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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 3/1/23

Ask a Doctor: Why doesn’t anything work for my heartburn? - Washington Post, 2/27/23 - "For people with rare heartburn that occurs once or twice a month, medications such as TUMS or Pepcid might be enough to alleviate symptoms. These can be taken when you’re feeling symptoms or preemptively if you’re about to order some Nashville hot chicken and want to be prepared for the consequences ... But if you experience heartburn several times a week, it helps to try a heavier hitter, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as omeprazole (or Prilosec) or pantoprazole (or Protonix), which blocks the release of acid in the stomach for about 48 hours ... Up to 45 percent of people who take PPIs (approximately 2 percent of Americans), however, still do not get relief, and incorrect use may be one reason ... PPIs should be taken consistently every day, 30 minutes before a meal for them to work. But that crucial piece of advice is frequently overlooked (it’s omitted by 70 percent of primary care physicians — and even 20 percent of gastroenterologists), leading to roughly half of heartburn sufferers taking PPIs at the wrong time."

Is swapping pasta for a plant-based, grain-free version healthier? - Washington Post, 2/27/23 - "Trading your morning shredded wheat or oatmeal for a grain-free cereal isn’t necessarily a healthy food swap. “These cereals can make you think that there’s something wrong with eating grains, but that’s not the case,” Keating says. “Many studies show that including whole grains in your diet reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer and more, and regular cereal can be a convenient way to get them.”"

How inflammation in the body may explain depression in the brain - Washington Post, 2/23/23 - "It appears that inflammatory agents in the blood can break down the barrier between the body and the brain, causing neuroinflammation and altering key neural circuits, researchers say. In people at risk for depression, inflammation may be a trigger for the disorder"

Metformin Linked to Reductions in COVID-19 Viral Load - Medscape, 2/21/23 - "A total of 1323 patients in the study, enrolled at six centers, were randomized to treatment either with metformin 1000 mg per day on days 2 to 5 and 1500 mg per day on days 6 to 14 (n = 187), or to ivermectin 390-470 mcg/kg per day for 3 days (n = 187), fluvoxamine 50 mg twice daily for 14 days, and/or an exact-matching placebo in a 2 x 3 factorial trial design ... The mean rate of undetectable SARS-CoV-2 viral load at day 5 was 49.9% in the metformin group versus 54.6% in the placebo group (odds ratio [OR], 1.235), and the undetectable rate at day 10 was 14.3% in the metformin group and 22.6% in the placebo group" - See metformin at ReliableRX..

What the Ozempic Obsession Misses About Food and Health - Time, 2/21/23 - "What we have learned (or rather, confirmed) through this latest wave of weight loss drugs is that our society continues to prioritize thinness over actual health. While we focus on our scales and our waistlines as the North Star of wellness, we forget that we’re growing more deficient in a number of critical nutrients that protect us from disease. Ninety-five percent of the U.S. population is not meeting the recommended daily intake of fiber. Another 75 percent is not getting enough magnesium. Globally, 1.1 billion people are zinc-deficient (symptoms of which can mirror those of Alzheimer’s disease) due to inadequate dietary intake ... There’s also the fact that Ozempic, like all drugs, can come with side effects. The most common, according to the drug’s website, are: “nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation.” Also mentioned is “Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.” One unmentioned but frequently reported side effect is referred to as “Ozempic Face.” Also, to maintain the weight loss, you must stay on Ozempic indefinitely—unless you used Ozempic to jumpstart healthier habits around food, exercise, sleep, etc." - There was a segment on the news where several endocrinologists were claiming that obesity is a disease that could be cured by Ozempic (coincidence that they also make money prescribing it). Maybe, but I stand in line at the grocery store and see what they're buying and if I ate the same thing, I'd have their weight and then some. I go to a restaurant with them and it's 700 calorie lattes, 1000 calorie burgers and dessert. Portion size!!!!

Intermittent Fasting Plus Exercise a Good Option for Fatty Liver - Medscape, 2/21/23 - "Our findings also indicate that the combination intervention was effective for reducing body weight, fat mass, waist circumference, [the liver enzyme alanine transaminase (ALT)], fasting insulin, [and] insulin resistance, and increasing insulin sensitivity, among patients with obesity and NAFLD, versus controls ... When we compared the results of our study groups, we saw clearly that the most improved patients were in the group that followed the alternate-day fasting diet and exercised 5 days a week"

Abstracts from this week:

A Multivitamin Mixture Protects against Oxidative Stress-Mediated Telomere Shortening - J Diet Suppl 2023 Feb 27 - "Telomeres are nucleotide repeat sequences located at the end of chromosomes that protect them from degradation and maintain chromosomal stability. Telomeres shorten with each cell division; hence telomere length is associated with aging and longevity ... Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the multivitamin mixture protects against oxidative stress-mediated telomere shortening in cell culture, findings which may have implications in human health" - See multi-vitamins at Amazon.com.

The effects of folic acid supplementation on endothelial function in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Nutr J 2023 Feb 24 - "Endothelial dysfunction serves as an early marker for the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); therefore, it is an attractive site of therapeutic interventions to reduce the risk of CVD ... flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) ... These findings suggest that folic acid supplementation may improve endothelial function by increasing FMD and FMD% levels" - See folic acid products at Amazon.com.

