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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 5/3/23

Eating Fruits and Vegetables Cuts Risk for Crohn's Disease - Medscape, 5/1/23 - "people who consumed large amounts of unprocessed or minimally processed food (the highest quartile) were half as likely to develop Crohn's disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.35–0.93) in comparison with people who consumed the least amounts of these types of food (lowest quartile). This outcome was especially significant for fruits and vegetables"

Is Dapagliflozin a Cardiac Anti-Aging Drug? - Medscape, 5/1/23 - "At the cardiac level, apart from improving renal or metabolic parameters, several mechanisms have been put forward to explain the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors. A potential cardiac effect of SGLT2 inhibitors is the targeting of adverse cardiac remodeling, which is a characteristic of HFrEF. It has been suggested that SGLT2 inhibitors may reverse cardiac remodeling by blocking the sodium-hydrogen exchanger and/or by shifting cardiac metabolism toward consumption of energy-efficient ketone bodies.[5] Some studies have reported reductions in cardiac afterload with empagliflozin or dapagliflozin, with no reports proving a reduction in left ventricular mass. Additional evidence indicates that SGLT2 inhibitors stimulate erythrocytosis, as a physiological response to hypoxia and energy depletion. Together these results suggest that we may still miss some pieces of the puzzle" - See dapagliflozin at reliablerxpharmacy.com.

Statins Tied to Lower Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation - Medscape, 4/28/23 - "transient ischemic attack (TIA) ... Statin use was associated with a significantly lower risk of all outcomes compared with nonuse. Statin users had a 17% reduced risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism, a 7% reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke, and a 15% rate of reduced risk of TIA ... We also found long-term statin use was associated with greater protection than short-term use," she said. For statin use of 6 years or longer, in comparison with use of 3 months to 2 years, the risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism was lowered by 43%; for hemorrhagic stroke, it was lowered by 44%, and for TIA, it was lowered by 42%"

Popular keto and paleo diets aren’t helping your heart, report says - Washington Post, 4/27/23 - "Ketogenic and paleo diets may be trendy, but they won’t do your heart any favors ... The authors said one of the purposes of their report was to counter widespread misinformation about nutrition promoted by diet books, blogs and people on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter — where posts promoting keto and paleo eating plans have surged in recent years ... The amount of misinformation that has flourished on social media sites has reached “critical levels"

Shocking' Data on What's Really in Melatonin Gummies - Medscape, 4/26/23 - "The vast majority of melatonin gummies sold in the US may contain up to 347% more melatonin than is listed on the label, and some products also contain CBD" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.

Abstracts from this week:

Protective Effects of a Polyphenolic Phytochemical Quercetin against Oxidative Dysfunctions in Rats - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023 Apr 20 - "Quercetin has traditionally been used in various oxidative and urinary tract dysfunctions. The current project is consequently set to evaluate the defensive efficacy of Quercetin against potassium bromate (KBrO3) induced testiculartissue oxidative dysfunctions through biochemical, hormonal, and genotoxicmarkers ... The findings of the current project revealedthat various doses of Quercetin are able to keep the testicular organ fromabnormal free radical dysfunctions. These improvements might be due to theantioxidant ability of polyphenolic bioactive constituent, i.e., Quercetin" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

The potential beneficial effects of Lactobacillus plantarum GM11 on rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress- induced depression - Nutr Neurosci 2023 Apr 28 - "This work has revealed that LacP GM11 has potential beneficial effects on depression. This effect might be related to alleviating monoamine neurotransmitter deficiency, HPA axis hyperfunction and CREB-BDNF signaling pathway downregulation. This study demonstrates that LacP GM11 could be a potential therapeutic approach to treat depression and other mental health problems" - See Lactobacillus plantarum at Amazon.com.

