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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 5/25/11.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Heart failure risk lower in women who often eat baked/broiled fish - Science Daily, 5/24/11 - "In a large-scale analysis, women who ate the most baked/broiled fish (five or more servings/week) had a 30 percent lower risk of heart failure compared to women who seldom ate it (less than one serving/month) ... dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) were associated with a significantly greater risk reduction than either tuna or white fish (sole, snapper and cod) ... eating fried fish was associated with increased heart failure risk. Even one serving a week was associated with a 48 percent higher heart failure risk"

Protean Manifestations of Vitamin D Deficiency, Part 1: Physiology of Vitamin D - Medscape, 5/24/11 - "In conclusion, an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency has developed in the last 20 years due mainly to a lack of exposure to the sun and the increase in obesity. Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy can have devastating effects. Although historically, vitamin D deficiency is associated only with rickets and osteomalacia, its effects are much more protean" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

What you body is missing when your diet goes all-veggie - The Daily, 5/24/11 - "The finding, recently published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, point to the most prominent deficiencies associated with vegan and vegetarian lifestyles: iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 acids. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, said, “Inadequate intake of these nutrients can set the stage for many disorders including anemia, osteoporosis and neurologic problems, and lessens the effectiveness of the immune system, increasing the risk of infections.” Moreover, these deficiencies often lead to elevated blood levels of homocysteine and decreased levels of HDL, the “good” form of cholesterol. Both are risk factors for heart disease."

The Body Odd - Want to catch a lady's eye? Don't smile, study says - MSNBC, 5/24/11 - "Women are actually less sexually attracted to smiley, happy men, suggests a new University of British Columbia study, published online today in the journal Emotion" - I just thought it was interesting.

Pre-meal dietary supplement can help overcome fat and sugar problems, study suggests - Science Daily, 5/23/11 - "naringenin, the molecule responsible for the bitter taste in grapefruits, could potentially be used in the treatment of diabetes, arteriosclerosis and hyper-metabolism ... a nano-complex of naringenin within a ring of sugar called cyclodextrin. This complex increased the absorption of naringenin by 11 times ... a single dose of this complex, taken just before a high fat and high sugar meal given to rats, was able to reduce the generation of VLDL (bad cholesterol) by 42%, and increase insulin sensitivity by 64%" - See naringenin at Amazon.com.  Also, if you do an iHerb search of cyclodextrin, it is listed in several products but not as an active ingredient.

Comfort food: Protein from probiotic bacteria may alleviate inflammatory bowel disorders - Science Daily, 5/23/11 - "A protein isolated from beneficial bacteria found in yogurt and dairy products could offer a new, oral therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disorders (IBD) ... the protein supports intestinal epithelial cell growth and function, and reduces inflammatory responses that can cause intestinal cells to die. Importantly, the investigators showed that oral consumption of p40 by mice in a protective delivery system prevents and treats colitis in multiple models of the disease ... Many of the hundreds of bacterial species that live in our gut (known as the "human microbiome") are helpful to us: they help us digest certain substances, produce vitamins and fight off more dangerous bacteria. But miscommunication between these bacteria and our gut lining can lead to conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease" - See probiotics at Amazon.com.

Why caffeine can reduce fertility in women - Science Daily, 5/23/11 - "Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the fallopian tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the womb"

DHA and EPA Have Differential Effects on LDL-Cholesterol - Medscape, 5/22/11 - "EPA inhibited lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) formation by 42% and 54% in vesicles with normal and elevated cholesterol levels, respectively. DHA, on the other hand, inhibited LOOH by 28% in vesicles with elevated cholesterol levels only. The separate effects of EPA, DHA, and EPA/DHA were enhanced when used in combination with statin therapy, including atorvastatin, atorvastatin metabolite, simvastatin, or rosuvastatin. The most potent antioxidant capacity was observed with EPA and the active metabolite of atorvastatin"

Mushroom compound suppresses prostate tumors - Science Daily, 5/22/11 - "A mushroom used in Asia for its medicinal benefits has been found to be 100 per cent effective in suppressing prostate tumour development in mice during early trials ... The compound, polysaccharopeptide (PSP), which is extracted from the 'turkey tail' mushroom, was found to target prostate cancer stem cells and suppress tumour formation in mice ... The findings are quite significant ... Importantly, we did not see any side effects from the treatment ... He said PSP had been previously shown to possess anti-cancer properties, and 'turkey tail' mushrooms (known as Coriolus versicolor or Yun-zhi) had been widely used in Asia for medicinal benefits" - See PSP supplement at Amazon.com.

