Air pollution or eating wheat significantly shortened life expectancy?

A recent study linked air pollution to shorten life expectancy. It is probably true except that I found the argument very weak. The authors used data from China and found that the life expectancy is five and half years shorter in the north than in the south. And it argued that for decades (1950 to 1980), a government policy provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north; researchers found no other government policies that treated China’s north differently from the south; therefore, air pollution must have been the culprit.

However, the authors did not mention that the same policy in the same period also provided rice for the south and wheat for the north as the main staple of food. I am quite surprised that nobody told the authors since anyone who lived in China during that period should have known. I left China in 1988 and for every month since I was an adult, I collected about 10 kilos of rice per month (government issued ration coupon). Since I could not eat that much rice a month, I used to exchange the coupon for eggs in the black market. People in the north got about the same amount in wheat flour. It is true, there was very little migration as the authors stated, since migration was strictly controlled. 

In addition to government policy, the eating habit was very different as well. There was very little availability of green leafy vegetables in the north. There were other vegetables, such as Napa cabbages, eggplants, carrots etc., but almost no green leafy vegetables.

I am sure air pollution poses health risks. However, I could have used exactly the same data from China and concluded that eating wheat or not eating green leafy vegetables shorten life expectancy.

Interesting Articles recently

1. Herbal extract from Rhodiola rosea boosts fruit fly lifespan by nearly 25% and it promotes longevity separately from dietary restriction. (here)
2. Testosterone improves verbal learning and memory in postmenopausal woman. The test was done using LibiGel, BioSante Pharmaceuticals or a placebo applied to the upper arm for 26 weeks. (here) 
3.  Osteoporosis drug stops growth of breast cancer cells, even in resistant tumors. (here)
4. Blocking overactive receptor in Alzheimer’s recovers memory loss and more. (here)
5.  Artificial Sweetener "mannitol" a Potential Treatment for Parkinson's Disease. (here)
6. Ten breakthrough technologies of 2013 according to MIT Technology review. (here)

Another excuse to be a beach bum

Research carried out at The University of Manchester has found hypertonic solution, which is a solution with an elevated concentration of salt, can ease inflammation purely through bathing in it (read the abstract here). Of course, the ocean is a perfect hypertonic solution. Another excuse to be a beach bum.

Drinking cranberry juice may help lower blood pressure

In this article, researchers demonstrate that drinking low-calorie cranberry juice may help lower your blood pressure. There are two issues I would like to point out in this study.

One, the subjects are all healthy, i.e. they do not suffer hypertension.

Two,  I would not call dropping of blood pressure values from an average of 121/73 mmHg to 118/70 mmHg significant. I can do better than that with only 10 minutes meditation. With one hour gardening, I can almost always drop my blood pressure from borderline high (just below 140/90 to below 130/85).

Criticism aside, I still think it is a good idea to drink cranberry juice (only the ones you make yourself with a juicer). Nobody really knows how much antioxidant is left with processed juice (check out how orange juice is made). Processed means all of the ready-made juices bought from the store.

Tofu

Tofu is made by coagulating soymilk. It has been eaten for its high protein content for at least two thousand years in Asia. It is popular among vegetarians for the completeness of soy protein (it is the only plant protein that contains all the essential amino acid for humans).

Even though the health benefits of tofu consumption are controversial, researchers have shown that tofu intake reduces cancer risk. 

The amount of tofu necessary to protect against cancer

is <1 serving, or 228 g (1 cup)/day compared with infrequent

consumption.

The health benefit of eating tofu might be due to the presence of BBI (Bowman-Birk inhibitors) and their variants, which are a class of naturally-occurring protease inhibitors. BBI has shown to stop breast cancercells from dividing in a laboratory dish. It may also have anti-inflammatory properties.

In addition to soybeans, BBI and their variants are found in other legumes such as mung bean, lentil, pea and chickpea etc.

Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer

Cruciferous vegetables are considered to be healthy foods. There are numerous cultivars including broccoli, cauliflowers, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, kale, napa, brussels sprouts, radish, mustard, cress, rutabaga, cabbage etc. Basically all the vegetables a kid does not like. We have been told to eat them by our grandmothers, parents, scientists, pretty much everybody. I did not like any vegetables as a child and remember being forced to drink the juice of bok choy as a punishment because I refused to eat vegetables.

