In The News: May 2008

Life Extension long ago warned about the dangers of a blood marker of systemic inflammation called C-reactive protein (CRP).

Over the past decade, more than 20 human studies confirm that high CRP levels increase risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

A newly released study measured CRP blood levels in three independent groups and followed them for an average of 7.1 years. The objective was to identify the relationship between CRP and common diseases that strike aging humans.1 Men with a CRP greater than 3 mg/L of blood were almost twice as likely to die from any cause compared with subjects whose CRP was under 1 mg/L of blood.

Those with CRP levels greater than 3 mg/L suffered a 2.15-fold increased risk of dying from fatal heart attack and a 1.65-fold increased risk of dying from cancer. These findings occurred after adjusting for other risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, LDL, and cholesterol. The doctors concluded:

“Our results suggest that increased circulating high-sensitivity [CRP] concentrations are associated with an increased risk of death from several widespread chronic diseases.”

In a second report, those with CRP levels greater than 5 mg/L upon hospital admission had a 50% to 330% increase in risk of death from any cause.2 This led the authors of this study to characterize CRP as a unique “triage marker for future death” and suggested that this inflammatory marker be tested in all patients to identify those in need of additional close monitoring.

An editorial that discussed 13 other trials involving 63,000 healthy individuals confirmed elevated CRP as a potent predictor of both short- and long-term risk of death.3 In men in the highest quartile of CRP, there was a striking four-fold increased risk of death compared with the men in the lowest quartile.

The Male and Female Blood Test Panels include measurement of high-sensitivity CRP so that members are alerted if they have an underlying systemic inflammatory condition. The proper use of hormones, nutrients, diet modification, and drugs (if necessary) can significantly reduce elevated CRP levels.

The Male or Female Blood Test Panel can be obtained by calling 1-800-208-3444.

Low folate levels are associated with an increased risk of future dementia, according to a recently published report.* Noting that folic acid, vitamin B12, and homocysteine have been implicated in the development of dementia, the scientists set out to determine if changes in the concentrations of any of these compounds are predictive of dementia risk.

Working with more than 500 elderly, dementia-free subjects, investigators measured serum concentrations of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine at baseline and again at follow-up assessments. After an average of 2.4 years, the subjects were evaluated for signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

A low baseline level of folate was predictive of dementia, while an exaggerated decline in folate level was strongly linked with the onset of dementia. Likewise, a weaker increase in vitamin B12 concentrations and a dramatic increase in homocysteine level were significantly associated with the onset of dementia.

—Dale Kiefer

A large Scottish study has shown that increased intake of vitamin B6—from dietary and supplemental sources—is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer.1 Noting that previous laboratory and population-based studies have suggested such a link,2-4 Edinburgh-based investigators enlisted nearly 5,000 subjects and assessed their dietary patterns. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as folate, fiber, and total energy intake, researchers found modestly strong associations between greater vitamin B6 intake and lower risk of colorectal cancer.1

A meta-analysis of existing published data on the subject also revealed a reverse relationship between vitamin B6 intake and risk of colorectal cancer: as intake increases, cancer risk decreases. Additionally, investigators analyzed data from subgroups within their study population and found an even stronger protective effect for subjects less than or equal to 55 years of age. Subjects with the highest intakes of vitamin B6 were about 20% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.1

—Dale Kiefer

Pomegranates have traditionally been associated with fertility. Now, scientists have shown that there may be a scientific basis for this belief, in terms of improved sperm quality.*

Researchers divided male rats into four groups. Each group received either water or one of three increasing concentrations of pomegranate juice, daily for seven weeks. After seven weeks, all animals were assessed for the status of several blood enzyme antioxidants. Various parameters related to sperm quality—including motility, concentration, and spermatogenic cell density, among other measures of sperm health—were also assessed. Additionally, investigators measured malondialdehyde, which serves as a biomarker for oxidative stress.

