Anti-Aging Research

Low Vitamin D Level Increases Risk of Kidney Failure 2.6 Times

2010-03-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

Low levels of vitamin D may account for up to 60% of the elevated risk of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans according to a report in the December 2009 issue of the American Society of Nephrology. Researchers analyzed a nationwide sample of 13,000 americans, including measurements of vitamin D levels. The participants with the lowest vitamin D levels were 2.6 times as likely to end up on dialysis compared to those with higher levels.

For further information, view the full article on vitamin D levels and the risk of end stage kidney disease.

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High CRP and Normal LDL Are Long-Term Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Stroke and Death

2010-01-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

New research shows a long-term benefit in screening people for c-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation, even if they have normal levels of bad cholesterol, because of increased long-term risk for heart attack, stroke and death.

"The new study analyzed patients' risk over an average of seven years to determine that CRP is, in fact, a long-term indicator of cardiovascular risk," said Ballantyne. "This is important because approximately one in five ment over 50 and women over 60 has a similar profile of increased CRP, but normal LDL."

Read details of the high CRP, normal LDL cardiovascular risk study.

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Low Vitamin D Levels Explains Most ESRD Risk in African Americans

2009-11-04T00:16:00.000-08:00

Low levels of vitamin D may account for nearly 60 percent of the elevated risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans. "Our study adds to previous evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to the progression of kidney disease and the need for dialysis."

We found that 25(OH)D deficiency was responsible for about 58 percent of the excess risk for ESRD experienced by African Americans. Vitamin D deficiency is a very common problem in the United States. In recent years, studies have linked low vitamin D to many different health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, and heart disease. The new results add to previous evidence that low 25(OH)D levels are an important risk factor for ESRD.

View details of this kidney disease vitamin D study.

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N-Acetyl Cysteine Effective for Acute Liver Failure

2009-10-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

The antidote for acute liver failure caused by acetaminophen poisoning also can treat acute liver failure due to most other causes if given before severe injury occurs. Acute liver failure occurs when cells in the liver die quickly, resulting in toxins being released into the bloodstream and brain. Patients often end up in a hepatic coma as a result of toxins not being cleared by the failing liver. Known causes of acute liver failure include autoimmune hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury, hepatitis A and B, and acetaminophen poisoning.

Researchers found that acute liver failure patients in early stages of hepatic comas, when treated with the medicine N-acetylcysteine (NAC), were nearly 2.5 times more likely to survive than those treated only with a placebo.

Read more about this N-Acetyl Cysteine acute liver failure study.

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Future Diabetes Treatment May Use Resveratrol to Target the Brain

2009-10-10T00:37:00.000-07:00

Resveratrol, a molecule found in red grapes, has been shown to improve diabetes when delivered orally to rodents. The brain plays a key role in mediating resveratrol’s anti-diabetic actions, potentially paving the way for future orally-delivered diabetes medications that target the brain.

“We know that sirtuins are expressed in parts of the brain known to govern glucose metabolism, so we hypothesized that the brain could be mediating resveratrol’s anti-diabetic actions,” said Roberto Coppari, PhD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

These findings may lead to new strategies in the fight against type 2 diabetes.

View details of this resveratrol diabetes study.

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Kudzu May Lower Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol

2009-10-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Kudzu may prove to be a valuable dietary supplement for metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects 50 million Americans, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

The researchers say studies on animal models showed that substances called isoflavones found in kudzu root improved regulation of contributors to metabolic syndrome, including blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood glucose.

An excessive amount of glucose in the blood is linked to both diabetes and obesity. Wyss says puerarin seems to regulate glucose by steering it to places where it is beneficial, such as muscles, and away from fat cells and blood vessels.

View details of this kudzu blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, metabolic syndrome study.

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Why Low Vitamin D Raises Heart Disease Risks in Diabetics

2009-08-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know why.

They have found that diabetics deficient in vitamin D can't process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. The new research has identified a mechanism linking low vitamin D levels to heart disease risk and may lead to ways to fix the problem, simply by increasing levels of vitamin D.

View details of this vitamin D diabetic heart disease risk study.

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Vitamin D Prevents Infections

2009-08-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Participants in a study on fracture prevention were randomly assigned to receive 800 IU per day of vitamin D, 1,000 mg per day of calcium, both supplements, or placebo for 24 to 62 months. Among the 55% of questionnaire respondents who were still taking their treatment, the incidence of infections was 20% lower in those assigned to received vitamin D than than those assigned not to receive vitamin D (p=0.06).

