What's Hot
What's Hot
News flashes are posted here frequently to keep you up-to-date with the latest advances in health and longevity. We have an unparalleled track record of breaking stories about life extension advances.
Greater omega 3 intake associated with better heart attack prognosis
October 30 2020. The November 3, 2020 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology published the finding of researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital and Research Institute and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute of an association between increased intake of omega 3 fatty acids and a lower risk of clinical adverse effects in patients who experienced ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI, or a classic heart attack).
The study included 944 patients treated for STEMI with percutaneous coronary intervention between February 2011 and June 2016. Blood samples were analyzed for levels of the omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, obtained from fish and the algae they feed on) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA, which occurs in plants).
Compared to subjects who had lower levels of EPA at the time of their heart attacks, those who had higher levels had significantly reduced risks of experiencing major adverse cardiovascular events (including mortality from cardiovascular disease) and hospital readmission for cardiovascular causes during the three year follow-up period. Higher levels of ALA were associated with a significantly reduced risk of mortality from all causes during follow-up.
"Heart attacks are still very common, and aside from treatments to keep the patient alive, researchers have been exploring approaches to secure the quality of life of the patient after the heart attack,” commented coauthor Aleix Sala, of IMIM-Hospital del Mar. “What is novel about this research is that it shows that ALA and EPA appear to be partners in improving the long-term outcomes of heart attack sufferers. Consuming both marine and plant-based omega-3s, from foods like salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed, seems to offer the greatest protection."
“The article is important because it highlights the complementary (and non-competitive) effects of the two types of omega-3,” he added.
—D Dye
Greater intake of fat-soluble vitamins associated with fewer respiratory complaints
October 28 2020. On October 28, 2020, BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health published the findings of Suzana Almoosawi of Imperial College London and colleagues of associations between increased intake of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E and a lower risk of respiratory complaints.
The study included 6,115 men and women enrolled in the 2008–2016 National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme who had three or more days of diet diary entries that were analyzed for the intake of vitamins A, C, D and E from food and supplements.
Thirty-three cases of respiratory complaints, including such conditions as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and colds, were documented among survey respondents. People with complaints were older and less likely to report supplementing with vitamin A, C, D or E than those who did not report complaints; however, since no individuals with complaints used vitamin C supplements, it was not possible to estimate an association. Nevertheless, the intake of vitamins A and E from diet and supplements, and vitamin D from supplements alone were associated with the absence of respiratory complaints. “Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that supplementation is critical to ensuring adequate vitamin D status is maintained and potentially indicate that intake of vitamin D from diet alone cannot help maintain adequate vitamin D status,” Dr Almoosawi and associates wrote.
“While acknowledging the limitations of this data, it does add further to a growing body of interest and evidence for the role of vitamin D in respiratory health,” commented Shane McAuliffe, of The Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme (NNEdPro). “Given our knowledge of the extent of vitamin D deficiency in the population, balanced with the low cost and low risk of adverse events, it seems sensible to provide supplementation of this key vitamin, particularly to those most likely to be deficient.”
—D Dye
Apigenin could benefit Down syndrome patients
October 26 2020. Research reported on October 23, 2020 in the American Journal of Human Genetics has revealed a potential role for the plant compound apigeninin the support of cognition in Down syndrome patients.
Down syndrome, otherwise known as trisomy 21, is caused by an extra copy or fragment of the 21st chromosome. The syndrome is associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities believed to be caused by the effects of increased inflammation in the brain. Apigenin, which occurs in parsley, celery, chamomile, peppermint and citrus fruit, is a flavone (type of flavonoid) that has been associated with neuroprotective effects and the support of healthy levels of inflammation in several studies.
Faycal Guedjat the National Institute of Health’s National Human Genome Research Instituteand colleagues evaluated the effects of apigenin by administering it to cells derived from the amniotic fluid of human fetuses with Down syndrome and observed a decrease in oxidative stress and improvement in antioxidant defense. In a mouse model of Down syndrome, pregnant mice were given apigenin and their offspring were givenapigeninfor the duration of their lives. Mice that received apigenin had offspring that exhibited improvement in developmental milestones and spatial memory in comparison with mice whose mothers did not receive the compound. Exploratory behavior improved in offspring that continued to receive apigenin, with males exhibiting greater benefit than females. Furthermore, pro-neurogenic genes were activated, proinflammatory cytokines were reduced, anti-inflammatory cytokines increased, and the expression of angiogenic and neurotrophic factors improved.
