Anti-aging Developments

September, 2010

age-well.org > Anti-aging Discoveries > Anti-aging Developments - September - 2010

Two Superfoods for Reducing Blood Pressure

Anti-aging Developments - 29 September, 2010 -- In a recent study, men and women who consumed the most potassium had a 20 percent lower risk of stroke compared with those who consumed the least amount of the mineral, according to the RealAge website. This is because potassium helps control high blood pressure an important risk factor for stroke. Potassium has the opposite effect that sodium has on blood pressure, helping to keep it low. And it is believed that this mineral also prevents blood clots and arterioslerosis or hardening of the arteries, which also can lead to strokes.

The safest way of getting enough potassium is through your food. Potatoes contain an incredible amount of potassium and another important source, according to real age is grape juice.

In general, a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy appears effective in bringing down your blood pressure reading. The DASH Diet Meal Plan is the ideal eating plan if you want to age well.

Here are some other tips for lowering blood pressure which are from the Realage website:

Top Tips to Lower Blood Pressure:

Eat Less Salt
In most Western cultures we consume far too much salt for our health. The current sodium recommendation made by the US Federal Government's National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) is 2400 mg (~1 tsp of salt). However, a recent study carried out in connection with the DASH Diet Study
Control Your Weight
Carrying extra weight can increase your blood pressure and therefore weight control should be one of your strategies for lowering blood pressure and protecting your heart and arteries.
Build your social network
Apparently the lonelier people feel, the higher their blood pressure may rise. Realage reports that a recent study has shown that loneliness affects the systolic blood pressure reading, sending blood pressure soaring.
Walk for Your Life
Walking everyday can protect your heart and arteries. Realage recommends starting your day with a ten-minute brisk walk and continuing to take ten minute walking breaks throughout the day. A recent report has shown that this will control your blood pressure better than one 40-minute workout on the treadmill.

For more tips on controlling blood pressure read all about High Blood Pressure

(Anti-aging Developments, Source: RealAge website)

Eat Your Beets - Old Wives Tale or Scientific Fact?

Anti-aging Developments - 18 September, 2010 -- II am a great believer in the truth of what are commonly known as "Old Wives Tales". Quite often one reads reports which appear to validate wisdom that has been handed down.

For years I have been told to eat beetroot because "it is good for the blood" or that "it cleans the blood". I have been told this repeatedly by a long-time friend from Central Asia and a grandmother from the Valais in Switzerland.

Now it seems, according to a recent report from NHD Health Watch: Natural Health Dossier that they are a super food against high blood pressure. This is great news. I happen to suffer from that complaint and recent reports i have been receiving seem to indicate that many prescribed medicines actually raise blood pressure instead of lowering it. The other thing is that I love beets, especially when they are served with red onion and a delicious vinagrette.

Beat Hypertension with One Natural Food

Anti-aging Developments, September 8, 2010 -- "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one in three Americans over the age of 20 have hypertension. And over 40 million people wind up in hospital each year with it.

According to the American Heart Association, it increases the risk for:

Heart attack
Angina
Stroke
Kidney failure
Peripheral artery disease or Arteriosclerosis

And while doctors are prescribing drugs that make the problem worse, one simple root can make it better.

A brand new UK study - published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension - says beetroot juice significantly lowers high blood pressure.

The study was conducted by the famous Queen Mary's William Harvey Research Institute and headed up by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia. It's the same institute that discovered that aspirin prevents heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers gave beetroot juice to healthy volunteers. They compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes in their circulation.

And what they found was very good news indeed for people with hypertension. Not only does beetroot juice lower blood pressure... it does it quickly.

Professor Ahluwalia found that patients lowered their blood pressure within three hours of drinking their daily dose! And the effects last for 24 hours.

And the best thing is that the root works best for those who need it most.

Researchers found that “the higher the blood pressure, the greater the decrease."

That's good news for a lot of people. Just like the US, one in three adults in the UK suffer from hypertension. And the Blood Pressure Association says over 30 percent of sufferers don't even know they have it. That's too bad: it results in over 350 "preventable" strokes or heart attacks every day.

Researchers also tested a second group of patients with daily nitrate tablets. They too were able to lower their blood pressure. It's possible that the high nitrate content in beetroot is one of the reasons why it's so effective in lowering blood pressure. And why the research group believe it's about to become the next super food.

(Source: NHD Health Watch:Natural Health Dossier)

Good News for AMD sufferers might also help with vision loss in diabetes

Anti-aging Developments, September 7, 2010 -- Red wine can be the perfect accompaniment to a good meal and its health benefits just make it even more pleasing to the palate. But the latest news of resverastol’s healthy benefits is going to make this beverage flow even more freely.

