Recent Longevity News for the week ending 4/14/21

Is Cutting Salt Ever Harmful? - Medscape, 4/12/21 - "It is clear that sodium-restricted diets lower blood pressure. A Cochrane review of 185 studies demonstrated that a mean reduction in dietary sodium from a whopping 11.5 g/day to 3.8 g/day was associated with an average decrease of 5.5 mm Hg systolic and 2.9 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals ... One observational study in JAMA assessed the effects of sodium restriction on cardiovascular events in two cohorts at high risk for cardiovascular disease. They identified a J-shaped curve with sodium intake below 3 g/day associated with an increase in cardiovascular events ... The PURE study similarly found an association between sodium intake under 3 g and an increase in cardiovascular events. The majority of participants in this observational trial had no underlying cardiovascular disease"

Medtronic Recall of Almost 240,000 ICDs Is Class I, FDA Says - Medscape, 4/12/21 - "Physicians were notified of the company's recall in early February. It covered implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D) models Evera, Viva, Brava, Claria, Amplia, Compia, and Visia distributed from August 31, 2012 to May 9, 2018 ... The devices could be subject to "an unexpected and rapid decrease in battery life" due to a possible short circuit that could lead to a device-replacement alert "earlier than expected." Some devices may experience full battery depletion "within as little as one day" after such an alert."

Widely Used BP Meds May Raise Skin Cancer Risk - WebMD. 4/12/21 - "The findings showed that certain types of high blood pressure drugs — known as thiazide diuretics — were associated with higher rates of keratinocyte skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, advanced keratinocyte carcinoma and melanoma ... Four other blood pressure medications — angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta blockers, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers — did not show an association with skin cancer risk ... Previous studies had shown increased risk of skin cancer among people taking the drug, also known as hydrochlorothiazide ... If you're on these medications for just a few years, it doesn't have a major impact on your cancer risk. But for someone who has been on, let's say, 25 milligrams a day of hydrochlorothiazide for 10 years, in our study that person would have a 40% increased risk of keratinocyte carcinoma ... If they were on that same dose for 20 years, the increased relative risk compared to somebody who had not taken hydrochlorothiazide is a 75% increased risk"

Imbalance in gum bacteria linked to Alzheimer's disease biomarker - Science Daily, 4/12/21 - "Older adults with more harmful than healthy bacteria in their gums are more likely to have evidence for amyloid beta -- a key biomarker for Alzheimer's disease -- in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ... adds to the growing evidence of a connection between periodontal disease (gum disease) and Alzheimer's. Periodontal disease -- which affects 70 percent of adults 65 and older, according to CDC estimates -- is characterized by chronic and systemic inflammation, with pockets between the teeth and gums enlarging and harboring bacteria ... Alzheimer's disease is characterized by two hallmark proteins in the brain: amyloid beta, which clumps together to form plaques and is believed to be the first protein deposited in the brain as Alzheimer's develops, and tau, which builds up in nerve cells and forms tangles"

Biologists investigate effects of bisphenols on nerve cells - Science Daily, 4/21/12 - "even small amounts of the plasticisers bisphenol A and bisphenol S disrupt the transmission of signals between nerve cells in the brains of fish. The researchers consider it very likely that similar interference can also occur in the brains of adult humans. They therefore call for the rapid development of alternative plasticisers that do not pose a risk to the central nervous system ... Bisphenols are plasticisers that are found in a large number of plastic products worldwide -- for example, in food packaging, plastic tableware, drinking bottles, toys, tooth fillings, and babies' dummies ... The harmful effects on the brain mainly affect the delicate balance between different neuronal functions. While some brain cells transmit signals that trigger a state of excitation in downstream cells, other brain cells have the function of inhibiting downstream cells. However, the coordination of both excitation and inhibition is essential for an intact central nervous system. "It is well known that numerous disorders in the nervous system of vertebrates are triggered by the fact that excitatory signals and inhibitory signals are not or only inadequately coordinated. So, it is all the more alarming that the plasticisers BPA and BPS significantly impair precisely this coordination," explains Dr. Peter Machnik, lead author of the study"

Early cannabis use linked to heart disease - Science Daily, 4/12/21 - "Arterial stiffness was greater in cannabis users than in non-users. The team measured how fast a pressure wave travelled down the artery; stiffer arteries transmit a wave more quickly ... In cannabis users, cardiac function -- inferred from how the heart moves as seen in echocardiographic images -- was lower than in non-users"