Ursolic Acid Suppresses Colorectal Cancer by Down-Regulation of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway Activity - J Agric Food Chem 2023 Feb 24 - "Overwhelming evidence points to an abnormally active Wnt/β-catenin signaling as a key player in colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid that has been found in a broad variety of fruits, spices, and medicinal plants. UA has been shown to have potent bioactivity against a variety of cancers, including CRC, with the action mechanism obscure. ... UA drastically suppressed proliferation, migration, and clonality; induced apoptosis; and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase of SW620 cells, without the influence on NCM460 cells, accompanied by weakened activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Besides, UA markedly deterred the growth of the xenograft tumor, ameliorated pathological features, triggered apoptosis, and arrested the cell cycle in xenograft CRC tissue, by lessening the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade. Overall, UA may inhibit the malignant phenotype, induce apoptosis, and arrest the cell cycle of CRC, potentially by attenuating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling axis, providing insights into the mechanism for the potency of UA on CRC" - See ursolic acid at Amazon.com.

Vitamin D3 improved erectile function recovery by regulating autophagy and apoptosis in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury - Int J Impot Res 2023 Feb 22 - "Vitamin D3 is an important element in improving erectile function ... We concluded that vitamin D3 improved the erectile function recovery in BCNC rats by alleviating hypoxia and fibrosis, enhancing autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Low 25 (OH) vitamin D levels are associated with increased prevalence of NAFLD and significant liver fibrosis - Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2023 Feb 23 - "An inverse relationship was found between 25(OH)D and NAFLD and fibrosis, suggesting a possible role of vitamin D on NAFLD occurrence and progression" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Effect of saffron supplementation on oxidative stress markers (MDA, TAC, TOS, GPx, SOD, and pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance): An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials - Front Med (Lausanne) 2023 Feb 1 - "This study aimed to perform an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of saffron supplementation on oxidative stress markers [malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and prooxidant/antioxidant balance (PAB)] in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ... It was found that saffron consumption caused a significant decrease in MDA (SMD: -0.322; 95% CI: -0.53, -0.16; I 2 = 32.58%) and TOS (SMD: -0.654; 95% CI: -1.08, -0.23; I 2 = 68%) levels as well as a significant increase in TAC (SMD: 0.302; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.47; I 2 = 10.12%) and GPx (SMD: 0.447; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.80; I 2 = 35%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in MDA levels in studies with a saffron dosage of >30 mg/day, age of <50 years, and study duration of <12 weeks" - See saffron supplements at Amazon.com.

Effect of vitamin E intake on glycemic control and insulin resistance in diabetic patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Nutr J 2023 Feb 17 - "This indicates a significant lowering effect of vitamin E on HbA1c, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, while no significant effect on fasting blood glucose in diabetic patients. However, in subgroup analyses, we found that vitamin E intake significantly reduced fasting blood glucose in studies with an intervention duration of < 10 weeks. In conclusion, vitamin E intake has a beneficial role in improving HbA1c and insulin resistance in a population with diabetes. Moreover, short-term interventions with vitamin E have resulted in lower fasting blood glucose in these patients" - See vitamin E at Amazon.com.

Curcumin Analog, HO-3867, Induces Both Apoptosis and Ferroptosis via Multiple Mechanisms in NSCLC Cells with Wild-Type p53 - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023 Feb 13 - "Our findings point to the possibility that HO-3867 might be employed as a therapeutic agent for treating NSCLC" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in adults: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Cytokine 2023 Feb 15 - "Turmeric and its prominent bioactive compound, curcumin, have been the subject of many investigations with regard to their impact on inflammatory and oxidative balance in the body ... We observed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly reduces levels of inflammatory markers, including CRP (WMD: -0.58 mg/l, 95 % CI: -0.74, -0.41), TNF-α (WMD: -3.48 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -4.38, -2.58), and IL-6 (WMD: -1.31 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -1.58, -0.67); except for IL-1β (WMD: -0.46 pg/ml, 95 % CI: -1.18, 0.27) for which no significant change was found. Also, turmeric/curcumin supplementation significantly improved anti-oxidant activity through enhancing TAC (WMD = 0.21 mmol/l; 95 % CI: 0.08, 0.33), reducing MDA levels (WMD = -0.33 µmol /l; 95 % CI: -0.53, -0.12), and SOD activity (WMD = 20.51 u/l; 95 % CI: 7.35, 33.67). It seems that turmeric/curcumin supplementation might be used as a viable intervention for improving inflammatory/oxidative status of individuals" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt improves brain function in both younger and older adults - Food Funct 2023 Feb 21 - "Brain function is important for a good quality of life. Pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (PQQ) has been proven to improve brain function and cognition in older adults (above 45 years). In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we investigated the effects of PQQ on cognitive function in adults aged between 20 and 65 years. PQQ (20 mg per day) was administered for 12 weeks to the participants. After 12 weeks, the participants showed improvements in composite memory and verbal memory. A further age-stratified analysis was performed. In younger adults (aged 20-40 years), PQQ improved cognitive function (cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and execution speed) after 8 weeks. Only older adults (aged 41-65 years) showed improvements in complex and verbal memory after 12 weeks. In the logistic regression analysis that included the results of all cognitive tests, the changes due to PQQ intake were observed at 8 and 12 weeks in the young and old groups, respectively" - See pyrroloquinoline quinone at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Good ingredients if you don't want to take a lot of different capsules. I just worry that the formula might have been developed by the accountant.

Merrell Men's Moab 2, my favorite shoe over the years but my wife is getting on my case because they're about 12 years old and have too many miles on them but I like that worn look from too many times to San Jacinto Peak and too many times in the washing machine. I replaced them with the Rockport but the Rockport isn't made for hiking. I'm also going to buy another pair of Merrell for hiking.

Health Focus (Creatinine):