Green Tea

Where I come from long long time ago (China), everyone has a tea cup in their hand with green tea leaves in it. The hot water is in thermal bottles not far way from them. Everywhere you go, the bus station, the train station, the gas station all provide hot water.

I have a cousin, who told me that he spends about 600 us dollars a year in tea for a country that a lot of people's yearly income is only that. He values tea a lot, for a good reason.

Is it you or is it your dwellers in your gut?

Some days you are happy; some days you are sad. You think it is all in your head. You read positive thinking books in order to influence your mind. Now they say, those little buggers you cannot see in your gut also influence your mood, according to this article "That anxiety may be in your gut, not in your head"

Why coffee protects against diabetes

Coffee has shown to be protective against type 2 diabetes.

Now scientists may know how it works.

"researchers at UCLA have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect. A protein called sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the biological activity of the body's sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which have long been thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. And coffee consumption, it turns out, increases plasma levels of SHBG.

.... women who drink at least four cups of coffee a day are less than half as likely to develop diabetes as non-coffee drinkers.

When the findings were adjusted for levels of SHBG, the researchers said, that protective effect disappeared.

....

And there's bad news for decaf lovers. "Consumption of decaffeinated coffee was not significantly associated with SHBG levels, nor diabetes risk," Goto said. "So you probably have to go for the octane!"

There you go. Drink your coffee, preferably in black.


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resveratrol increases beneficial hormone adipopectin

The hopeful longevity supplement resveratrol is in the news again. This time it was found to stimulate the expression of adiponectin, a hormone that modulates a number of metabolic processes, including glucose regulation and fatty acid catabolism.

Resveratrol can be found naturally in grapes and other plants and sold as supplement in various purities. It became widely known after Dr. David Sinclair, biologist who studies resveratrol, was interviewed by Barbara Walters.

In the most recent study, resveratrol stimulates the expression of adiponectin, a hormone derived from cells that manufacture and store fat, the team found. Adiponectin has a wide range of beneficial effects on obesity-related medical complications, said senior author Feng Liu, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and member of the Barshop Institute of Longevity and Aging Studies at the Health Science Center.

Both adiponectin and resveratrol display anti-obesity, anti-insulin resistance and anti-aging properties.

“Results from these studies should be of interest to those who are obese, diabetic and growing older,” Dr. Liu said. “The findings should also provide important information on the development of novel therapeutic drugs for the treatment of these diseases.”

The researchers confirmed the finding in cells and animal models.


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Existing cancer drug lenalidomide could restore aging immune system

UCSF “fountain of youth” pill could restore aging immune system

The cancer drug lenalidomide, a a derivative of thalidomide introduced in 2004, is marketed as Revlimid by Celgene.

Lenalidomide has been used to successfully treat both inflammatory disorders and cancers in the past 10 years.

However, as with any scientific research, one should not interpret the result as ready remedy.

Abscisic Acid

Researchers discover how natural drug fights inflammation

The natural drug described here is abscisic acid, which is a plant hormone. It exists in all parts of plants, but high in leaves, seeds and fruits.

Food high in abscisic acid includes carrots, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and cereals. However, high temperature cooking can destroy the acid in the plants. Therefore, eating raw or slightly cooked vegetables might be more beneficial to health.

Another interesting article to read is this:

Cancer: conquered or conqueror?

Health News

Three interesting news from EurekAlert today:

Study reveals 'secret ingredient' in religion that makes people happier

Mindfulness meditation found to be as effective as antidepressants to prevent depression relapse


Low-dose aspirin reduces death rates from range of cancers by between 20 and 30 percent

Another example of doctors not keeping up with science

Via EurekAlert Doctors failing to prescribe low-dose menopausal hormone therapy, Stanford study finds.

Gut Feeling, Brain in the Gut

Read a few articles regarding neurons in the gut and their implications:

Gut Feelings by Melissa Wachterman

The Brain in Your Gut, Biology of a Thanksgiving Meal, Promise Partner

The Enteric Nervous System: The Brain in the Gut

The Brain in Your Gut by Heribert Watzke

Compound in plants (Luteolin) reduces age-related memory deficits

Recent study suggests that luteolin improves cognitive health by acting directly on the microglial cells to reduce their production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain (here).

Luteolin is a common flavonoid found in many plants, including carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, oregano and chamomile. It is thought to play an important role in the human body as an antioxidant.