Ulcer bacteria may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease - Science Daily, 5/22/11 - "Infection of late middle-aged mice with a particular strain of the bacteria Helicobacter pylori results in development of Parkinson's disease symptoms after 3-5 months ... Our mouse model demonstrates a direct effect of H. pylori infection on the development of Parkinson's disease. The observation that not all H. pylori strains are equally able to cause symptoms will allow us to investigate bacterial factors and/or immune response to H. pylori infection that increase the risk for Parkinson's disease"

Controversial call to add lithium to drinking water for mental health - The Daily, 5/22/11 - "It's a provocative prospect that research suggests might reduce rates of suicide, violent crime and hard drug use ... The idea gained widespread traction in 2009, when researchers studying 18 communities in Japan concluded that areas whose water supplies contained higher natural levels of lithium were significantly less vulnerable to suicide ... A subsequent study published this month in the British Journal of Psychiatry, surveying all 99 counties in Austria over five years, replicated the findings and concluded that - conservatively - 4 to 15 percent of the country's geographic variations in suicides was due to lithium content in regional water supplies" - See lithium supplement at Amazon.com.

  • 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"

Dietary Supplement May Help Prevent Preeclampsia - WebMD, 5/19/11 - "women who ate daily food bars containing the amino acid L-arginine and antioxidant vitamins during pregnancy had a much lower incidence of preeclampsia than women who ate bars containing the antioxidant vitamins alone or bars containing neither supplement ... far fewer of the women in the L-arginine plus vitamin group developed preeclampsia (12.7%) than women in the vitamin-alone (22.5%) group and no-supplement (30.2%) group" - See L-arginine products at Amazon.com.

Swimmer's Ear Costs U.S. Half a Billion Yearly - WebMD, 5/19/11 - "Swimmer's ear, known to doctors as acute otitis externa, is an inflammation of the external ear canal. Bacterial infection is the typical cause. The symptoms include pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling of the ear canal. There can also be discharge from the ear" - Tell me about it.  I run three times per week and swim another three times per week.  I just had this.  I get it about every year and a half.

Cell phone use may reduce male fertility, Austrian-Canadian study suggests - Science Daily, 5/19/11 - "Researchers in Austria and Canada have found that while cell phone use appears to increase the level of testosterone circulating in the body, it may also lead to low sperm quality and a decrease in fertility ... EMW may increase the number of cells in the testes that produce testosterone; however, by lowering the levels of LH excreted by the pituitary gland, EMW may also block the conversion of this basic circulating type of testosterone to the more active, potent form of testosterone associated with sperm production and fertility"

Eat a protein-rich breakfast to reduce food cravings, prevent overeating later, researcher finds - Science Daily, 5/19/11 - "eating a healthy breakfast, especially one high in protein, increases satiety and reduces hunger throughout the day. In addition, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior ... These findings suggest that a protein-rich breakfast might be an effective strategy to improve appetite control and prevent overeating in young people"

Curcumin compound improves effectiveness of head and neck cancer treatment, study finds - Science Daily, 5/19/11 - "A primary reason that head and neck cancer treatments fail is the tumor cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a compound derived from the Indian spice curcumin can help cells overcome that resistance ... When researchers added a curcumin-based compound, called FLLL32, to head and neck cancer cell lines, they were able to cut the dose of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin by four while still killing tumor cells equally as well as the higher dose of cisplatin without FLLL32 ... Typically, when cells become resistant to cisplatin, we have to give increasingly higher doses. But this drug is so toxic that patients who survive treatment often experience long-term side effects from the treatment" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

When rising PSA means prostate cancer is in patient's future - Science Daily, 5/18/11 - "A new study, however, shows nearly 70 percent of men who had rising PSA levels and subsequent normal biopsies were eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer"

Omega-3 may reduce depression symptoms in the elderly: Study - Nutra USA, 5/18/11 - "According to findings published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, depressed women who received daily supplements containing 2.5 grams of omega-3 experienced significant reductions in their symptoms ... In addition, researchers from the University of Pavia also report that omega-3 supplements providing a daily EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) dose of 1.67 grams and a daily DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) dose of 0.83 grams reported improvements in the ‘quality of life’" - [Abstract] - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.

