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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 6/22/11.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

 

Strawberries boost red blood cells - Science Daily, 6/21/11 - "The body has an extensive arsenal of very diverse antioxidant mechanisms, which act at different levels. These can be cellular tools that repair oxidised genetic material, or molecules that are either manufactured by the body itself or consumed through the diet, which neutralise free radicals. Strawberries contain a large amount of phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties ... These substances reduce oxidative stress, an imbalance that occurs in certain pathologies, (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes) and physiological situations (birth, aging, physical exercise), as well as in the battles between "reactive kinds of oxygen" -- in particular free radicals -- and the body's antioxidant defences ... When the level of oxidation exceeds these antioxidant defences, oxidative stress occurs. Aside from causing certain illnesses, this is also implicated in phenomena such as the speed at which we may age, for example"

Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 6/21/11 - "A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process ... The new study does not diminish the importance of caffeine to protect against Alzheimer's. Rather it shows that caffeinated coffee induces an increase in blood levels of a growth factor called GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor). GCSF is a substance greatly decreased in patients with Alzheimer's disease and demonstrated to improve memory in Alzheimer's mice ... The boost in GCSF levels is important, because the researchers also reported that long-term treatment with coffee (but not decaffeinated coffee) enhances memory in Alzheimer's mice. Higher blood GCSF levels due to coffee intake were associated with better memory ... First, GCSF recruits stem cells from bone marrow to enter the brain and remove the harmful beta-amyloid protein that initiates the disease. GCSF also creates new connections between brain cells and increases the birth of new neurons in the brain ... An increasing body of scientific literature indicates that moderate consumption of coffee decreases the risk of several diseases of aging, including Parkinson's disease, Type II diabetes and stroke"

Resveratrol studies confirms potential health boost - Science Daily, 6/21/11 - "A comprehensive review of human clinical research on resveratrol has found it has "anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties," ...this polyphenol -- an antibiotic substance produced by plants as a defense against microorganisms -- prevents the growth of some cancers in mice, inhibits enzymes that cause inflammation, shrinks tumors and increases blood flow, thus reducing cardiovascular diseases. In many cases, it also extends the life of obese animals. Some evidence also shows that resveratrol could one day be used to help regulate insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Blueberries help lab rats build strong bones - Science Daily, 6/21/11 - "animals fed rations that contained 10 percent freeze-dried blueberry powder had significantly more bone mass than their counterparts whose rations were blueberry-free ... When the researchers exposed laboratory cultures of bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to blood (serum) from the animals, the scientists found that serum from the blueberry-fed rats was associated with an increase in development of osteoblasts into mature, functional bone cells" - See blueberry extract at Amazon.com.

'White Coat Effect' Linked to Hypertension Overtreatment - WebMD, 6/21/11 - "the stress of a medical exam can cause large elevations in blood pressure ... the new research highlights the largely unrecognized risk of treating patients too aggressively based on falsely high blood pressure readings"

'My dishwasher is trying to kill me': New research finds harmful fungal pathogens living in dishwasher seals - Science Daily, 6/20/11 - "62% of the dishwashers contained fungi on the rubber band in door, 56% of which accommodated the polyextremotolerant black yeasts Exophiala dermatitidis and E. phaeomuriformis. Both Exophiala species showed remarkable tolerance to heat, high salt concentrations, aggressive detergents, and to both acid and alkaline water. This is a combination of extreme properties not previously observed in fungi ... Exophiala dermatitidis is rarely isolated from nature, but is frequently encountered as an agent of human disease, both in compromised and healthy people. It is also known to be involved in pulmonary colonization of patients with cystic fibrosis, and also occasionally causes fatal infections in healthy humans. The invasion of black yeasts into our homes represents a potential health risk ... The discovery of this widespread presence of extremophilic fungi in some of our common household appliances suggests that these organisms have embarked on an extraordinary evolutionary process that could pose a significant risk to human health in the future" - Here's what I've been using on those areas: Wagner 905 1,500-Watt On-Demand Power Steamer and Cleanerand Zwipes Microfiber 36-Pack of Cleaning Cloths.  The secret is "steam and wipe" because it dries like cement quickly if you don't.

