrients. 2020 Mar 19 - "Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) ... A total of 60 FMS female patients were randomized for treatment with a nutritional combination containing coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, and tryptophan (Migratens® Group) or acupuncture treatment (Acupuncture Group) performed according the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), both for 3 months. Changes in pain and in quality of life (QoL) measured with a Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Score-Revised (FIQ-R) and the Fibromyalgia Severity Scale (FSS) were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months after the start of treatments ... Migratens® treatment shows a statistically significant reduction of pain 1 month after the start of therapy (T1, p = 0.025), strengthened after 3 months with maintenance of treatment (p = 0.012). The efficacy in reducing pain was apparent in the Acupuncture Group at all post-treatment determinations and at follow-up (T1 and T2 p = <0.001). Regarding QoL, improvement in FIQ-R and FSS values was revealed in both groups ... The nutraceutical approach with Migratens® seems to be an effective option to for patients with FMS. Our experience confirmed also the validity of acupuncture in these patients. Considering the complexity of the management of FMS patients, our results suggest a cyclical and sequential, or even concurrent treatment with different approaches, to improve the efficacy and the compliance of patients to long-term treatment"

Vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, and their interaction in relation to colorectal cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality - Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Mar 19 - "An inverse association between magnesium intake (HRQ3 vs. Q1: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.95 and HRQ4 vs. Q1: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.35, 1.21), but not calcium intake, and all-cause mortality was observed. When investigating the interaction between 25(OH)D3 and magnesium, we observed the lowest risk of all-cause mortality in patients with sufficient vitamin D concentrations (≥50 nmol/L) and a high magnesium intake (median split) (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.89) compared with patients who were vitamin D deficient (<50 nmol/L) and had a low magnesium intake. No interactions between calcium and vitamin D in relation to all-cause mortality were observed ... Our findings suggest that the presence of an adequate status of 25(OH)D3 in combination with an adequate magnesium intake is essential in lowering the risk of mortality in CRC patients, yet the underlying mechanism should be studied. In addition, diet and lifestyle intervention studies are needed to confirm our findings"

Maternal B12, folate and homocysteine concentrations and offspring cortisol and cardiovascular responses to stress - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Mar 24 - "Maternal low B12 status (plasma B12<150 pmol/L) was associated with greater cortisol responses to stress in the offspring (p<0.001). Higher homocysteine concentrations were associated with greater offspring heart rate response (p<0.001). After adjustment for multiple comparisons, there were non-significant associations between higher maternal folate concentrations and offspring total peripheral resistance response (p=0.01) ... Our findings suggest that maternal one-carbon nutritional status may have long-term programming implications for offspring neuro-endocrine stress responses" - See vitamin B12 at Amazon.com.

Postdiagnostic Metformin Use and Survival of Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort study - Int J Cancer. 2020 Mar 20 - "After adjustment for demographic and clinical covariates, metformin users had lower all-cause mortality than did nonusers (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.40-0.44) and lower CRC-specific mortality (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.39-0.44). Similar but somewhat attenuated effects were observed after stabilized IPTW (HR for all-cause mortality, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.53-0.59; HR for CRC-specific mortality, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.55-0.61). Similar results were observed in stratified analyses of 2,112 patients with no prediagnostic metformin use and 14,564 patients with prediagnostic metformin use. Findings for both outcomes were consistent in multiple sensitivity analyses. Use of postdiagnostic metformin was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality and CRC-specific mortality, regardless of prior metformin use. These findings support the use of metformin as an adjunct to standard care of diabetic patients with CRC" - See metformin at ReliableRX.

Antiatherosclerosis Properties of Total Saponins of Garlic in Rats - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Feb 27 - "atherosclerosis (AS) ... total saponins of garlic (TSG) ... Administration of TSG markedly decreased atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta of atherosclerotic rats. TSG restored the serum lipid profile by significantly decreasing the lipid levels and had effective antioxidation by inhibiting the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and restoring the reduced activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Additionally, the ratio of thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α ) could be maintained in a relatively stable dynamic balance after administration of TSG to maintain the vascular homeostasis. In summary, TSG had therapeutic effects on AS, which are promising as functional foods or nutraceuticals for the prevention and treatment of AS." - See garlic supplements at Amazon.com.

Does vitamin D status predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference? Results from the longitudinal Health 2000/2011 Survey - Public Health Nutr. 2020 Mar 24 - "In men, low vitamin D status at baseline predicted ≥10 % increase in waist circumference during the follow-up when adjusted for age only (OR for sufficient v. deficient S-25(OH)D 0·41; 95 % CI 0·25, 0·67; P for trend <0·01), but the association with weight gain was only borderline significant. After adjustment for potential confounders, low vitamin D status remained a significant predictor of increase in waist circumference, but the association with weight gain was further attenuated. In women, vitamin D status at baseline did not predict weight gain or increase in waist circumference." - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Effects of Astaxanthin Supplementation on Skin Health: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies - J Diet Suppl. 2020 Mar 23 - "AST supplementation improved skin texture, appearance (wrinkles), and moisture content at the end of the study period. AST also appeared to protect against UV-induced skin damage. No serious adverse events were reported in any of the studies. However, most available studies had a relatively small sample size and were conducted on healthy Japanese females. Many of the studies were also funded by commercial entities, with potential conflicts of interests. This was difficult to account for in our analyses. Overall, there is some clinical data to support the benefits of astaxanthin supplementation (in the range of 3 to 6 mg/d) on skin health, especially for photoaged skin" - See astaxanthin at Amazon.com.

