Recent Longevity News for the week ending 11/10/21

Arginine, an inexpensive oral drug, could enhance radiation therapy for cancer - Science  Daily, 11/6/21 - "Arginine, also called L-arginine, is inexpensive and widely available, generally considered safe, and can get relatively easily from the bloodstream into the brain. The idea of using it to treat cancer arose from observations that tumors often aid their own survival by producing high levels of the related molecule nitric oxide (NO). The latter regulates multiple processes in the body including the flow of blood through blood vessels, and tumors cells often make more NO by upregulating their production of special enzymes called NO synthases, which synthesize NO from arginine ... patients were treated with high-dose arginine or placebo oral suspensions an hour before radiotherapy for their brain metastases -- tumors in the brain that represent the spread from primary tumors elsewhere, such as the lungs ... Six months after their courses of radiotherapy, 82 percent of the arginine group had improvement, or at least no worsening, of their neurological symptoms, compared with 20 percent in the placebo group. Most of the arginine-treated patients who died during the study did so because of their cancers' spread elsewhere in the body ... Moreover, although metastatic cancer usually has a dire prognosis, there were some arginine-treated patients whose tumors in and outside the brain disappeared, suggesting the possibility of cures" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com and L-arginine at iHerb.

Vitamin D and Omega-3 Supplements Reduce Autoimmune Disease Risk - Medscape, 11/7/21 - "Among nearly 26,000 adults enrolled in a randomized trial designed primarily to study the effects of vitamin D and omega-3 supplementation on incident cancer and cardiovascular disease, 5 years of vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 22% reduction in risk for confirmed autoimmune diseases, and 5 years of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was associated with an 18% reduction in confirmed and probable incident autoimmune diseases" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com and vitamin D at iHerb and Omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Early Peanut Feeding Guidelines Still Not Reaching Families - Medscape, 11/7/21 - "Diseases (NIAID) updated its feeding guidelines in 2017, urging parents to introduce these foods to babies around 4-6 months of age rather than wait until 1-3 years of age, as previously recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics approved those guidelines too, and in 2019 changed its own feeding recommendations"

Ivermectin-COVID-19 Study Retracted; Authors Blame File Mixup - Medscape, 11/3/21 - "The authors of a study purportedly showing that ivermectin could treat patients with SARS-CoV-2 have retracted their paper after acknowledging that their data were garbled"

Common Diabetes Drug Shrinks Brain Tumors in Mice - Medscape, 11/3/21 - "Preliminary testing in mice suggests that the diabetes drug metformin might target these tumors specifically. The drug acts on cell processes that drive the growth of posterior fossa group A (PFA) ependymomas" - See metformin at ReliableRX.

Zinc Might Help Shorten Your Cold or Flu - WebMD, 11/2/21 - "zinc as a nutrient has gained attention from researchers because it's known to play an important role in immunity, inflammation, tissue injury, blood pressure and in tissue responses to any lack of oxygen ... Compared with placebo, zinc lozenges or nasal spray were estimated to prevent about five new respiratory tract infections in 100 people per month, and the effects were strongest for reducing the risk of more severe symptoms, such as fever and flu-like illness ... On average, symptoms cleared up two days earlier with the use of either a zinc spray or liquid formulation taken under the tongue (sublingual), compared with a placebo ... Patients who used nasal spray or sublingual zinc were nearly twice as likely to recover during the first week of illness as those who used a placebo ... The usual recommendation is 25 mg of zinc daily" - See Jarrow Zinc Balance at Amazon.com and iHerb, Zinc acetate lozenges at Amazon.com and zinc spray an Amazon.com.

Influenza Tied to Long-Term Increased Risk for Parkinson's Disease - Medscape, 11/1/21 - "the odds of PD were elevated by approximately 90% for PD that occurred more than 15 years after influenza infection and by more than 70% for PD occurring more than 10 years after the flu. ... It's unclear how influenza might lead to PD but it could be that the virus gets into the central nervous system, resulting in neuroinflammation. Cytokines generated in response to the influenza infection might damage the brain ... The infection could be a "primer" or an initial "hit" to the system, maybe setting people up for PD"

Lawmaker’s letter to FDA demands clarity on NAC issue - Nutra USA, 10/29/21 - Note:  I managed to buy a two year supply from iHerb.