Fat substitutes linked to weight gain: Rats on high-fat diet gained more weight after eating low-calorie potato chips made with fat substitutes - Science Daily, 6/20/11 - "Half of the rats in each group also were fed Pringles potato chips that are high in fat and calories. The remaining rats in each group were fed high-calorie Pringles chips on some days and low-calorie Pringles Light chips on other days. The Pringles Light chips are made with olestra, a synthetic fat substitute that has zero calories and passes through the body undigested ... For rats on the high-fat diet, the group that ate both types of potato chips consumed more food, gained more weight and developed more fatty tissue than the rats that ate only the high-calorie chips. The fat rats also didn't lose the extra weight even after the potato chips were removed from their diet. "Based on this data, a diet that is low in fat and calories might be a better strategy for weight loss than using fat substitutes," ... Food with a sweet or fatty taste usually indicates a large number of calories, and the taste triggers various responses by the body, including salivation, hormonal secretions and metabolic reactions. Fat substitutes can interfere with that relationship when the body expects to receive a large burst of calories but is fooled by a fat substitute ... Swithers and Davidson have reported similar findings in previous rat studies that showed saccharin and other artificial sweeteners also can promote weight gain and increased body fat"

Many multivitamins don't have claimed nutrients - MSNBC, 6/17/11 - "Among the supplements that had too little of a particular nutrient were Trader Joe’s Vitamin Crusade (just 59 percent of the vitamin A advertised on the label), Melaleuca Vitality Multivitamin & Mineral (just 42 percent of the touted vitamin A) and All One Active Seniors (less than 2 percent of the beta-carotene, 73 percent of the retinol and 49 percent of the vitamin A listed on the label) ... Particularly worrisome were high levels of certain nutrients in some of the children’s multivitamins. For example, Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, if given to children at the suggested dose, would exceed recommendations for Vitamin A in youngsters aged 1 to 3. Higher levels of the nutrient in kids have been linked to liver abnormalities, bone weakening, and problems with the nervous system ... ConsumerLab also tested several pet supplements, one of which, Pet-Tabs Complete Daily Vitamin Mineral Supplement for Dogs contained lead at unhealthy levels"

Prostate Cancer Kills Half Those Diagnosed in UK, But Not US - Medscape, 6/17/11 - “New data from the United Kingdom show that prostate cancer kills half of the men diagnosed with this disease ... The situation is much different in the United States, where recent estimates suggest that only about 15% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from this disease”

More evidence vitamin D boosts immune response - Science Daily, 6/17/11 - "Laboratory-grown gingival cells treated with vitamin D boosted their production of an endogenous antibiotic, and killed more bacteria than untreated cells, according to a paper in the June 2011 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity. The research suggests that vitamin D can help protect the gums from bacterial infections that lead to gingivitis and periodontitis" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Diabetes Drug Actos May Raise Risk for Bladder Cancer: FDA - US News and World Report - U.S. News & World Report, 6/16/11 - "In one study involving more than 193,000 patients with diabetes, patients taking Actos were on the drug for an average of two years, the FDA said. "Compared to never being exposed to pioglitazone, a duration of pioglitazone therapy longer than 12 months was associated with a 40 percent increase in risk [for bladder cancer]"

Diabetes drug Actos linked to possible cancer risk - The Boston Globe, 6/10/11 - "The study found about a 22 percent higher risk of bladder cancer in those taking Actos compared with diabetics taking other drugs"

Cannabis Use in Early Adolescence Especially Neurotoxic - Medscape, 6/16/11 - "there were no differences in IQ, vocabulary, or block design results when comparing the early-onset, late-onset, and control groups. However, they note, "the early-onset, but not the late-onset, group performed poorly on selected executive tasks compared with controls. In addition, the early-onset group performed poorly on the Frontal Assessment Battery compared with both the late-onset and the control groups." ... The study also showed that the early-onset group had poor performance on the Stroop Test and perseverative responding as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. These findings suggest that "exposure to cannabis in early adolescence may lead to lower flexibility." ... The authors note that it is unclear whether starting cannabis use at a later age affects cognition"

Olive Oil Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk - WebMD. 6/15/11 - "seniors who regularly used this healthy monounsaturated fat had a 41% lower risk of stroke compared to their counterparts who never used olive oil ... So what exactly is it about olive oil that may lower stroke risk? There are several theories, she says. It may be that people choose olive oil over saturated, artery-clogging fats. “Moreover, previous research found that the polyphenols from virgin olive oil account specifically for its ability to lower oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL)” or bad cholesterol. High cholesterol levels are a known risk factor for stroke ... Olive oil is a healthy fat and it can reduce cholesterol and inflammation, and has been shown to help reduce the incidence of heart disease" -[Science Daily] - Click here for my olive oil mayonnaise recipe.  See olive leaf extract at Amazon.com.