Eleutherococcus senticosus Leaf and Rhizome of Drynaria fortunei Enhances Cognitive Function: A Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Double-Blind Study in Healthy Adults - Nutrients. 2020 Jan 23;12(2) - "We previously found that the water extract of Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves (ES extract) enhanced cognitive function in normal mice. Our study also revealed that the water extract of rhizomes of Drynaria fortunei (DR extract) enhanced memory function in Alzheimer's disease model mice. In addition, our previous experiments suggested that a combined treatment of ES and DR extracts synergistically improved memory and anti-stress response in mice ... The intake period was 12 weeks. The Japanese version of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) test was used for neurocognitive assessment. The combined treatment of ES and DR extracts significantly increased the figure recall subscore of RBANS (p = 0.045) in an intergroup comparison. Potentiation of language domain ((p = 0.040), semantic fluency (p = 0.021) and figure recall (p = 0.052) was shown by the extracts (in intragroup comparison). In anti-stress response, the anxiety/uncertainly score was improved by the extract in an intragroup comparison (p = 0.022). No adverse effects were observed. The combined treatment of ES and DR extracts appear to safely enhance a part of cognitive function in healthy adults" - [Nutra USA] - See Siberian ginseng at Amazon.com.  You're on your own trying to find Drynaria fortunei.

• Eleutherococcus senticosus - wikipedia - "Eleutherococcus senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native to Northeastern Asia.[1][3] It may be colloquially called devil's bush,[4] Siberian ginseng, eleuthero, ciwujia, Devil's shrub, shigoka, touch-me-not, wild pepper, or kan jang"
• Aglaomorpha fortunei - wikipedia - "This species is also more frequently cited by Asian studies by its synonym, Drynaria fortunei;[2] however, this is an illegitimate name, the correct name in the genus Drynaria being Drynaria roosii"

Effect of continued folic acid supplementation beyond the first trimester of pregnancy on cognitive performance in the child: a follow-up study from a randomized controlled trial (FASSTT Offspring Trial) - BMC Med. 2019 Oct 31;17(1) - "At 7 years, the children of folic acid treated mothers scored significantly higher than the placebo group in word reasoning: mean 13.3 (95% CI 12.4–14.2) versus 11.9 (95% CI 11.0–12.8); p = 0.027; at 3 years, they scored significantly higher in cognition: 10.3 (95% CI 9.3–11.3) versus 9.5 (95% CI 8.8–10.2); p = 0.040. At both time points, greater proportions of children from folic acid treated mothers compared with placebo had cognitive scores above the median values of 10 (girls and boys) for the BSITD-III, and 24.5 (girls) and 21.5 (boys) for the WPPSI-III tests. When compared with a nationally representative sample of British children at 7 years, WPPSI-III test scores were higher in children from folic acid treated mothers for verbal IQ (p < 0.001), performance IQ (p = 0.035), general language (p = 0.002), and full scale IQ (p = 0.001), whereas comparison of the placebo group with British children showed smaller differences in scores for verbal IQ (p = 0.034) and full scale IQ (p = 0.017) and no differences for performance IQ or general language" -  [Nutra USA] - See folic acid products at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced mobility after hip fracture surgery: a prospective study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Feb 19 - "Compared with patients with <12 ng/mL, those with higher 25(OH)D concentrations had higher rates of walking at 30 d (P = 0.031): 12 to <20 ng/mL (adjusted OR: 2.61; 95% CI: 1.13, 5.99); 20 to <30 ng/mL (3.48; 1.53, 7.95); ≥30 ng/mL (2.84; 1.12, 7.20). In addition, there was also greater mobility at 60 d (P = 0.028) in patients with higher 25(OH)D compared with the reference group (<12 ng/mL)" - [Nutra USA] - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Combined protein and calcium β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate induced gains in leg fat free mass: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study - J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020 Mar 12;17(1):16 - "All participants received 60 g of whey protein on training days and 30 g of whey protein (WP) on non-training days. Participants were randomly assigned to additionally receive 3 g of calcium HMB (WP + HMB) or a placebo (WP + PLA) ... Combined protein and HMB supplementation resulted in segmental, but not whole-body increases in FFM compared to protein supplementation alone. These findings could explain some of the controversial effects of HMB reported in previous studies and have practical implications for maximizing training-induced gains in FFM and clinical conditions associated with skeletal muscle deconditioning such as aging, sedentary lifestyles, bed rest and spaceflight" - [Nutra USA] - See HMB at Amazon.com and whey protein at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

How to Brew Coffee - National Coffee Association - "Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction. Colder water will result in flat, under-extracted coffee, while water that is too hot will also cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee"

• Which Single Serve Coffee Machine Makes The Hottest Coffee? - pickandbrew.com - "The recommended brew heat for coffee is between 195-205 degrees and to serve between 153-175 degrees ... Black And Decker Brew N’ Go ... 182 degrees ... Cuisinart SS-10 ... 177 degrees ... Bunn My Cafe MCU Coffee Maker ... 190 degrees ... Keurig 2.0 K575 Series ... 176 degrees ... TouchPlus T526S ... 200-205 degrees ... The TouchPlus doesn’t only heat it up like no other, but it also delivers in quality and taste" - See Touch Plus Single Serve Coffee Brewer T526S at Amazon.com.

Note:  This article was from seven years ago.  The point is, the Bunn My Cafe, which most likely had the highest temperature of all those tested, also had by far the best taste:

• To the K-Cup and beyond: Single serve coffee makers reviewed - CNET Reviews, 9/8/13 - "what really stood out for us was the differences in flavor between each unit, even using the same kind of coffee ... The sturdy Bunn MyCafe MCU is our favorite brewer so far, for its sturdy construction, retro design, and, most importantly because it makes the most flavorful cup of coffee"

Health Focus (Rhodiola rosea):