• Cardiovascular Risk Markers Predict Heart Attacks and Strokes

    Cardiovascular Risk Markers Predict Heart Attacks and Strokes

    October 12, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

    An article in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that cardiovascular risk markers predict heart attacks and strokes. A summary of this study was also published by NBC News. 30-year follow-up of the Women’s Health Study This is based on a 30-year follow-up study of the Women’s Health Study. In the beginning … [Read More...]

  • Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    September 21, 2024 by · Comments Off on Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    A clinical study at the end of 2023 showed that red meat and processed meat can become a cause of diabetes. The authors published the results of this study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on December 2023. Results of the study Notably, the study consisted of several pooled studies. To emphasize, … [Read More...]

  • Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    September 7, 2024 by · Comments Off on Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    Shocking medical news found that Ozempic and Wegovy can lead to blindness in one eye. Ozempic was approved by the FDA for treatment of diabetes. Wegovy, which is the same drug, got FDA approval for treatment of obesity. The pharmacological name of the drug is semaglutide. Both brand names of the drug are very … [Read More...]

  • Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    August 17, 2024 by · Comments Off on Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    This article is about exercise for healthy aging and a young brain. A review article in Medical News Today states that several research papers showed that exercise greatly improves brain health, cognition and mood. It also reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. The benefits of regular exercise  Here … [Read More...]

  • Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    August 2, 2024 by · Comments Off on Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    Many people sleep throughout the night, but do you wake up every night at 3 AM? This article will explain to you what to do. A recent article of CNN Health reviewed why this happens in some people and what you can do about it. Nocturnal awakenings are common. Waking up several times during the night occurs … [Read More...]

  • Prostate Cancer Patients Were Significantly Helped with a Plant-based Diet

    A Plant-based Diet Helped Prostate Cancer Patients Significantly

    July 20, 2024 by · Comments Off on A Plant-based Diet Helped Prostate Cancer Patients Significantly

    A new study in JAMA Network Open showed that a plant-based diet helped prostate cancer patients significantly. Briefly, in this study physicians followed 2062 men with localized prostate cancer for a median follow-up of 6.5 years. The researchers paid close attention to the diet of these patients. Physicians … [Read More...]

    Oct
    12
    2024

    Cardiovascular Risk Markers Predict Heart Attacks and Strokes

    By | blood test, Cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diet, fasting mimicking diet, Fitness, heart attack, Heart Disease, Mortality, Stroke, Weight loss

    Leave a Comment

    An article in The New England Journal of Medicine stated that cardiovascular risk markers predict heart attacks and strokes. A summary of this study was also published by NBC News.

    30-year follow-up of the Women’s Health Study

    This is based on a 30-year follow-up study of the Women’s Health Study. In the beginning of the study all women had blood tests taken. In the beginning none of the women had cardiovascular disease.  The blood tests were LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). When either of these markers was high at the beginning of the clinical trial, it turns out that 30 years later the person either was dead from cardiovascular disease or had a heart attack or stroke.

    More details of the study

    In the beginning of the study 27,939 initially healthy U.S. women had 3 of the mentioned blood tests taken. If only one of them was elevated, there was a risk in the next 30 years to get a myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes. The initial age of the patients was 54.7 years. During the next 30 years of follow-up 3662 cardiovascular events took place. Hazard ratios for the primary end point in a comparison of the top with the bottom quintile were calculated. The following hazard ratios were derived:

    • 70-fold for high-sensitivity CRP
    • 36 for LDL cholesterol
    • 33 for lipoprotein(a)

    Each biomarker showed an independent contribution to the overall risk. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease was highest when all three biomarkers were elevated.

    Traditional risk calculation

    Cardiologists calculated risk for cardiovascular events by the traditional 10-year estimates of risk. The authors suggest that physicians should do screening blood tests with these three biomarkers. If any of the biomarkers is elevated, measures to reduce cardiovascular risk should be initiated. This will be very effective to prevent cardiovascular events for the next 30 years.

    Be proactive, prevent heart disease

    As we get older, many people develop elevations of high-sensitivity CRP, LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein (a). But don’t wait for this to happen. Here are 9 steps you  can follow to prevent it.