A dose of 800 IU per day of vitamin D appears to be the minimum amount that improves various clinical outcomes in elderly people.

View details of this vitamin D infection study.

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Millions of U.S. Children Low in Vitamin D

2009-08-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The striking findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency could place millions of children at risk for high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

The researchers found that 9 percent of the study sample, equivalent to 7.6 million children across the U.S., was vitamin D deficient, while another 61 percent, or 50.8 million, was vitamin D insufficient. “We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking,” says lead author Juhi Kumar, M.D., M.P.H.

View details on this children's vitamin D study.

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Vitamin D and Other Nutrients Linked to Heart Disease

2009-07-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Emerging research suggests that nutritional factors—including vitamin D, magnesium, and others—may influence the risk and progression of cardiovascular disease.

People with vitamin D deficiency are at increased risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease. In patients who already have heart disease, low vitamin D may increase the risk of high blood pressure or sudden death.

Low levels of nutrient— magnesium—may lead to a "cascade" of harmful inflammation-promoting events. This may lead to disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), increasing vulnerability to injury from other forms of stress.

View details of this vitamin D, magnesium and vitamin B heart disease study.

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N-Acetyl Cysteine May Help Treat Patients With Compulsive Behavior

2009-07-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

The amino acid N-acetyl cysteine appears to reduce symptoms of compulsive hair-pulling in patients with a condition known as trichotillomania, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Psychosocial problems are common in individuals with trichotillomania and include significantly reduced quality of life, reduced work productivity and impaired social functioning. N-Acetyl Cysteine's efficacy lends further support to the hypothesis that therapies manipulating the glutamate system (called glutamatergic agents) may target core symptoms of compulsive behaviors.

View details on this N-Acetyl L-Cysteine compulsive behavior study.

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Nattokinase for Hypertension

2009-07-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

Eighty-six patients with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension were randomly assigned to receive 1 capsule per day of nattokinase or placebo for 8 weeks. Compared with placebo, nattokinase significantly decreased mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

View Nattokinase for Hypertension further details.

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Quercetin Increases Endurance without Regular Exercise Training

2009-06-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

A study by researchers at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health shows that quercetin, the powerful antioxidant/anti-inflammatory compound found in fruits and vegetables significantly boosts endurance capacity and maximal oxygen capacity (VO2max) in healthy, active but untrained men and women.

The fatigue-fighting and health properties of quercetin – found in the skins of red apples, red onions, berries and grapes – have implications not only for athletes and soldiers whose energy and performance are tested to the extreme, but also for average adults who battle fatigue and stress daily.

View details of this quercetin increases endurance study.

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Antibiotics Take Toll on Beneficial Microbes in Gut

2009-06-24T00:48:00.000-07:00

In studies in mice, University of Michigan scientists have shown that two different types of antibiotics can cause moderate to wide-ranging changes in the ranks of probiotic bacteria in the gut. In the case of one of the antibiotics, the armada of “good bacteria” did not recover its former diversity even many weeks after a course of antibiotics was over.

"The study results suggest that unless medical research discovers how to protect or revitalize the gut microbial community, “we may be doing long-term damage to our close friends.”

View details on this antibiotic probiotic gut microbe study.

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Green Tea Extract Shows Promise in Leukemia Trials

2009-06-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting positive results in early leukemia clinical trials using the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an active ingredient in green tea. The trial determined that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can tolerate the chemical fairly well when high doses are administered in capsule form and that lymphocyte count was reduced in one-third of participants.

The majority of individuals who entered the study with enlarged lymph nodes saw a 50 percent or greater decline in their lymph node size.

View details on this green tea leukemia study.

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Vitamin D3 May Halt Lung Function Decline in Asthma and COPD

2009-05-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

Vitamin D may slow the progressive decline in the ability to breathe that can occur in people with asthma as a result of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) proliferation, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

The group found that calcitriol, a form of vitamin D, naturally synthesized within the body, reduced growth-factor-induced HASM proliferation in cells isolated from both persons with asthma and from persons without the disease. The proliferation is a part of process called airway remodeling, which occurs in many people with asthma, and leads to reduced lung function over time.

Read more about vitamin D halts asthma and COPD

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DHEA Hormone Replacement Increases Bone Density in Older Women

2009-05-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Taking a DHEA supplement combined with vitamin D and calcium can significantly improve spinal bone density in older women, according to a new study from a Saint Louis University scientist and his colleagues at Washington University.

The results of the study are promising for older women. According to Weiss, patients who achieve similar increases of 2 to 4 percent in spinal bone density with the help of medication experience a 30 to 50 percent reduction in risk of spine fractures.