Four commonly used medications reverse Alzheimer's disease in mice - Science Daily, 10/27/21

• Identification and drug-induced reversion of molecular signatures of Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression in AppNL-G-F, AppNL-F, and 3xTg-AD mouse models - Genome Medicine volume 13, Article number: 168 (2021) - "we found two NSAIDs (dexketoprofen and etodolac) and two anti-hypertensives (penbutolol and bendroflumethiazide) that overturn the cognitive impairment in AD mice while reducing Aβ plaques in the hippocampus and partially restoring the physiological levels of AD signature genes to wild-type levels"

Vitamin D Status May Play a Pivotal Role in Colon Cancer Prevention - Medscape, 10/28/21 - "Women who consumed the highest average levels of total vitamin D of 450 IU per day, compared with those consuming less than 300 IU per day, showed a significantly reduced risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. Consuming 400 IU each day was associated with a 54% reduced risk of early-onset colorectal cancer ... In animal models, vitamin D3 is "estimated to lower the incidence of colorectal cancer by 50%" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com and vitamin D at iHerb.

Cancer is largely preventable, but most people don't know it - Hill, 10/27/21 - "While it's true that some cancers come from inherited mutations or other genetic predispositions, most experts agree that about 70 percent of cancers can be prevented. This could be among the least-known medical facts of our time ... more than half of Americans don't realize that the type of food they eat, as well as the amount of alcohol they drink, play an important role in developing certain cancers ... People also need to know about the relationship between physical inactivity and cancer cell growth — because the science on the subject speaks volumes. Getting in your daily 10,000 steps isn't a bad thing, but it's not enough for cancer prevention. That requires working up a sweat for 20 minutes to half an hour about five days a week. What activity you do — from jogging to biking to vacuuming the house — is less important than ensuring you get to at least a moderate level of intensity. How do you know you're there? Though you may still be able to talk while doing it, you shouldn't have enough extra breath to sing ... It's also time to explain how chronic stress, and the hormones it creates, may decrease immune function — and how to relieve that stress ... don't forget the importance of quality sleep as well as the quantity ... flossing your teeth every day for good dental hygiene, good for you. You're also decreasing your cancer risk, because gum disease has links to cancer"

A diet of essential amino acids could keep dementia at bay - Science Daily, 10/22/21 - "a low protein diet can accelerate brain degeneration in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. More importantly, they found that Amino LP7 -- a supplement containing seven specific amino acids -- can slow down brain degeneration and dementia development in these animals ... Amino LP7, indicating that the combination of seven specific amino acids could inhibit brain damage" - Note: LP7's ingredients:

• Neurodegenerative processes accelerated by protein malnutrition and decelerated by essential amino acids in a tauopathy mouse model - Science Advances, 22 Oct 21

Abstracts from this week:

Empagliflozin Improves Insulin Sensitivity of the Hypothalamus in Humans With Prediabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial - Diabetes Care 2021 Oct 29 - "Insulin action in the human brain reduces food intake, improves whole-body insulin sensitivity, and modulates body fat mass and its distribution. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are often associated with brain insulin resistance, resulting in impaired brain-derived modulation of peripheral metabolism. So far, no pharmacological treatment for brain insulin resistance has been established. Since sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors lower glucose levels and modulate energy metabolism, we hypothesized that SGLT2 inhibition may be a pharmacological approach to reverse brain insulin resistance ... We identified a significant interaction between time and treatment in the hypothalamic response to insulin. Post hoc analyses revealed that only empagliflozin-treated patients experienced increased hypothalamic insulin responsiveness. Hypothalamic insulin action significantly mediated the empagliflozin-induced decrease in fasting glucose and liver fat ... Our results corroborate insulin resistance of the hypothalamus in humans with prediabetes. Treatment with empagliflozin for 8 weeks was able to restore hypothalamic insulin sensitivity, a favorable response that could contribute to the beneficial effects of SGLT2 inhibitors. Our findings position SGLT2 inhibition as the first pharmacological approach to reverse brain insulin resistance, with potential benefits for adiposity and whole-body metabolism"

Protein intake and muscle mass maintenance in patients with cancer types with high prevalence of sarcopenia: a systematic review - Support Care Cancer 2021 Oct 25 - "Cancer is associated with muscle wasting. However, optimal protein intake has not been determined, limiting the efficacy of nutritional interventions ... Our findings show that protein intakes below 1.2 g/kg, even when within the recommendations, have been associated with muscle wasting during treatment. Only intakes above 1.4 g/kg have been associated with muscle maintenance. High-quality research is needed to establish an optimal dose response"