    • Maintain a healthy weight
    • Quit smoking
    • Choose good nutrition
    • Be physically active
    • Treat hypertension adequately
    • Manage diabetes, if you have it
    • Stress management
    • Limit alcohol intake
    • Get enough sleep

    Comments to the steps you can take to prevent cardiovascular disease

    The ideal body mass index is between 21.0 and 22.0. I found that the fasting mimicking diet helps me to stay in that BMI range. Good nutrition eliminates red meat and emphasizes vegetables and salads. Fish, lean chicken and turkey meat are healthy. Avoid all processed meats like sausages. Watch your calorie intake to keep your body mass index stable. In addition, avoid excessive salt and sugar intake. Avoid highly processed carbohydrates and processed food. Eliminate fried fast food, chips and baked goods from your diet as they contain trans fats. Trans fats cause hardening of the arteries.

    Aim to get 30 to 60 minutes of daily activity. Do two or more strength training sessions a week. This raises the protective HDL cholesterol and prevents cardiovascular disease. Excessive alcohol intake leads to cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Limit your alcohol intake, if you find it hard to eliminate it altogether.

    Cardiovascular Risk Markers Predict Heart Attacks and Strokes

    Cardiovascular Risk Markers Predict Heart Attacks and Strokes

    Conclusion

    A unique 30-year follow-up study of the Women’s Health Study identified three risk factors that a doctor can be determin from a blood sample. They predict whether a person will develop cardiovascular disease 30 years down the road. The three risk factors are high-sensitivity CRP, LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein (a). The best approach to prevention of heart disease is to adopt the approach of the Mayo Clinic described above. It comes down to the basics of good nutrition, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting excessive alcohol intake and stress management.

    Sep
    21
    2024

    Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    By | Diabetes, meat, Processed food, processed meat, red meat

    A clinical study at the end of 2023 showed that red meat and processed meat can become a cause of diabetes. The authors published the results of this study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on December 2023.

    Results of the study

    Notably, the study consisted of several pooled studies. To emphasize, there was a total of 216,695 participants and the authors followed them up every 2 to 4 years. In detail, the investigators analyzed food frequency questionnaires for consumption of red meat, processed meat, and consumption of nuts and legumes. In particular, the authors compared the highest and lowest red meat consumption quintiles. Those who ate the highest amounts of total red meat had a risk of 1.62-fold to develop diabetes. With regard to processed meat the risk was 1.51-fold to develop diabetes. And those who consumed unprocessed red meat had a risk of 1.40-fold to develop diabetes.

    • When people replaced 1 serving of meat per day with nuts and legumes, this reduced their risk for diabetes by 30%.
    • A group that had replaced processed red meat by 1 serving/day with nuts and legumes reduced the risk for diabetes by 41%.
    • Replacing unprocessed red meat by 1 serving/day with nuts and legumes reduced the risk for diabetes by 29%.

    Some scientists criticized the study saying that it was not controlled for elevated body mass index (BMI). A person with an elevated BMI is at a higher risk of developing diabetes on its own and this can interfere with a study like this.

    Alternative large study confirming risk of red meat to develop diabetes

    This study was a meta-analysis, which involved data from 31 cohorts participating in the InterConnect project. There was a total of 1,966,444 adults in this study and 107,271 patients developed diabetes over a period of 10 years.

    • People who ate unprocessed meat had a 10% increase of diabetes risk compared to people not consuming meat.
    • When processed meat was consumed it caused diabetes in 15% of the study group.
    • On the other hand, poultry consumption caused only 8% of diabetes.

    There were slight regional differences for the same foods. In the discussion of the data the authors pointed out that in comparison to the first study mentioned above their risk ratios were lower, because all the data was corrected for compounding factors that could distort the figures. As an example, they noted that without BMI adjustment unprocessed meat would have caused 18% of diabetes. On the other hand, processed meat would have caused 23% of diabetes and 21% of diabetes for poultry consumption.

    Recommendation to reduce or eliminate red meat consumption

    The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends to eat less than 18 oz. of red meat or processed meat per week to avoid cancer development.
    You can replace meat with nuts, legumes (lentils and beans), tofu and vegetables.

    Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    Red Meat and Processed Meat Can Become a Cause of Diabetes

    Conclusion

    Two independent large studies concluded that consumption of red meat and processed red meat contributed to diabetes development in adults. We also know from other studies that it can cause cancer. The key is to replace red and processed red meat by nuts, tofu, legumes and other vegetables. Both studies have shown that doing so reduces the risk for diabetes.