Read details on this dhea bone mineral density study.

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Folic Acid May Help Treat Allergies, Asthma

2009-05-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

“Our findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms,” says lead investigator Elizabeth Matsui, M.D.

Read details on this folic acid allergy and asthma study.

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Oral Vitamin D May Help Prevent Atopic Dermititis

2009-03-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

A study suggests that use of oral Vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.

Atopic dermatitis is characterized by areas of severe itching, redness and scaling. Over time, chronic changes can occur due to constant scratching and rubbing. The condition puts patients at increased risk for skin infections by Staph aureus and the herpes and small pox viruses.

Study participants were all given 4000 IUs of oral Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) per day for 21 days. Skin lesions were biopsied before and after the 21-day period. The researchers found that oral vitamin D use by the patients appeared to correct the skin’s defect in cathelicidin.

Read details on this vitamin D-3 atopic dermititis study.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids Keep Arteries Healthy

2009-03-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Fish are generally rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have shown benefit in many health areas such as helping to prevent mental illness and delaying some of the disabilities associated with aging.

Researchers found that a diet rich in fish oils can prevent the accumulation of fat in the aorta, the main artery leaving the heart. They found that the fatty acids contained in fish oil markedly inhibit the entry of “bad,” or LDL, cholesterol into arteries and, as a result, much less cholesterol collects in these vessels.

Read more on this omega-3 fatty acid artery study.

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Mediterranean Diet Associated With Lower Risk of Cognitive Impairment

2009-02-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Eating a Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with less risk of mild cognitive impairment—a stage between normal aging and dementia—or of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment into Alzheimer’s disease.

Previous studies have shown a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease among those who eat a Mediterranean diet, characterized by high intakes of fish, vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals and unsaturated fatty acids, low intakes of dairy products, meat and saturated fats and moderate alcohol consumption.

The Mediterranean diet may improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and blood vessel health overall, or reduce inflammation, all of which have been associated with mild cognitive impairment. Individual food components of the diet also may have an influence on cognitive risk. For example, potentially beneficial effects for mild cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment conversion to Alzheimer’s disease have been reported for alcohol, fish, polyunsaturated fatty acids (also for age-related cognitive decline) and lower levels of saturated fatty acids.

Read details on this mediterranean diet cognitive impairment study.

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Vitamin D Tied to Muscle Power in Adolescent Girls

2009-02-08T00:52:00.000-08:00

Vitamin D is positively related to muscle power, force, velocity and jump height in adolescent girls.

Vitamin D affects the various ways muscles work and we’ve seen from this study that there may be no visible symptoms of vitamin D deficiency,” said Dr. Ward.

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Diabetes Increases Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

2009-01-31T23:42:00.000-08:00

Diabetics have a significantly greater risk of dementia, both Alzheimer’s disease — the most common form of dementia — and other dementia.

Researchers from Sweden show that getting diabetes before the age of 65 corresponds to a 125 percent increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia was significant for mid-life diabetics — as opposed to those who develop diabetes after 65.

Read details on this diabetes Alzheimer's dimentia study.

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Resveratrol May Protect Against Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

2009-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Researchers reported a protective effect for resveratrol against alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.

Laboratory research has associated alcoholic fatty liver with the inhibition of two signaling molecules, SIRT1 and AMPK, which regulate the liver’s fat metabolism pathways. Dr. Min You and colleagues fed mice low-fat diets supplemented with or without ethanol (alcohol) and/or a low or high dose of resveratrol, and measured the expression of SIRT1 and AMPK in the animals’ livers. They confirmed that resveratrol activated SIRT1 and AMPK in the mice that received alcohol, which prevented fatty liver.

See the resveratrol alcoholic fatty liver disease article citation.

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Researchers Link Blood Sugar to Normal Cognitive Aging

2009-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

Senior moments are a normal part of aging. Such lapses in memory, according to this new research, could be blamed, at least in part, on rising blood glucose levels as we age. The findings suggest that exercising to improve blood sugar levels could be a way for some people to stave off the normal cognitive decline that comes with age.

Previously, using high-resolution brain imaging, Dr. Small and his colleagues discovered that decreasing brain function in one area of the hippocampus, called the dentate gyrus, is a main contributor of normal decline in memory as we age. Showing for the first time that blood glucose selectively targets the dentate gyrus is not only our most conclusive finding, but it is the most important for 'normal' aging- that is hippocampal dysfunction that occurs in the absence of any disease states.

Read details on this blood sugar link to cognitive decline.

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