Ginkgo biloba Extract Preventively Intervenes in Citrobacter Rodentium-Induced Colitis in Mice - Nutrients 2023 Apr 21 - "Citrobacter Rodentium (CR)-induced mouse colitis ... The results of our studies revealed that pre-treatment with GBE was sufficient for protecting the animals from CR-induced colitis. As a mechanism for GBE activity, GBE treatment was able to modulate the intestinal microbiota and increase the SCFAs capable of decreasing the pro-inflammatory factors and up-regulating the anti-inflammatory factors while elevating the intestinal-barrier-associated proteins to maintain the integrity of the intestines. Accordingly, our results led to a strong suggestion that GBE should be seriously considered in the preventive control of CR-induced colitis and in the development of effective and safe therapeutic strategies for controlling IBD" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Alleviates Liver Oxidative Damage Caused by Iron Overload in Mice through Inhibiting Ferroptosis - Nutrients 2023 Apr 21 - "Here, we discovered that iron overload disturbed iron homeostasis in mice, leading to oxidative stress and damage in the liver by activating ferroptosis. However, EGCG supplementation alleviated the liver oxidative damage caused by iron overload by inhibiting ferroptosis. EGCG addition increased NRF2 and GPX4 expression and elevated antioxidant capacity in iron overload mice. EGCG administration attenuates iron metabolism disorders by upregulating FTH/L expression. Through these two mechanisms, EGCG can effectively inhibit iron overload-induced ferroptosis. Taken together, these findings suggest that EGCG is a potential ferroptosis suppressor, and may be a promising therapeutic agent for iron overload-induced liver disease" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Agomelatine, a Melatonin-Derived Drug, as a New Strategy for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer - Antioxidants (Basel) 2023 Apr 13 - "Agomelatine and melatonin regulated the rhythmicity of Per1-3, Cry1, Sirt1, and Prx1 in the HCT-116 cells. In these cells, agomelatine also regulated Bmal1 and Nr1d2, while melatonin changed the rhythmicity of Clock. In the HCT-116-p53-null cells, agomelatine regulated Per1-3, Cry1, Clock, Nr1d2, Sirt1, and Prx1; however, melatonin only induced changes in Clock, Bmal1, and Sirt1. The differences found in the regulation of the clock genes may explain the greater oncostatic effect of agomelatine in CRC"

Combination of Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng as Main Components in the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023 Apr 17 - "Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng (ARPN) ... The compatibility of Radix Astragali and Radix notoginseng as the main components can effectively improve the renal function of patients with diabetic nephropathy and delay the progress of diabetic nephropathy" - See Astragalus at Amazon.com and Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.

Pioglitazone, SGLT2 inhibitors and their combination for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and heart failure in type 2 diabetes: real-world evidence from a nationwide cohort database - Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2023 Apr 24 - "Compared with the reference group, the pioglitazone/SGLT2i combination group had a significantly lower risk for MACE (aHR, 0.76, 95% CI 0.66-0.88) and heart failure (aHR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.82). Pioglitazone was associated with a lower risk of MACE (aHR, 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.94) and there was no difference in risk of heart failure compared with the reference group. The incidence of heart failure was significantly decreased in the SGLT2i group (aHR 0.7, 95% CI 0.58-0.86)" - See Pioglitazone at ReliableRXPharmacy and empagliflozin inhousepharmacy.vu.

The effects of live and pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis, gut microbiota, and metabolomics in mice - Food Funct 2023 Apr 26 - "Notably, prophylactic supplementation of pasteurized A. muciniphila increased the relative abundance of the anti-inflammatory microbe Dubosiella, thereby activating intestinal sphingolipid metabolism to alleviate intestinal damage. In conclusion, pasteurized A. muciniphila showed a more effective amelioration of DSS-induced colitis by repairing the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and intestinal metabolism compared to live A. muciniphila, providing a potential strategy to explore the protective effect of A. muciniphila on host intestinal health" - See Akkermansia muciniphila at Amazon.com.

Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges and sprints to win the race - J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2023 Dec;20 - "Mechanistically, creatine supplementation elevates skeletal muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) stores facilitating a greater capacity to rapidly resynthesize ATP and buffer hydrogen ion accumulation. When co-ingested with carbohydrates, creatine enhances glycogen resynthesis and content, an important fuel to support high-intensity aerobic exercise. In addition, creatine lowers inflammation and oxidative stress and has the potential to increase mitochondrial biogenesis. In contrast, creatine supplementation increases body mass, which may offset the potential positive effects, particularly in weight-bearing activities. Overall, creatine supplementation increases time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities, likely due to increasing anaerobic work capacity. In terms of time trial performances, results are mixed; however, creatine supplementation appears to be more effective at improving performances that require multiple surges in intensity and/or during end spurts, which are often key race-defining moments. Given creatines ability to enhance anaerobic work capacity and performance through repeated surges in intensity, creatine supplementation may be beneficial for sports, such as cross-country skiing, mountain biking, cycling, triathlon, and for short-duration events where end-spurts are critical for performance, such as rowing, kayaking, and track cycling" - See creatine at Amazon.com.

Proanthocyanidins may be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of carotid atherosclerosis: A review - J Int Med Res 2023 Apr;5 - "Atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease is one of the major causes of death in China, with associated serious risk of disability and burden on society and families. Therefore, the development of active and effective therapeutic drugs for this disease is of great significance. Proanthocyanidins are a class of naturally occurring active substances, rich in hydroxyl groups and from a wide range of sources. Studies have suggested that they have a strong potential for anti-atherosclerosis activity" - See proanthocyanidins at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Actos (pioglitazone HCl)):