    Sep
    07
    2024

    Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    By | fasting mimicking diet, Nutrition, Obesity, Weight loss

    Shocking medical news found that Ozempic and Wegovy can lead to blindness in one eye. Ozempic was approved by the FDA for treatment of diabetes. Wegovy, which is the same drug, got FDA approval for treatment of obesity. The pharmacological name of the drug is semaglutide. Both brand names of the drug are very popular, but they have side effects.

    List of side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy

    Physicians noted the following side effects of semaglutide. Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gas and bloating, stomach pain, fatigue, burping and changes to your face (Ozempic face). In addition, headache, rebound weight gain, low blood glucose, vivid dreams, hair loss, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney damage. Finally, there are also allergic reactions, thyroid tumors and stomach paralysis (gastroparesis) that are listed as side effects.

    Rare side-effects of Ozempic and Wegovy

    There is one side effect of Ozempic or Wegovy, namely a higher risk of developing a rare form of blindness. This has the name “Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy” or “NAION”. Only 10 out of 100,000 people in the general population may experience it. But patients who take Ozempic or Wegovy get this more often. People who took Ozempic for diabetes were 4-times more likely to develop blindness in one eye from NAION. And people who took Wegovy for obesity were 7-times more likely to get blind on one eye from NAION.

    Alternative measures to treat diabetes and obesity

    The question is whether you really need Ozempic or Wegovy to achieve control of your blood sugars or control of your body weight.“A crossover study showed that a fasting-mimicking diet is benefitting cardiovascular health. This new study was done by Dr. Valter Longo et al. from the University of Southern California. It compared the effect of two diets. They were the fasting-mimicking diet versus an unrestricted diet. In other studies Dr. Longo compared the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) with a Mediterranean diet. He said: “The significance is that fasting-mimicking diet cycles were able to decrease fat mass without reducing muscle mass and without requiring changes in the subjects’ preferred diet for 25 days a month. In contrast, the everyday Mediterranean diet required a change in everyday dietary habits and had an association of 5 pounds loss of muscle.” It makes sense to use the FMD instead of the potentially dangerous Ozempic or Wegovy.

    Effects of the fasting mimicking diet

    The fasting mimicking diet consists of 5 days of a calorie reduced diet (500 to 600 calories per day) once a month. This helps you to reduce your weight and maintain it subsequently. Weight loss and control of diabetes are the main effects.

    Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    Ozempic and Wegovy can Lead to Blindness in one Eye

    Conclusion

    A rare complication of the popular medications Ozempic and Wegovy is the development of a rare form of blindness. This has the name “Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy” or “NAION”. Only 10 out of 100,000 people in the general population may experience it. But patients who take Ozempic or Wegovy get this more often, namely 4-times more often with Ozempic and 7-fold more often with Wegovy. On the other hand, weight loss can be achieved with a simple fasting mimicking diet, where you consume 500-600 calories for 5 days in a row per month. The rest of the month (25 days) you take in a normal diet. This helps you to slowly shed weight and maintain your reduced weight.

    Fasting mimicking diet much safer than Ozempic or Wegovy

    In my opinion the fasting mimicking diet is much safer than taking Ozempic or Wegovy. Current mainstream medicine claims that the likelihood of developing one-sided blindness from NAION is “negligible”. However, I prefer the FMD over Ozempic or Wegovy. It is important to me to maintain vision in both of my eyes.

    Aug
    17
    2024

    Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    By | andropause, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, Diabetes, diet, e-cigarettes, exercise, Fitness, Health, heart attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, lifestyle, Menopause, sleep, Smoking, stress, Stroke, sugar, Weight loss

    This article is about exercise for healthy aging and a young brain. A review article in Medical News Today states that several research papers showed that exercise greatly improves brain health, cognition and mood. It also reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

    The benefits of regular exercise 

    Here is a list of the beneficial effects of regular exercise:

    • Increased muscle strength
    • Improved heart health
    • Lower blood sugar
    • Improved mood
    • Alleviates stress
    • Improvement of cognitive function

    Researchers from Stanford Medicine have examined in a rat model how exactly exercise influences various tissues. Unfortunately, such experiments in humans are not possible and results of rat experiments do not readily translate into the human context. In 8 weeks of regular exercise rats experienced stimulation of the immune system, a reduction of the stress response, an increase of energy production and stimulation of the metabolism. From indirect measurements we know that in humans the same findings likely also hold true. The mitochondria, the area in cells where energy production occurs, are stimulated in muscles, the heart, liver, kidneys, and white adipose tissue.

