Red meat linked to colon cancer recurrence

Red meat diet linked to colon cancer recurrence Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/14/07 "Colon cancer survivors with diets heavy in red meat and fatty foods are more than three times as likely to suffer a recurrence of their disease or die from it than those who avoid such foods...Previous studies had shown that a high-fat diet, especially one with lots of red meat, may increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer, a leading cancer killer..."We know that a variety of dietary factors affect people's risk of developing colon cancer, including high red meat intake and certain sugary foods," Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt ..."

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Dad's telomeres and lifespan matches daughters

The long and the short of it The Economist 8/12/07 "...what remains unknown is why some people have longer telomeres than others. And it is this question that Dr Hsueh addresses in a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...adjusted for age, the telomeres of men and women were the same length. (In the outside world, men generally have shorter telomeres than their female contemporaries.) That correlates nicely with the fact that among the Amish, men and women are equally long lived. And, since it is unlikely (though not impossible) that Amish men are genetically different from others, it also suggests that men's shorter telomeres in the outside world are a result of the way they conduct their lives, rather than an inevitable property of being male...Children's telomeres did, indeed, correlate in length with those of their parents—but they correlated only with one parent, the father. Moreover, it was not merely the father's telomere length that correlated with that of his offspring, but also his actual lifespan. But here, too, there was a sex-linked wrinkle. The correlation between paternal lifespan and children's telomere length applied only to daughters. Moreover, the age at which men and women became parents also influenced their offspring's average telomere length: the older the parents, the longer the offspring's telomeres..."

Beyond the curiosity of telomere length, I want to know what on earth are the Amish doing wrong? 71 years ave. lifespan... for "clean living." Time to hit the vino tinto more. Actually I'd love to find out why they live 7 yrs less than the average American.

Also there's an earlier study showing that children born to a young mother have the greatest chance of reaching 100. How to square these two studies? I have no idea.

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Waist size is key indicator for heat disease

Pot belly linked to heart disease BBC New 8/13/07 "Even a small pot belly can increase the risk of heart disease...Research from the University of Texas found large waist measurements, relative to hip size, were linked to early signs of heart disease. This confirms other research that waist size, rather than overall body weight, is a key indicator of heart disease. The study of 2,744 people suggests that a waist size of 32ins (81cm) for a woman and 37ins (94cm) for a man represents a "significant" raised risk...They found adding a few inches to the waist increased the risk of damage in the arteries, even if body weight remained within the normal range..."Fat that accumulates around your waist seems to be more biologically active as it secretes inflammatory proteins that contribute to atherosclerotic plaque build-up, whereas fat around your hips doesn't appear to increase risk for cardiovascular disease at all... "

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bacteria-devouring virus - bacteriophage to combat MRSA

'Red Army' virus to combat MRSA BBC News 8/13/07 "An old-fashioned treatment for bacterial infections which was once found in every Red Army soldier's kit bag is being touted as a new weapon against hospital superbug MRSA...a bacteria-devouring virus called a bacteriophage..."But it's this specificity which makes them so attractive," says Dr Ron Dixon, Head of the Department of Forensic and Biomedical Sciences at Lincoln University. "It will only kill the bacteria you want it to." ...Once the phage has entered the body, it attaches itself to the bacteria causing the infection, and shoots in its own DNA to make the bacteria start producing bacteriophages. Within 30 minutes, up to 200 new phage are created, according to Dr Dixon, and in the process the bacteria die...The job done, the phage automatically start to disappear. ...And if the bacteria become resistant to the phage, as they have done to antibiotics, a new phage matched to the new bacteria can be developed. In order to inhibit resistance, a cocktail of phages would most likely be used in treatment. There are no known side-effects, researchers stress..."

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US Slipping in Life Expectancy Rankings

US Slipping in Life Expectancy Rankings AP News/My Way News 8/12/07 "Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries...For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles..."Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray...A baby born in the United States in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years. That life expectancy ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier...Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years, according to the Census Bureau. It was followed by Japan, Macau, San Marino and Singapore...The shortest life expectancies were clustered in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has been hit hard by an epidemic of HIV and AIDS, as well as famine and civil strife. Swaziland has the shortest, at 34.1 years, followed by Zambia, Angola, Liberia and Zimbabwe...Researchers said several factors have contributed to the United States falling behind other industrialized nations.