The findings suggest a potential use for apigenin by women whose fetuses have been diagnosed with Down syndrome to help decrease cognitive deficits associated with the condition.
“These studies provide proof of principle that apigenin has multiple therapeutic targets in preclinical models of Down syndrome,” the authors concluded.
—D Dye
Increased biomarker level of flavanol intake linked with lower blood pressure
October 23 2020. On October 21, 2020, Scientific Reports published the finding of a reduction in systolic blood pressure in association with higher levels of a biomarker of flavanol intake. Flavanols are bioactive compounds occurring in plant foods that have been associated with improved vascular function in several studies.
The study included 25,618 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Norfolk cohort. Measurement of blood pressure and a urine biomarker of the intake of flavan-3-ol revealed a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 1.9 mmHg in men and 2.5 mmHg in women when subjects in the top 10% of biomarker levels were compared with those in the lowest 10%. The improvement was comparable to the effects associated with adherence to a Mediterranean diet or moderate sodium restriction. Hypertensive participants appeared to experience a greater benefit than those with normal pressure.
"Previous studies of large populations have always relied on self-reported data to draw conclusions, but this is the first epidemiological study of this scale to objectively investigate the association between a specific bioactive compound and health,” announced lead researcher Gunter Kuhnle. “We are delighted to see that in our study, there was also a meaningful and significant association between flavanol consumption and lower blood pressure.”
"What this study gives us is an objective finding about the association between flavanols - found in tea and some fruits - and blood pressure,” he continued. “This research confirms the results from previous dietary intervention studies and shows that the same results can be achieved with a habitual diet rich in flavanols. In the British diet, the main sources are tea, cocoa, apples and berries.”
"In contrast to self-reported dietary data, nutritional biomarkers can address the huge variability in food composition,” he noted. “We can therefore confidently attribute the associations we observed to flavanol intake."
—D Dye
Coffee, green tea consumption associated with lower mortality risk among diabetics during five-year period
October 21 2020. Individuals with diabetes who would like to reduce their risk of premature mortality may want to consume more coffee and green tea according to the findings of a study published on October 20, 2020 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.
The investigation included 2,790 men and 2,133 women participating in The Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, which is a multicenter prospective study designed to examine the effects of drug therapy and lifestyle on the lifespan of people with type 2 diabetes. Questionnaires completed upon enrollment provided information concerning coffee and green tea intake.
During the five-month average follow-up period, 218 men and 91 women died, mainly from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Consuming one cup of coffee per day was associated with a 19% lower risk of mortality from all causes in comparison with subjects who consumed neither beverage, and drinking two or more cups was associated with a 41% lower risk. Among green tea drinkers, up to one cup daily was associated with a 15% lower mortality risk and two to three cups was associated with a 27% lower risk.
Subjects who consumed at least two cups of coffee plus two to three cups of green tea daily had a 51% lower risk of death and those who drank two or more cups of coffee plus four or more cups of green tea had a 63% lower risk of dying than those who consumed neither beverage.
“This prospective cohort study demonstrated that greater consumption of green tea and coffee was significantly associated with reduced all-cause mortality: the effects may be additive,” Yuji Komorita and colleagues concluded. “Our results suggest that consuming green tea and coffee may have beneficial effects on the longevity of Japanese people with type 2 diabetes.”
—D Dye
Dietary supplementation boosts exercise benefits in Air Force study
October 19 2020. A trial reported on October 19, 2020 in Scientific Reports that evaluated the effects of nutritional supplementation among active duty members of the U.S. Air Force found that the nutrients boosted an exercise program’s physical and mental benefits.
