Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 1/5/11.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Walking speed associated with survival in older adults - Science Daily, 1/4/11 - "Predicted years of remaining life for each sex and age increased as gait speed increased, with a gait speed of about 0.8 meters [2.6 feet]/second at the median [midpoint] life expectancy at most ages for both sexes. Gait speeds of 1.0 meter [3.3 feet]/second or higher consistently demonstrated survival that was longer than expected by age and sex alone. In this older adult population the relationship of gait speed with remaining years of life was consistent across age groups, but the absolute number of expected remaining years of life was larger at younger ages,"

Three Whole-Grain Portions Daily May Lower Cardiovascular Risk - Medscape, 1/4/11 - "Daily consumption of 3 portions of whole-grain foods (WGF) is linked to lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in healthy, middle-aged people mainly by lowering blood pressure (BP) ... assigned to continue the refined diet (control) or to switch to a whole-wheat diet or to a whole-wheat plus oat diet, for 12 weeks ... Compared with the control group, the WGF groups had a significant reduction in systolic BP (6 mm Hg) and a significant reduction (3 mm Hg) in pulse pressure ... The observed decrease in systolic blood pressure could decrease the incidence of coronary artery disease and stroke by ≥ 15% and 25%, respectively"

Vitamin D deficiencies may impact onset of autoimmune lung disease - Science Daily, 1/4/11- "A new study shows that vitamin D deficiency could be linked to the development and severity of certain autoimmune lung diseases ... vitamin D deficiencies have been found to affect the development of other autoimmune diseases, like lupus and type 1 diabetes ... those with connective tissue disease-related ILD were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency -- 52 percent versus 20 percent -- and insufficiency -- 79 percent versus 31 percent -- than other forms of ILD" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Vitamin D on Muscle Strength and Mobility in Older Women with Vitamin D Insufficiency - Medscape, 1/4/11 - "In conclusion, vitamin D supplementation in older individuals receiving calcium improved hip muscle strength and mobility in participants with low baseline values. Given the importance of maintaining physical performance in older people to maintain a healthy and independent life in the community, vitamin D should be added to those with insufficiency or deficiency to improve muscle function" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

What's the Germiest Item on a Restaurant Table? - ABC News, 12/30/10 - It's a video but claims that the menu is dirtier than a toilet seat.

• Eating Out? Which Tabletop Item Is Germier Than a Toilet Seat? - ABC News, 12/30/10 - Text version

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 ferritin and amphetamine response in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2010 Dec;20(6):495-502 - "Their ADHD symptoms were moderately severe at baseline (SNAP item mean = 2.1). Their mean ferritin concentration was 18.4 ng/mL, with 23% of the participants having a level below 7, the assay-defined threshold for ID. Serum ferritin was inversely correlated with baseline inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and total ADHD symptom scores (Partial Spearman's r = -0.31, p = 0.04; r = -0.42, p < 0.006; and r = -0.43, p < 0.004, respectively) and with the weight-adjusted dose of amphetamine used to optimize clinical response (Partial Spearman's r = -0.45, p < 0.007). Psychotropic-treatment history moderated some, but not all, of these associations, with previously medicated children showing a stronger association between ferritin concentration and ADHD symptom severity" - See Slow Fe Slow Release Iron Tablets 90-Count Box.

• Ferritin test - MayoClinic.com - "The normal range for blood ferritin is 24 to 336 nanograms per liter for men and 11 to 307 nanograms per liter for women"

