Recent Longevity News for the week ending 10/13/21

High-Dose Omega-3s Tied to Higher Risk for Atrial Fibrillation - Medscape, 10/11/21 - "Overall, use of omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a 25% increased risk for AF"

• Omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue and risk of atrial fibrillation - Eur J Clin Invest 2021 Jul 7 - "Participants in the highest vs. the lowest quintile of EPA experienced a 45% lower risk of AF (men HR 0.55 (95% CI 0.41-0.69); women HR 0.55 (0.41-0.72)). For DHA, no clear association was found in men, whereas in women, participants in the highest quintile of DHA in adipose tissue had a 30% lower risk of incident AF (HR 0.70 (0.54-0.91)) compared to participants in the lowest quintile" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Want to add healthy years to your life? Here’s what new longevity research says - Washington Post, 10/11/21 - "Stress that’s good for longevity can be caused by nutrition. Ideally, our ancestors enjoyed protein-rich red meat for peak energy and performance. But when hunting expeditions failed, people resorted to eating hardy plants. Today, our bodies still infer a state of scarcity if we consume lots of vegetables, switching on the longevity genes. Indeed, such a diet is associated with longer lives, according to the Harvard study. Becoming a full-fledged vegetarian probably isn’t necessary, but, to maximize what longevity experts call “healthspan,” at least 50 percent of protein should come from vegetable sources, Longo said ... Another signal of scarcity that seems to switch on longevity genes is the restriction of all foods, which has been shown by decades of animal studies to lengthen life span. Although water-only fasting over several days can be dangerous, “fasting mimicking” diets — very low-calorie five-day eating plans that trick the body into thinking it’s fasting while allowing some foods and nutrients — have been shown to be safer. Longo believes such diets “will play a major part in maximizing longevity.”"

Iron deficiency in middle age is linked with higher risk of developing heart disease - Science Daily, 10/4/21 - "Approximately 10% of new coronary heart disease cases occurring within a decade of middle age could be avoided by preventing iron deficiency ... Functional iron deficiency was associated with a 24% higher risk of coronary heart disease, 26% raised risk of cardiovascular mortality, and 12% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared with no functional iron deficiency. Absolute iron deficiency was associated with a 20% raised risk of coronary heart disease compared with no absolute iron deficiency, but was not linked with mortality. There were no associations between iron status and incident stroke ... The study showed that iron deficiency was highly prevalent in this middle-aged population, with nearly two-thirds having functional iron deficiency ... These individuals were more likely to develop heart disease and were also more likely to die during the next 13 years" - See iron supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Sense of purpose associated with better memory - Science Daily, 10/6/21 - "while both a sense of purpose and cognitive function made memories easier to recall, only a sense of purpose bestowed the benefits of vividness and coherence"

Massage doesn’t just make muscles feel better, it makes them heal faster and stronger - Science Daily, 10/6/21 - "These findings are remarkable because they indicate that we can influence the function of the body's immune system in a drug-free, non-invasive way ... This provides great motivation for the development of external, mechanical interventions to help accelerate and improve muscle and tissue healing that have the potential to be rapidly translated to the clinic"

Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Double Blinded Pilot Superiority Phase 2 Trial to Evaluate the Effect of Curcumin in Moderate to Severe Asthmatics - Medscape, 10/7/21 - "With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, asthmatics have become even more vulnerable and have been found to be especially susceptible to more severe COVID-19 infections. As a result, this study has not been able to take place as was previously scheduled due to on-going safety concerns regarding the initial encounter because patients will need to be seen in clinic rather than via telecommunications which have predominated since the onset of the pandemic. However, it is important to recognize that the pandemic has spurred physicians to think outside the box for medical management by exploring the benefits of various cost-effective supplements, such as Vitamin D and curcumin. In fact, curcumin has been shown to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme2 (ACE-2) pathway within the lungs, and as such, has been theorized to protect against the development of acute respiratory distress (ARDS) or acute lung injury (ALI), two lung processes that are commonly associated with lethal COVID-19 infections.[23] Therefore, we hope our study will shed light on the utility of curcumin and its role in reducing lung inflammation" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Ketosis, Including Ketogenic Diets, Implicated in Prurigo Pigmentosa - Medscape, 10/5/21 - "Ketogenic diets are gaining popularity globally for weight loss. After 2-4 weeks [on a strict ketogenic diet], some patients start to notice very pruritic papules on their trunk, the so-called keto rash ... I tell my residents that this is a disease you will never forget after your first case"