• A major one is that 45 million Americans lack health insurance, while Canada and many European countries have universal health care..."
• Adults in the United States have one of the highest obesity rates in the world. Nearly a third of U.S. adults 20 years and older are obese, while about two-thirds are overweight
• Racial disparities. Black Americans have an average life expectancy of 73.3 years, five years shorter than white Americans.
• A relatively high percentage of babies born in the U.S. die before their first birthday, compared with other industrialized nations
• Another reason for the U.S. drop in the ranking is that the Census Bureau now tracks life expectancy for a lot more countries - 222 in 2004 - than it did in the 1980s

So there you have it. It's mostly down to a worsening health care system, lack of insurance, lousy health habits of Americans, African Americans suffering disproportionately in our system and increased number of Census Bureau trackings. So for the US to increase life expectancy now should be relatively simple. Right...

For an interesting interactive study in life expectancy rankings check out this new Google technology. Gapminder World beta. Google does it again, thanks to their attention to TED.

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Green tea extract boosts glutathione S-transferase - defense against cancer

Green Tea Boosts Production Of Detox Enzymes, Rendering Cancerous Chemicals Harmless ScienceDaily 8/10/07 "Concentrated chemicals derived from green tea dramatically boosted production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people with low levels of these beneficial proteins, according to researchers at Arizona Cancer Center...green tea concentrate might help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer...In a study of 42 people, the concentrate -- composed of chemicals known as green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea -- boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by as much as 80 percent in some participants...GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study's lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D...They modify the cancer-causing molecules that would otherwise damage cellular DNA, thus rendering them inert... "Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with."...the volunteers were asked to take four Polyphenon E capsules, for a total of 800 milligrams of EGCG, each morning on an empty stomach ...Polyphenon E enhanced GST activity when data from all participants were included for analysis. But it had its most significant effect in volunteers whose baseline blood measurements showed low GST activity -- an 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity. Activity did not change in volunteers with medium GST expression, or in those with the highest levels, GST seemed to decrease slightly although researchers believe that decline was due to random variation..."

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Lactobaccillus GG probiotic proven again to treat diarrhea

Despite Claims, Not All Probiotics Can Treat Diarrhea Say Experts ScienceDaily 8/11/07 "...Duration of diarrhoea was significantly lower in children receiving Lactobacillus GG and a mix of four bacterial strains than in patients receiving oral rehydration alone...not all commercially available probiotic preparations are effective in children with acute diarrhoea...The effectiveness of Lactobacillus GG was not unexpected as several previous studies have shown similar results...the lack of effect in children receiving Saccharomyces boulardii was unexpected, they say, because a previous trial showed it to be beneficial in young children admitted to hospital for diarrhoea..."

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Bacterial load doesn't seem to alter lifespan

Bacteria 'do not cut short life' BBC News 8/10/07 "...It has been thought that the immune system response provoked by even harmless bacteria speeds up the ageing process by using up vital energy. But a study of fruit flies kept in a bacteria-free environment showed they did not outlive their grubby siblings...The researchers admit their experiment cannot be replicated in higher organisms, which need bacteria for proper digestion and other functions. But they said the result in flies still may be relevant to human ageing research...Lead researcher Dr Steven Finkel said: "I think a lot of people would just assume that if you're increasing bacterial load in an ageing human, it must be bad. "It might not just be bad, it just might be. Prior to this study, I would not have thought that."... "

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Diet food could actually fuel obesity

Diet food 'may fuel obesity risk' BBC News 8/8/07 "...In tests on young rats, animals given low-calorie versions of foods were induced to overeat, whether they were lean or obese.
The researchers believe low-calorie versions of usually high-calorie foods disrupt the body's ability to use taste to regulate calorific intake...Lead researcher Professor David Pierce said: "Based on what we've learned, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for their daily activities rather than low-calorie snacks or meals"...older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat...researchers believe the older rats did not overeat because they, unlike the younger rats, were able to rely on a variety of taste-related cues to correctly assess the energy value of their food.
In contrast the younger animals learned to match tastes usually associated with food high in calories with low-fat alternatives, and so carried on eating to try to get their calorie count up when in fact it had already reached a healthy level..."