Arabinoxylan Rice Bran (MGN-3) Enhances the Effects of Interventional Therapies for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Three-year Randomized Clinical Trial - Anticancer Res. 2010 Dec;30(12):5145-5151 - "arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3) in conjunction with an interventional therapy (IT) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma patients ... Patients in the IT+MGN-3 group showed: (i) lower recurrence of the disease, 31.6% (12/38), as compared to 46.7% (14/30) for the control; (ii) higher survival after the second year, 35%, as compared to 6.7% for the control; (iii) significantly lower alpha-fetoprotein level, a 38% decrease (p=0.0001), as compared to baseline value, while the control showed no significant change; and (iv) a significant decrease in tumor volume, in contrast to the control, which showed no significant change. When the results were analyzed according to each IT modality, MGN-3+IT sub-groups displayed a greater response to treatment, in every aspect examined, than the IT sub-groups alone. However, the patients in the MGN-3+TOCE+PEIT sub-group demonstrated greater reduction in AFP levels and longer survival time than the MGN-3+TOCE sub-group" - See arabinoxylan at iHerb.

Association between serum vitamin D deficiency and knee osteoarthritis - Int Orthop. 2010 Dec 30 - "These findings indicate a significant association between serum 25-OHD deficiency and knee OA in patients aged < 60 years and suggest serum 25-OHD measurement in any patient with symptoms suggestive of knee OA particularly at the initial stage of disease" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Metformin Treatment Exerts Antiinvasive and Antimetastatic Effects in Human Endometrial Carcinoma Cells - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Dec 29 - "In vitro invasion in ECC-1 cells was significantly attenuated by sera from PCOS women after 6 months of metformin treatment (850 mg twice daily) compared to matched controls (P < 0.01). These effects appear to be associated with NF-κB, MMP-2/9, as well as Akt and Erk1/2 pathways that are known to be important regulators of inflammation, tumor invasion and metastasis. Conclusions: Metformin, potentially, may serve as adjuvant treatment in the management of patients with endometrial cancer"

Blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and hypertension: a meta-analysis - J Hypertens. 2010 Dec 28 - "Of the 18 studies included in the meta-analysis, 4 were prospective studies and 14 were cross-sectional studies. The pooled odds ratio of hypertension was 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-0.84] for the highest versus the lowest category of blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. In a dose-response meta-analysis, the odds ratio for a 40 nmol/l (16 ng/ml) (approximately 2 SDs) increment in blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 0.84 (95% CI 0.78-0.90)" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Fish consumption and risk of stroke in Swedish women - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec 29 - "Fish consumption was significantly inversely associated with risk of total stroke but not cerebral infarction or hemorrhagic stroke. Compared with women in the lowest quintile of fish consumption (<1.0 servings of fish/wk), the multivariable RR of total stroke for women in the highest quintile (>3.0 servings of fish/wk) was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.98; P for trend = 0.049). Consumption of lean fish but not of other fish types was inversely associated with risk of stroke. The multivariable RR of total stroke was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.93; P for trend = 0.07) for ≥3 servings of lean fish/wk compared with that for no consumption"

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

• Logitech Alert 750e Outdoor Master Security System with Night Vision - I bought one, it's great.  Click here for videos and pictures.
• Hubbell Building Automation LightHAWK LHIRS1W Digital Infrared Occupancy Sensor with Manual Override, White - I finally found a light switch that has everything I wanted.  It works with compact fluorescents, features occupancy sensor (it turns lights on automatically as opposed to a vacancy sensor that must be turned on manually.  Both turn lights off automatically ) and daylight harvesting (maintains a minimum level of light as opposed to a sunrise sunset switch).
  • Occupancy sensor - "When movement is detected, the lights are turned on and remain on as long as there is movement in the room"
  • Vacancy Sensor - "An occupant sensor for which the lights must be manually turned on but the sensor automatically turns the lights off soon after an area is vacated"
  • Leviton Occupancy Sensors Product Guide - Everything you ever wanted to know about the various types of occupancy sensors.
  • How to Select Lighting Controls For Offices and Public Buildings - I couldn't find one for homes but I would think that the savings would be much higher in that fewer people so the rooms would be occupied a much smaller percentage of the time.
• Duralex Picardie 10-1/2-Ounce Clear Tumbler, Set of 6 - Neat glassware, they are glass (no BPA's), they stack (saves space) and they're rated 4.5 stars.
• Carhartt Men's Relaxed Fit Jean- This brand gets good ratings.  These are $27 and rated 5 stars.

