Melatonin-the Fountain of youth

Melatonin: The Fountain Of Youth?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/...90622064807.htm


ScienceDaily (June 22, 2009) — Melatonin can slow down the effects of aging. A team at laboratoire Arago in Banyuls sur Mer (CNRS / Université Pierre et Marie Curie) has found that a treatment based on melatonin can delay the first signs of aging in a small mammal.

Better known as the ‘time-keeping' hormone, melatonin is naturally secreted by the body during the night. It is therefore a kind of biological signal for nightfall, allowing an organism to synchronize itself with the day/night rhythm.

At Laboratoire Arago, Elodie Magnanou and her co-workers studied the long-term effects of melatonin on the Greater White-toothed shrew, a small nocturnal insectivorous mammal. Under normal conditions, this animal shows the first signs of aging after reaching 12 months, mainly through the loss of circadian rhythm in its activities. By continuously administering melatonin, starting a little before 12 months, the appearance of these first signs was delayed by at least 3 months, which is a considerable period in relation to the lifespan of this shrew*.

Melatonin is now known to play several beneficial roles. These include being an antioxidant, an anti-depressant, and helping to remediate sleep problems. The next step will be to understand the mode of action of the hormone on aging, so we can perhaps envisage its use on humans.

These results appeared in the journal PLoS One on 15 June 2009.

*The Greater White-toothed shrew has a lifespan of 12 to 18 months in the wild and up to 30 months in captivity. Captivity does not change the time at which signs of aging appear, it simply lengthens life.

Small amount of wine can boost life expectancy

(NaturalNews) Drinking alcohol in excess is associated with a host of health problems, including an increased risk of certain cancers, liver disorders and even brain damage. But new research just published in the online version of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, concludes up to just half a glass of wine daily can have remarkable health benefits. In fact, at least for men, drinking a small amount of wine may boost life expectancy by five years.

Dutch researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands studied a total of 1,373 randomly selected 50-year-old men whose cardiovascular health and life expectancy were monitored regularly between the years of 1960 and 2000. The scientists noted the research subjects' weight and diet and whether the men smoked and for how long. They also checked to see if the men had any serious illness. In addition, the research team documented how much alcohol the men drank, what type it was, and how long they drank. Then they assessed whether the men's alcohol consumption had any impact on their risk of dying from all causes -- including from cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease.

Over the 40 years their health was monitored, an increasing number of the men drank alcohol. In fact, the proportion that drank alcohol almost doubled from 45 percent in 1960 to 86 percent in 2000. What's more, the proportion of those drinking wine soared from only two percent when the study began to 44 percent by 2000.

During the 4 decades long study, some 1,130 of the men died and about half these deaths were apparently caused by cardiovascular disease. But while analyzing the data, the researchers found that light long term alcohol consumption of all types -- up to 20 grams (g) a day -- boosted life expectancy life by around two extra years compared to drinking no alcohol at all. However, life expectancy was slightly lessened for the men who drank more than 20 g.

Another finding could justify wine lovers offering a toast to long life -- the men who drank only wine, and less than half a glass of it a day, lived approximately 2.5 years longer than those who drank beer and spirits. And they lived about five years longer than those who drank no alcohol at all.

According to a statement to the media, the researchers concluded that drinking wine in moderation was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes. What's more, these results held true, no matter the socioeconomic status, diet and other lifestyle habits of the men.

Reference: Long term wine consumption is related to cardiovascular mortality and life expectancy independently of moderate alcohol intake: the Zutphen Study Online First J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; doi 10.1136/jech.2008.082198

For more information:
http://jech.bmj.com/
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...

Aging and hormone replacement therapy

(NaturalNews) Proactive is a great way to describe Lori Steiner. When other women were lining up to get hormone substitution drugs in the late 1990s, Lori realized their dangers and began researching aging and bioidentical hormones. Having worked all her life as a teacher and administrator in the Los Angeles public schools, educating herself came naturally, and she ended up creating her own anti-aging program. Because bioidentical hormones are exact copies of the hormones made naturally in the body, they cannot be patented by the drug companies, and there is no media hype to sell women and doctors on how great they are. Much of what is known about them comes from the actual experiences of pioneering women like Lori, who has used bioidenticals for the past ten years. She has agreed to share her journey and conclusions about aging and bioidentical hormones with NaturalNews readers.