Fiber may keep you healthier for longer: NIH study - Nutra USA, 6/15/11 - "The highest intakes of fiber – equivalent to about 30 grams per day for men and 25 grams for women – were associated with a reduction in the risk of dying from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases of up to 60 percent ... The anti-inflammatory properties of dietary fiber could explain, in part, significant inverse associations of dietary fiber intake with infectious and respiratory diseases as well as with CVD death ... people with the highest average intakes – between 25 and 30 grams of fiber per day – had a 22 percent lower risk of death from all the causes ... For men, the highest intakes were associated with a reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases ranging from 34 to 59 percent in women and 24 to 56 percent in men" - [Abstract]

Broccoli extract can ‘target’ cancer cells: Study - Nutra USA, 6/15/11 - "The research, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, reports for the first time that sulforaphane – one of the primary phytochemicals in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables – is able to selectively target and kill cancer cells, while leaving normal cells healthy and unaffected ... Here we show for the first time that sulforaphane selectively targets benign hyperplasia cells and cancerous prostate cells while leaving the normal prostate cells unaffected" - [Abstract] - See sulforaphane at Amazon.com.

High Antioxidant Intake May Lower Risk for Early AMD - Medscape, 6/14/11 - "We assessed the intake of antioxidants, zinc, and ω-3 fatty acids in daily foods, diagnosed the onset of early AMD during a lengthy follow-up, and investigated the risk-reducing effect of these nutrients in the various genotypes of CFH [complement factor H] Y402H and LOC387715 A69S ... Median follow-up duration was 8.6 years ... There appeared to be a possible biological interaction between the CFH Y402H genotype and intakes of zinc, β-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and eicosapentaenoic/docosahexaenoic acid (EPA/DHA), and between the LOC387715 A69S genotype and zinc and EPA/DHA, based on significant synergy indices ... High dietary intake of nutrients with antioxidant properties reduces the risk of early AMD in those at high genetic risk"

Blood pressure changes are age-related - Science Daily, 6/14/11 - "blood pressure changed at four phases throughout life: a rapid increase during adolescent growth; a gentler increase in early adulthood; a midlife acceleration (usually in the 40s); and finally for a period during late adulthood in which blood pressure increases slowly and then reverses ... Wider evidence suggests that this might in part reflect modifiable blood pressure-related factors such as diet and lifestyle that can vary with differences in social and economic circumstances ... The findings also support the wide body of evidence that show a strong link between body mass index and blood pressure throughout life"

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk - Science Daily, 6/14/11 - "The first diet, a typical Western diet, contained about 55 percent carbohydrate, 23 percent protein and 22 percent fat. The second, which is somewhat like a South Beach diet but higher in protein, contained 15 percent carbohydrate, 58 percent protein and 26 percent fat. They found that the tumor cells grew consistently slower on the second diet ... As well, mice genetically predisposed to breast cancer were put on these two diets and almost half of them on the Western diet developed breast cancer within their first year of life while none on the low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet did. Interestingly, only one on the Western diet reached a normal life span (approximately 2 years), with 70 percent of them dying from cancer while only 30 percent of those on the low-carbohydrate diet developed cancer and more than half these mice reached or exceeded their normal life span ... tumor cells, unlike normal cells, need significantly more glucose to grow and thrive. Restricting carbohydrate intake can significantly limit blood glucose and insulin, a hormone that has been shown in many independent studies to promote tumor growth in both humans and mice"

The good life: Good sleepers have better quality of life and less depression - Science Daily, 6/14/11 - "people with a "normal" sleep duration of six to nine hours per night had higher self-reported scores for quality of life and lower scores for depression severity compared to short and long sleepers ... It was surprising to see that sleeping less than six hours and more than nine hours is associated with a similar decrease in quality of life and increase in depressive symptoms" - Note:  After reading the below study on lithium I decided to try it.  It seems to give the sleep quality I had when I was a kid plus your more alert the next day.  It also give a heck of a buzz the next day.  However if I take more than half a tablet per day it actually makes me feel worse.

  • Fountain of youth from the tap? Environmental lithium uptake promotes longevity, scientists demonstrate in worms - Science Daily, 2/18/11 - "A regular uptake of the trace element lithium can considerably promote longevity ... even a low concentration of lithium leads to an increased life expectancy in humans as well as in a model organism, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans ... the Jena scientists analyzed the mortality rate in 18 adjacent Japanese municipalities in relation to the amount of lithium contained in tap water from the respective regions. "We found that the mortality rate was considerably lower in those municipalities with more lithium in the drinking water," Ristow explains the key finding. In a second experiment, the Jena scientists examined exactly this range of concentration in the model organism C. elegans. The result was confirmed: "The average longevity of the worms is higher after they have been treated with lithium at this dosage," ... we know already that a higher uptake of lithium through drinking water is associated with an improvement of psychological well-being and with decreased suicide rates" - See lithium products at iHerb specifically Nutrient Carriers Incorporated, Advanced Research, Lithium Orotate, 120 mg, 200 Tablets.

