Please help my newsletter get noticed by clicking on the Facebook "Like" in the upper right-hand corner or here:

Recent Longevity News for the week ending 12/14/22

Ask a Doctor: Is marijuana as bad for me as alcohol? - Washington Post, 12/12/22 - "Most health claims for cannabis aren’t backed by science"

Placebo Effect a Major Driver of Pain Reduction in Cannabis Trials - Medscape, 12/9/22 - "Investigators found that while the effect size of cannabinoids on pain intensity was significant, the placebo effect was about the same ... The researchers speculate that the sheer amount of media attention surrounding cannabis trials may have contributed to a strong positive bias toward the efficacy of cannabinoids in pain therapy."

Several Supplements May Give the Heart a Boost - WebMD, 12/8/22 - "Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, vegetable oils, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables ... Omega-6 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds ... L-arginine, an amino acid that helps the body build protein. It can be found in protein-rich foods like fish, red meat, poultry, soy, whole grains, beans, and dairy products ... L-citrulline, a nonessential amino acid found in watermelon ... Folic acid, a form of vitamin B9 used for deficiency and to prevent pregnancy complications. It is added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies, and crackers, as required by federal law. Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables, okra, asparagus, certain fruits, beans, yeast, mushrooms, animal liver and kidney, orange juice, and tomato juice ... Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. Fatty fish (such as trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources ... Magnesium, which keeps blood pressure normal, bones strong, and your heart rhythm steady. In addition to supplements, magnesium can be found in green leafy vegetables like spinach, nuts, beans, peas, and soybeans, as well as whole-grain cereals ... Zinc, found in chicken, red meat, and fortified breakfast cereals ... Alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant made naturally in the body and also found in foods. It is in red meat, carrots, beets, spinach, broccoli, and potatoes ... Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant found in cold-water fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines; vegetable oils; and meats ... Melatonin ... Plant-based polyphenols such as catechin, curcumin, flavanol, genistein, and quercetin"

Why your doctor is wrong about Vitamin D - Women's Health - "You probably think following your doctor’s advice is the right thing to do. But when it comes to the importance of Vitamin D, I’m shocked at how wrong most doctors seem to be ... Women are often given mistaken information about vitamin D from their doctors ... Time and time again I see patients whose conventional practitioner isn’t even aware of how much Vitamin D is needed to get optimal benefits. This leaves them exposed to serious risks associated with too little Vitamin D. In fact, it can be a critical factor in the condition that led them to me" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Dapagliflozin Reduces Hospitalizations in Patients With CKD - Medscape, 12/7/22 - "Compared with placebo, dapagliflozin significantly reduced risk of first hospitalization by 16% (hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.94) and rate of all hospitalizations by 21% (rate ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.89). These findings remained significant regardless of type 2 diabetes status, with significant benefits seen across reasons for admission, including renal/urinary disorders, cardiac disorders, neoplasms, and metabolism/nutrition disorders. In addition, dapagliflozin was associated with shorter mean time in hospital (2.3 vs. 2.8 days; P = .027) and longer time alive and out of hospital (354.9 vs. 351.7; P = .023)." See dapagliflozin at reliablerxpharmacy.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Downregulation of Sirt6 by CD38 promotes cell senescence and aging - Aging (Albany NY) 2022 Dec 6 - "Decreased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels accompany aging. CD38 is the main cellular NADase. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), a natural inhibitor of CD38, is a well-known drug that extends the human lifespan ... We suggest that CD38 downregulates Sirt6 expression to promote cell senescence and C3G exerts an antiaging effect through CD38-Sirt6 signaling" - See cyanidin 3-glucoside supplements at Amazon.com.

• Showing Compound Cyanidin 3-glucoside - foodb - "Outside of the human body, Cyanidin 3-glucoside is found, on average, in the highest concentration within a few different foods, such as black elderberries, rubus (blackberry, raspberry), and bilberries and in a lower concentration in redcurrants, strawberries, and sweet oranges"