Barbara: Lori, I am thrilled that you have agreed to this interview. Tell us about the time period in your life when you made the decision to attend to your health in a big way. What were the motivating factors?

Lori: My interest was initially motivated when I watched helplessly as my own parents eroded from the ravages of diabetes and Alzheimer's. Their reliance on allopathic medicine and their lack of knowledge in the areas of natural healing and nutrition were contributing factors to their suffering. I was determined to carve out a totally different path for myself and my family. It was a gradual transformation. The cumulative effect is that I have developed a life long commitment to safeguard my health and the health of my family. I began voraciously researching all the available data on vitamins, nutrition, bioidentical hormones, and supplementation. My philosophy is that mind, zest for life, spirituality, health, and lifestyle are all so inextricably intertwined that one aspect cannot function independently of the others. All areas must be addressed, and all components must be ready for acceptance before a person is able to begin the journey.

In this journey I have found that the first line of defense against aging and disease is nutrition, wholesome food, and the elimination of harmful substances that are lurking in so much of the food consumed on a daily basis by an unsuspecting public. My parents suffered so much from health issues brought on by a lack of knowledge about the impact of nutrition on well being. My father died at the age of 62 from complications of diabetes. He became blind from the disease. My mother survived on coffee and something sweet to accompany it. Her focus was never food, and that was a negative. She had colon cancer before developing Alzheimer's, and Western medicine did not have the answers to help either of them. I started to distrust doctors as I lived through the trauma with my family.

Gradually I began learning about the impact vitamins and minerals, from food primarily but also from supplements, have on health. As I began to raise my own family, nutrition became a major consideration. I believe, however, that it was when I began the transition to menopause that I escalated by efforts to protect my health in order to avoid ending up like all the horror stories I was hearing and reading about. I researched everything I could get my hands on. The message resounding loud and clear with me was "Let food be thy medicine." I watched my weight, ate balanced meals, and prayed I wouldn't suffer through menopause. Yet I knew I was changing in some strange way. I felt nervous and anxious every so often. It was then that I began to research the impact of declining hormones on emotional and physical well-being. I was also very concerned about the aging process, both the obvious outward manifestations as well as its effect on health and wellness. Being an educator and avid reader, I began to read all I could about the pros and cons of hormone replacement. At that point, I was on my way to taking full charge of my health, an action which ultimately has affected my appearance, the way I perceive myself, and the way others perceive me.

Barbara: At the time you decided on hormone replacement, hormone substitution drugs were extremely popular, and their detrimental effect on women was not yet known. What made you turn your back on this traditional form of hormone replacement and seek out someone who would prescribe bioidentical hormones?

Lori: My research convinced me, beyond a shadow of doubt, that bioidentical hormones were the way to ease the transition and that progesterone in particular helped maintain and build bone mass. I read the books of Dr. John Lee, then Harvard Medical School professor. His convincing arguments against synthetic hormones and in support of bioidenticals made tremendous sense to me. Yet with all my research, my gynecologist was of the conventional mind-set that upheld the drugs Premarin and Provera as the ultimate solution to the woes of menopause. This was ten years ago when mainstream medicine refused to recognize the efficacy of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (bHRT). I was scolded for my thinking, and chastised that I was being foolish and irrational to refuse hormone drugs. I was warned that my heart, bones, and brain would suffer the consequences of my ill-conceived ideas.

Just as I was finding it difficult to counter the wisdom of traditional medicine, I had the opportunity to hear the wife of television celebrity Judge Wopner speak. She had suffered a coronary while on synthetic hormones, and attributed this near-death experience to the very hormones her doctor had told her would protect her heart. She warned the audience, over a decade ago, not to take synthetic hormones. This was the impetus I needed to stand my ground. I felt empowered once again and certain I had made the correct decision despite the opposition of many medical professionals. This was three years before the 2002 Women's Health Initiative that rocked traditional wisdom with evidence supporting the possibility that synthetic hormones increased the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots, and stroke in menopausal women.

Barbara: You are one of the true pioneers that have so much information to offer women who are contemplating these decisions today. What have you learned about bHRT along the way?