Niacin supplementation impairs exercise performance - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Oct 26 - "Several pre-workout supplements contain niacin, although the exercise performance effects of niacin are poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to examine the performance effects of niacin versus caffeine as a pre-workout supplement. Twenty-five untrained males were recruited to complete three identical ramped aerobic cycling exercise trials. Participants were administered caffeine (CA) at 5 mg/kg body weight, 1000 mg niacin (NI), or a methylcelluloce placebo (PL) supplement prior to each trial. NI treatment induced significantly higher respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during exercise compared to the CA treatment, but not the PL treatment (PL=0.87±0.08, NI=0.91±0.08, CA=0.87±0.08; p=0.02). Similarly, exercise time to exhaustion (in minutes) was significantly different between the NI treatment and the CA treatment, but not the PL treatment (PL=27.45±4.47, NI=26.30±4.91, CA=28.76±4.86; p<0.01). Habitual caffeine use (p=0.16), habitual aerobic exercise (p=0.60), and habitual resistance exercise (p=0.10) did not significantly affect RER. Similarly, habitual caffeine use (p=0.72), habitual aerobic exercise (p=0.08), and habitual resistance exercise (p=0.39) did not significantly affect total work performed. The elevated RER and decreased time to exhaustion in the NI treatment suggests limited lipid availability during exercise and impaired exercise performance"

Quercetin and its derivates as antiviral potentials: A comprehensive review - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 28 - "Quercetin, widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, is a flavonoid known for its antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, and antiinflammatory properties. Several studies highlight the potential use of quercetin as an antiviral, due to its ability to inhibit the initial stages of virus infection, to be able to interact with proteases important for viral replication, and to reduce inflammation caused by infection. Quercetin could also be useful in combination with other drugs to potentially enhance the effects or synergistically interact with them, in order to reduce their side effects and related toxicity" - See quercetin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Peonidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin increase osteoblast differentiation and reduce RANKL-induced bone resorption in transgenic medaka - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 26 - "Experimental and clinical studies suggest a positive impact of anthocyanins on bone health; however, the mechanisms of anthocyanins altering the differentiation and function of osteoblasts and osteoclasts are not fully understood. This work demonstrates that dietary anthocyanins and resveratrol increased proliferation of cultured human hFOB 1.19 osteoblasts. In addition, treatment of serum starvation of hFOB osteoblasts with anthocyanins and resveratrol at 1.0 μg/ml reduced apoptosis, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, p53, and HDAC1 expression, but increased SIRT1/3 and PGC1α mRNA expression, suggesting mitochondrial and epigenetic regulation. In Sp7/osterix:mCherry transgenic medaka, peonidin-3-O-glucoside and resveratrol increased osteoblast differentiation and increased the expression of Sp7/osterix. Cyanidin, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, and resveratrol also reduced RANKL-induced ectopic osteoclast formation and bone resorption in col10α1:nlGFP/rankl:HSE:CFP medaka in doses of 1-4 μg/ml. The results indicate that both cyanidin and peonidin-3-O-glucoside have anabolic effects on bone, increasing osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, mitochondrial biogenesis, and by altering the osteoblast epigenome. Cyanidin and peonidin-3-O-glucoside also reduced RANKL-induced bone resorption in a transgenic medaka model of bone resorption. Thus, peonidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin appear to both increase bone formation and reduce bone loss, suggesting that they be further investigated as potential treatments for osteoporosis and osteomalacia" - See anthocyanins at Amazon.com and iHerb and resveratrol products at Amazon.com and resveratrol at iHerb.