Bronchitis and emphysema inhaler linked with increased mortality - Science Daily, 6/13/11 - "long-term use of Tiotropium Respimat (also known as Spiriva Respimat) increases the risk of death by more than half ... We analysed five clinical trials involving 6500 people and the risk of death in patients using this particular inhaler appeared to be 52 per cent higher .... We estimate that there will be one additional death for every 124 patients treated for a year with Tiotropium Respimat"

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):

Resveratrol enhances the expression of death receptor Fas/CD95 and induces differentiation and apoptosis in anaplastic large-cell lymphoma cells - Cancer Lett. 2011 Jun 15 - "Resveratrol inhibited growth and induced cellular differentiation, as demonstrated by morphological changes and elevated expression of T cell differentiation markers CD2, CD3, and CD8. Resveratrol also triggered cellular apoptosis, as demonstrated by morphological observations, DNA fragmentation, and cell cycle analyses. Further, the surface expression of the death receptor Fas/CD95 was increased by resveratrol treatment. Our data suggest that resveratrol may have potential therapeutic value for ALCL" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

Impaired glucose metabolism and diabetes and the risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer - Cancer Causes Control. 2011 Jun 19 - "Diabetes was associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (HR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.04-1.43). An indication of a slightly elevated breast cancer risk was also found in postmenopausal women with impaired glucose metabolism (HR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.96-1.28). Diabetes (HR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.09-1.96) and impaired glucose metabolism (HR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.08-1.85) were associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer" - Also see my Insulin and Aging page.

Impact of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on coronary plaque instability: An integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound study - Atherosclerosis. 2011 Jun 1 - "Patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly lower levels of ω3 PUFAs (especially of EPA and DPA) than those without it. IB-IVUS analyses showed that ω3 PUFAs correlated inversely with % lipid volume and positively with % fibrous volume. Patients with low EPA levels, low DPA levels, and low DHA levels had a significantly higher % lipid volume (p=0.048, p=0.008, and p=0.036, respectively) and a significantly lower % fibrous volume (p=0.035, p=0.008, and p=0.034, respectively) than those with high levels of these fatty acids. Even after adjustment for confounders, the presence of both low EPA and low DPA levels proved to be an independent predictor for lipid-rich plaques in any of the two categories ... A lower serum content of ω3 PUFAs (especially of EPA and DPA) was significantly associated with lipid-rich plaques, suggesting the contribution to the incidence of acute coronary syndrome" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester (AMR101) Therapy in Patients With Very High Triglyceride Levels (from the Multi-center, plAcebo-controlled, Randomized, double-blINd, 12-week study with an open-label Extension [MARINE] Trial) - Am J Cardiol. 2011 Jun 15 - "AMR101 is an omega-3 fatty acid agent containing ≥96% eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and no docosahexaenoic acid ... AMR101 4 g/day reduced the placebo-corrected TG levels by 33.1%" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

The association of circulating adiponectin levels with pancreatic cancer risk; a study within the prospective EPIC cohort - Int J Cancer. 2011 Jun 16 - "Overall, adiponectin showed no association with pancreas cancer risk; however, among never smokers, higher circulating levels of adiponectin were associated with a reduction in pancreatic cancer risk (OR = 0.44 [95% CI 0.23-0.82] for highest vs. lowest quartile), whereas among current smokers there was no significant association (OR = 1.59 [95% CI 0.67-3.76] for highest vs. lowest quartile; p-trend = 0.530; p-interaction = 0.309). In our study, lower adiponectin concentrations may be associated with the development of pancreatic cancer among never smokers, whereas the only other prospective study being conducted so far showed a decrease in risk among male smokers"

Optimal range of HbA1c for the prediction of future diabetes: A 4-year longitudinal study - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2011 Jun 13 - "The point showing a substantial difference in the Kaplan-Meier curves was a HbA1c of 5.7%. The incidence of diabetes was 20.8% among subjects with a baseline HbA1c of 5.7-6.4%. The hazard ratio of developing diabetes was 6.5 (95% CI, 3.7-10.2) in the subjects with a HbA1c of 5.7% compared with the bottom category of HbA1c (<5.0%)"

Effects of dietary fibre on subjective appetite, energy intake and body weight: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials - Obes Rev. 2011 Jun 16 - "For appetite, acute energy intake, long-term energy intake and body weight, there were clear differences in effect rates depending on chemical structure. Interestingly, fibres characterized as being more viscous (e.g. pectins, β-glucans and guar gum) reduced appetite more often than those less viscous fibres (59% vs. 14%), which also applied to acute energy intake (69% vs. 30%). Overall, effects on energy intake and body weight were relatively small, and distinct dose-response relationships were not observed. Short- and long-term effects of dietary fibres appear to differ and multiple mechanisms relating to their different physicochemical properties seem to interplay"