All of the pomegranate juice-fed animals exhibited markedly higher levels of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase and glutathione peroxidase. They also had higher levels of vitamin C and significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels, compared with control rats. Pomegranate-fed rats also showed significant improvements in sperm-health parameters.

—Dale Kiefer

A decade after the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that consumption of oatmeal may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, leading researchers in the field report that the health benefits of wholegrain oats are even better than originally believed.*

In an article published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, researchers note that in the intervening years since the FDA granted a “heart-healthy” claim for oats, new research has shown “consumption of oats and oat-based products significantly reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein concentrations without adverse effects on high-density lipoprotein or triglyceride concentrations.”

Furthermore, “more recent data indicate that including oats and oat-based products as part of a lifestyle-management program may confer health benefits that extend beyond total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein reduction.” Some of those benefits may include a decreased tendency towards obesity, a reduced risk of diabetes, and the possibility that oats may favorably alter LDL subclass and particle number, favoring a reduced risk of atherosclerosis.

—Dale Kiefer

A new study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that low levels of vitamin E are associated with a decline in physical function among older individuals.1

Investigators from Cornell University randomly selected 698 community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years and older from Tuscany, Italy, to participate in this study. After measuring subjects’ micronutrient intakes at baseline, investigators assessed the subjects’ physical function using standardized tests of physical performance during a three-year follow-up period.

After adjusting for potential confounding factors, statistical analysis revealed that those with the lowest blood levels of vitamin E were 60% more likely to suffer physical decline over the three-year follow-up period.

The study’s authors concluded, “These results provide empirical evidence that a low serum concentration of vitamin E is associated with subsequent decline in physical function among community-living older adults.”

Other researchers have previously speculated that higher levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, may prevent some of the damage caused by free radicals, which have been implicated in aging and various degenerative diseases.2,3

—Dale Kiefer

Lipoic acid supplementation reduces arterial lesion formation, triglycerides, blood vessel inflammation, and weight gain in an animal model of human heart disease, according to an exciting new report.* All of these factors are involved in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Mice prone to cardiovascular disease received diets containing a normal amount of fat or extra fat, with or without supplemental lipoic acid, for ten weeks. Lipoic acid supplementation was associated with a significant reduction of atherosclerotic lesion formation and less arterial inflammation. Supplemented mice had 40% less weight gain and lower triglycerides compared with those that did not receive the compound.

Study coauthor Balz Frei, PhD, noted, “From what we understand, this supplement would be most valuable as a preventive mechanism before people have advanced cardiovascular disease. However, it may help retard the process at any stage, and may also be of value in treating diabetic complications.”

—Dayna Dye

High dietary intake of the B vitamins choline and betaine, found in various plant and animals foods, is linked with lower blood levels of inflammatory markers, according to a recent report.1 Inflammatory markers have been associated with cardiovascular event risk.

More than 3,000 healthy adults in Greece provided information regarding their dietary intake of choline and betaine, and fasting blood samples were tested for levels of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and homocysteine.

Subjects whose choline intake was in the top one-third of participants had CRP levels that were 22% lower, interleukin-6 levels that were 26% lower, and TNF-alpha levels that were 6% lower than those whose intake fell in the bottom one-third. Similarly, for those whose betaine levels were in the top third, homocysteine levels were 10% lower, CRP levels were 19% lower, and TNF-alpha levels were 12% lower, compared with participants in the bottom third.1

If further studies confirm these results, “an interesting new dietary approach may be available for reducing chronic diseases associated with inflammation.”2

—Dayna Dye

Supplementing adolescent girls with calcium significantly increases their bone mineral content over the course of 18 months, according to a new report from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.*

Researchers enrolled 96 girls aged 11-12 years, whose calcium intake averaged 636 mg/day. The girls received a drink containing 792 mg calcium from calcium citrate malate or a placebo for 18 months, followed by a two-year period during which they received no supplements.

