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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 11/3/10.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Lactobacillus reuteri good for health, Swedish study finds - Science Daily, 11/2/10 - "several different strains of Lactobacillus reuteri have a positive effect on health, including various types of gastrointestinal disorders and oral health. It is also believed that lactobacilli play a role in the development of allergies ... Gabriela Sinkiewicz has also studied how L. reuteri affects oral health and has established that the occurrence of both plaque and bleeding from the gums declined after only two weeks of using chewing gum containing certain strains of L. reuteri" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Study finds fat hormone's long-sought link to heart protection - Science Daily, 1/11/10 - "One of the many advantages of maintaining a normal body weight is having healthy fat, which in turn supports a healthy heart. Fat tissue is increasingly seen as more than just a storage depot -- it's also an active secretory organ that normally produces high levels of a cardioprotective hormone called adiponectin. How adiponectin protects the hearts of healthy people has long been a mystery" - See my adiponectin page for ways to increase it.

Mayo researchers find mortality rates from liver diseases underestimated - Science Daily, 1/1/10 - "Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rank mortality related to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis as the 12th most common cause of death in adults in the U.S. Using a modified definition that includes diseases such as viral hepatitis, liver cancer and obesity-related fatty liver disease (liver diseases), Mayo Clinic-led researchers have found that liver-related mortality is as high as fourth for some age groups [45 and 64 years], and eighth overall"

Antibiotics have long-term impacts on gut flora - Science Daily, 11/1/10 - "Short courses of antibiotics can leave normal gut bacteria harbouring antibiotic resistance genes for up to two years after treatment"

Relationship Observed Between Cord Blood Vitamin D, Child's Adiponectin Levels - Medscape, 10/31/10 - "Higher cord blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] show an association with higher adiponectin levels in children at age 3 years ... Each 25 nmol/L increment in cord blood 25(OH)D also was associated with a decrement of 0.15 in the child's body mass index (BMI) z-score at age 3 years" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Exposure to BPA associated with reduced semen quality - Science Daily, 10/28/10 - "this new study adds to emerging human evidence questioning the safety of BPA, a chemical created in the production of polycarbonated plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the linings of cans used for food and beverages, and in dental sealants ... Compared with men without detectable urine BPA, those with detectable urine BPA had more than three times the risk of lowered sperm concentration and lower sperm vitality, more than four times the risk of a lower sperm count, and more than twice the risk of lower sperm motility"

Serum Potassium May Predict Incident Type 2 Diabetes - Medscape, 10/29/10 - "Serum potassium level was inversely associated with the risk for incident diabetes, based on multivariate analyses. Compared with adults who had a high-normal serum potassium level (5.0 - 5.5 mEq/L), those with serum potassium levels less than 4.0 mEq/L, 4.0 to less than 4.5 mEq/L, and 4.5 to less than 5.0 mEq/L had an adjusted HR of incident diabetes of 1.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29 - 2.08), 1.64 (95% CI, 1.34 - 2.01), and 1.39 (95% CI, 1.14 - 1.71), respectively" - See potassium citrate at Amazon.com.

Spice in curry could prevent liver damage - Science Daily, 10/29/10 - "Curcumin, a chemical that gives curry its zing, holds promise in preventing or treating liver damage from an advanced form of a condition known as fatty liver disease ... non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Linked to obesity and weight gain, NASH affects 3 to 4 percent of U.S. adults and can lead to a type of liver damage called liver fibrosis and possibly cirrhosis, liver cancer and death ... High levels of leptin activate hepatic stellate cells, which are the cells that cause overproduction of the collagen protein, a major feature of liver fibrosis. The researchers found that among other activities, curcumin eliminated the effects of leptin on activating hepatic stellate cells, which short-circuited the development of liver damage" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

Olive oil protects liver from oxidative stress, rat study finds - Science Daily, 10/29/10 - "researchers separated the rats into a control group, an olive oil group, and 6 groups that were exposed to the herbicide '2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid' with or without either whole olive oil, or one of two oil extracts -- the hydrophilic fraction or the lipophilic fraction. All rats given the herbicide showed signs of significant liver damage. However, extra virgin olive oil and hydrophilic fraction intake induced a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activity and a decrease in markers of liver damage ... The hydrophilic fraction of olive oil seems to be the effective one in reducing toxin-induced oxidative stress, indicating that hydrophilic extract may exert a direct antioxidant effect on hepatic cells" - See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.