The double-blind trial included 148 men and women who engaged in a 12-week regimen consisting of aerobics and resistance training five days per week. Seventy participants also received a nutritional drink twice per day that contained protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as calcium beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), choline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), folic acid, lutein, magnesium, phospholipids, zinc and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D and E. The remainder of the participants received a placebo drink that contained protein, carbohydrates and fat.
At the end of 12 weeks, exercise alone was associated with improvements in strength and endurance, power, mobility and stability, heart rate, lean muscle mass, episodic memory, processing efficiency, executive function reaction time and fluid intelligence accuracy. Subjects who received the nutritional drink experienced an additional 1.5% gain in lean muscle mass, a 9% improvement in working memory, a 7.75% reduction in fluid intelligence reaction time, and a 2.4% reduction in heart rate compared to the placebo group.
"It is clear that nutrition is a critical component for developing and maintaining the physical and cognitive performance of the men and women in the U.S. Air Force," commented lead investigator Adam Strang, PhD, of the Air Force Research Laboratory. "This research confirms that a nutritional supplement with the right nutrients can support and facilitate those improvements when paired with balanced exercise training. We hope to use this knowledge now and, in the future, to better prepare them for the complex and diverse mission sets they are facing."
—D Dye
Vitamin K levels lower in stroke patients
October 16 2020. A study of chronic stroke patients reported on October 6, 2020 in the journal Nutrients revealed that the majority consumed an amount of vitamin K that was below recommended intake levels.
The study included 60 men and women between the ages of 54 to 68 years who experienced more than six months of residual deficits after the onset of ischemic stroke. Dietary records were analyzed for the intake of vitamin K and other factors. The subjects were divided into groups according to whether their vitamin K consumption met or was below the recommended intake of 120 micrograms (mcg) per day for adult men and 90 mcg for adult women.
Eighty-two percent of the study subjects reported an inadequate daily intake of vitamin K. An equal percentage of subjects did not report using a multivitamin supplement, most of whom did not meet the recommendation for vitamin K. Subjects who did not supplement their diets with vitamin D and calcium also failed to attain the recommended adequate intake levels of these nutrients. Those whose diet met the adequate intake of vitamin K were likelier to have a greater intake of vegetables, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin E in comparison with those whose intake was lower.
Authors Chad Wessinger of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues remarked that vitamin K has a role in the prevention of vascular calcification and noted that “The potential relationship between vitamin K intake and cardiometabolic disease introduces vitamin K intake as a conceivable additional measure when assessing chronic stroke survivors’ risk of recurrence.”
“Due to vitamin K’s potential therapeutic interactions with various diseases, controlled supplementation may be indicated for individuals struggling to consume adequate amounts,” they wrote. “Vitamin K supplementation should be considered as a potential adjuvant therapy to address atherosclerosis.”
—D Dye
Long term care residents missing out on vitamin D
October 14 2020. An article published on October 13, 2020 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health reveals that many residents of long term care facilities are not receiving vitamin D supplements despite widespread deficiency and nearly three decades of recommendation by the English government.
To understand this failure, Joseph Williams and Carol Williams of the University of Brighton conducted interviews with workers who had a role in long term residential care. They identified four factors: the perception of vitamin D supplements as medicines that need be recommended by the residents’ physicians, lack of awareness of national recommendations, ethical issues and practical issues. “This study highlights that a gap exists between public health guidance and practice around vitamin D supplementation in the care sector: the professionals involved in the care of elderly residents perceive vitamin D as a medicine rather than a food,” the authors concluded.
"This research re-emphasises the role of vitamin D in health, an issue that has become even more relevant, given the growing body of evidence,” commented Sumantra Ray, who is the executive director of the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health.
“We also know that an adequate level of vitamin D is key to the maintenance of good general health, and deficiencies can only be picked up by proactive testing, or when this isn't feasible, by adopting a preventive approach in line with Public Health England guidelines,” stated Shane McAuliffe, also of NNEdPro. “This means providing those who may not be able to obtain sufficient vitamin D through sunlight alone with vitamin D supplements throughout the year."
—D Dye
Amino acid, creatine, HMB supplementation associated with greater muscle gains
October 12 2020. A systematic review and meta-analysis published on October 8, 2020 in Nutrition Reviews concluded that supplementing with amino acids, creatine, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB, a metabolite of the amino acid leucine) and protein with added amino acids was associated with improvement in muscle mass.