"The researchers next turned their attention to the effects of luteolin on the brains and behavior of adult (3- to 6-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) mice. The mice were fed a control diet or a luteolin-supplemented diet for four weeks. The researchers assessed their spatial memory and measured levels of inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important to memory and spatial awareness.

Normally, aged mice have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the hippocampus and are more impaired on memory tests than younger adult mice. Aged mice on the luteolin-supplemented diet, however, did better on the learning and memory task than their peers, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains were more like those of the younger adult mice."

The importance of gut flora

Some say that you are the average of 5 of your friends. This may be true in social and financial status. When it comes to health, you may be whom you invite to live with. I am talking about microbes that live on your body.

Wikipedia put it this way about the gut flora: “The human body, consisting of about 100 trillion cells, carries about ten times as many microorganisms in the intestines. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an organ, leading some to liken gut bacteria to a "forgotten" organ. It is estimated that these gut flora have around 100 times as many genes in aggregate as there are in the human genome.”

Studies have linked the microbes in our intestines to beneficial effects, including breaking down fiber into fatty acids; repressing the growth of harmful microorganisms; training the immune system to respond only to pathogens; and defending against some diseases and they are also linked to diseases such as obesity, colon-rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. In a study released today, scientists show that gut bacteria in zebra fish modulate an important signaling pathway where colorectal cancer takes root. The pathway happens to be the wnt pathway, which is known to play a key role in the homeostasis of many tissues; furthermore, its signaling via ß–catenin (one of Wnt’s several receptors) is perturbed in a variety of tumors. Now two complementary papers have demonstrated that Wnt may play a causative role in aging (ouroboros).

My mother has this ailment that I always considered it as a neurosis. Whenever she is nervous, upset or tired, she has diarrhea. This disease is passed on to all her four children. Now all of her children are over 40 years of age and no longer suffer from this ailment. I talked to a family practitioner about it 10 years ago and was told that it was pure nonsense. Reading studies about gut flora made me realize that this ailment has something to do with gut flora, since we all acquire our gut flora from our mothers. In my own case, it took about 20 years after leaving home to be rid of this nuisance. Now my gut flora is probably very different from my mother. I have no doubt that gut flora is as important as scientists claim. Therefore, studies should look at long term couples (different genetics, same gut flora) to see what roles genetics play and what roles gut flora play in cancer development and other diseases.

Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements promote longevity in middle-aged mice

Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements promote longevity in middle-aged laboratory mice according to the article published in October's Cell Metabolism.

BCAA includes leucine, isoleucine and valine. All three are essential amino acids, which means that our body cannot synthesize them and therefore must be taken in through our diet.

Consuming BCAA supplements is different from consuming proteins containing these three amino acids, as the former enters directly into the blood stream and the latter needs to be digested first.

BCAA are already marketed for human consumption. I would think that it is safe for older males who show signs of sarcopenia. However, one must be careful about the balance of things. Previous studies have shown that protein and methionine restriction increase maximum longevity in rodents, whereas neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction seem to change rodent longevity.

Additional note regarding this research is that data was compiled on male mice only.

Universal BCAA 2000 Pure Capsules, Free Form BCAAs with Co-Factors, 120-Count Bottles

Optimum Nutrition Instantized Bcaa 5000 Powder, 336 Grams (11.8 Oz)

It's time to phase out codeine

Scientists say that it is time to phase out codeine.

However, only 20 days ago, codeine was handed out to every single patient in a day-surgery ward. Even though RMD vomitted out the 2 pills of codeine (in Tylenol 3 format) and was in extreme pain, he was totally ignored until it was time to kick him out as he became hindrance to workers wanting to go home. He was then given a shot of morphine and was pushed out of the hospital. The beauty of public health care - money saved and life not endangered.

Cancer drug imatinib may be used to treat Parkinson's Disease

Interesting research by Johns Hopkins scientists ( Parkinson's Disease: Excess of Special Protein Identified as Key to Symptoms and Possible New Target for Treatment with Widely Used Anti-Cancer Drug) shows that a widely used anti-cancer drug imatinib (currently marketed as Gleevec by Novartis) may be effective in controlling symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

The interesting point is that a single drug is being used to treat different cancers, but now a cancer treating drug is also implicated in Parkinson's disease, which is a degenerative disorder of central nervous system. Of course, most cancers and Parkinson's disease are age related. Ageing as a disease needs to be widely accepted before all age related diseases can be cured.

Another example of multi use cancer drug under clinical trial is Ipilimumab by Bristol & Myers Squibb.