At the end of the 18-month period, girls who received supplemental calcium experienced significantly greater gains in bone mineral content at all sites except the hip. Furthermore, bone mineral density also increased at all sites in the supplemented group compared with placebo; however, by the end of the study at 42 months, these differences were no longer observed.

The scientists concluded that calcium supplementation is effective in enhancing bone mineralization during growth, and suggests that calcium needs to be taken continually for its benefits to be maintained.

These findings suggest that supplementing with calcium may provide an early start to preventing osteoporosis.

—Dayna Dye

Supplementation with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) improves blood markers of cardiovascular disease risk in men, according to a recent report.* Scientists have previously proposed that DHEA may thwart atherosclerosis development by increasing nitric oxide production, which promotes relaxation of the smooth muscle cells lining blood vessels.

Twenty-four men, average age 65 years, were randomly assigned to blindly receive either 50 mg DHEA per day, or placebo, for two months.* Numerous variables were assessed at baseline and following treatment, including blood lipid levels, testosterone, and platelet cyclic guanosine-monophosphate (cGMP) concentration (a marker of nitric oxide production).

Placebo group parameters remained unchanged. But DHEA supplemented subjects experienced significant increases in testosterone and cGMP, and significant decreases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and a marker of inflammation. “These findings…suggest that chronic DHEA supplementation would exert antiatherogenic effects, particularly in elderly subjects who display low circulating levels of this hormone,” investigators concluded.

—Dale Kiefer

In a remarkable new report, researchers announced they have successfully reanimated dead rat hearts by introducing cells taken from newborn rat hearts.*

Hearts from euthanized rats were stripped of their cellular linings down to the underlying collagen support structures, which acted as a sort of cellular scaffolding for the “bioartificial hearts.” Heart cells taken from newborn rats were then injected into the denuded hearts. Cardiac and endothelial cells migrated to appropriate structures and established all-new tissues and blood vessels. Investigators subsequently applied a brief external shock. Within days, microscopic contractions occurred; within two weeks, the hearts were beating strongly enough to be viewed by the naked eye.

Although the hearts pumped weakly, moving a volume of fluid roughly equivalent to one-quarter of a newborn’s normal cardiac volume, the groundbreaking experiment holds profound implications for future tissue and organ regeneration and replacement research.

—Dale Kiefer

In a recent study, University of Southern California researchers report that the combination of dietary restriction and knocking out two genes allowed baker’s yeast to live 10 times longer than its normal life span—without any adverse effects.1

The scientists knocked out RAS2 and SCH9, genes that had been found to promote aging in yeast and cancer in humans.1 A companion study revealed that these same genetic knockouts reversed a yeast model of Werner/Bloom syndromes, diseases characterized by accelerated aging and an increased incidence of cancer.2 The research team is currently studying a human population in Ecuador with similar mutations.

Previous research has shown that mice with a similar mutation survived 30% beyond their normal life span while being protected from osteoporosis and aging-induced cardiomyopathy.3

The scientists hope that researchers will one day use the knowledge gained in these studies “to reprogram disease prevention.”

—Dayna Dye

Supplementation with the carotenoid lycopene slows the growth of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men, according to a recent report.* Although a benign condition, BPH is considered a risk factor for the later development of prostate cancer.

Scientists enrolled 40 cancer-free men with BPH and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels of greater than 4.0 mcg/L.

The men were randomized to receive 15 mg lycopene or placebo daily for six months.

Men who received lycopene experienced decreased PSA levels, while the placebo group saw no change. Prostate enlargement occurred in the placebo group, but not in the lycopene group. Symptoms of BPH improved more in the lycopene group compared with placebo.

The research is the first controlled clinical study to report that lycopene inhibits the progression of BPH. Lycopene may work by inhibiting 5-alpha reductase and interleukin-6 signaling, and its antioxidant properties may help prevent cell proliferation and remodeling in the prostate.

—Dayna Dye