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Vitamin B1 (thiamine) could help some with diabetes

Diabetes problems 'vitamin link' BBC News 8/7/07 "A simple vitamin deficiency may be the cause of many of the side effects of diabetes, a study suggests. Researchers found people with the disease expelled thiamine - vitamin B1 - from their bodies at 15 times the normal rate in a study of 94 people...thiamine helped ward off complications such as heart disease and eye problems...It is the first time a deficiency of the vitamin, which is found in meat, yeast and grains, has been identified in people with diabetes. It has been missed in the past because of the way thiamine levels were measured...Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "It is early days, but it could have a huge difference..."Around 80% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease and diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the UK's working age population..."

If this proves true it would be amazing for the quality and length of life of those with diabetes.

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Green tea might help fight initial stages of colon cancer

Green tea may stop colon cancer in its tracks - study NutraIngredients.com 8/9/07 "Green tea may stop the growth of colon tumours in their infancy, suggests a new study using mice, but merely drinking green tea offers no benefits against larger tumours..."Our results suggest that green tea specifically targets initial stages of colon carcinogenesis; the time of administration of green tea is pivotal for effective chemoprevention," ..."Beverage levels of green tea are not likely to inhibit the progress of any large adenomas or adenocarcinomas existing prior to the tea administration," ...The results add to an ever-growing body of science linking consumption to a wide range of health benefits, including lower risk of certain cancers, increased weight loss, improved heart health, and protection against Alzheimer's. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin...A mechanistic study indicated that green tea decreased the total levels of the early carcinogenesis biomarker beta-catenin and its downstream target cyclin D1."

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Folate may lower breast cancer risk

Increased folate may slash breast cancer risk NutraIngredients.com 8/9/07 "The researchers calculated that women in the highest average intake group (456 micrograms of folate per day) had a 44 per cent lower risk of invasive breast cancer than women in the lowest average intake group (160 micrograms of folate per day)...the researchers report that the protective effect of folate only applied to the overweight women...the reduced form of folate, 5- Methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) plays a role in a series of reactions for DNA methylation"Changes in DNA methylation patterns are an early event in carcinogenesis and may influence gene silencing," they said. "Folate is also involved in DNA synthesis and repair; folate deficiency has been related to elevated uracil incorporation to DNA and subsequent chromosome breaks, which may contribute to an increased risk of cancer."..."Yet, there is now increasing evidence from randomized trials that high doses of folic acid can foster the growth of common precancerous lesions. The benefit of reducing a relatively small number of neural tube defects may be outweighed by the possible negative effects on tumor promotion in a substantial fraction of the population. ..."

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Coffee may prevent liver cancer

Drinking coffee seems to protect the liver Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/9/07 "Data from 10 studies conducted in Europe and Japan suggest that people who drink coffee may be reducing their risk of liver cancer, although the reasons for the apparent protective effect of coffee remain to be determined...the results showed a 41 percent reduction in the risk of liver cancer (or hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee...Animal and laboratory studies have suggested that certain compounds in coffee may block harmful enzymes involved in the development of cancer. Coffee drinking has also been linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis of the liver and chronic liver disease, which are the major risk factors for HCC. "Thus, there seems to be a continuum of the favorable effect of coffee on liver enzymes, cirrhosis, and HCC,"..."

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To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat, Drink Milk

To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat, Drink Milk ScienceDaily 8/8/07 "Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat...researchers found that the milk drinking group had lost nearly twice as much fat - two pounds - while the carbohydrate beverage group lost one pound of fat. Those drinking soy lost no fat. At the same time, the gain in muscle was much greater among the milk drinkers than either the soy or carbohydrate beverage study participants...As reported in the first phase of the study, the milk drinking group came out on top in terms of muscle gain with an estimated 40 per cent or 2.5 pounds more muscle mass than the soy beverage drinkers. In addition, this group gained 63 per cent or 3.3 pounds, more muscle mass than the carbohydrate beverage drinkers..."

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High-Intensity Ultrasound may help launch attack on cancer

High-Intensity Ultrasound May Launch Attack On Cancer, Wherever It Lurks ScienceDaily 8/8/07 "An intense form of ultrasound that shakes a tumor until its cells start to leak can trigger an “alarm” that enlists immune defenses against the cancerous invasion...findings from animal experiments suggest that once activated by the ultrasound, the immune system might even seek and destroy cancer cells, including those that have spread through the bloodstream to lurk in other parts of the body...That shaking ruptures tumor cell membranes, causing them to spill their contents. The toxic spill then alerts the immune system to the cancer threat, leading to the production of tumor-fighting white blood cells...For reasons that are still not completely understood, cancer cells often go largely undetected by the immune system, Zhong said. For an anti-tumor immune response to be effective, it may need to recognize not only the surface proteins of cancer cells, but some of the other proteins locked inside those cells, which Zhong called “danger signals.”..."

