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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 3/15/23

FDA Approves Fast-Acting Nasal Spray for Migraines, Pfizer Says - WebMD, 3/10/23 - "The drug zavegepant will be sold under the brand name Zavzpret and should be available in pharmacies by July 2023"

What's It Like to Take Ozempic? A Doctor's Own Story - Medscape, 3/8/23 - "With these new medications, I noticed that both my patients and I didn't complain as much about nausea and vomiting, but I did experience stomach upset, constipation, and acid reflux ... The appetite suppression is effective. It slows down the emptying of the gut so I feel full longer. I've lost 30 lb with these weekly injections and would like to lose another 20 lb. I follow a routine of reasonable, portion-controlled eating and moderate exercise (30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least two to three times a week) ... Discontinuing the medications may cause rebound weight gain, especially if I'm no longer following a routine of healthy eating and/or moderate exercise. I deal with minimal constipation by taking stool softeners, and I take antacids for acid reflux."

Report: Keto diet could increase risk of heart disease, cardiac events - 10News.com, 3/7/23 - "Our study found that regular consumption of a self-reported diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat was associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol— or “bad” cholesterol—and a higher risk of heart disease"

Can SGLT2 Inhibitors Limit Acute Kidney Injury in Type 2 Diabetes? - Medscape, 3/7/23 - "people taking an SGLT2 inhibitor had a relative 25% lower rate of AKI events, while in the observational studies, SGLT2 inhibitor treatment was linked with a 60% relative reduction in AKI. The study also found that SGLT2 inhibitor use in the trials was linked with a significant 20% relative increase in the incidence of low fluid volume."

Vitamin D a Viable Strategy for Dementia Prevention? - Medscape, 3/7/23 - "After adjusting for age, sex, education, race, cognition, depression, and APOE4 status, vitamin D exposure (vs no exposure) was significantly associated with a lower incidence of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.60" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Metformin and simvastatin exert additive antitumour effects in glioblastoma via senescence-state: clinical and translational evidence - EBioMedicine 2023 Mar 10 - "Glioblastoma is one of the most devastating and incurable cancers due to its aggressive behaviour and lack of available therapies, being its overall-survival from diagnosis ∼14-months. Thus, identification of new therapeutic tools is urgently needed. Interestingly, metabolism-related drugs (e.g., metformin/statins) are emerging as efficient antitumour agents for several cancers ... Altogether, metformin and simvastatin reduce aggressiveness features in glioblastomas, being this effect significantly more effective (in vitro/in vivo) when both drugs are combined, offering a clinically relevant opportunity that should be tested for their use in humans" - See metformin at ReliableRX and simvastatin at ReliableRXPharmacy.

The Efficacy of Chlorella Supplementation on Multiple Indices of Cycling Performance - J Diet Suppl 2023 Mar 11;1-17 - "This study investigated the effects of chlorella supplementation on submaximal endurance, time trial performance, lactate threshold, and power indices during a repeated sprint performance test by fourteen male trained cyclists. Participants ingested 6 g/day of chlorella or placebo for 21-days in a double-blinded randomized counter-balanced cross-over design, with a fourteen-day washout period between trials ... In conclusion, chlorella may pose as an additional supplement for cyclists to consider, particularly for those cyclists who want to improve their sprinting" - See chlorella products at Amazon.com.

Effects of omega-3 supplementation on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with gestational diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - J Diabetes Complications 2023 Mar 7 - "Omega-3 supplementation can decrease the levels of FPG and inflammatory factors, enhance blood lipid metabolism, and reduce insulin resistance in patients with GDM" - See omega-3 supplements at Amazon.com.

Zinc Deficiency Exacerbates Behavioral Impediments and Dopaminergic Neuron Degeneration in a Mouse Model of Parkinson Disease - J Nutr 2023 Jan;153(1):167-175 - "Zn deficiency aggravates movement disorders in PD mice. Our results support previous clinical observations and suggest that appropriate Zn supplementation may be beneficial for PD" - See zinc supplements at Amazon.com.

Serum calcium and magnesium were inversely associated with high sensitivity C-reactive protein in Chinese adults with coronary artery disease - Curr Med Res Opin 2023 Mar 13 - "Generally, our study showed the significant inverse associations of serum Ca and Mg with hsCRP in CAD patients. Our findings provided further support for the anti-inflammatory effects of Ca and Mg in CAD patients" - See calcium products at Amazon.com and magnesium supplements at Amazon.com. I'm not a fan of taking calcium supplements.