What are ideal blood sugar levels for preventing repeat strokes, heart attacks? - Science Daily, 9/29/21 - "After adjusting for factors like age and sex, researchers found that people's risk for a heart attack or similar vascular diseases was 27% greater when they were admitted to the hospital with A1C levels above 7.0%, compared to those admitted with A1C levels below 6.5%. People's risk for having another stroke was 28% greater when admitted to the hospital with A1C levels above 7.0%, compared to those below 6.5%"

Wiggling worms suggest link between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's - Science Daily, 9/29/21 - "While all the worms were grown on a diet of E. coli, it turns out that one strain of E. coli had higher levels of vitamin B12 than the other. Although Tanis's work was focused on genetic factors at the time, she redirected her research to examine this vitamin and its protective role ... "The read-out is black or white -- the worms are either moving or they are not," Tanis said. "When we gave vitamin B12 to the worms that were vitamin B12 deficient, paralysis occurred much more slowly, which immediately told us that B12 was beneficial. The worms with B12 also had higher energy levels and lower oxidative stress in their cells." ... Can B12 be protective for multiple neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson's? We're looking into it" - See vitamin B12 at Amazon.com.

Ejection Fraction for Guiding HF Therapy: Forget About It? - Medscape, 9/29/21 - "For the first time in a major HFpEF trial, patients on a test medication — in this case a sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor — showed a clear-cut significant benefit for the primary endpoint. The agent was empagliflozin (Jardiance, Boehringer Ingelheim/Eli Lilly), and the endpoint was cardiovascular (CV) death or HF hospitalization ... The preferential effect on HF hospitalization at lower LVEF values, Mann proposed, might be due to the non-neurohormonal SGLT2 inhibitor's mechanism of action. His "guess," he said, is that the drugs "have beneficial effects on renal function, which would cut across all ejection fractions." They seem to "make the kidneys better and help them deal with sick heart, whether it be HFpEF or HFrEF." ... That doesn't mean LVEF isn't helpful and shouldn't be measured. "I don't know that we need to throw out the baby with the bathwater [just] because the SGLT2 story has been so compelling,""

Does alkaline water actually have health benefits? - womenshealthnetwork.com, 9/29/21 - "Synthetic alkaline water can be divided into two groups. One is purified water with added trace minerals. The second is produced by electrolysis and it’s even more artificial. A machine separates the hydrogen (acid-forming) and hydroxyl (alkalizing)components of water and renders two waters, one highly acidic and the other highly alkalizing ... The label on this kind of “alkalizing water” might say it was made by electrolysis. Such waters can have a pH of 9 or above — high enough to inactivate pepsin and decrease stomach acid production. In fact, the only medically approved use of these high pH waters is to treat acid reflux in Japan and Korea. Proponents of alkaline water made through electrolysis make broad claims about its health effects but to date,the only official medical use is for excess stomach acid"

Expanded Label for Sacubitril/Valsartan Makes 1.8 Million More HF Patients Eligible - Medscape, 9/28/21 - "The expanded indication was based on results of the PARAGON-HF trial. While the trial missed its primary endpoint, secondary subgroup analyses showed a significant interaction between LVEF and treatment efficacy, with patients with a mid-range (below-median) LVEF of 45% to 57% appearing to benefit from sacubitril/valsartan therapy"

Abstracts from this week:

Effect of Ginseng Extracts on the Improvement of Osteopathic and Arthritis Symptoms in Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial - Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3352 - "serum osteocalcin (OC), urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and DPD/OC measurements ... The GE 3 g group had a significantly increased serum OC concentration. Similarly, the GE 3 g group showed a significant decrease in the DPD/OC ratio, representing bone resorption and bone formation. Moreover, among all the groups, the GE 3 g group demonstrated appreciable improvements in the WOMAC index scores. In women with osteopenia, intake of 3 g of GE per day over 12 weeks notably improved the knee arthritis symptoms with improvements in the OC concentration and ratios of bone formation indices like DPD/OC" - [Nutra USA] - See ginseng at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Combined Supplementation with Vitamin B-6 and Curcumin is Superior to Either Agent Alone in Suppressing Obesity-Promoted Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Mice - J Nutr 2021 Sep 29 - "In this mouse model, C + B is superior to either agent alone in preventing obesity-promoted colorectal carcinogenesis. Augmented suppression of procancerous signaling pathways may be the means by which this augmentation occurs" - See Best Naturals Vitamin B-6 25 mg 250 Tablets at Amazon.com and curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Curcumin in a tris-based semen extender improves cryosurvival of Hariana bull spermatozoa - Andrologia 2021 Sep 27 - "In conclusion, curcumin in a semen extender manifests cryoprotective effects and may be incorporated at 10 µM concentration in a Hariana bull semen extender for better post-thaw sperm quality" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Effect of curcumin on C-reactive protein as a biomarker of systemic inflammation: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 29 - "There was a significant effect of curcumin at dose ≤1,000 mg/day on the CRP concentration. CRP concentration significantly decreased after >10-week intervention compared with placebo.hs-CRP concentration in the intervention group was significantly lower than that of placebo group. A significant effect of curcumin consumption was detected on the serum level of hs-CRP in studies with prescribing ≤1,000 mg/day, and those with ≤10-week duration of intervention. Curcumin consumption resulted in a reduction of hs-CRP in a non-linear fashion with stronger effects with less than 2000 mg curcumin per day. Curcumin seems to be beneficial in decreasing the hs-CRP and CRP levels in proinflammatory settings" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Curcumin Alleviated Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis by Regulating M1/M2 Macrophage Polarization and TLRs Signaling Pathway - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Sep 16 - "Curcumin has shown good efficacy in mice with experimental colitis and in patients with ulcerative colitis, but the mechanism of action through the regulation of M1/M2 macrophage polarization has not been elaborated ... Our study suggested that curcumin exerted therapeutic effects in colitis mice by regulating the balance of M1/M2 macrophage polarization and TLRs signaling pathway" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Turmeric root extract supplementation improves pre-frontal cortex oxygenation and blood volume in older males and females: a randomised cross-over, placebo-controlled study - Int J Food Sci Nutr 2021 Sep 22 - "Ageing is associated with endothelial dysfunction and reduced cerebral blood flow and oxygenation. The present study aimed to investigate whether turmeric supplementation could improve cerebral oxygenation and blood volume during brain activation via dynamic handgrip exercise in older males and females ... Participants ingested turmeric root extract or placebo ... The current findings indicate the potential for curcumin as an intervention for improving cerebral oxygenation and blood volume changes in older males and females" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

GlyNAC Supplementation Improves Glutathione Deficiency, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Inflammation, Aging Hallmarks, Metabolic Defects, Muscle Strength, Cognitive Decline, and Body Composition: Implications for Healthy Aging - J Nutr 2021 Sep 29 - "Supplementation with GlyNAC (combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine as a cysteine precursor) was found to improve/correct cellular glycine, cysteine, and GSH deficiencies; lower OxS; and improve mitochondrial function, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, genotoxicity, and multiple aging hallmarks; and improve muscle strength, exercise capacity, cognition, and body composition ... GlyNAC supplementation could be a novel nutritional approach to improve age-associated defects and promote healthy aging, and existing data strongly support the need for additional studies to explore the role and impact of GlyNAC supplementation in aging" - See glycine products at Amazon.com and n-acetyl cysteine at Amazon.com and iHerb.

• Ask the Pharmacist: NAC supplements going away soon - marconews.com, 5/17/21 - "Cysteine is a natural compound and N acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a dietary supplement. That’s how you can find it in health food stores, as “NAC.” But you won’t find it for long, so if you want NAC, you should buy it now. It’s already virtually gone from Amazon! ... There’s a disagreement between the Food and Drug Administration and the dietary supplement industry over how legal it is for dietary supplements to put this amino acid into their supplements. The NAC is also available by prescription. It is forcing Amazon and other selling platforms to take sides on the issue." - Note: I just bought six bottles at iHerb.