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New theory of facial aging

Theory Of Facial Aging Gets A Facelift ScienceDaily 8/9/07 "The longstanding idea that the entire human face ages uniformly is in need of a facelift..."For hundreds of years, everyone has believed that the fat on the face is one confluent mass, which eventually gets weighed down by gravity, creating sagging skin," said Dr. Joel Pessa..."the face is made up of individual fat compartments that gain and lose fat at different times and different rates as we age"...A youthful face is characterized by a smooth transition between these compartments. As people age, contour changes occur between these regions due to volume losses and gains as well as repositioning of the compartments. Eventually, this can result in sagging or hollowed skin and wrinkles..."

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Coffee may slow memory declines in women... not men

Coffee may slow memory declines in women: study Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/6/07 "...Drinking more than three cups of coffee a day helped protect older women against some age-related memory decline...Men did not enjoy the same benefit..."The more coffee one drank, the better the effects seemed to be on (women's) memory functioning in particular," said Karen Ritchie...women who drank more than three cups of coffee per day, or its caffeine equivalent in tea, retained more of their verbal and -- to a lesser extent -- visual memories over four years...These women had a 33 percent lower odds of having verbal memory declines and 18 percent lower odds of having visual and spatial memory declines, compared to women who drank one cup or fewer per day...The effect also depended on age, with women over 80 reaping more benefits from these beverages than those who were 10 to 15 years younger...Some studies in mice have suggested that caffeine might block the buildup of proteins that lead to mental decline..."

The second coffee study in week that showed a benefit for women but not men. If true then the metabolism of coffee would seem to be different in men and women. What else in the diet do men and women metabolize differently? If this is the case, why is this happening and what is the evolutionary reasons for different metabolisms? Note the frustrations written by a man towards this horribly sexist coffee.

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U.S. breast feeding rates raise

U.S. breast-feeding rates rise to record high Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/2/07 "...The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 74 percent of American women who gave birth in 2004 breast-fed their babies for at least some period of time...The CDC report found that among infants born in 2004, the rate of exclusive breast-feeding through the first three months after birth was 31 percent, shy of the government's goal of 60 percent, and through six months was 11 percent, below the government target of 25 percent...The report detailed racial and socioeconomic disparities among women who provide their babies exclusively breast milk in these first months, with black, teen-age, rural, less-educated, lower-income and unmarried mothers less likely to do so...The 2004 breast-feeding rate of 74 percent was the highest since such statistics were first kept for U.S. women in the 1950s, Philip said. The lowest rate on record was in 1971, when only 25 percent of mothers breast-fed their infants ...The CDC noted that breast-feeding is associated with decreased risk for many diseases and conditions, including ear infections, respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome, obesity, eczema and diarrhea...It also is associated with health benefits to women, CDC said, including decreased risk for the most common form of diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. "Something I think a lot of people may not realize is that there are benefits to the mother as well as the child," Philip said"

An encouraging trend, but not nearly as eye popping at the story would at first present. 31% isn't much for 3 months and 11% is pathetic for 6 months. So it's a victory, although a rather shallow one.

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And speaking of Bisphenal A (BPA)...

Unsafe levels of Bisphenol A found in humans, scientists say NutraIngredients.com 8/1/07 "Human exposure to food packaging chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) is higher than levels found to have caused cancer in laboratory animals...In addition a group of 38 scientists associated with BPA research have issued a consensus statement saying that they are particularly concerned about the use of concern is the use of BPA in food and beverage plastic storage and heating containers and to line metal cans...BPA is an additive widely used in plastic packaging and the resin linings of food cans. It is also used in dental filling. Other published studies have found that the chemical migrates in small amounts into food and beverages from packaging containing the substance...One review reports that BPA is present in many forms in the daily lives of Americans. The common exposure sources are the linings of food cans and some plastic containers, including some popular water and baby bottles...The journal will also publish simultaneously a new study claiming that BPA is functionally similar to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen banned long ago for use by pregnant women...Previous studies have linked BPA with increases in abnormal penile and urethra development in males, early sexual maturation in females, an increase in neurobehavioral problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, an increase in childhood and adult obesity and type 2 diabetes, a regional decrease in sperm count, and an increase in hormonally mediated cancers, such as prostate and breast cancers..."

