Genetic Key to Longevity?

Genetic Key to Longevity?: "Sept. 2, 2008 -- Scientists looking into aging say they've found a gene that's related to living a long and healthy life...One gene called FOXO3A caught the researchers' attention. Participants who were in better health had similarities on that gene...The study showed the long-lived group was leaner (lower waist-to-hip ratio), had lower levels of blood fats (triglycerides), lower glucose and insulin levels, and greater prevalence of FOXO3A gene variation at baseline..."up to 50% of the variation in human life span might be explained by genetic differences."...The FOXO3A gene is located on what researchers call the "insulin signaling pathway" and may be linked to how cells respond to stress...In studies done with mice and roundworms, genes that are along the insulin signaling pathway seem to protect against obesity that can come with aging, stress on a cellular level, and life span."

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High fiber intake may cut preeclampsia risk

High fiber intake may cut preeclampsia risk - Yahoo! News:
2008.08.02
"Pregnant women who increase their fiber intake by 5 grams a day -- the equivalent of 2 slices of whole grain bread -- may reduce their risk of developing preeclampsia by about 14 percent, researchers report...Women who reported eating at least 21.2 grams of total fiber a day, compared with those eating less than 11.9 grams daily, were 67 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia...They calculate that every 5-gram increase in daily fiber intake led to a 14 percent reduction in preeclampsia risk...Moreover, women with the highest fiber intake had triglycerides nearly 12 points lower and high-density lipoproteins ('good' cholesterol) more than 2.6 points higher than women with the lowest daily fiber intake..."

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DHA alone can lower triglycerides

omega-3 fatty acids can lower triglycerides NutraIngredients.com 2/7/07 "Subjects were randomized to either 1000mg of DHA or 1252 mg of DHA + EPA for eight weeks. A total of 116 subjects were enrolled; 57 in the DHA group and 59 in the DHA + EPA group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The mean age was 69.4 years and 70.7 per cent were male...In the study, triglycerides were lowered an average of 21.8 per cent in the DHA group and 18.3 per cent in the DHA + EPA group...a higher proportion of subjects in the DHA group achieved their triglyceride goal (less than 150 mg/dL) compared to the DHA + EPA group (24.6 percent versus 10.2 percent...The study compared Martek's life'sDHA branded microalgae ingredient with a fish oil that provided a combination of DHA and EPA. Martek said it did not fund or sponsor the study...DHA from microalgae is regarded as an important development in this area, as traditional vegetarian sources of omega-3 such as flaxseed yield shorter chain fatty acids, which lose a portion of their health benefits for humans when they are converted into DHA and EPA by the body...One of the most interesting developments in microalgae-derived oils comes from a company called Water 4, which says it has found a way to derive both DHA and EPA from algae. Although it has started selling finished supplements using its oils on the internet, its ingredient is yet to come to market"

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Carbs, ethnicity and variations in cholesterol

Carbs may explain ethnic variations in cholesterol Reuters/Yahoo!News 1/19/07 "South Asians ate the most carbohydrate and had the lowest HDL cholesterol levels, while Chinese individuals ate the least carbohydrate and had the highest levels of the beneficial blood fat, Dr. Anwar T. Merchant of the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario and colleagues found...When calories from carbohydrates replace energy from fat in a person's diet, both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels fall while triacylglycerol levels rise, the researchers explain...South Asians ate the most carbohydrates, followed by Europeans, Native Americans, and Chinese. After adjustment for several factors including age, ethnicity, body mass index and alcohol intake, the association between carbohydrates and lower HDL cholesterol remained, with people consuming the most carbs having an average level of 1.08 mmol/L, compared to 1.21 mmol/L for those who ate the fewest carbohydrates. Each additional 100 gram per day of carbohydrates was tied to a 0.15 mmol/L drop in HDL cholesterol. Triacylglycerol levels also rose in tandem with carbohydrate intake"

They also noted that increases sugar intake was associated with lower HDL levels.

Also more evidence that Triacylglycerols (a more awkward name for triglycerides) is highly linked with carbohydrate intake.

This comes as a great disappointment to a carb lover like myself. The evidence seems fairly clear that one should control intake of carbs. With the simplistic formula being more carbs = greater chance of heart disease. Also more sugar = greater chance of heart disease.

The question then becomes are there carbs that are less bad, and are there forms of sugar less bad?

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