Association of Proton Pump Inhibitors With Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Failure - Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Oct;96(10):2540-2549 - "Long-term PPI use was associated with twice the risk of total CVD and HF compared with nonusers. Our findings are in concordance with other research and suggest another reason to be cautious of PPI overuse"

Empagliflozin and uric acid metabolism in diabetes: A post hoc analysis of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME tri - Diabetes Obes Metab 2021 Sep 24 - "Empagliflozin reduced UA levels and the composite of gout episodes or prescription of antigout medication. These clinically important findings expand the utility of empagliflozin as a potential antigout treatment in patients with T2D, beyond its well-established cardio-renal benefits"

Prognostic Importance of NT-proBNP and Effect of Empagliflozin in the EMPEROR-Reduced Trial - J Am Coll Cardiol 2021 Sep 28 - "In EMPEROR-Reduced, higher baseline NT-proBNP concentrations were associated with greater risk for adverse heart failure or renal outcomes, but empagliflozin reduced risk regardless of baseline NT-proBNP concentration"

Protective Effects of Melatonin against Obesity-Induced by Leptin Resistance - Behav Brain Res 2021 Sep 23 - "Leptin resistance is due to excess leptin, a saturation of its transporters, and deficiency in either the receptor level or signalling in the hypothalamus. Leptin resistance leads to obesity due to excess food intake and less energy expenditure. Normal leptin secretion follows a rhythm, and alteration in the lifestyle leads to hormonal imbalances and increases ROS generation leading to oxidative stress. The sleep disturbance causes obesity with increased lipid accumulation in adipose tissue. Melatonin is the master regulator of the sleep-wake cycle secreted by the pineal gland during the night. It is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Melatonin is secreted in a pattern called the circadian rhythm in humans as well. Research indicates that melatonin plays a vital role in hormonal regulation and energy metabolism, including leptin signalling and secretion" - See melatonin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Chemopreventive effect of spirulina microalgae on an animal model of glioblastoma via down-regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and up-regulation of miR-34a/miR-125B expression - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 4 - "This is the first in vivo report on the chemo-preventive effect of Spi against glioblastoma, suggesting its potential use in the chemoprevention of this cancer and the antiglioma molecular mechanism of Spi" - See spirulina at Amazon.com.

Neuroprotective effect of wild lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) on global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats: Downregulation of iNOS/TNF-α and upregulation of miR-146a/miR-21 expression - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 27 - "Overall, the results revealed that BBE had potent neuroprotective efficacy against CIRI via the effective modulation of neuroinflammatory cascades and protected neurons against ischemic death" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Effects of artichoke leaf extract supplementation or artichoke juice consumption on lipid profile: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 27 - "artichoke significantly reduced TG (weighed mean difference [WMD]: -17.01 mg/dl, 95% CI: -23.88, -10.13, p = .011), TC (WMD: -17.01 mg/dl, 95% CI: -23.88, -10.13, p < .001), and LDL-C (WMD: -17.48 mg/dl, 95%CI: -25.44, -9.53, p < .001). No significant effect of artichoke on HDL-C level was detected (WMD: 0.78 mg/dl, 95%CI: -0.93, 2.49, p = .371). Combining the two effect sizes revealed that artichoke juice supplementation significantly reduced TG (WMD: -3.34 mg/dl, 95%CI: -5.51, -1.17, p = .003), TC (WMD: -18.04 mg/dl, 95%CI: -20.30, -15.78, p < .001), LDL-C (WMD: -1.75 mg/dl, 95%CI: -3.02, -0.48, p = .007), and HDL-C levels (WMD: -4.21 mg/dl, 95%CI: -5.49, -2.93, p < .001). In conclusion, we found that artichoke supplementation may favor CVD prevention by acting in improving the lipid profile" - See artichoke extract at Amazon.com.