Resveratrol's heart-healthy benefits are due mostly to improved circulation. And that improvement may also help you avoid one of the most common sources of vision loss: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

There are two varieties of age-related macular degeneration - dry and wet. The second type progresses faster and creates a much higher risk of vision loss. In wet AMD, the retina is damaged by tiny blood vessels that develop behind it — a process called angiogenesis.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been conducting research into whether resveratrol might inhibit angiogenesis. They began by using a laser to prompt micro- capillary formation in the eyes of mice. Later they fed the mice resveratrol. Two things happened: Micro-capillary formation was inhibited, and blood vessels that had already formed were diminished. Of course, research is necessary to see if the same effect is experienced in humans with AMD.

Angiogenesis also plays a role in diabetic retinopathy (another common cause of vision loss), heart disease, and cancer tumour growth. With potential benefits like that, all I can say is: Pour me another glass! And, if red wine doesn't have you raising your glass, try blueberries and peanuts, two other excellent sources of resveratrol.

(Source: Health Institute News Alerts)

Smoking Increases Cardiac Risks

Anti-aging Developments, September 4, 2010 -- Since 2007, smoking has been banned in bars, restaurants and public places in most of the USA's major cities. The trend has spread to many European cities and is spreading, with more countries worldwide bringing in laws to protect citizens from passive smoking.

This ban originally sparked controversy, with smokers claiming their rights had been trampled on and businesses that the ban would bankrupt them. But further down the line, what has really been the result of banning cigarettes?

According to two recent studies in the US, the negative effects which those against the ban claimed would ensue have not materialized and the beneficial effects of the ban are even greater than medical professionals hoped for.

Ohio State University researchers report that in the 30 months after a smoking ban went into effect in all bars and restaurants in St Paul’s Minneapolis, employment increased and this was echoed in a similar study in California. A few years ago, Helena, Montana, in the US, banned smoking in all public buildings. A team from the University of California reports that within six months of the smoking ban, heart attacks in the city dropped by almost 60 per cent, compared with the average rate over the four years before the ban.   

And it is not only active smokers who benefit. Passive smoking also has negative effects on the heart. The aorta begins to stiffen within five minutes of exposure to second-hand smoke. In just half an hour, blood starts to get "sticky" with activated blood platelets. Blood vessel dilation is also reduced. With enough exposure, artery linings can be damaged.

By some estimates, an eight-hour shift spent working in a smoky bar has the same effect on the cardiovascular system as smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. Passive smokers have an increased risk of heart attack, cancer, and emphysema. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular problems and lung cancer triggered by passive smoking.  

Antioxidants are believed to undo some of the damage caused by passive smoking. So researchers examined the effects of vitamins C, E, and alpha-lipoic acid, in 67 middle-aged non- smokers who were regularly exposed to second hand smoke.   After two months, subjects who received the nutrient mix reduced their oxidative stress by nearly 13 per cent compared to placebo. However, further research is necessary to see to what extent this actually reduces the health effects caused by passive smoking.

So click on this link to get advice on how you can quit smoking now

(Anti-aging Developments, Source: World Health Net and the USDA web sites)

The effects of B vitamins on the Aging Brain

Anti-aging Developments, September 2, 2010 --SALSA, a multiyear Sacramento (California) Area Latino Study on Aging has been examining the role that B Vitamins play in nourishing the brain and preventing a decline in its function.

Lindsay H. Allen, a nutritionist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) collaborated with the SALSA team led by Mary N. Haan from the University of California-San Francisco.

The study, which started in 1996, followed approximately 1,800 Hispanic volunteers between 60 and 101. An analysis of their blood samples showed that lower levels of foliate were associated with symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, with the impairments detectable even though less than 1% of the subjects were actually deficient in folate. The team found that in women low levels of folate were associated with symptoms of depression, with females whose plasma folate levels in the lowest third, more than twice as likely to have symptoms of depression, as compared to counterparts in the highest third. In research with Vitamin B-12, the researchers also found that the protein known as holoTC (holotranscobalamin) might be key to a new approach to detect cognitive decline earlier and more accurately.

(Anti-aging Developments, Source: World Health Net and the USDA web sites)

Red meat raises cardiovascular and cancer risks

Anti-aging Developments, September 1, 2010 --Research has linked the consumption of red meat to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. A recent study led by Adam M. Bernstein, from Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA) concluded that substituting red meat with chicken, fish or nuts would have positive results on health, cutting heart disease dramatically in those that did so.

Following 84,136 women, between 30 and 55 for 26 years, the study examined their medical history and lifestyles, including dietary habits, and tracked the incidence of non-fatal heart attack and fatal coronary heart disease.

The researchers found that women who consumed two servings per day of red meat were 30% more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who had a half a serving per day, The data also showed that eating more servings of poultry, fish and nuts significantly decreased the risk of coronary heart disease.

Women who substituted other protein-rich foods for red meat experienced significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease:

• 30% lower risk with one serving each day of nuts • 24% lower risk with one serving each day of fish • 19% lower risk with one serving each day of poultry • 13% lower risk with one serving each day of low-fat dairy products

The team concluded that: “These data suggest that high red meat intake increases risk of [coronary heart disease] and that [coronary heart disease] risk may be reduced importantly by shifting sources of protein in the US diet.”

(Anti-aging Developments, Source: World Health Net)