Probiotics show potential against stress-related conditions - Nutra USA 10/29/10 - "Results showed that levels of psychological distress, including measures of depression, anger-hostility, anxiety, and problem solving, were significantly improved in the probiotic group, compared with placebo" - [Abstract] - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

High-Quality Relationships May Have Long-Term Protective Effect Against Dementia - Medscape, 10/28/10 - "participants older than 65 years showed those who reported being satisfied with their relationships at baseline had a 23% reduced risk of developing dementia from 5 to 15 years later compared with those who were not satisfied"

Fish Oil to Fend Off Psychosis: New Evidence - Medscape, 10/28/10 - "the intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids was associated with a decreased relative risk for psychotic-like symptoms ... Two of 41 (4.9%) of those receiving the active agent transitioned to psychosis, compared to 11 of 40 (27.5%) in the placebo group, which represented a statistically significant difference. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids also reduced the severity of positive, negative, and general symptoms, and improved functioning compared to the placebo condition ... the concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in red blood cells were negatively correlated with hostility scores (the higher the level of those omega-3 fatty acids, the lower the severity of hostility) ... On the other hand, the concentration of arachidonic acid was positively correlated with hostility scores. This and related studies may have clinical implications in terms of either dietary modifications that could be beneficial to people with schizophrenia, or the use of specific polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements among such patients" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Telomere length affects colorectal cancer risk - Science Daily, 10/28/10 - "Patients with the longest telomeres -- those patients in the 95th percentile of telomere length -- were 30 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those in the 50th percentile, the results showed. Overall, the individuals with the shortest and the longest telomere lengths were at an increased risk for colorectal cancer"

Vitamin E tocotrienols show immune boosting potential - Nutra USA, 10/27/10 - "TocominSupraBio ... there are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) is the most common form in the American diet ... Results showed significant increases in levels of the anti-TT antibody, interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4 in the tocotrienol group, compared with placebo" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

High BPA Levels May Hurt Sperm Quality - WebMD, 10/27/10 - "those with higher levels of BPA exposure had two to four times the risk of poor semen quality, including low sperm count and motility (the ability of the sperm to move toward the egg), compared to their counterparts who had lower levels of urinary BPA or no detectable BPA in their urine ... "In most cases, avoiding BPA doesn’t cost much." Simple ways to steer clear of BPA involve not eating canned foods ... adult men are sensitive to BPA, and even small amounts of the chemical can have pretty drastic effects"

B-complex vitamins may help slow progression of dementia - Science Daily, 10/27/10 - "Large doses of B-complex vitamins could reduce the rate of brain shrinkage by half in elderly people with memory problems and slow the progression of dementia ... patients who already exhibit signs of dementia and test positive for high levels of homocysteine are more likely to respond well to the large doses of B vitamins. Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood, and high blood levels are linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer disease"

Bicarbonate adds fizz to players' tennis performance - Science Daily, 10/25/10 - "sodium bicarbonate supplementation can prevent the fatigue-induced decline in skilled tennis performance seen during matches. The service and forehand ground stroke consistency was maintained after a simulated match in the bicarbonate trial. On the other hand, these consistency scores were decreased after the match in the placebo trial" - Note:  If you're not an athlete I wouldn't try it.  I'm sure the sodium in sodium bicarbonate will have the same effect as sodium chloride (table salt) on your blood pressure.