Quercetin inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction for immune-enhancing cancer chemopreventive agent - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 24 - "Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints has achieved significant positive results in the treatment of multiple cancers. Quercetin is one of the most abundant dietary flavonoids found in various vegetables and fruits, and has a wide range of biological activities including immunomodulation ... Treatment with quercetin dihydrate promoted the killing activity of T cells on MDA-MB-231 and NCI-H460 cancer cells. Experiments using the xenograft mouse model showed that the growth rate of tumor volumes and masses in the quercetin dihydrate-treated mice were decreased. Immunohistochemistry of the tumors showed that CD8, GZMB, and IFN-γ were increased in the quercetin dihydrate-treated mice. These results suggest that quercetin dihydrate attenuates the inhibitory effect of PD-L1 on T cells by inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction, which has an exciting potential to be used as a cancer chemopreventive agent" - See quercetin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Piperine for treating breast cancer: A review of molecular mechanisms, combination with anticancer drugs, and nanosystems - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 24 - "Piperine (PIP) is an alkaloid found primarily in Piper longum, and this natural compound has been shown to exert effects on proliferation and survival against various types of cancer. In particular, PIP has potent inhibitory effects on breast cancer (BC), the most prevalent type of cancer in women worldwide. PIP targets numerous signaling pathways associated with the therapy of BC cells through the following mechanisms: (a) induction of arrest of the cell cycle and apoptosis; (b) alteration of the signaling protein expression; (c) reduction in transcription factors; and (d) inhibition of tumor growth. BC cells have the ability to resist conventional drugs, so one of the strategies is the combination of PIP with other phytochemicals such as paclitaxel, thymoquinone, hesperidin, bee venom, tamoxifen, mitoxantrone, piperlongumin, and curcumin" - See piperine extract at Amazon.com and iHerb.

The review of alpha-linolenic acid: Sources, metabolism, and pharmacology - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 22 - "The following findings are mainly contained. (a) ALA can only be ingested from food and then converted into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the body. (b) This conversion process is relatively limited and affected by many factors such as dose, gender, and disease. (c) Pharmacological research shows that ALA has the anti-metabolic syndrome, anticancer, antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-obesity, neuroprotection, and regulation of the intestinal flora properties. (d) There are the most studies that prove ALA has anti-metabolic syndrome effects, including experimental studies and clinical trials. (e) The therapeutic effect of ALA will be affected by the dosage. In short, ALA is expected to treat many diseases, but further high quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of ALA" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Alpha lipoic acid supplementation affects serum lipids in a dose and duration-dependent manner in different health status - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Oct 4 - "ALA caused a significant reduction on TC (WMD): -10.78 mg/dl, 95% CI: -20.81, -0.74, P=0.002), LDL (WMD: -10.88 mg/dl, 95% CI: -19.52, -2.24, P=0.014) and TG (WMD: -31.02 mg/dl, 95% CI: -49.63, -12.42, P<0.001). There was also a non-significant increaes in HDL concentrations. In addition, dose-response analysis showed a positive association between LDL (Pnon-linearity=0.026), TG (Pnon-linearity<0.001) and duration of intervention in a non-linear model. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis revealed the beneficial effects of ALA supplementation on TC, LDL and TG levels. Moreover, the beneficial effects of ALA supplementation on LDL and TG levels was duration-dependent" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Effects of guar gum supplementation on the lipid profile: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2021 Aug 21 - "Guar gum supplementation significantly reduced serum LDL-C and TC levels in patients with cardiometabolic problems, but had neutral effects on TG and HDL-C levels" - See guar gum capsules at Amazon.com.  It's also used in ice cream recipes to make it have a creamier texture.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with age-related endothelial dysfunction in men with low testosterone - J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Oct 1 - "middle-age and older (MA/O) men ... Healthy MA/O men with low testosterone appear to have greater age-associated endothelial dysfunction, related in part to greater oxidative stress and inflammation. These data suggest that low testosterone concentrations may contribute to accelerated vascular aging in men"

Hesperidin Inhibits UVB-Induced VEGF Production and Angiogenesis via the Inhibition of PI3K/Akt Pathway in HR-1 Hairless Mice - Biol Pharm Bull 2021;44(10):1492-1498 - "Hesperidin is a citrus flavanone glycoside with potent anti-inflammatory effects that interferes with UVB-stimulated angiogenesis in skin ... We found hesperidin treatment inhibited skin neovascularization skin induced by repetitive UVB light exposure. Exposure to UVB radiation induces the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), and MMP-9, but we found all of these were inhibited by treatment with hesperidin ... Because it affects the mediators of angiogenesis, our data suggest hesperidin has an anti-angiogenic effect on the pathologic skin neovascularization induced by UVB light. Thus, hesperidin may prove useful in the treatment of skin injuries caused by UVB light exposure" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com and hesperidin at iHerb.

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