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" - See citicholine at Amazon.com.

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):

Concentration of Bisphenol A in Highly Consumed Canned Foods on the US market - J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 20 - "Metal food and drink cans are commonly coated with epoxy films made from phenolic polymers produced from bisphenol A (BPA). It is well established that residual BPA monomer migrates into can contents during processing and storage ... This study quantified BPA concentrations in 78 canned and 2 frozen food products from the US market using an adaption of a previously reported liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. The tested products represented 16 different food types which are from the can food classifications which constitute approximately 65% of US canned food sales and canned food consumption. BPA was detected in 71 of the 78 canned food samples, but was not detected in either of the 2 frozen food samples. Detectable BPA concentrations across all foods ranged from 2.6 to 730 ng g-1. Large variations in BPA concentrations were found between different products of the same food type and between different lots of the same product. Given the large concentration ranges the only distinguishable trend was that fruits and tuna showed the lowest BPA concentrations. Experiments with fortified frozen vegetables and brines as well as higher BPA concentrations in canned food solids over liquid portions clearly indicated that BPA partitions into the solid portion of foods"

Anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and anti-atherosclerotic effects of quercetin in human in vitro and in vivo models - Atherosclerosis. 2011 May 5 - "In cultured human endothelial cells, quercetin protected against H(2)O(2)-induced lipid peroxidation and reduced the cytokine-induced cell-surface expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin. Quercetin also reduced the transcriptional activity of NFκB in human hepatocytes. In human CRP transgenic mice (quercetin plasma concentration: 12.9+/-1.3μM), quercetin quenched IL1β-induced CRP expression, as did sodium salicylate. In ApoE*3Leiden mice, quercetin (plasma concentration: 19.3+/-8.3μM) significantly attenuated atherosclerosis by 40% (sodium salicylate by 86%). Quercetin did not affect atherogenic plasma lipids or lipoproteins but it significantly lowered the circulating inflammatory risk factors SAA and fibrinogen. Combined histological and microarray analysis of aortas revealed that quercetin affected vascular cell proliferation thereby reducing atherosclerotic lesion growth. Quercetin also reduced the gene expression of specific factors implicated in local vascular inflammation including IL-1R, Ccl8, IKK, and STAT3 ...Quercetin reduces the expression of human CRP and cardiovascular risk factors (SAA, fibrinogen) in mice in vivo. These systemic effects together with local anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects in the aorta may contribute to the attenuation of atherosclerosis" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the metabolic syndrome in older persons. A population-based study - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2011 May 20 - "Among the participants, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 37.0%. The mean 25OHD level was 53.3 nmol/l. 47.8% had 25OHD levels below 50 nmol/l. There was a significantly increased risk for the metabolic syndrome in the subjects with serum 25OHD levels below 50 nmol/l, compared to subjects with levels over 50 nmol/l [odds ratio (OR)=1.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-1.94]. After adjustment for confounders, age, sex, season, years of education, alcohol use, total activity, smoking and PTH the OR was 1.29 (95% CI 1.00-1.68). The association between vitamin D deficiency and the metabolic syndrome was mainly determined by the components low HDL and (high) waist circumference" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Identification of a mechanism for increased cardiovascular risk among individuals with low vitamin D concentrations - Menopause. 2011 May 17 - "Plasma vitamin D3 concentration was positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P = 0.003). Monkeys in the high vitamin D3 group had a significantly greater plasma HDL-C concentration (57.9 mg/dL) than did those in the low vitamin D3 group (47.1 mg/dL; P = 0.001). Although the difference was not significant (P = 0.120), the monkeys in the high vitamin D3 group had a decreased total plasma cholesterol-to-HDL-C ratio compared with those in the low vitamin D3 group (5.4 and 6.2, respectively), potentially putting them at lower risk of atherosclerosis development" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Cruciferous vegetable consumption is associated with a reduced risk of total and cardiovascular disease mortality - Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May 18 - "Overall, fruit and vegetable intake was inversely associated with risk of total mortality in both women and men, and a dose-response pattern was particularly evident for cruciferous vegetable intake. The pooled multivariate hazard ratios (95% CIs) for total mortality across increasing quintiles of intake were 1 (reference), 0.91 (0.84, 0.98), 0.88 (0.77, 1.00), 0.85 (0.76, 0.96), and 0.78 (0.71, 0.85) for cruciferous vegetables (P < 0.0001 for trend) and 0.88 (0.79, 0.97), 0.88 (0.79, 0.98), 0.76 (0.62, 0.92), and 0.84 (0.69, 1.00) for total vegetables (P = 0.03 for trend). The inverse associations were primarily related to cardiovascular disease mortality but not to cancer mortality"