From previous post more reasons to take folic acid - in order to help prevent epigenetic changes to fetus from BPA.

It seems clear to me that the chemical industry has learned some valuable lessons from the fossil fuel industry and their battle to instill doubt in the public as to the scientific veracity of climate change. The difference, beyond the lies and half truths, is that many chemists have stuck their neck out to say BPA is safe... when in fact their statements are not within the purview of their expertise. When objective researchers (unpaid by industry) who are experts on how chemicals can effect human health study BPA... lo and behold they usually find disturbing results. When the dust on the BPA fracas settles I would hope there would be fallout for those researchers who claimed that BPA was perfectly safe. Of course we all know what the chances of that will be.

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Coffee may prevent colon cancer for women

coffee may prevent colon cancer Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/1/07 "Drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may cut the risk of colon cancer in women by half...Researchers from Tokyo's National Cancer Center studied data from more than 96,000 men and women aged between 40-69 over a period of up to 12 years from 1990, a member of the team said on Wednesday. They found no significant benefit in men..."In Japan, almost all the male population drinks alcohol and there are a large number of smokers," said Manami Inoue of the research team. "There may be some benefit from coffee for men, but it may be that we were unable to adjust for these factors."...The mechanism by which coffee may prevent cancer is unknown, Inoue said. The caffeine it contains could stimulate the working of the colon, or the effect could be due to coffee's antioxidant properties, she said..."

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Epigenetics of BPA blocked by folic acid or genistein

Negative Effects Of Plastic's Additive Blocked By Nutrient Supplements ScienceDaily 7/31/07 "Experiments in animals have provided additional and tantalizing evidence that what a pregnant mother eats can make her offspring more susceptible to disease later in life...exposure within the womb to bisphenol A (BPA), an ubiquitous chemical used in the production of plastics, caused noticeable changes in the offspring without altering any of the offspring's genes. Additionally, the researchers discovered that administration of folic acid or genistein, an active ingredient in soy, during pregnancy protected the offspring from the negative effects of BPA..."Since BPA can be detected at some level in almost all humans, the current findings could hold the promise of reducing disease susceptibility by using nutritional approaches," Jirtle said. "The ability of some agents to counteract the epigenetic effects of a toxin, in this case BPA, with maternal supplements has the potential to protect present and future generations.""

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Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory potential

Study finds omega-3 greater anti-inflammatory potential NutraIngredients.com 7/30/07 "An increased intake of fish oil over vegetable oil can help reduce the inflammation of various tissue and organs...omega-3 fish oil has a greater effect of decreasing the formulation of chemicals called prostanoids than the equivalent from vegetable oil...a relative increase in fish oil lowered the amount of prostanoids from vegetable oil...Prostanoids, when produced in excess, increase inflammation in various tissues and organs...Certain beneficial effects of fish oil may result from altered PG metabolism resulting from increases in the EPA/AA ratios of precursor phospholipids." ...The in vitro study found that an increase fatty acid high in EPA had a greater effect on inhibiting the creation of prostanoids from omega-6 in the COX-1 enzyme. "

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Caffeine, exercise may help ward off skin cancer

Caffeine, exercise may help ward off skin cancer Reuters/Yahoo!News 7/30/07 "...Experiments on mice showed that caffeine and exercise together somehow made them better able to destroy precancerous cells whose DNA had been damaged by ultraviolet-B radiation..."We think that it will be important in terms of prevention, and possibly not only for skin cancer but possibly for other cancers as well," Rutgers cancer researcher Allan Conney...Both caffeine and exercise alone increased by roughly 100 percent the mice's ability to kill off precancerous cells that could lead to skin cancer compared to the mice that did neither. But the mice that did both showed a nearly 400 percent increase in this ability..."extremely preliminary data," and there is no evidence of such an effect in people..."

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Broccoli and cauliflower may prevent prostate cancer

Broccoli and cauliflower may slash prostate cancer risk NutraIngredients.com 7/27/07 "Eating more than one serving of broccoli and cauliflower a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by up to 45 per cent...Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that diets high in cruciferous vegetables result in less instances of certain cancers, especially lung, colon, breast and ovarian cancer, while the new study suggests the veggies may also benefit prostates...broccoli and cauliflower singled out as offering most protection...The cancer-fighting properties of broccoli, a member of the crucifer family of vegetables, are not new and previous studies have related these benefits to the high levels of active plant chemicals called glucosinolates. These are metabolised by the body into isothiocynates, and evidence suggests these are powerful anti-carcinogens. The main isothiocynate from broccoli is sulforaphane."