In their introduction, Aitana Martin-Cantero and colleagues at the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria, Australia, in collaboration with Andrea B. Maier of Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam noted that the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and physical performance defined as sarcopenia is prevalent in up to half of men and women older than 80 years of age. A major contributor to sarcopenia is poor intake of protein and calories, which results in impaired muscle protein synthesis. “The variation in the rates of muscle mass decline among adults is dependent on modifiable lifestyle factors such as nutrition and physical activity,” the authors noted. “Thus, interventions targeting these factors are thought to play an important role in the prevention and management of sarcopenia.”
For their analysis, the team selected 29 randomized trials that included a total of 2,255 men and women aged 65 years and older who received a nutritional intervention or a placebo. Muscle mass was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Nutritional interventions consisted of essential or nonessential amino acids, different forms of creatine, HMB, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and protein supplementation with or without amino acids or other supplements.
Overall, nutritional interventions benefitted muscle mass. Pooled summary effects indicated that amino acids, creatine, HMB, and protein plus amino acids had significant positive effects on muscle mass measures. “The findings highlight the potential role of nutrition as a strategy for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia in older age,” the authors concluded.
—D Dye
Research suggests that a form of glucosamine could help MS patients
October 09 2020. Research findings reported on September 25, 2020 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry suggest a role for N-acetylglucosamine, a form of glucosamine, which is found in the joints and other tissues, against nerve demyelination that characterizes multiple sclerosis (MS).
Demyelination occurs in several neurologic diseases. Myelin insulates the axons that extend from nerve cells and increases electrical signal conduction speed between neurons.
A team led by Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), who is professor of neurology, microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of California School of Medicine, found that N-acetylglucosamine prevented neuro-axonal damage in adult mice with demyelination induced by a toxin. Giving oral N-acetylglucosamine to lactating mice increased myelination in their newborn animals via its presence in breast milk.
"Interestingly, since N-acetylglucosamine is a major component of human breast milk but not baby formula, it may explain some of the cognitive function and myelination benefits realized by children fed breast milk as opposed to formula," noted first author Michael Sy, MD, PhD, who is an assistant professor of neurology at UCI School of Medicine and codirector of the regional MS program at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System.
In humans with MS, lower serum N-acetylglucosamine levels were associated with increased measures of demyelination and microstructural damage. "The association of reduced N-acetylglucosamine serum levels with white matter changes in the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis suggests that N-acetylglucosamine deficiency may contribute to disease severity,” commented coauthor Alexander U. Brandt, MD, who co-led the clinical portions of the study.
"We found that N-acetylglucosamine activates myelin stem cells to promote primary myelination and myelin repair," Dr Demetriou stated. "Our data raises the intriguing possibility that N-acetylglucosamine may be a simple therapy to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis patients."
—D Dye
Protective stress response associated with increased iodide levels
October 07 2020. The October 2020 issue of Critical Care Explorations revealed a role for iodide—the free form of the mineral iodine—in the stress response of people and animals.
Mark B. Roth, PhD, and colleagues examined blood samples collected from men and women who had undergone blunt force trauma or sepsis and hibernating arctic ground squirrels. They found that plasma iodide increased by 17-fold within two hours of experiencing trauma and by 26-fold in sepsis patients compared to healthy human controls. Ground squirrels undergoing hibernation, which is associated with physiologic stress, had elevations in iodide as well.
In mice, stress was generated by inducing a lack of blood circulation in a hind-limb, which is not a severe enough stress-inducing condition to stimulate an increase in blood iodide. Administering iodide after the injury but prior to allowing blood flow to return resulted in less muscle and heart damage, and a decrease in lung edema in comparison with untreated animals who underwent the same injury. Muscles of the injured hind legs of treated and untreated animals were observed to have higher iodide levels than uninjured hind legs. “The results presented here demonstrate that in response to significant physiologic stress, mammals increase blood iodide and that iodide supplementation improves outcome after injury,” the authors concluded.