Coffee Consumption and Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011 May 17 - "Coffee contains many biologically active compounds, including caffeine and phenolic acids, that have potent antioxidant activity and can affect glucose metabolism and sex hormone levels ... The average intake of coffee in 1986 was 1.9 cups per day. Men who consumed six or more cups per day had a lower adjusted relative risk for overall prostate cancer compared with nondrinkers (RR = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.68 to 0.98, P(trend) = .10). The association was stronger for lethal prostate cancer (consumers of more than six cups of coffee per day: RR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.75, P(trend) = .03). Coffee consumption was not associated with the risk of nonadvanced or low-grade cancers and was only weakly inversely associated with high-grade cancer. The inverse association with lethal cancer was similar for regular and decaffeinated coffee (each one cup per day increment: RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.01, P = .08 for regular coffee and RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.83 to 1.00, P = .05 for decaffeinated coffee). The age-adjusted incidence rates for men who had the highest (≥6 cups per day) and lowest (no coffee) coffee consumption were 425 and 519 total prostate cancers, respectively, per 100 000 person-years and 34 and 79 lethal prostate cancers, respectively, per 100 000 person-years"

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is inversely associated with body mass index in cancer - Nutr J. 2011 May 16;10(1):51 - "Obese cancer patients (BMI >=30 kg/m2) had significantly lower levels of serum 25(OH)D as compared to non-obese patients (BMI <30 kg/m2). BMI should be taken into account when assessing a patient's vitamin D status and more aggressive vitamin D supplementation should be considered in obese cancer patients"

Effect of Vitamin D Nutritional Status on Muscle Function and Strength in Healthy Women Aged over Sixty-Five Years - J Nutr Health Aging. 2011 - "25OHD levels ≥20ng/ml were found to be associated with better lower extremity muscle function and strength. Forty- six % of participants had 25OHD levels ≥20ng/ml. Women with 25OHD levels ≥20ng/ml scored higher on the muscle function tests (11.2+/-0.9 vs.10.0+/-2.1; p<0.003) and had stronger knee extensor (13.4+/-2.7 vs.11.6+/-2.5 Kg.; p<0.03) and hip abductor (8.3+/-2.7 vs. 7.3+/-3.1 Kg; p<0.04) muscles; strength of their hip flexors tended to be higher but did not reach significantly different values (17.0+/-3.3 vs. 15.4+/-2.8 Kg.; 0.1>p>0.05). Negative correlation was observed between iPTH and muscle function (r= -0.436; p<0.02). Conclusion: 25OHD levels ≥20ng/ml are needed for a better muscle function and strength. Assessing vitamin D nutritional status in adults aged ≥ 65 years would allow correcting hypovitaminosis D and improve muscle function and strength" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Health Focus (Environmental Toxins):

Alternative News:

  • Arecoline N-Oxide: Its Mutagenicity and Possible Role as Ultimate Carcinogen in Areca Oral Carcinogenesis - J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Mar 3 - "The areca nut is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in Taiwan, India, and Southeast Asia. It is considered to be an environmental risk factor for the development of oral submucous fibrosis and cancer. Arecoline, the major alkaloid of areca nut, has been known to cause cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in various systems. However, the active compound accounting for arecoline-induced damage in normal human oral cells is still uncharacterized. The present study was undertaken to identify the active metabolite of arecoline that might induce damage in human oral tissues and cause mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA 100 and TA 98. It is interesting to find that the major metabolite of arecoline, arecoline N-oxide, is moderately mutagenic to these Salmonella tester strains. This mutagenicity was potently inhibited by sulfhydryl compounds, namely, glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, and cysteine, whereas methionine is inactive in this inhibition. The mutagenicity of arecoline N-oxide was strongly inhibited by the N-oxide reducing agent titanium trichloride. The possible role of arecoline N-oxide in the induction of oral carcinogenesis by areca nut chewing is discussed"
  • HEPA filters reduce cardiovascular health risks associated with air pollution, study finds - Science Daily, 1/12/11 - "portable HEPA filters reduced the average concentrations of fine particulates inside homes by 60% and woodsmoke by 75%, and their use was associated with improved endothelial function (a 9.4% increase in reactive hyperemia index) and decreased inflammation (a 32.6% decrease in C-reactive protein)"
  • Antioxidants Can Reduce The Toxic Effects Of Lead, Study Suggests - WebMD, 10/31/08 - "administering natural antioxidants can reduce the effects of lead poisoning in animals during the gestation and lactation periods"
  • High Levels Of Toxic Metals Found In Herbal Medicine Products Sold Online - Science Daily, 8/27/08 - "Overall, 20.7 percent of Ayurvedic medicines contained detectable lead, mercury and/or arsenic. U.S. and Indian manufactured products were equally likely to contain toxic metals. Rasa shastra compared with non-rasa shastra medicines were more than twice as likely to contain metals and had higher concentrations of lead and mercury. Among products containing metals, 95 percent were sold by U.S. Web sites and 75 percent claimed Good Manufacturing Practices or testing for heavy metals. All metal-containing products exceeded one or more standards for acceptable daily intake of toxic metals"
  • Fish Oil Prevents Potentially Deadly Heart Rate Variability - Science Daily, 12/15/05 - "In this randomized controlled trial, fish oil supplementation prevented the reduction in heart rate variability associated with the same-day exposure to indoor particulate matter" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com or Vitacosticon.
  • Air Cleaner Dust-up - WashingtonPost.com, 10/4/05 - "Our air-cleaning tests show that the Ionic Breeze with OzoneGuard does a poor job of removing smoke, dust and pollen particles from the air when new and after 500 hours of continuous use"
  • Asparagus Fights Common Pesticide - WebMD, 9/23/04
  • The Sticky Business of Teflon? - Dr. Weil, 9/9/05
  • Detox Diets: Juice Up Your Health? - WebMD, 1/14/04
  • Best Way to Clear the Air? - Dr. Weil, 11/6/03 - "The health benefits of these negative ion machines are debatable because some may produce ozone as they operate ... Ozone is beneficial in the upper atmosphere where it protects the Earth from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light, but you don’t want it in your living room or sleeping area"
  • Sunscreen: Dangerous Chemicals? - Dr. Weil, 7/17/03
  • Is There Poison in Potatoes? - Dr. Weil, 5/15/03
  • Michael Janson, M.D.: Newsletters - Dr. Janson, 6/02 - "Dietary supplements are critical to the treatment of metal overload. They not only promote excretion, but they decrease the damaging effects. Extra selenium and sulfur (in the form of methylsulfonyl methane, or MSM, 2 to 6 gms), may be essential in addition to food sources. Alpha lipoic acid (200 to 1000 mg) is both a sulfur source and an excellent antioxidant for the brain, protecting against degenerative brain disorders ... Vitamin C (2 to 6 gms) is not only an antioxidant, but it is also a metal chelator, binding with metals and removing them from the system and decreasing free-radical damage. Magnesium and calcium in food or supplements help to block toxic metal accumulation"
  • In The Health News - Dr. Janson, 4/02 - "To reduce the consequences of pollution, and arterial spasms, take antioxidants and arterial relaxants, such as vitamins C and E, magnesium, ginkgo biloba, and arginine, and exercise regularly"
  • Detoxification for the Body & Mind - Nutrition Science News, 2/00

News & Research:

 

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