"Source: Journal of the National Cancer InstitutePublished on-line ahead of print, doi:10.1093/jnci/djm065 "Prospective Study of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer"Authors: V.A. Kirsh, U. Peters, S.T. Mayne, A.F. Subar, N. Chatterjee, C.C. Johnson, R.B. Hayes on behalf of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial"

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Cancer-fighting gene also delays ageing

Cancer-fighting gene also delays ageing: study Reuters/Scientific American 7/18/07 "...The findings could also one day lead to new drugs that prevent or fight cancer while extending healthy youth and lifespan, said Manuel Serrano...Serrano said researchers genetically engineered mice to have an extra copy of a key cancer-fighting gene called p53 and found it also played an important role in delaying ageing..."Everyone agrees that the ageing is produced by the accumulation of faulty cells," Serrano said. "In other words, p53 delays ageing for exactly the same reason that it prevents cancer."...Previous cancer studies have shown that p53 can actually cause premature ageing symptoms by killing too many cells when it goes into overdrive, but Serrano said his research strictly regulated the gene so that it turned on only when needed..."The mice lived 16 percent longer in their average lifespan."...Serrano also said that other research has shown that mice and worms that eat less have slower metabolisms and live longer. But his study offers evidence that the mice can benefit from the extra copy of the genes without having to be starved..."There are a number of chemical compounds that have been developed by the big pharmaceutical companies and these compounds are able to boost p53 in the organism," he said...."These compounds are being tested now for their possible anti-cancer activity and hopefully in the light of our study also for their possible anti-ageing activity.""

So this seems to be evidence that the p53 vs longevity framing is wrong. It isn't an either/or relationship, but rather a when/where/how much question. More p53 at the right times and at the right places appears to reduce cancer and increase lifespan. However too much p53 at the wrong time and wrong places appears to shorten lifespan. At least this is the case for mice and fruit flies.

Probably one of the safest ways to increase p53 is through exercise - that's assuming our bodies can get the balance right. Which might be assuming too much. On the diet side, which might be riskier, ellagic acid and quercetin can both increase p53. Curcumin and resveratrol also might increase p53. Milk thistle increases p53 expression. EGCG increases it. Alpha lipoic acid appears to increase it as well. The leaves of ashwagandha does. Triptolide does through an alternate p53 pathway (a plus if certain p53 pathways are inactivated such as in some prostate cancer).

And to complicate matters there's this research from 2005 on fruit flies showing that if you reduce p53 activity in neurons you increase their lifespan by as much as 58%. This seems to be an example of the importance of the location and amount of p53 protein. An interesting part to this research is the connection the scientists made to caloric restriction ""We believe that p53 is part of the caloric restriction life span extension pathway," Helfand said. "It's not the entire explanation, but it appears to play a major role." "

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Diesel fumes help to clog arteries

Diesel pollution 'clogs arteries' BBCNews 7/26/07 "Diesel fumes appear to combine with artery-clogging fats to raise the risk of heart disease...Scientists found the two act in concert to switch on genes that cause potentially dangerous inflammation of the blood vessels...Lead researcher Dr André Nel, an expert in nanomedicine, said the impact of diesel particles and cholesterol fats combined was much greater than the impact of each in isolation...researchers focused on the interaction between diesel exhaust particles and fatty acids found in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - the "bad" type of cholesterol that leads to artery blockage. Both are sources of molecules called free radicals which cause cell and tissue damage, and can trigger the inflammation that leads to artery disease...Exactly how air pollutants cause cardiovascular injury is poorly understood. "But we do know that these particles are coated with chemicals that damage tissue and cause inflammation of the nose and lungs. "Vascular inflammation in turn leads to cholesterol deposits and clogged arteries, which can give rise to blood clots that trigger heart attack or stroke."..."