Supplement Focus (Hesperidin):

News & Research:

• hesperidin at Amazon.com
• Orange juice flavanone may benefit heart health: Study - Nutra USA, 12/17/10 - "The researchers reported that blood pressure was significantly lowered after 4 weeks consumption of orange juice or a hesperidin rich drink when compared to a placebo drink" - [Abstract]
• Daily Glass of Orange Juice Is Heart Smart - WebMD, 7/20/09 - "An antioxidant in orange juice called hesperidin improves blood vessel function and helps lower a person’s risk of heart disease ... An antioxidant in orange juice called hesperidin improves blood vessel function and helps lower a person’s risk of heart disease"
• Citrus flavanones show neuroprotection potential - Nutra USA, 1/21/08 - "These results first demonstrate that the citrus flavanones hesperidin, hesperetin, and neohesperidin, even at physiological concentrations, have neuroprotective effects against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells ... These dietary antioxidants are potential candidates for use in the intervention for neurodegenerative diseases ... One such disease that is mentioned Alzheimer's disease" - [Abstract]
• Citrus extracts get cholesterol-lowering boost - Nutra USA, 3/26/07
• Men's Fitness: Boost your good cholesterol sky-high: want to live longer? Try raising this cholesterol with our 10 strategies - findarticles.com, 2/02 - "In a Canadian study, drinking a few glasses of orange juice every day for four weeks increased participants' HDL by 21 percent, possibly due to a flavonoid called hesperidin that appears extremely HDL-friendly"
• High Levels of HDL Cholesterol Can Save Your Life - ABC News, 11/3/00 - "So how much HDL is enough? Current guidelines say 35 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dl) is normal, but most cardiologists would prefer you to have an HDL count that’s twice that. “The higher the better,” says Gaziano. “Once you get over 60 mg/dl, it’s a strong positive factor in avoiding heart disease.” ... this will increase your HDL by 21 percent (or 10 to 20 points) within 4 weeks. “We’re not sure, but this effect may be due to a flavonoid in orange juice called hesperidin"
• Herbal Treatment for Varicose Veins - Nutrition Science News, 7/00

Abstracts:

• Hesperidin contributes to the vascular protective effects of orange juice: a randomized crossover study in healthy volunteers - Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov 10 - "Throughout the three 4-wk periods, volunteers consumed daily 500 mL orange juice, 500 mL control drink plus hesperidin (CDH), or 500 mL control drink plus placebo (CDP) ... Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly lower after 4 wk consumption of orange juice or CDH than after consumption of CDP (P = 0.02), whereas microvascular endothelium-related reactivity was not significantly affected when measured after an overnight fast. However, both orange juice and CDH ingestion significantly improved postprandial microvascular endothelial reactivity compared with CDP (P < 0.05) when measured at the peak of plasma hesperetin concentration"
• Neuroprotective Effects of the Citrus Flavanones against H2O2-Induced Cytotoxicity in PC12 Cells - J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Jan 12 - "the citrus flavanones hesperidin, hesperetin, and neohesperidin, even at physiological concentrations, have neuroprotective effects against H 2O 2-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. These dietary antioxidants are potential candidates for use in the intervention for neurodegenerative diseases" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com.
• Hesperidin, a Citrus Flavonoid, Inhibits Bone Loss and Decreases Serum and Hepatic Lipids in Ovariectomized Mice - J. Nutr. 133:1892-1897, June 2003 - "These results suggest a possible role for citrus flavonoids in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases because of their beneficial effects on bone and lipids"
• Biological effects of hesperidin, a Citrus flavonoid. (note II): hypolipidemic activity on experimental hypercholesterolemia in rat - Farmaco. 1995 Sep;50(9):595-9 - "Hesperidin, the most important flavanone of Citrus sp., significantly increases HDL"

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