Another way “good” cholesterol is good: combatting inflammation - AHA, 4/12/21 - "HDL anti-inflammatory capacity was significantly higher in people who remained healthy (31.6%) than in those who experienced a cardiovascular event (27%); ... The association of anti-inflammatory capacity with cardiovascular events was independent of the established biomarkers of HDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein levels, and was also independent of cholesterol efflux capacity; ... For every 22% increase in the ability of HDL particles to suppress inflammation in endothelial cells, participants were 23% less likely to have a cardiovascular event during the next decade; ... The amount of protection from increased HDL anti-inflammatory capacity was higher in women than in men; and ... Risk prediction was improved by adding HDL anti-inflammatory capacity to the Framingham Risk Score, or by replacing HDL cholesterol levels with this new measure of HDL function."

Declining Sperm Count Tied to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Environment - Medscape, 4/9/21 - "Chemicals that pervade our modern world — plastics, pesticides, stain repellents, components of personal hygiene products — are contributing to a decades-long decline in fertility and could pose health risks even into future generations ... endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) threaten human existence, a conclusion that stems in part from her 2017 meta-analysis that showed a 52% drop in sperm counts from 1973 to 2011 in men in North America, Europe, and Australia ... These EDCs, which mimic natural hormones, included pesticides, heavy metals, phthalates, alkylphenolic compounds, and solvents that can be found in agricultural work or hair and beauty salons ... These chemicals are not so-called "forever chemicals" that persist in the human body ... safer options include buying organic produce, microwaving food in glass rather than plastic containers and avoiding products that contain phthalate or BPA"

Coffee Could Be the Secret Weapon Against NAFLD - Medscape, 4/6/21 - ""I do recommend at least two to three cups of coffee per day for my patients with NAFLD," said Abdelmalek, professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist at Duke University, Durham, N.C. ... Her thinking on this recommendation has been influenced by a meta-analysis of 16 studies including more than 3,000 coffee drinkers and 132,000 nonconsumers; the meta-analysis concluded that coffee drinkers were 39% less likely to develop cirrhosis. There was evidence of a dose-response effect: Consumers of two or more cups daily had a 47% reduction in the risk of cirrhosis, compared with the nondrinkers, while more modest consumption was associated with a 34% reduction. Moreover, the investigators found that coffee consumption was also associated with a 27% reduction in the likelihood of developing advanced hepatic fibrosis, compared with that of non–coffee drinkers"

Changes in mouth bacteria after drinking beetroot juice may promote healthy aging - Science Daily, 3/30/21 - "Beetroot -- and other foods including lettuce, spinach and celery -- are rich in inorganic nitrate, and many oral bacteria play a role in turning nitrate to nitric oxide, which helps to regulate blood vessels and neurotransmission (chemical messages in the brain) ... Older people tend to have lower nitric oxide production, and this is associated with poorer vascular (blood vessel) and cognitive (brain) health ... 26 healthy older people took part in two ten-day supplementation periods: one with nitrate-rich beetroot juice and another with nitrate-free placebo juice, which they drank twice a day ... The results showed higher levels of bacteria associated with good vascular and cognitive health, and lower levels of bacteria linked to disease and inflammation ... Systolic blood pressure dropped on average by five points (mmHg) after drinking the beetroot juice" - See beet root capsules at Amazon.com.

Collagen: Can It Really Help With Skin and Joints? - WebMD, 3/31/21 - "If you do decide to buy collagen supplements, don't waste your money on the most expensive brand, Saedi says. Any product that's labeled "hydrolyzed" will do" - See collagen supplements at Amazon.com.

Can drinking cocoa protect your heart when you're stressed? - Science Daily, 3/31/21 - "blood vessels were able to function better during mental stress when people were given a cocoa drink containing high levels of flavanols than when drinking a non-flavanol enriched drink ... A thin membrane of cells lining the heart and blood vessels, when functioning efficiently the endothelium helps to reduce the risk of peripheral vascular disease, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, tumour growth, thrombosis, and severe viral infectious diseases. We know that mental stress can have a negative effect on blood vessel function ... The researchers measured forearm blood flow and cardiovascular activity at rest and during stress and assessed functioning of the blood vessels up to 90 min post stress -- discovering that blood vessel function was less impaired when the participants drank high-flavanol cocoa. The researchers also discovered that flavanols improve blood flow during stress ... Our findings are significant for everyday diet, given that the daily dosage administered could be achieved by consuming a variety of foods rich in flavanols -- particularly apples, black grapes, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, pears, pulses, green tea and unprocessed cocoa. This has important implications for measures to protect the blood vessels of those individuals who are more vulnerable to the effects of mental stress" - See Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark Squares, Midnight Reverie, 4.12 oz., 86% Cacao (Pack of 6) at Amazon.com.