Effects of Curcumin Supplementation on Inflammatory Markers, Muscle Damage, and Sports Performance during Acute Physical Exercise in Sedentary Individuals - Oxid Med Cell Longev 2021 Oct 7 - "Exhaustive and acute unusual physical exercise leads to muscle damage. Curcumin has been widely studied due to the variety of its biological activities, attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it has shown positive effects on physical exercise practitioners ... Most studies have shown positive effects of curcumin supplementation in sedentary individuals undergoing acute physical exercise. Overall, participants supplemented with curcumin showed less muscle damage, reduced inflammation, and better muscle performance" - [Nutra USA] - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Curcumin and its derivatives in cancer therapy: Potentiating antitumor activity of cisplatin and reducing side effects - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 25 - "Curcumin is a phytochemical isolated from Curcuma longa with potent tumor-suppressor activity, which has shown significant efficacy in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Curcumin stimulates cell death, triggers cycle arrest, and suppresses oncogenic pathways, thereby suppressing cancer progression. Cisplatin (CP) stimulates DNA damage and apoptosis in cancer chemotherapy. However, CP has adverse effects on several organs of the body, and drug resistance is frequently observed ... Curcumin administration reduces ROS levels to prevent apoptosis in normal cells. Furthermore, curcumin can inhibit inflammation via down-regulation of NF-κB to maintain the normal function of organs. Curcumin and its nanoformulations can reduce the hepatoxicity, neurotoxicity, renal toxicity, ototoxicity, and cardiotoxicity caused by CP. Notably, curcumin potentiates CP cytotoxicity via mediating cell death and cycle arrest. Besides, curcumin suppresses the STAT3 and NF-ĸB as tumor-promoting pathways, to enhance CP sensitivity and prevent drug resistance. The targeted delivery of curcumin and CP to tumor cells can be mediated nanostructures. In addition, curcumin derivatives are also able to reduce CP-mediated side effects, and increase CP cytotoxicity against various cancer types" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Age-related alterations to working memory and to pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of rhesus monkeys begin in early middle-age and are partially ameliorated by dietary curcumin - Neurobiol Aging 2021 Sep 16 - "Working memory (WM) impairment ... Middle-aged subjects given curcumin exhibited better WM performance and less neuronal excitability compared to control subjects. These findings suggest that the appropriate time frame for intervention for age-related cognitive changes is early middle age, and points to the efficacy of curcumin in delaying WM decline. Because there was no relationship between excitability and behavior, the effects of curcumin on these measures appear to be independent" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Role of citicoline and choline in the treatment of post-stroke depression: an exploratory study - J Int Med Res 2021 Nov - "To compare selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and nootropic drugs in the reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms in post-stroke patients ... A total of 44 post-stroke patients with depression (aged 45-75 years) were enrolled in the study: 20 were treated with SSRIs and 24 received nootropic drugs. From baseline to follow-up, the SSRI group showed a large effect size with regard depression (success rate difference [SRD] 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21, 0.79) and anxiety (SRD 0.49; 95% CI 0.14, 0.74), whereas the nootropic group showed a small effect size for depression (SRD 0.16; 95% CI -0.17, 0.46) and a small effect size for anxiety (SRD 0.36 ... The administration of nootropic drugs could be a valid therapeutic strategy to manage post-stroke patients suffering from mild-moderate anxiety or anxious-depressive syndrome, but this requires further research" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.

The Effect of Resveratrol on Blood Glucose and Blood Lipids in Rats with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Oct 19 - "Resveratrol has a dose-dependent effect on GDM rats to increase insulin secretion, reduce blood glucose and body weight, and regulate blood lipids and plasma adipokines." - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com and resveratrol at iHerb.

Exploring the Effect of Dapagliflozin on Alcoholic Kidney Injury and Renal Interstitial Fibrosis in Rats Based on TIMP-1/MMP-24 Pathway - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Oct 21 - "Long-term large-scale alcohol intake can cause kidney tissue damage and fibrotic lesions. The expression of fibrotic cytokines such as TIMP-1 and Smad3 will increase, and the expression of MMP-24 will be decreased. However, dapagliflozin and losartan have certain therapeutic effects on the abovementioned lesions. The mechanism may be downregulating TIMP-1 and Smad3 and upregulating the expression of MMP-24 and other cytokines in the kidney" - See dapagliflozin and losartan at reliablerxpharmacy.com.

Randomized Controlled Study of the Effects of DHEA on the Outcome of IVF in Endometriosis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 Oct 14 - "DHEA can significantly increase serum E2 level and improve IVF outcome by regulating the hormone synthesis process, thus improving oocyte and embryo quality" - See Pure Encapulations 7-Keto DHEA at Amazon.com.

Rutin promotes white adipose tissue "browning" and brown adipose tissue activation partially through the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β/AMP-activated protein kinase pathway - Endocr J 2021 Oct 29 - "Promoting white adipose tissue (WAT) "browning" and brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation could contribute to increasing energy expenditure ... Male C57BL/6 mice (n = 6) were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks with/out rutin. In HFD-fed mice, rutin treatment significantly inhibited weight gain, improved the metabolic profile of plasma samples, decreased the weights of epididymal WAT (eWAT), inguina WAT (iWAT), and liver, and adipocyte size. Furthermore, rutin also increased the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1) and other thermogenic markers in the WAT and BAT. In 3T3-L1 cells, rutin effectively reduced the formation of lipid droplets, stimulated the expression of thermogenic markers, and reduced the expression of adipogenic genes. Additionally, rutin markedly upregulated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, and these effects were diminished by treatment with the AMPK inhibitor compound C (CC). Pretreatment with the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ) inhibitor STO-609 blocked the induction of thermogenic markers in 3T3-L1 cells by rutin. Our results indicated that rutin increased energy consumption, induced WAT "browning" and BAT activation, and thus was a promising target for the development of new therapeutic approaches to improve adipose tissue energy metabolism" - See rutin at Amazon.com and rutin at iHerb.com.

