Rates of PSA Testing Increase After Guidelines are Updated

In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued guidelines advising against PSA screening in all men, endorsing, instead,individual decision-making in men aged 55-69. That led to a decrease in PSA screening.

In 2017, the USPSTF reversed those guidelines.

A 2022 review published in JAMA Oncology found that updated guidelines for PSA screening, have led to significant increases in men diagnosed with this cancer in all age groups having PSA blood tests.*

This translates into more men being diagnosed at an earlier stage when intent-to-cure treatments are more effective.

The USPSTF revised its guidelines because of intense efforts by groups like Life Extension® that relentlessly advocated for PSA screening in men over age 40.

Editor’s Note: The Food and Drug Administration first approved PSA testing as a screening aid for the diagnosis of prostate cancer in 1994.

* JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jan 1;8(1):41-47.

Tocotrienol Form of Vitamin E Helps Prevent Obesity, Animal Study Finds

The journal Molecules reported that members of the vitamin E family known as tocotrienols may play a role in the prevention of weight gain, as shown in a mouse study.*

For 13 weeks, researchers fed mice either a high-fat diet or a control diet that was significantly lower in fat and calories, with or without tocotrienols.

Body weight was measured at the beginning and end of the study.

At the end of the study, animals given a high-fat diet predictably weighed more than those that received a control diet.

Mice that received tocotrienols gained less weight on the high-fat diet and had less white fat accumulation around the kidneys.

Editor’s Note: "Additionally, tocotrienols also inhibited hepatic [liver] damage from obesity," the authors concluded.

* Molecules. 2022 Mar 28;27(7):2188.

Ergothioneine Levels Linked to Decrease in Dementia, Cognitive Impairment

Higher plasma levels of ergothioneine, an amino acid that occurs in certain mushrooms and other sources, may be associated with less dementia and cognitive impairment, according to an article in Free Radical Biology & Medicine.*

Researchers compared ergothioneine levels in plasma samples collected from 496 men and women recruited from memory clinics and the community.

Researchers observed that people with dementia had the lowest plasma ergothioneine concentrations.

A similar observation was seen in participants with cognitive impairment without dementia who had intermediate plasma ergothioneine levels compared to controls.

Low ergothioneine levels were significantly associated with risk of Alzheimer’s disease with or without cerebrovascular disease determined by MRI. Decreased ergothioneine levels were also associated with risk of vascular dementia.

Editor’s Note: Higher plasma ergothioneine levels were correlated with greater global cortical thickness of the brain, and volume of the brain’s hippocampus (involved in memory and learning), indicating less atrophy. One can boost ergothioneine blood levels by incorporating lots of mushrooms in the diet or taking a 5 mg ergothioneine supplement daily.

*Free Radic Biol Med. 2021 Dec;177: 201-211.

Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators Show Promise Against MS

Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) may play a role in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease in which chronic inflammation occurs, the Journal of Neuroinflammation reported.*

SPMs, produced in the body from fatty acids (including omega-3s), help maintain a healthy post- inflammatory response. Because these fatty acids are not completely converted to SPMs, supplemental SPMs and their precursors may be beneficial.

In a mouse model of MS, SPMs were found to be below the limit of detection, while pro-inflammatory molecules derived from fatty acids were increased. The administration of SPMs to mice suppressed pro-inflammatory molecules, beneficially modified aspects of immune function, enhanced neurologic outcomes, and protected their nerves.

Editor’s Note: "When resolution fails, inflammation becomes uncontrolled, leading to chronic inflammation and tissue damage, as occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS)," the authors stated.

* J Neuroinflammation. 2022 Feb 2;19(1):27.