Lori: I have learned that bHRT must never be equated with hormone drug replacement (HRT), the first being a natural alternative, and the latter being a foreign element that the body rejects. If a doctor lumps these two vastly different approaches into the same category, it is time to fine a different doctor. I believe that declining hormones make a person more susceptible to the ravages of the aging process across the board, from skin elasticity to disease resistance. If hormones are replaced utilizing bioidenticals so that they approach youthful, pre-menopausal levels, the results can only assist in the journey to remain as vibrant as possible through the latter stages of life. Bioidenticals coupled with a healthy attitude toward nutrition, exercise, and sleep, will make each passing year something to look forward to. With each passing year I feel mature, but I am keeping aging at bay. Aging is not something I fear and dread. A sense of control is empowering in and of itself. Confidence in one's well-researched conclusions and knowing that what feels right is right makes all the difference.

Barbara: What have you learned about the medical profession?

Lori: I have lost confidence in the vast majority of medical practitioners because their philosophy doesn't match my own. It is unfortunate that we as Americans have medical insurance coverage that that benefits us only when we see doctors who promote pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical industry is propelled by greed and deception. Being that I hold firm to my beliefs in the powers of nature to prevent and cure disease, I approach any appointment with a doctor of Western or allopathic medicine in a way different from the average person. I am armed with knowledge and no longer intimidated if my belief is in opposition to the doctor's. I have been able to utilize conventional physicians to get the blood tests that I want, and I keep my own records. Knowledge is so very powerful. I refuse to blindly accept the decisions of the medical community as the ultimate truth. The proponents of conventional medicine are dragging their feet when it comes to prevention of disease. My metamorphosis, though, did not happen overnight. It is a process that proves that experience is the best teacher. I hope to empower others to take responsibility so their later years can be as rewarding and fulfilling as they should be.

Barbara: How would you describe your current health status, including your looks and weight?

Lori: I am above all an extremely spiritual individual. Balance is the key to wellness, and this balance involves a synergy that radiates from a healthy mind, body, and spirit. I am in excellent health at the age of 61. My weight is optimal, and I look several years younger than my age. I'm not on an ago trip, but just stating a fact for which I am very grateful. My family is all important to me. If I forsake my health, I will not be able to reap the benefit of what my husband and I have created. I plan to enjoy life as long as I can. I believe it is imperative to pursue everything in as positive a light as possible. If you enjoy whatever you do, you will never work a day in your life. That is my philosophy. I love everything I do.

Barbara: Tell us about your health regimen

Lori: My health regimen is focused on prevention, so I live to protect and preserve by life and the lives of my family members. Because my first line of defense is nutrition, I focus on that. Raw, fresh, organic produce, free-range poultry, wild fish, and whole grains are the foods I purchase. I drink water as my primary beverage, and believe in a balanced diet. I eat super foods high in anti-oxidants, like blueberries and kale, and foods high in fiber, like kidney and black beans. I remember to include the good fats like olive oil, avocado, and nuts, while excluding hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated products. I read labels and can identify ingredients that may be detrimental but have been renamed to appear innocuous. No artificial sweeteners. Safeguards include supplements which I research regularly. Exercise, adequate sleep, social interaction. I have periodic blood tests for monitoring purposes. And of course, my bioidentical hormones. I believe the merits of bHRT should be explored by both men and women who want to remain youthful in mind, body, and spirit. As of now, I believe bioidenticals will remain a lifelong commitment for me, and I will continue to be an advocate for bHRT.

Barbara: Sleep and sex seem to be the areas of greatest interest for women contemplating bioidenticals. When hormones are declining or out of balance, sleep becomes almost impossible. Sex becomes impossible too because of lack of interest and lack of physical response.

Lori: Yes, I can attest to the fact that hormones that are out of balance can make trying to sleep a nightmare. However, this was an issue for me only once in my life after the birth of my second child, when my hormones could not handle additional stress in my life. At that time, I was not aware that bioidenticals could help remedy such a situation, so I resorted to medicines that me doctor prescribed. In retrospect, how much quicker and easier a process this would have been had I known what I know today. Being that I have kept my hormones at pre-menopausal levels through menopause, I have not experienced any sleep issues since that time some 29 years ago.