"We've known for many years that stress-induced inflammation makes injuries even worse," remarked coauthor Ronald Maier, who is surgeon-in-chief at Harborview Medical Center. "In this study we found that iodide could provide a recyclable, effective and safe way to block damage from excessive inflammation caused by over production of oxygen radicals after injury and provides a potential therapeutic approach to enhance recovery, prevent complications and reduce mortality in severely injured patients. The use of iodide in the clinical setting should soon be moving to clinical trials."
"Our study suggests that rapid increases of iodide in the blood could represent an ancient response to stress that is shared across animals,” Dr Roth stated. “If we can harness this capability it could transform emergency medicine."
—D Dye
Higher indictors of coffee intake associated with lower Parkinson disease risk
October 05 2020. Research reported on September 30, 2020 in Neurology® uncovered a lower risk of Parkinson disease among men and women with higher plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of caffeine and coffee metabolites. The finding held true for participants who had a genetic mutation that placed them at greater risk of the disease. A lower risk of Parkinson disease had previously been found among coffee drinkers who did not carry the mutation.
The investigation compared 188 Parkinson disease patients to 180 people who did not have the disease. Some members of both groups had the LRRK2 mutation that predisposes people to Parkinson disease. Blood plasma and CSF samples were analyzed for caffeine, the coffee metabolites paraxanthine, theophylline and l-methylxanthine, and trigonelline, a marker of coffee intake. Two hundred twelve subjects completed questionnaires that collected data concerning their daily caffeine intake.
Parkinson disease patients who had a normal copy of the LRRK2 gene had a 31% lower plasma caffeine level than noncarriers without the disease. Among those who carried the mutation, caffeine levels averaged 76% lower in Parkinson disease patients compared to unaffected carriers. Similar associations were observed for caffeine metabolites and trigonelline in plasma and CSF samples. Dietary questionnaire responses revealed that LRRK2 carriers with Parkinson disease consumed 41% less caffeine daily than carriers without the disease.
"These results are promising and encourage future research exploring caffeine and caffeine-related therapies to lessen the chance that people with this gene develop Parkinson's," commented first author Grace F. Crotty, MD. "It's also possible that caffeine levels in the blood could be used as a biomarker to help identify which people with this gene will develop the disease, assuming caffeine levels remain relatively stable."
"We don't know yet whether people who are predisposed to Parkinson's may tend to avoid drinking coffee or if some mutation carriers drink a lot of coffee and benefit from its neuroprotective effects," she added.
—D Dye
Bifidobacteria help manage inflammation
October 02 2020.The October 2020 issue of Anaerobe published the finding of researchers at the I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute for Vaccines and Sera and RUDN University in Russia of a protein occurring in the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum that blocks the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a). While inflammation is an essential defense mechanism in the body, an excess such as that which occurs during “cytokine storms” can be damaging and sometimes deadly.
“Bifidobacteria are the prevalent group of bacteria inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of healthy children and amounting to a few percent of the total gut microbiota in adults,” Ilya N. Dyakov and colleagues wrote. “Bifidobacteria are known to play a significant role in shaping and sustaining the immune system. Today there is mounting evidence emphasizing the immunomodulatory properties of Bifidobacteria, which are due to both their cell components and metabolites.”
The researchers sought to determine how one of B. longum’s surface proteins, known as FN3, binds or blocks cytokines. They found that FN3 binds to TNF-a, a major factor in cytokine storms. Confirmation of the ability of B. longum’s surface proteins to recognize specific cytokines supports the team’s hypothesis that the bacteria regulate our immune response.
"Studies of cytokine-binding properties of microorganisms have become extremely important recently in view of the current epidemiological situation,” commented senior author Valery Danilenko, PhD, of RUDN University. “Uncontrollable inflammation or cytokine storm is one of the most prominent elements of COVID-19 pathogenesis. Selective binding of TNF-α, one of the key factors of inflammation, with a fragment of the FN3 protein of Bifidobacterium longum opens a prospect for developing new medicinal drugs that would slow down the cytokine reaction. It has already been agreed that a preclinical trial of a new FN3-based anti-inflammatory medication should be conducted as quickly as possible."
—D Dye