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Serum Vitamin D and Risk of Bladder Cancer - Cancer Res. 2010 Oct 26 - "lower 25(OH)D was associated with a statistically significantly increased risk of bladder cancer (versus ≥50 nmol/L; <25 nmol/L: OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.03-2.91; 25 to <37.5 nmol/L: OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.05-3.14; 37.5 to <50 nmol/L: OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.02-3.02; P trend = 0.04). Similarly, increased risks for the lowest vitamin D category were observed when season-specific quartiles were used (Q1 versus Q4: OR, 1.63" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Assessment of psychotropic-like properties of a probiotic formulation ( Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in rats and human subjects - Br J Nutr. 2010 Oct 26:1-9 - "In the preclinical study, rats were daily administered PF for 2 weeks and subsequently tested in the conditioned defensive burying test, a screening model for anti-anxiety agents. In the clinical trial, volunteers participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised parallel group study with PF administered for 30 d and assessed with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-90), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Perceived Stress Scale, the Coping Checklist (CCL) and 24 h urinary free cortisol (UFC). Daily subchronic administration of PF significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviour in rats (P < 0.05) and alleviated psychological distress in volunteers, as measured particularly by the HSCL-90 scale (global severity index, P < 0.05; somatisation, P < 0.05; depression, P < 0.05; and anger-hostility, P < 0.05), the HADS (HADS global score, P < 0.05; and HADS-anxiety, P < 0.06), and by the CCL (problem solving, P < 0.05) and the UFC level (P < 0.05). L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175 taken in combination display anxiolytic-like activity in rats and beneficial psychological effects in healthy human volunteers" - Note, in case you missed it, it's saying that it also reduced cortisol. See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Resveratrol Protects against Oxidized LDL-Induced Breakage of the Blood-Brain Barrier by Lessening Disruption of Tight Junctions and Apoptotic Insults to Mouse Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cells - J Nutr. 2010 Oct 27 - "Cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CEC) ... Exposure of mouse CEC to 200 μmol/L oxLDL for 1 h did not cause cell death but significantly altered the permeability and transendothelial electrical resistance of the cell monolayer. However, resveratrol completely normalized such injury. As for the mechanisms, resveratrol completely protected oxLDL-induced disruption of F-actin and microtubule cytoskeletons as well as occludin and zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) tight junctions. The oxLDL-induced decreases in the mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP levels were normalized by resveratrol. Exposure of mouse CEC to 200 μmol/L oxLDL for 24 h elevated oxidative stress and simultaneously induced cell apoptosis. However, resveratrol partially protected against oxLDL-induced CEC apoptosis. The oxLDL-induced alterations in levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and cytochrome c were completely normalized by resveratrol. Consequently, resveratrol partially decreased oxLDL-induced activation of caspases-9 and -3. Therefore, in this study, we show that resveratrol can protect against oxLDL-induced damage of the BBB through protecting disruption of the tight junction structure and apoptotic insults to CEC" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Rye Whole Grain and Bran Intake Compared with Refined Wheat Decreases Urinary C-Peptide, Plasma Insulin, and Prostate Specific Antigen in Men with Prostate Cancer - J Nutr. 2010 Oct 27 - "Seventeen participants were provided with 485 g rye whole grain and bran products (RP) or refined wheat products with added cellulose (WP), corresponding to ~50% of daily energy intake, in a randomized controlled, crossover design ... We conclude that whole grain and bran from rye resulted in significantly lower plasma PSA compared with a cellulose-supplemented refined wheat diet in patients with prostate cancer. The effect may be related to inhibition of prostate cancer progression caused by decreased exposure to insulin, as indicated by plasma insulin and urinary C-peptide excretion"

Dietary omega-3 fatty acids and fish consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Oct 27 - "From the lowest to highest quintiles of marine omega-3 intake, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) for T2D were 1.0 (referent), 1.17 (1.03, 1.33), 1.20 (1.05, 1.38), 1.46 (1.28, 1.66), and 1.44 (1.25, 1.65), respectively (P for trend < 0.0001). A similar association was observed with fish intake, but additional adjustment for docosahexaenoic acid led to the elimination of the association ... Our data suggest an increased risk of T2D with the intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, especially with higher intakes (≥0.20 g omega-3/d or ≥2 servings of fish/d)"

Soy food and isoflavone intake and colorectal cancer risk: the Fukuoka Colorectal Cancer Study - Scand J Gastroenterol. 2010 Oct 24 - "Energy-adjusted intakes of soy foods (dry weight) and isoflavones were inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk in men and postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women. The multivariate-adjusted OR for the highest versus lowest quintile was 0.65 (95% CI 0.41-1.03, p for trend = 0.03) for soy foods and 0.68 (95% CI 0.42-1.10, p for trend = 0.051) for isoflavones in men. The corresponding values for postmenopausal women were 0.60 (95% CI 0.29-1.25, p for trend = 0.053) and 0.68 (95% CI 0.33-1.40, p for trend = 0.049)"