Resveratrol Inhibits Insulin-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Migration by Activating SIRT1 - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Nov 28 - "Abnormal proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are essential for the development of hypertension. Insulin has been identified to promote VSMC proliferation and migration; resveratrol has been shown to have protective effects against cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of resveratrol on insulin-induced VSMC proliferation and migration and its potential mechanism ... Resveratrol (25-150 μM) was found to inhibit insulin-induced VSMC proliferation. Pretreatment with 100 μM resveratrol reduced insulin (100 nM)-mediated VSMC migration. LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3K, inhibited the stimulatory effect of insulin (100 nM) on the proliferation of VSMCs. Treatment with resveratrol also decreased insulin-induced stimulatory effect on PI3K and Akt phosphorylation levels. Moreover, resveratrol treatment increased SIRT1 protein expression in VSMCs. A SIRT1 inhibitor, EX527, reversed the inhibitory effect of resveratrol on insulin-induced VSMC proliferation and migration and activation of PI3K and Akt phosphorylation levels. In conclusion, our study revealed that treatment with resveratrol inhibited insulin-mediated VSMC proliferation and migration, possibly by activating SIRT1 and downregulating the PI3K/AKT pathway" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Flavonoid extract of saffron by-product alleviates hyperuricemia via inhibiting xanthine oxidase and modulating gut microbiota - Phytother Res 2022 Dec - "Hyperuricemia was associated with the overproduction or inadequate excretion of uric acid, while its association with gut microbiota has emerged although few studies were focused on it. Previously, we have reported a flavonoid extract from saffron floral bio-residues lowered uric acid in potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic mice ... the flavonoid extract lowered serum and intestinal uric acid levels in hyperuricemic rats without kidney damage. On the one hand, it inhibited serum and liver xanthine oxidase activities and down-regulated the expression of hepatic xanthine oxidase. On the other hand, it ameliorated the hyperuricemia-associated gut microbiota dysbiosis and alleviated the disturbance of serum metabolome, especially of lipid and amino acid metabolites. The results suggested that the flavonoid extract of saffron floral bio-residues exerts a potent antihyperuricemia effect by inhibiting xanthine oxidase to decrease uric acid production and modulating gut microbiota related to host metabolism" - See saffron supplements at Amazon.com.

Ginsenoside Rk1 Prevents UVB Irradiation-Mediated Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Response, and Collagen Degradation via the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo - J Agric Food Chem 2022 Dec 6 - "Long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, especially UVB, can trigger destructive intracellular effects, including various types of DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses, leading to accelerated skin aging. Ginsenoside Rk1, a rare ginsenoside pertaining to panaxadiol saponins, has been certified to possess underlying anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, the efficiency of Rk1 against the photoaging of human skin and the latent molecular mechanisms are still unclear ... The UVB-induced inflammatory response was alleviated by Rk1 application via regulation of the secretion of various proinflammatory cytokines. Additionally, western blot assays illustrated that Rk1 intervention inhibited collagen degradation by reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases. Further studies revealed that Rk1 could suppress the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo. Molecular docking results indicated that Rk1 might effectively bind to the active pockets of PI3K, AKT, and NF-κB. The PI3K activator 740 Y-P clearly reversed the effects of Rk1 on oxidative stress, the inflammatory response, and collagen degradation in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Moreover, histological and Masson staining verified that the administration of Rk1 to BALB/c nude mice remarkably ameliorated UVB-induced skin roughness, epidermal thickening, collagen fiber arrangement disorder, and wrinkles. Overall, the evidence provided in this study suggested that Rk1 could be applied for the development of effective natural antiphotoaging agents for skin health" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Prebiotics improve osteoporosis indicators in a preclinical model: systematic review with meta-analysis - Nutr Rev 2022 Dec 6 - "Prebiotics improve indicators of osteoporosis, BMD, BMC, and bone biomechanics in ovariectomized rats" - See prebiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Efficacy and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan Compared With ACEI/ARB on Health-Related Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients: A Meta-Analysis - Ann Pharmacother 2022 Dec 8 - "Sacubitril/valsartan may have the potential to improve HRQoL in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction compared with ACEI/ARB. Hypotension is the most common adverse event with sacubitril/valsartan compared with ACEI/ARB. The results of this study may contribute to the rational use of sacubitril/valsartan"

SGLT2 inhibitors reduce adverse kidney and cardiovascular events in patients with advanced diabetic kidney disease: a population-based propensity score-matched cohort study - Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2022 Dec 5 - "SGLT2 inhibitor improved kidney function, glycemic profile, and reduced adverse kidney-related and cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with advanced CKD" - See empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

Marijuana Use and Older Adults' Self-Reported Difficulty Concentrating, Remembering, or Making Decisions - J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2022 Nov - "Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ... We found a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between past-month marijuana use and SDCRMD. This finding serves as an important first step in identifying the relationship between older adults' self-reported marijuana use and their difficulty concentrating, remembering, and decision-making"  

Health Focus (Vitamin C):