Diet High in Processed Meats Could Shorten Your Life - WebMD, 3/31/21 - "Why are processed meats, such as hot dogs, cold cuts and bacon, considered to be so unhealthy? ... "We believe this might be the result of food preservatives, food additives and color because if you compare, cholesterol and saturated fat in unprocessed and also processed are very similar, the difference is in food additives and color and nitrate," said study author Mahshid Dehghan, an investigator at the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Ontario, Canada." - Note:  But a lot of so-called 'processed meat' these days address that.  They claim 'no additives or nitrates'.

Selenium supplementation protects against obesity and may extend lifespan - Science Daily, 3/30/21 - "One of the proven methods of increasing healthspan in many organisms, including non-human mammals, is to restrict dietary intake of an amino acid called methionine ... a research team from the Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science (OFAS), Cold Spring, New York, US, aimed to develop an intervention that produces the same effects as methionine restriction, while also allowing an individual to eat a normal, unrestricted diet ... The team first studied whether selenium supplementation offered the same protection against obesity as methionine restriction. They fed young male and older female mice one of three high-fat diets: a control diet containing typical amounts of methionine, a methionine-restricted diet, and a diet containing typical amounts of methionine as well as a source of selenium. For both male and female mice of any age, the authors found that selenium supplementation completely protected against the dramatic weight gain and fat accumulation seen in mice fed the control diet, and to the same extent as restricting methionine ... heir results indicate that selenium supplementation produces most, if not all, of the hallmarks of methionine restriction, which suggests that this intervention may have a similar positive effect on healthspan ... yeast grown under selenium-supplemented conditions had a 62% longer chronological lifespan (from 13 days to 21 days) and a replicative lifespan extended by nine generations as compared with controls" - See Se-methyl l-selenocysteine at Amazon.com.

Fasting can be an effective way to start a diet - Science Daily, 3/30/21 - "If a high-fibre, low-fat diet fails to deliver results, it is possible that there are insufficient gut bacteria in the gut microbiome that metabolise fibre into protective fatty acids. "Those who have this problem often feel that it is not worth the effort and go back to their old habits," explains the scientist. It is therefore a good idea to combine a diet with a fast. "Fasting acts as a catalyst for protective microorganisms in the gut. Health clearly improves very quickly and patients can cut back on their medication or even often stop taking tablets altogether." This could motivate them to stick to a healthy lifestyle in the long term." - See

Abstracts from this week:

Bioavailable turmeric extract for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, non-inferiority trial versus paracetamol - Trials 2021 Jan 30 - "patients of knee OA were randomized to receive bioavailable turmeric extract (BCM-95®) 500 mg capsule two times daily or paracetamol 650 mg tablet three times daily for 6 weeks ... bioavailable turmeric extract is as effective as paracetamol in reducing pain and other symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and found to be safe and more effective in reducing CRP and TNF-α" - [Nutra USA] - See turmeric extract at Amazon.com.

Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals Causal Effects of the Human Gut Microbiota on Abdominal Obesity - J Nutr 2021 Mar 24 - "trunk fat mass (TFM) ... Our findings provided evidence of a causal association between gut microbiota and TFM in UK adults and identified specific bacteria taxa that may regulate the fat metabolism, thus offering new direction for the treatment of obesity" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Effect of Hesperidin against Induced Colon Cancer in Rats: Impact of Smad4 and Activin A Signaling Pathway - Nutr Cancer 2021 Apr 5 - "This study demonstrated the chemopreventive effect of Hsd against CRC by modulating Smad4 and activin A signaling in vivo. Further studies are needed to demonstrate its clinical value and explore its possible role in advanced malignancy" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com.