Hair dye use and risk of bladder cancer in the new england bladder cancer study - Int J Cancer. 2011 Jun 15 - "Women who used permanent dyes and had a college degree, a marker of socioeconomic status, had an increased risk of bladder cancer (OR=3.3, 95% CI: 1.2, 8.9). Among these women, we found an increased risk of bladder cancer among exclusive users of permanent hair dyes who had NAT2 slow acetylation phenotype (OR=7.3, 95% CI: 1.6, 32.6) compared to never users of dye with NAT2 rapid/intermediate acetylation phenotype. While we found no relation between hair dye use and bladder cancer risk in women overall, we detected evidence of associations and gene-environment interaction with permanent hair dye use; however, this was limited to educated women" - Note:  France wants to ban Actos because of two studies showing a 22% and 40% increase in bladder cancer yet hair dye can cause a 330% to 730% increase in bladder cancer.  Maybe they should change their priorities but then again banning hair die would probably cause riots.

Colours of fruit and vegetables and 10-year incidence of CHD - Br J Nutr. 2011 Jun 8:1-8 - "For each 25 g/d increase in the intake of the sum of all four colours of fruit and vegetables, a borderline significant association with incident CHD was found (HR 0.98; 95 % CI 0.97, 1.01). No clear associations were found for the colour groups separately. However, each 25 g/d increase in the intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables was inversely associated with CHD (HR 0.74; 95 % CI 0.55, 1.00). Carrots, their largest contributor (60 %), were associated with a 32 % lower risk of CHD (HR 0.68; 95 % CI 0.48, 0.98). In conclusion, though no clear associations were found for the four colour groups with CHD, a higher intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables and especially carrots may protect against CHD"

Green Tea Extract (Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate) Reduces Efficacy of Radiotherapy on Prostate Cancer Cells - Urology. 2011 Jun 13 - "Radiotherapy is effective in inducing apoptosis in DU145 cells, but its effect was significantly reduced in the presence of EGCG, and this was associated with an increase in the induction of manganese superoxide dismutase"

Associations between vitamin D and cardiovascular outcomes; Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study - Atherosclerosis. 2011 May 23 - "The mean age of participants was 56.84+/-11.17 years and 244 (48.6%) were women. The median (IQ: 25-75) of serum 25-OH-D was 14.1ng/ml (9.6-29ng/ml) and 306 (61%) of participants had serum 25-OH-D<15g/ml. Median serum 25-OH-D was lower in cases (12.5 vs. 18.1, P<0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratio of serum 25-OH-D<10ng/ml for having CVD outcomes was 2.90 compared with 25-OH-D≥15 (95% confidence interval" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Fish, shellfish, and long-chain n-3 fatty acid consumption and risk of incident type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Chinese men and women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jun 15 - "Fish, shellfish, and long-chain n-3 fatty acid intakes were inversely associated with T2D in women. The relative risks [RRs (95% CI)] for quintiles of fish intake were 1.00, 0.96 (0.86, 1.06), 0.84 (0.75, 0.94), 0.80 (0.71, 0.90), and 0.89 (0.78, 1.01) (P for trend = 0.003) and for shellfish were 1.00, 0.91 (0.82, 1.01), 0.79 (0.71, 0.89), 0.80 (0.71, 0.91), and 0.86 (0.76, 0.99) (P for trend = 0.006). In men, only the association between shellfish intake and T2D was significant. The RRs (95% CI) for quintiles of fish intake were 1.00, 0.92 (0.75, 1.13), 0.80 (0.65, 1.00), 0.89 (0.72, 1.11), and 0.94 (0.74, 1.17) (P for trend = 0.50) and for shellfish intake were 1.00, 0.93 (0.76, 1.12), 0.70 (0.56, 086), 0.66 (0.53, 0.82), and 0.82 (0.65, 1.02) (P for trend = 0.003)" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Diet and halitosis - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011 Jun 13 - "Transient-altered breath smell usually reflects the effects of foodstuffs, whereas longstanding halitosis is almost always because of oral disease such as gingivitis or periodontitis. There is, however, increasing evidence that upper gastrointestinal tract disease may give rise to halitosis and that extracts of foodstuffs may be future therapeutic agents for the treatment of halitosis derived from the mouth or upper gastrointestinal tract" - Note:  The point being that mouth wash isn't going to cure gingivitis or periodontal disease so you're probably wasting your money.  I've never had any luck with flossing plus who has that much time?  Halitosis is one of my pet peeves.  I was at Home Depot the other day and someone was shopping in an area that I was looking for something and it was so bad I had to go somewhere else until he moved on.  Same thing for some in my west coast swing class.  I can't understand why people ignore something that offensive.  Here's my suggestion along with frequent dental cleaning by a dental hygienist:

Protective effect of taurine on diabetic rat endothelial dysfunction - Biomed Res. 2011;32(3):187-93 - "Although taurine treatment failed to decrease serum glucose levels, the increased serum malondialdehyde levels in diabetic rats were significantly decreased after taurine treatment. Norepinephrine-induced hyper-contractility as well as acetylcholine-induced, endothelium-dependent hypo-relaxation in diabetes were significantly prevented after taurine treatment. The differences in the expressions of muscarinic M(3) receptor mRNAs were statistically non-significant between groups. Moreover, diabetes-induced up-regulation of eNOS mRNAs was slightly prevented after taurine treatment. These data suggest that taurine acts beneficially against the diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction. Its potential action as a radical scavenger ameliorates the vascular disorders in diabetes" - See taurine at Amazon.com.

Differential effects of dietary canola and soybean oil intake on oxidative stress in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats - Lipids Health Dis. 2011 Jun 13;10(1):98 - "Canola oil shortens the life span of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SHRSP) rats compared with rats fed soybean oil when given as the sole dietary lipid source. One possible mechanism leading to the damage and deterioration of organs due to canola oil ingestion is oxidative stress ... Canola oil ingestion significantly decreased the life span of SHRSP rats compared with soybean oil, 85.8 +/- 1.1 and 98.3 +/- 3.4 days, respectively. Systolic blood pressure increased over time with a significant difference between the diets at the 6th week of feeding. Canola oil ingestion significantly reduced RBC superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with soybean oil. There were no significant differences in RBC MDA concentration between canola oil fed and soybean oil fed rats. In contrast, plasma MDA and 8-isoprostane concentration was significantly lower in the canola oil group compared to the soybean oil group"

A randomized crossover study comparing patient preference for tamsulosin and silodosin in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia - J Int Med Res. 2011;39(1):129-42 - "A significant difference was observed between the proportion of patients who preferred tamsulosin (59/84 patients; 70.2%) and those who preferred silodosin (18/84 patients; 21.4%). A major reason for preference of either drug was 'good efficacy'. Incidence of adverse effects was significantly lower with tamsulosin (3/91 patients; 3.3%) than with silodosin (25/88 patients; 28.4%). These findings indicate that tamsulosin is very effective for BPH, has few adverse effects and that patients want to continue to use it" - See tamsulosin (generic Flomax) at OffshoreRx1.com.

Androgen-independent Effects of Serenoa repens Extract (Prostasan®) on Prostatic Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Inflammation - Phytother Res. 2011 Jun 8 - "Prostasan® inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced proliferation of the prostatic epithelial, androgen independent cell line PC-3. At effective concentrations of 50 µg/mL, Prostasan® partly displaced EGF from EGF receptor (EGFR) but fully blocked EGF-induced cell proliferation of PC-3 cells. Similarly, Prostasan® inhibited LPS-induced proliferation of PC-3 cells without affecting LPS activation of the NFĸB pathway via toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4). Additionally, Prostasan® reduced the constitutive secretion of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), the LPS-induced secretion of IL-12 and inhibited MCP-1 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) production in the presence of LPS on PC-3 cells. Taken together, our results suggest that S. repens extracts, in addition to other reported effects on BPH development and prostatitis, inhibits EGF-dependent growth and proinflammatory responses of the prostate epithelial cells" - See Prostasan at Amazon.com.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Inhibition of Prostate Cancer Progression to Hormone Independence Is Associated With Suppression of mTOR Signaling and Androgen Receptor Expression - Nutr Cancer. 2011 Jun 10:1-7 - "We used an in vitro model of androgen ablation to determine the effect of treatment with omega-3 fatty acids on the progression to an androgen-independent state. The omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were able to prevent progression of LNCaP cells while the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) actually promoted cell growth under conditions of hormone depletion. These results correlated with a decrease in the expression of the androgen receptor as well as suppression of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Connecting the mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids affect phenotypic outcome is important for effective exploitation of these nutrient agents as a therapeutic approach" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

  • Whirlpool 8212526 Washer Tray - I bought one of these for under the kitchen sink which always seems to have a leak either from the hose gap for the sprayer or cleaning fluids.  I had to bend it slightly to get it under the sink but that wasn't a problem.
  • Not Fade Away (Florence + The Machine) - "One sleepy Thursday at the beginning of June, a video appeared on the Internet — moody, black and white, and full of hula-hooping girls in high heels, men listlessly sitting at typewriters and sad-eyed dogs. Singing throughout was Florence Welch, of the purposeful London act Florence + the Machine, dressed inexplicably in Day of the Dead costume and covering, emphatically, Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” The occasion, it turned out, was “Rave On Buddy Holly,” a compilation tribute to the artist that is due out June 28" - It's a get retake on an oldie.  Actually you wouldn't even know that it's an oldie.  Plus they did a great job of portraying the mood of the '60's and the mood of New Orleans.  That dog near the end that turned around and walked away in disgust is halarious.