As to sex, I remember when I was younger feeling bloated and sexually irritable one week out of every month. Therefore, I was not as cavalier in experimenting with hormones for the sake of reviving a rip-roaring sexual upheaval. I am pleased that I still have an interest in being sexy, looking attractive, and maintaining an interest in sex. I attribute this to not allowing testosterone to wane to the point where none of this mattered anymore. The wonderful part of bioidenticals is that they are natural and match as nearly as possible the hormones I once naturally produced. Symptomatically, one can tell if one's hormones are too low. It shows up in mood, temperament, and appearance. Although bioidenticals may not be a panacea, they most assuredly should be a part of the equation for the woman looking to age slowly and gracefully, and to hold on to feelings of peace and tranquility while still maintaining a sexual side.

Barbara What advice can you give to women thinking about bHRT?

Lori My advice to any woman contemplating bioidenticals would be to find a knowledgeable anti-aging specialist and go for it, because there is everything to gain and nothing to lose. Ignore the rantings of traditional doctors who, like a broken record, repeat that they cannot condone bioidentical hormones for lack of adequate studies to prove they are safe. There should be no fear. If we wait for more research, it may very well be too late. The time to take charge of your future is now.

For more information see:

http://www.naturalnews.com/025340.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025485.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025301.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025399.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025407.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025293.html

L-Carnitine- the Fountain of youth

(NaturalNews) Throughout human history aging people have yearned for a magic elixir to help them turn back the clock and restore youth. It could be that this dream is about to come true. In a recent landmark study, old lab rats taking a mixture of acetyl L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid regained so much of their youth and vigor they "got up to do the Macarena", according to study director Bruce Ames.

The free radical theory of aging

Scientists studying aging have decided that we age because our cells and the DNA that contains our genetic code sustain damage by an onslaught of highly reactive chemical species they refer to as 'free radicals'. These loose cannons in the body are the result of normal metabolic processes, making oxygen a double edged sword. We can't live without it, but oxygen also generates these damaging chemical species that create havoc with our cells and cause us to age.

A mitochondria is like a tiny furnace contained in each cell in the body. Mitochondria generate energy inside each cell by burning food in the presence of oxygen. This is why cells that are fully oxygenated have a higher level of energy. But again, oxygen can be both friend and foe. This firing process ends up subjecting the mitochondria themselves to high levels of free radical damage. As we age, mitochondria become so damaged by these free radicals that they lose their ability to function efficiently. The result is continually diminishing cellular energy and even more aging. And as our cells lose energy, we become subject to degenerative diseases.

Researchers look for a way to halt mitochondrial deterioration

The study, reported in the October issue of Neurochemical Research, took place at the University of California. Researchers investigated mitochondrial decay and oxidative damage by examining the activity of the mitochrondria in the brains of young and old rats, as well as old rats fed with R-alpha lipoic acid plus acetyl L-carnitine (LA/ALC).

The brain mitochondria of the old rats, compared with that of the young rats, had significantly lower levels of naturally present antioxidants and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. They also had more oxidative damage to fats and proteins, and overall decreased activity. Feeding LA/ALC to the old rats partially restored age-associated mitochondrial dysfunction to the levels had by the young rats. These results document that mitochrondia decay plays an important role in brain aging. They also document that a combination of nutrients targeting mitochrondria can ameliorate mitochondrial decay by preventing oxidative damage.

Interest in LA/ALC has been increasing since researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University found that activity, energy and cognition could be improved by adding the compounds to the diet. Lead researcher Tory Hagen says that after just a month, older rats on the supplement were about twice as active as older rats not supplemented, whose activity was minimal.

Supplementation with LA/ALC has also been shown to improve both spatial and temporal memory. Pictures of the brain cells of supplemented old rats show less decay. Apparently, compounds such as LA/ALC can either mask or reverse metabolic problems caused by cellular aging and the natural oxidative process. Human trials are now underway to determine whether the LA/ALC combo can give people a way to enhance energy and cognitive function well into old age. If in fact they can, the numbers of people afflicted with degenerative diseases could be significantly decreased, and the older years could really become the golden time pictured in ads for retirement accounts.

The University of California has patented the LA/ALC combo as a way to enhance metabolism and alleviate oxidative stress. Juvenon, a company founded by Ames and Hagen have licensed the patent from the university, and introduced their first version of the combo. Fortunately, both R-alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl L carnitine are readily available as separate, non-patented items that can be taken in tandem.