I find it amazing how many things in our environment turn on or off genes, or at least change the expression to varying degrees for varying durations. As for the story above and ilk, we're dealing with something different than pleiotropy, different than evolved phenotypic expression for various environments, it is different than epigenetics caused by natural compounds, it is a change of genetic expression caused individually, or in combination by hundreds and more likely many thousands of novel compounds, or semi novel compounds. Not sure what the term would be for this. This story is under reported in the media, like many important stories.

Incidentally I just came across this well written article from 2004 in The Scientist on epigenetics. Ends with the notion that we'll have to study many diseases from the perspective of genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors. Yup, and the interaction may prove more complicated than they imagined.

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Zeaxanthin linked to better mental performance in the elderly

Zeaxanthin linked to better mental performance in the elderly NutraIngredients.com 7/26/07 "Increased intake of the carotenoids lycopene and zeaxanthin may improve the mental performance of the elderly...levels of the carotenoids were linked to the lowest levels of cognitive function amongst 589 healthy older people..."

What are good sources of zeaxanthin? Lots of it is in corn, also green leafy veggies like spinach and kale, it is also found in eggs which also contain lutein. The American Macular Degeneration Foundation has a handy chart of what foods contain the most zeaxanthin. The following is zeaxanthin per 100gms:

"Corn, drainedsweet, yellow, canned, whole kernel-528 mcg"
"Spinach, raw-331 mcg"
"Collards, drainedcooked, boiled, without salt-266 mcg"
"Spinach, drainedcooked, boiled, without salt-179 mcg"
"Orange juice, frozen concentrateunsweetened, diluted -80 mcg"
"Lettuce, rawcos or romaine -187 mcg"

As for bioavailability it looks like eggs allows the zeaxanthin into our bloodstream efficiently. Bioavailibility appears quite important in that certain foods do not deliver it into our bodies as well as others. The one egg a day study on macular degeneration showed that you could safely raise levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in the body without affecting LDL cholesterol. If eggs seem to be a great way to reduce the risk of macular degeneration, can they also fight cognitive decline? More on macular degeneration and eggs here.

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Aspirin can reduce colorectal cancer

NSAIDs Treatment Can Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk ScienceDaily 7/26/07 "...A study of Medicare patients with osteoarthritis provides additional evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin reduce the risk of colorectal cancer...Comparing information on 4,600 individuals with colorectal cancer to data from 100,000 controls, they found that a history of osteoarthritis was associated with a 15 percent reduction in the likelihood of a colorectal cancer diagnosis. A similar association was seen when total knee replacement was used as a marker for NSAID treatment..."

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Low Literacy Equals Early Death Sentence

Low Literacy Equals Early Death Sentence ScienceDaily 7/26/07 "...Low literacy impairs people's ability to obtain critical information about their health and can dramatically shorten their lives...older people with inadequate health literacy had a 50 percent higher mortality rate over five years than people with adequate reading skills. Inadequate or low health literacy is defined as the inability to read and comprehend basic health-related materials such as prescription bottles, doctor appointment slips and hospital forms...Low health literacy was the top predictor of mortality after smoking, also surpassing income and years of education...Most of the difference in mortality among people with inadequate literacy was due to higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease... "

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life

Low vitamin D levels linked to higher blood pressure

Low vitamin D levels linked to higher blood pressure NutraIngredients.com 7/25/07 "People with low blood levels of vitamin D may be at an increased risk of higher blood pressure - a problem that could be easily remedied with supplements..."The finding that ethnic differences in vitamin D status explained about half of the increased prevalence of hypertension in non-Hispanic blacks, compared with non-Hispanic whites, supports the previous suggestion that low vitamin D levels in non-Hispanic blacks may be a factor in their increased hypertension prevalence," ...people with the highest average 25(OH)D levels (at least 85.7 nmol/L) had systolic diastolic and blood pressure 3.0 and 1.6 mm Hg lower, respectively, than people with the lowest levels (40.4 nmol/L or less)...These results from a nationally representative US sample show that systolic BP and pulse pressure are inversely associated with serum 25OHD... The inverse association between serum 25OHD and systolic BP has clinical significance, because the latter variable is a better predictor of coronary heart disease risk than diastolic BP, particularly in older people," ...A recent review of the science reported that the tolerable upper intake level for oral vitamin D3 should be increased five-fold, from the current tolerable upper intake level (UL) in Europe and the US of 2000 International Units (IU), equivalent to 50 micrograms per day, to 10,000 IU (250 micrograms per day)."

DogVitals dog supplement - helping dogs live a younger, healthier life