Coffee and Caffeine Consumption and Risk of Kidney Stones: A Mendelian Randomization Study - Am J Kidney Dis 2021 Oct 19 - "The combined odds ratio of kidney stones was 0.60 (95% CI, 0.46-0.79; P < 0.001) per a genetically predicted 50% increase in coffee consumption and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.69-0.94; P = 0.005) per a genetically predicted 80-mg increase in caffeine consumption"

• Which Coffee Maker Makes the Hottest Coffee? [SCAA-Certified] - coffeelifious.com, 1/6/21 - "No other coffee machine brews the coffee at higher temperatures, meaning that the Touch Plus coffeemaker brews the hottest coffee out there" - See Touch Essential Single Serve Coffee Brewer at Amazon.com.

More Good News: Coffee Prevents Kidney Stones - Am J Kidney Dis 2021 Oct 19 -  But it doesn't have the abstract.

Coffee consumption and risk of renal cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort evidence - Cancer Causes Control 2021 Oct 22 - "There is increasing evidence that coffee consumption is related to reduced risks for some cancers ... In a meta-analysis of the ten identified cohort studies, we found a summary RR of 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.99] relating the highest vs. the lowest category of coffee intake and renal cancer, with no significant between-study heterogeneity observed (I2 = 35%, p = 0.13). This inverse association remained among studies of incident cancers (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76-0.96) and studies adjusting for smoking and body mass index (RR 0.87"

Dietary pterostilbene for MTA1-targeted interception in high-risk premalignant prostate cancer - Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2021 Oct 21 - "mice fed with a pterostilbene-supplemented diet exhibited more favorable histopathology with decreased severity and number of PIN foci accompanied by reduced proliferation, angiogenesis, and inflammation concomitant to reduction in MTA1 and MTA1-associated CyclinD1, Notch2, and oncogenic miR-34a and miR-22 levels" - See pterostilbene at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Metformin induces muscle atrophy by transcriptional regulation of myostatin via HDAC6 and FoxO3a - J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2021 Nov 2 - "Our results demonstrate that metformin treatment impairs muscle function through the regulation of myostatin in skeletal muscle cells via AMPK-FoxO3a-HDAC6 axis. The muscle-wasting effect of metformin is more evident in WT than in db/db mice, indicating that more complicated mechanisms may be involved in metformin-mediated muscular dysfunction" 

Immunomodulatory Effect of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) Extract—A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial with an Open Label Extension on Healthy Participants - J Clin Med 2021 Aug 18 - "subjects were allocated either 60 mg WS extract or placebo. It consists of a blinded 30-day period and an open-label extension study of another 30 days with crossover of only placebo to test. After the 30-day blinded study period, the WS test group reported significant increase (p < 0.05) in Ig's (IgA, IgM, IgG, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4), Cytokines (IFN-γ, IL4), TBNK (CD45+, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, NK cells) whereas in the placebo group TBNK cells showed significant decrease (p < 0.05) and Ig's and cytokines showed no change (p > 0.05). In the extension period on day 60, the subjects on placebo who were crossed over to the WS test group showed significant increase (p < 0.05) in Ig's, cytokines and TBNK cells and the subjects who continued on the WS group showed a further significant improvement (p < 0.05) in Ig's, cytokines and TBNK cells. There were no adverse events reported in the study. WS extract significantly improved the immune profile of healthy subjects by modulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. Boosting the immune system of people at risk of infection and during widespread infections can be targeted with WS extract" - [Nutra USA] - See See ashwagandha at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Effect of an ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) root extract on climacteric symptoms in women during perimenopause: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study - J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2021 Sep 22 - "Ashwagandha intake demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in total MENQoL scores (p < 0.0001) and was also associated with a statistically significant increase in serum estradiol (p < 0.0001) and a significant reduction in serum FSH (p < 0.0001) and serum LH (p < 0.05) compared with the placebo ... These findings suggest that ashwagandha root extract can be a safe and effective option to relieve mild to moderate climacteric symptoms during perimenopause in women" - [Nutra USA] - See ashwagandha at Amazon.com and iHerb.

Effect of dietary nitrate on human muscle power: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis - J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2021 Oct 9 - "Acute or chronic dietary NO3- intake significantly increases maximal muscle power in humans. The magnitude of this effect-on average, ~ 5%-is likely to be of considerable practical and clinical importance" - [Nutra USA] - See beet root powder at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

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