Restorative effects of red onion (Allium cepa L.) juice on erectile function after-treatment with 5α-reductase inhibitor in rats - Int J Impot Res 2021 Apr 5 - "Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most prevalent conditions among aged men. The use of 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) to treat BPH was linked to erectile dysfunction (ED). Many medicinal plants and secondary metabolites are used in the management of ED. Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an economically affordable vegetable with vital phytochemicals and biological functions. The study aimed to identify the beneficial effects of onion juice on dutasteride (a 5-ARI)-induced ED. Rats were divided into two groups (n = 5 per group): control and dutasteride-treated rats (0.5 mg/kg/day). Dutasteride was administered in drinking water for 12 weeks. Experiments were performed at the end of the 12th week. In vivo erectile responses were measured before and after intracavernosal injection of onion ... The current data suggest that red onion juice has a restorative effect on erectile function and endothelium-dependent relaxation response following the treatment of dutasteride" - See red onion juice at Amazon.com.  Looks like a hot item.  One even has a total of 18 reviews.

Effects of dapagliflozin on mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease: a pre-specified analysis from the DAPA-CKD randomized controlled trial - Eur Heart J 2021 Mar 31 - "Mortality rates from chronic kidney disease (CKD) have increased in the last decade. In this pre-specified analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial, we determined the effects of dapagliflozin on cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular causes of death ... The relative risk reduction for all-cause mortality with dapagliflozin (31%, hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] 0.69 [0.53, 0.88]; P = 0.003) was consistent across pre-specified subgroups. The effect on all-cause mortality was driven largely by a 46% relative risk reduction of non-cardiovascular death (HR [95% CI] 0.54 [0.36, 0.82]). Deaths due to infections and malignancies were the most frequently occurring causes of non-cardiovascular deaths and were reduced with dapagliflozin vs. placebo ... In patients with CKD, dapagliflozin prolonged survival irrespective of baseline patient characteristics. The benefits were driven largely by reductions in non-cardiovascular death"

Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on clinical symptoms, echocardiographic parameters, and outcomes in HFrEF and HFmrEF patients with coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease - Curr Med Res Opin 2021 Mar 25 - "To compare the effects of Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) on the clinical symptoms, echocardiographic parameters, and outcomes (cardiovascular death and hospitalization) in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) patients with coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease ... A statistically significant increase of 68.8% was observed in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in HFrEF patients compared to that in HFmrEF patients, with an increase of 27.2% at 8 months of follow-up. Sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduced left ventricular end-systolic volumes (LVESV) in HFrEF patients unlike in HFmrEF patients. The decrease in LVESV was 28.8% in HFrEF patients and 17.1% in HFmrEF patients. A significant reduction in the prevalence of severe secondary mitral regurgitation (EROA >0.4cm2) was observed in HFrEF compared to that in HFmrEF patients with the use of sacubitril/valsartan. A reduction of 15.6% was observed in HFrEF patients, whereas a reduction of 7.1% was observed in HFmrEF patients. Improvement in functional classification (NYHA) was observed during follow-up. The prevalence of (NYHA III) reduced from 50% to 15.7% in HFrEF patients, whereas a reduction from 21.1% to 8.8% was observed in HFmrEF patients. There was a significant reduction in NT-proBNP in HFrEF patients compared to that in HFmrEF patients. A reduction of 52% was observed in HFrEF patients, whereas a reduction of 28.7% was observed in HFmrEF pateints. Sacubitril/valsartan reduced primary endpoint events in both groups. The prevalence of HF-related hospitalization was higher in HFrEF than in HFmrEF patients: 12.1% vs 7.5%, respectively. The prevalence of CV death in HFrEF vs HFmrEF patients was 3.7% vs 0.5%, respectively. Cardiovascular (CV) was higher in patients with atrial fibrillation in both groups"

Can one teaspoon of trehalose a day mitigate metabolic syndrome and diabetes risks? - Nutr J 2021 Mar 15 - Note: It doesn't have an abstract but I take it to protect my liver. - See my trehalose page and trehalose at Amazon.com.