Researchers recommend LA/ALC for prevention of Parkinson's Disease

Researchers in China are also climbing on the LA/ALC bandwagon. The Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, June edition, reported a study to evaluate the preventative effects of LA/ALC on the mitochondra in a human cellular model of Parkinson's Disease. The researchers found a 4-week pretreatment with LA/ALC effectively protected various human neuroblastoma cells against rotenone-induced mitochrondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage.

When combined, LA and ALC worked at 100 to 1000 fold lower concentrations than they each did individually. They also found that the pretreatment with LA/ALC increased mitochondrial biogenesis and decreased production of reactive oxygen species. They reported that LA/ALC might be an effective and safe prevention strategy for Parkinson's Disease.

Source for information about Tory Hagen and Bruce Ames is "Can Acetyl L-Carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid really turn back the clock?", The Facts About Fitness.

Red wine may improve quality of life

(NaturalNews) A phytochemical believed to be responsible for the life-extending benefits of red wine may improve quality of life for the elderly, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute on Aging and Harvard Medical School, and published in Cell Metabolism.

Prior studies have demonstrated that the phytochemical resveratrol lengthens the lives of yeast, flies, worms and fish. Research has also demonstrated that it improves the health and lengthens the lives of obese mice on a high-fat diet.

In the current study, researchers gave a daily resveratrol supplement to middle-aged mice that were on either a normal or calorie-restricted diet.

Scientists have discovered that animals consuming 30 to 50 percent less calories than normal live significantly longer, show less age-related cognitive and physical decline, and have less risk of age-related diseases and stress than animals eating a normal diet.

"But we can't have half of America going permanently on a diet," said researcher Rafael de Cabo. "It's not practical, and it's not going to happen."

Mice that were given resveratrol experienced the same improvements in heart, bone, muscle and liver health as mice on a calorie-restricted diet. All the resveratrol-supplemented mice also exhibited improved health and vigor over the long-term, but they did not actually live longer. The chemical only appeared to increase the lifespan for animals on a high-fat diet.

Resveratrol is found in high levels in grape skins and red wine, and smaller quantities in the crusts of peanuts and walnuts. But researchers are not yet sure if drinking red wine would produce the same effects as resveratrol alone.

"It's very hard to extrapolate from this finding to comment on the benefits of red wine directly, because red wine has many other compounds besides resveratrol, including ethanol [alcohol], which has very active biological effects," de Cabo said. "But red wine is a good source of resveratrol … if these effects translate into humans, it will have a very good impact on the standard of human health."

Sources for this story include: www.washingtonpost.com.

Kiwifruits- one of the highest anti-oxidants

(NaturalNews) The antioxidants found in kiwifruit are absorbed by the body more effectively than those from other antioxidant-rich fruits, according to a study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center in Little Rock, and published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Researchers fed 300 grams per day of green Hayward kiwifruit to seven healthy women volunteers who had fasted overnight before the beginning of the study. The researchers took blood samples from the women before they ate, as well as 1.5, 3 and 4.5 hours afterward. They measured the antioxidant capacity of each blood sample, then exposed the blood cells to hydrogen peroxide and recorded the degree of oxidative damage suffered.

The researchers found that kiwifruit had an antioxidant intake score of 12.5, substantially higher than the known score of 4.2 for grapes and 1.7 for strawberries. This means that eating kiwifruit resulted in the highest absorption and metabolism of antioxidants.

The mechanisms behind the differences in antioxidant absorption from different fruits are still unknown, although the researchers speculated that kiwifruit's high vitamin C content might be partially responsible.

Antioxidants are believed to be important for their ability to remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals have been linked to various kinds of cell damage, including some that cause cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and various symptoms of aging.

"We're learning that anti-oxidants should be consumed with every meal," lead researcher Ronald Prior said, "and if you routinely skip anti-oxidants in your diet, over time, the excess number of free radicals being produced may begin damaging cellular components, ultimately leading to atherosclerosis and cancer."

The researchers noted that while it can not be proven that eating kiwifruit will have any specific health effects until more studies are carried out, the antioxidants in the fruit are known to lower rates of heart disease and cancer.

Sources for this story include: www.upi.com.
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