Resveratrol Preconditioning Mitigates Ischemia-Induced Septal Cholinergic Cell Loss and Memory Impairments - Stroke 2023 Mar 13 - "Cholinergic cells originating from the nuclei of the basal forebrain (BF) are critical for supporting various memory processes, yet BF cholinergic cell viability has not been explored in the context of focal cerebral ischemia. In the present study, we examined cell survival within several BF nuclei in rodents following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. We tested the hypothesis that a previously established neuroprotective therapy-resveratrol preconditioning-would rescue BF cell loss, deficits in cholinergic-related memory performance, and hippocampal synaptic dysfunction after focal cerebral ischemia ... We demonstrate for the first time that focal cerebral ischemia induces cholinergic cell death within memory-relevant nuclei of the BF. The preservation of cholinergic cell viability may provide a mechanism by which resveratrol preconditioning improves memory performance and preserves functionality of memory-processing brain structures after focal cerebral ischemia" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Chlorogenic acid reduces inflammation by inhibiting the elevated expression of KAT2A to ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury - Br J Pharmacol 2023 Mar 13 - "Respiratory diseases have become a global health problem and may lead to acute lung injury (ALI) in severe cases. ALI progression is associated with complex pathological changes; however, there are currently no effective therapeutic drugs. Excessive activation and recruitment of immunocytes in the lungs and the release of large amounts of cytokines are considered the primary causes of ALI, but the cellular mechanisms involved remain unknown ... Targeted inhibition of KAT2A suppressed the release of inflammatory cytokines and improved respiratory function in this murine model of ALI. Chlorogenic acid, a specific KAT2A-targeting inhibitor, was effective in treating ALI. In conclusion, our results provide a reference for the clinical treatment of ALI and contribute to the development of novel therapeutic drugs for lung injury" - See chlorogenic acid at Amazon.com.

The role of vitamin D in depression and anxiety disorders: a review of the literature - Nutr Neurosci 2023 Mar 6 - "Over the past decades, suboptimal vitamin D (VD) levels and gut dysbiosis have been associated with neurological dysfunction and psychiatric disorders ... Taken together, literature has suggested that VD may serve as a key regulator in the gut-brain axis to modulate gut microbiota and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. The inconsistent results of VD supplementation in clinical studies, particularly among VD deficient participants, suggests that current intake recommendations may need to be re-evaluated for individuals at-risk (i.e. prior to diagnosis) of developing depression and/or anxiety" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

The Effect of Curcumin Supplementation on Weight Loss and Anthropometric Indices: An Umbrella Review and Updated Meta-analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials - Am J Clin Nutr 2023 Mar 8 - "Curcumin supplementation may promote weight loss and ameliorate obesity-related complications through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties ... Curcumin supplementation significantly reduces anthropometric indices and bioavailability-enhanced formulas are preferred. Augmenting curcumin supplement with lifestyle modification should be an option for weight reduction" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Evidence for the use of curcumin in radioprotection and radiosensitization - Phytother Res 2023 Mar 10 - "Curcumin has antineoplastic properties and is considered a chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agent. Curcumin may be associated with radiation therapy (RT) as a radiosensitizer for cancer cells and a radioprotector for normal cells. In principle, it may result in a reduction of RT dosage for the same therapeutic effect on cancer cells, and further reduced damage to normal cells. Though the overall level of evidence is modest, limited to in vivo and in vitro experiences and practically no clinical trials, as the risks of adverse effects are extremely low, it is reasonable to promote the general supplementation with curcumin during RT targeting the reduction of side effects through anti-inflammatory mechanisms" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Co-administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals improves anticancer activity by regulating multiple molecular targets - Phytother Res 2023 Mar 8 - "Natural plant phytochemicals are effective against different types of diseases, including cancer. Curcumin, a powerful herbal polyphenol, exerts inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis through interaction with different molecular targets. However, the clinical use of curcumin is limited due to poor solubility in water and metabolism in the liver and intestine. The synergistic effects of curcumin with some phytochemicals such as resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and piperine can improve its clinical efficacy in cancer treatment. The present review specifically focuses on anticancer mechanisms related to the co-administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals, including resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and piperine. According to the molecular evidence, the phytochemical combinations exert synergistic effects on suppressing cell proliferation, reducing cellular invasion, and inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation on obesity indices and adipokines in adults: A grade-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Phytother Res 2023 Mar 7 - "We found that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly reduced body weight (WMD: -0.82 kg, 95% CI: -1.30, -0.35; p = 0.001), body mass index (WMD: -0.30 kg/m2 , 95% CI: -0.53, -0.06, p = 0.013), waist circumference (WMD: -1.31 cm, 95% CI: -1.94, -0.69, p < 0.001), body fat percentage (WMD: -0.88%, 95% CI: -1.51, -0.25, p = 0.007), leptin (WMD = -4.46 ng/mL; 95% CI: -6.70, -2.21, p < 0.001), and increased adiponectin (WMD = 2.48 μg/mL; 95% CI: 1.34, 3.62, p < 0.001). Overall, our study shows that supplementation with curcumin/turmeric significantly improves anthropometric indices of obesity and adiposity-related adipokines (leptin and adiponectin). However, due to high between-studies heterogeneity, we should interpret the results with caution"  See curcumin at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

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