Health Focus (Choline):

Specific Recommendations:

News & Research:

  • Nutritional Supplement Boosts Cognition in Healthy Women - Medscape, 6/21/11 - "Citicoline, a naturally occurring substance found in the brain and liver and marketed as a nutritional supplement, enhanced aspects of cognition in healthy women and may have a role in mitigating the cognitive decline associated with normal aging ... It may also improve the attention deficits associated with psychiatric disorders ... The women were divided into 3 groups of 20 and randomly assigned to receive a daily oral citicoline dose of 250 mg (low dose) or 500 mg (high dose) or placebo for 28 days ... participants who received low- or high-dose citicoline showed improved attention, demonstrating fewer commission and omission errors on the CPT-II compared with the placebo group"
  • Science builds for attention boosting potential of Cognizin Citicoline - Nutra USA, 5/18/11 - "Citicoline has been shown to have a variety of cognitive-enhancing and neuroregenerative properties in pre-clinical and clinical studies ... Our findings suggest that citicoline may mitigate the cognitive decline associated with normal aging and may ameliorate attentional deficits associated with psychiatric disorders"
  • Boosting supply of key brain chemical reduces fatigue in mice - Science Daily, 12/10/10 - "Researchers at Vanderbilt University have "engineered" a mouse that can run on a treadmill twice as long as a normal mouse by increasing its supply of acetylcholine ... could lead to new treatments for neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis, which occurs when cholinergic nerve signals fail to reach the muscles ... The choline transporter is vital to the capacity for muscle contraction -- including the ability to breathe -- because it regulates the supply of choline, the precursor to acetylcholine. "We reasoned that giving more of this protein might enhance muscle function and reduce nerve-dependent fatigue,""
  • Supplement may prevent alcohol-related brain, skull defects - Science Daily, 5/27/10 - "The dietary supplement CDP-choline, sold as a brain-boosting agent and under study for stroke and traumatic brain injury, may block skull and brain damage that can result from alcohol consumption early in pregnancy ... 25 percent of mouse embryos exposed to alcohol during that critical period had defects in the fibrous joints that connect the skull ... When they added ceramide-neutralizing CDP-choline to the mouse cells, cell death and ceramide levels were reduced" - See citcoline at Amazon.com.
  • Low Choline Levels In Pregnant Women Raise Babies' Risk For Brain And Spinal-cord Defects, Study Shows - Science Daily, 8/16/09 - "Choline, an essential nutrient found in egg yolks, soy, wheat germ and meats, was the only nutrient measured whose blood levels were linked to risk of neural tube defects"
  • Nutrient cocktail may boost memory and learning: study - Nutra USA, 7/10/08 - "It may be possible to use this [combination] to partially restore brain function in people with diseases that decrease the number of brain neurons, including, for example, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, strokes and brain injuries. Of course, such speculations have to be tested in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials ... supplemented the diets of gerbils with uridine (in its monophosphate form, 0.5 per cent) and choline (0.1 per cent), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 300 mg/kg/day) for four weeks ... At the end of the study, significant increases in phospholipid levels in the brain were observed when the compounds were given together, while administration of only DHA or UMP or UMP plus choline produced smaller increases" - [Abstract] - See citicholine at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Dietary uridine enhances the improvement in learning and memory produced by administering DHA to gerbils - FASEB J. 2008 Jul 7 - "These findings demonstrate that a treatment that increases synaptic membrane content can enhance cognitive functions in normal animals" - See citicholine at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Pine bark extract boost for blood flow and heart health - Nutra USA, 10/18/07 - "Acetylcholine stimulates the cells of arteries to produce NO from L-arginine faster ... In turn, the NO causes the muscle surrounding arteries to relax, which results in an increase of blood vessel diameters. When subjects had taken Pycnogenol the relaxation of arteries was increased by 42 per cent as compared to the group taking placebo tablets"
  • Choline Effective in Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma - Medscape, 10/11/07 - "Treatment with choline chloride has significant anti-inflammatory activity in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation"
  • The association between betaine and choline intakes and the plasma concentrations of homocysteine in women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Oct;86(4):1073-1081 - "Total choline + betaine intake was inversely associated with tHcy, as was choline from 2 water-soluble choline-containing compounds. Remethylation of tHcy may be more dependent on the betaine pathway when methyl sources are low as a result of either inadequate folate intake or heavier alcohol consumption"
  • Choline May Promote Colon Polyps - WebMD, 8/7/07 - "that doesn't mean that choline caused those polyps -- or that avoiding choline prevents polyps. Observational studies such as this one don't prove cause and effect"
  • Need More Choline? - Dr. Weil, 7/3/07
  • Nutritional Supplement Given After Birth Improves Learning And Behavior In Rats Exposed To Alcohol During Development - Science Daily, 3/1/07 - "Choline plays a number of roles in brain development. It is also a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in learning and cognition, among other functions ... giving choline to rat pups exposed to alcohol during the equivalent of the third trimester, when there's a spurt in brain growth, significantly reduced the severity of alcohol-related over-activity and spatial learning deficits. The benefits lasted months after choline treatment, suggesting that choline's effects are long-lasting"
  • Increased choline intake could cut CVD risk, suggests study - Nutra USA, 6/22/06
  • MIT Research Offers New Hope For Alzheimer's Patients - Science Daily, 4/27/06 - "The three compounds in the treatment cocktail - omega-3 fatty acids, uridine and choline - are all needed by brain neurons to make phospholipids, the primary component of cell membranes"
  • Memory enhancer named best new ingredient - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, 4/04 - "Citicoline is a form of choline that helps replenish the brain with phosphatidylserine ... In a double-blind trial of 84 elderly patients with mild to moderate memory loss, subjects who took 1000mg of citicoline daily for six weeks showed improvement in the acquisition of new information and its recall and improvement in global memory efficiency"
  • Research Links Nutrient in Eggs to Improved Memory - WebMD, 3/12/04 - "has been studying choline in animals for more than a decade and is also four years into a study examining the effects of choline deficiency in humans. He says those studies show that the current recommended intake of half a gram a day -- the amount gotten by eating two large eggs -- is probably not enough for some groups, especially young men"
  • Enhancing Cognitive Function - Life Extension Magazine, 5/00
  • How to Have a Smarter Child - WebMD, 10/8/01 - "When Swartzwelder gave pregnant rats a diet containing three times the usual amount of choline, their offspring did better on maze-learning and similar tests of spatial memory. They also had improved function in the brain region known as the hippocampus, which is vital for memory and learning"
  • Putting On Einstein's Thinking Cap - Life Enhancement Magazine, 8/99
  • Be All That You Can Be - Life Enhancement Magazine, 7/99