Oral Pycnogenol® Intake Benefits the Skin in Urban Chinese Outdoor Workers: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, and Crossover Intervention Study - Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2021 Mar 31 - "Oral supplementation with a standardized extract from the bark of the French pine (Pycnogenol®) has been reported to benefit the skin. It might thus represent an easy-to-use strategy to improve the skin health of individuals who are exposed to considerable environmental stress in large urban areas ... During the intervention period, study subjects were constantly exposed to increased levels of particulate matter (PM)2.5 as well as seasonal changes in humidity and temperature. Despite this environmental stress, Pycnogenol® intake prevented (i) a decrease in the skin hydration, (ii) transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and (iii) skin darkening during the dry autumn season. In addition, Pycnogenol® intake improved (iv) viscoelastic skin properties such as gross elasticity and elastic recovery irrespective of the season. These beneficial effects were not observed if the same subjects were supplemented with placebo" - See Pycnogenol at Amazon.com.

Oral Supplementation of Collagen Peptides Improves Skin Hydration by Increasing the Natural Moisturizing Factor Content in the Stratum Corneum: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial - Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2021 Mar 26 - "collagen peptides (CPs) ... A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in 99 healthy Japanese women, aged 35-50 years. The subjects were randomized into 3 groups (33 subjects/group) to receive 1 or 5 g of CP or placebo once daily for 12 weeks ... The level of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) constituents in the stratum corneum (SC) was quantified before treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment ... The improvement in skin water content following the oral ingestion of CP can be attributed to an increase in the level of NMF in the SC" - See collagen supplements at Amazon.com.

Relationship between the Circulating Selenium Level and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies - J Am Coll Nutr 2021 Mar 30 - "Although our results suggest that the circulating selenium level is inversely associated with stroke, current evidence is still insufficient to conclude their definite association. More well-designed prospective cohort studies with detailed selenium biomarker specification are needed to elaborate the concerned issues further" - See se-methyl l-selenocysteine at Amazon.com.

Protective effects of berberine on senile osteoporosis in mice - J Bone Miner Metab 2021 Apr 8 - "The present results suggest that berberine exerts potent bone protective effects by promoting bone formation, inhibiting marrow fat accumulation and bone resorption. This effect may be achieved through cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway" - See berberine at Amazon.com.

An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials on the effects of Alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Apr 8 - "The findings of the meta-analysis showed that ALA supplementation significantly reduced CRP (WMD: -0.69 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.13, -0.26, P=0.002), IL-6 (WMD: -1.83 pg/ml, 95% CI: -2.90, -0.76, P=0.001), and TNF-α concentrations (WMD: -0.45 pg/ml, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.04, P=0.032). No evidence of departure from linearity was observed between dose and duration of the ALA supplementation on serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α concentration. In subgroup analysis, ALA dosage, baseline concentrations of the parameter, sample size, and gender were considered as possible sources of heterogeneity. In summary, ALA supplementation improves inflammatory markers without any evidence of non-linear association to dose or duration of the trial" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.

Eggs, dietary cholesterol, choline, betaine, and diabetes risk in the Women's Health Initiative: a prospective analysis - Am J Clin Nutr 2021 Apr 7 - "As egg consumption increased to ≥3 eggs/wk, there was a steady increase in diabetes risk that may have been due to the cholesterol in the eggs. The population attributable risk for ≥3 eggs/wk was far lower than that for being obese or overweight"

The effects of different doses of caffeine on maximal strength and strength-endurance in women habituated to caffeine - J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2021 Mar 30 - "An acute dose of 3-to-6 mg/kg/b.m. of caffeine improves maximum strength. However, these doses of caffeine had minimal ergogenic effect on strength-endurance performance in women habituated to caffeine."

Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Are They Beneficial for Physical and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults? - J Nutr Health Aging 2021 - "A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 142 community-dwelling older adults (60-85 years) with subjective memory complaints. Erythrocyte fatty acids (ω-3 LCPUFA) and the omega-3 index were measured; dietary DHA and EPA were assessed with a LCPUFA specific questionnaire ... In community-dwelling older adults with subjective memory complaints, higher dietary ω-3 LCPUFA intake was associated with better cognitive and physical function, supporting the evidence that ω-3 fatty acids play a role in optimising physical and cognitive health during ageing" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Effects of n-3 EPA and DHA supplementation on fat free mass and physical performance in elderly. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trial - Mech Ageing Dev 2021 Mar 26 - "The most studied n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), and their intake seem to have a positive effect on skeletal muscle. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the effect of n-3 EPA and DHA supplementation on fat free mass, and on different indexes of physical performance in the elderly ... The meta-analyzed mean differences for random effects showed that daily n-3 EPA + DHA supplementation (from 0.7 g to 3.36 g) decreases the time of Time Up and Go (TUG) test of -0.28 s (CI 95 %-0.43, -0.13;). No statistically significant effects on physical performance indicators, such as 4-meter Walking Test, Chair Rise Test and Handgrip Strength, have been found. The fat free mass follows an improvement trend of +0.30 kg (CI 95 % -0.39, 0.99) but not statistically significant. N-3 EPA + DHA supplementation could be a promising strategy in order to enhance muscle quality and prevent or treat frailty" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Omega-3 fatty acids ameliorate vascular inflammation: A rationale for their atheroprotective effects - Atherosclerosis 2021 Mar 17 - "Supplementation with EPA, more so than DHA, ameliorates acute and chronic vascular inflammation, providing a rationale for the cardiovascular benefit observed with high dose omega-3 fatty acid administration" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Plasma Cortisol and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: A Mendelian Randomization Study - J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Apr 5 - "While hypercortisolism may be associated with AF, this association has not yet been ascertained causally ... Evidence derived from the MR study suggests a positive association between plasma cortisol and risk of AF, likely mediated through SBP and WC"

Effect of Vitamin B2 supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutr Neurosci 2021 Mar 29 - "A pooled analysis of available randomized controlled clinical trials demonstrated that Vitamin B2 400 mg/day for three months supplementation had significant effect on days, duration, frequency, and pain score of migraine attacks" - See - See vitamin B-2 at Amazon.com.

Association of habitual intake of fruits and vegetables with depressive symptoms: the AusDiab study - Eur J Nutr 2021 Mar 29 - "Australian men and women (n = 4105) aged > 25 years from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire at baseline, 5 and 12 years ... At 12 years, 425 (10.4%) participants had "any depressive symptoms". Habitual FV intake was inversely associated with depressive symptoms at 12 years. After adjustment, participants in quartile 2 of FV intake (Q2; median 317 g/day) had a 20% lower odds of having any depressive symptoms (OR [95% CI] 0.80 [0.69, 0.95]) in comparison to those in the lowest quartile of FV intake (Q1; median 223 g/day). Yellow/orange/red and leafy green vegetables were the key vegetable types driving this association. Higher vegetable diversity (4-6 different vegetables/day) was associated with a 24-42% lower odds of having depressive symptoms when compared to < 3 different vegetables/day. The associations remained similar after further adjusting for diet quality"

Safety and Efficacy of Oral Polypodium leucotomos Extract in Healthy Adult Subjects - J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015 Feb; 8(2): 19–23 - "Polypodium leucotomos extract 240mg taken twice daily for 60 days was a safe and effective means for reducing the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation ... Each capsule contains 240mg of P. leucotomos extract (Heliocare® Capsules; Ferndale Healthcare®, Inc.). The placebo was an inert capsule of similar appearance." - Note: I went to a demonologist at Scripps about veins on my cheek that were painful and was surprised that he recommended Heliocare which I was already taking but only one capsule per day. See Heliocare at Amazon.com.

• The Combination of Sulforaphane and Fernblock ® XP Improves Individual Beneficial Effects in Normal and Neoplastic Human Skin Cell Lines - Nutrients 2020 May 30 - "we investigated in vitro the antioxidant/antineoplastic efficacy and anti-aging activity of a dietary supplement containing sulforaphane (SFN), a sulfur-isothiocyanate present in broccoli, combined with the patented extract Fernblock® XP (FB), obtained from the tropical fern Polypodium leucotomos. We evaluated the effect of SFN and FB, alone or in combination, on migration ability, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) production, neoangiogenic potential and inflammasome activation in human WM115 and WM266-4 melanoma cells. Moreover, the effects on MMPs and reactive oxygen species production, and IL-1β secretion were studied in human normal keratinocytes. The SFN/FB combination inhibited melanoma cell migration in vitro, MMP-1, -2, -3, and -9 production, inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion more efficiently than each individual compound did. In normal keratinocytes, SFN/FB was more efficient than SFN or FB alone in inhibiting MMP-1 and -3 production and IL-1β secretion in the presence of a pro-inflammatory stimulus such as TNF-α. The potential use of SFN/FB based supplements for the prevention of skin aging and as adjuvants in the treatment of advanced melanoma is suggested" - See Fernblock at Amazon.com.  See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Our cat loves this:

Health Focus (Atherosclerosis):