Synergistic effects of ascorbic acid and thiazolidinedione on secretion of high molecular weight adiponectin from human adipocytes - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2010 Dec;12(12):1084-9 - "AA supplementation significantly increased secretion of HMW adiponectin (1.7-fold) without altering adiponectin expression or total adiponectin secretion. TZD significantly increased expression (3-fold) and secretion of total (1.4-fold) but not HMW adiponectin. Combined supplementation resulted in a significant increase in expression (3-fold) and secretion of total (1.8-fold) and HMW (5-fold) adiponectin. Similar results were seen in cells co-treated with TNFα" - See my adiponectin page.  High adiponectin is a good thing.  Actos (pioglitazone) is a TZD and is something I've been taking for anti-aging for some time.  Not only does it increase adiponectin but it increases insulin sensitivity.  See my Insulin and Aging page.  See pioglitazone at OffshoreRx1.com.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Coronary Artery Calcification in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2010 Oct 26 - "Vitamin D deficiency independently predicts prevalence and development of coronary calcification, a marker of coronary artery plaque burden, in individuals with type 1 diabetes" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Effects of supplementation with tocotrienol-rich fraction on immune response to tetanus toxoid immunization in normal healthy volunteers - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep 22 - "Volunteers supplemented with TRF showed a significantly (P<0.05) enhanced production of interferon-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 by the mitogen or TT-stimulated leukocytes compared with the control group. Volunteers from the TRF group produced significantly (P<0.05) lower amounts of IL-6 compared with the placebo group. Anti-TT IgG production was also significantly (P<0.05) augmented in the TRF-supplemented group compared with the placebo group" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.

Persistence of Mortality Reduction After the End of Randomized Therapy in Clinical Trials of Blood Pressure-Lowering Medications - Hypertension. 2010 Oct 25 - "We evaluated the persistence of mortality benefit of these agents after the end of clinical trials, when all of the patients were advised to take the same open-label therapy. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials using blood pressure-lowering medications, used in patients with hypertension, myocardial infarction, or left ventricular systolic dysfunction, (n=18; 132 854 patients; 11 988 deaths) when a second report describing results after the end of the trial was available. During the randomized (first) phase, 80% (interquartile range: 75% to 83%) of the patients randomized to receive active therapy actually received it compared with 16% (interquartile range: 7% to 22%) of those randomized to control. In this phase, mortality was lower in the intervention group (odds ratio: 0.84 [95% CI: 0.79 to 0.90]; P<0.0001). Mortality was also lower during the open-label follow-up (second) phase (odds ratio: 0.85 [95% CI: 0.79 to 0.91]; P<0.0001), when all of the patients were advised to take the same therapy, and rates of receiving active therapy were similar in the 2 groups (59% [interquartile range: 46% to 77%], among those originally randomized to active, and 43% [interquartile range: 20% to 68%], in the control). Several sensitivity analyses indicated stability of the effects. In studies of antihypertensive medications, a decrease in overall mortality persists after the end of trial phase, when most patients in both the intervention and control groups receive active therapy. These analyses imply that earlier intervention would result in better clinical outcomes"

Effects of Cocoa Extract and Dark Chocolate on Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and Nitric Oxide in Human Endothelial Cells and Healthy Volunteers - J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2010 Oct 14 - "ACE activity and NO were measured at baseline and after 30, 60 and 180 min in sixteen healthy volunteers after a single intake of 75 g dark chocolate containing 72% cocoa. Significant inhibition of ACE activity p<0.01 and significant increase of NO p<0.001 was seen in HUVEC. In study subjects, a significant inhibition of ACE activity (mean 18%) 3 hours after intake of dark chocolate was seen, but no significant change in NO was seen. According to ACE genotype significant inhibition of ACE activity was seen after 3 hours in individuals with genotype II and DD (mean 21% and 28% respectively). Data suggests that intake of dark chocolate containing high amount of cocoa inhibits ACE activity in vitro and in vivo"

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