Abstracts:

  • Citicoline in Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Dementia After Stroke - Stroke. 2010 Dec 16 - "Stroke doubles the risk of dementia and is a major contributor to vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia ... Citicoline has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in acute stroke and has been shown to improve cognition in patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease and in some patients with Alzheimer disease. A recent trial lasting 6 months in patients with first-ever ischemic stroke showed that citicoline prevented cognitive decline after stroke with significant improvement of temporal orientation, attention, and executive function. Experimentally, citicoline exhibits neuroprotective effects and enhances neural repair. Citicoline appears to be a safe and promising alternative to improve stroke recovery and could be indicated in patients with vascular cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer disease with significant cerebrovascular disease"
  • Neuroprotection and Recovery: Recent Data at the Bench on Citicoline - Stroke. 2010 Dec 16 - "Although the mechanisms of some of these actions remain to be elucidated, so far citicoline appears as a drug with the ability to promote "safe" neuroprotection capable of enhancing endogenous protective pathways at the same time as preparing the scenario for plasticity" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.
  • Citicoline affects appetite and cortico-limbic responses to images of high-calorie foods - Int J Eat Disord. 2009 Mar 3 - "Cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (citicoline) has a variety of cognitive enhancing, neuroprotective, and neuroregenerative properties. In cocaine-addicted individuals, citicoline has been shown to increase brain dopamine levels and reduce cravings ... After 6 weeks, there was no significant change in weight status, although significant declines in appetite ratings were observed for the 2,000 mg/day group. The higher dose group also showed significant increases in functional brain responses to food stimuli within the amygdala, insula, and lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Increased activation in these regions correlated with declines in appetite ratings ...These preliminary findings suggest a potential usefulness of citicoline in modulating appetite, but further research is warranted"
  • Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Feb;87(2):424-30 - "Compared with the lowest tertile of choline intake (<250 mg/d), participants who consumed >310 mg/d had, on average, 22% lower concentrations of C-reactive protein (P < 0.05), 26% lower concentrations of interleukin-6 (P < 0.05), and 6% lower concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha"

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