    Effect of exercise on the immune system

    Researchers showed in a mouse model that exercise stimulated the T cell response and rejuvenated aging microglia in the brain. The result is a strengthening of the immune system and rejuvenation of the supportive microglia. In the aging human regular exercise rejuvenates microglia in the hippocampus. This can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

    Exercise strengthens brain cell connections

    How does exercise affect the functioning of the brain?

    Ryan Glatt is a senior brain health coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica. He said: “Exercise enhances synaptic plasticity and blood flow while reducing inflammation and increasing the expression of neurotrophic factors like Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These effects can synergistically improve memory, learning, and overall brain health.”

    The best forms of exercise for brain health

    Glatt said: “Activities combining physical and cognitive challenges, like dance or tai chi, can be especially effective for certain aspects of brain health.”

    Brisk walking is a simple method of exercise. However, we also need isometric exercises, which helps muscle strength and endurance. A good way of combining the two forms of exercise is to regularly go to a gym. Use a treadmill for 30 minutes and then use 30 minutes of a workout with 10 weight machines. Mix this with tai chi or ballroom dancing several days per week. This keeps you mentally and physically fit.

    Slow your biological age through the use of the “Essential 8”

    Research identified 8 factors that determine how long you live. These 8 factors are what can lower your biological age by 6 years. Here are the 8 factors:

    • Diet

      A diet high in fruit, vegetables and lean meats helps you to lower your cholesterol level. In addition, avoid trans fats, fried foods and sugary foods. This helps you to lose weight and prevents Together with regular exercise eating a healthy diet prevents heart attacks and strokes.

    • Activity

      The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. Alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity achieve the same thing. Examples of moderate aerobic activity are a brisk walk, jogging, biking, social dancing and water aerobics. Vigorous aerobic activity involves spinning, running, swimming laps or jumping rope. Exercise reduces blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It also helps people to reduce weight.

    • Quit smoking

      Smoking cigarettes, vaping or using e-cigarettes causes your  body to develop higher blood pressure and damages your blood vessels because of circulating toxins. You also develop shortness of breath from narrowed airways. On the other hand, when people quit smoking, their risk of coronary heart disease drops to half after 1 year.   

    • Getting enough sleep

      People who don’t get enough sleep at night tend to have higher blood pressures, higher cholesterol and higher blood sugar values. This leads to weight increase and obesity. Sleeping at night for 7 to 9 hours improves cardiovascular health.

    • Body mass index (BMI) 

      An elevation of your body weight occurs when you eat the wrong foods and combine this with a sedentary lifestyle. Increased weight causes heart and joint problems as well as diabetes. Eating the right foods and exercising regularly gets your BMI into the normal range. This reduces your biological age.

    • Cholesterol

      An increase of cholesterol can cause heart attacks and strokes. But when you watch your fat and cholesterol intake you can reduce your cholesterol level. Make healthier choices with foods like reducing saturated fats, reducing refined carbohydrate intake, eating more vegetables and leaner meats. This reduces inflammation in the arteries and plaque deposits with much lower risks of heart attacks and strokes.

    • Blood sugar

      Increased blood sugars lead to diabetes. In this case there is accelerated hardening of the arteries in the heart, brain, eyes, and kidneys. This leads to premature heart attacks and strokes. People need to avoid eating refined sugars, carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice) and sugary drinks. This normalizes blood sugars and your biological age reduces. Regular exercise is also important to burn off any excess sugar in the system.

    • High blood pressure

      An elevated blood pressure strains the arteries and the heart. If you don’t pay attention to this you are at a high risk of getting heart failure, a heart attack or a stroke. Sticking to a heart healthy diet, avoiding salty foods, and exercising regularly allows you to lower your blood pressure and avoid the above mentioned complications. If these measures alone do not reduce your blood pressure to normal, ask your doctor to prescribe blood pressure lowering medications for you.

    • Bioidentical hormone replacement

      What was not contained in the 8 factors was bioidentical hormone replacement. As you can see from the illustration, testosterone in males reduces more slowly in males (with a delay of 10 years) in comparison to estrogen reduction in menopausal women. Several authors describe that men and women in andropause and menopause live longer when bioidentical hormones are administered compared to those that do not use hormone replacement therapy.

    Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    Exercise for healthy Aging and a young Brain

    Conclusion

    Regular exercise even in older age keeps your brain free from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But in addition to this other research showed that 7 more factors are important to reduce your biological age. They are a healthy diet, quitting smoking, getting enough sleep and reducing your body mass index. In addition, you need to keep your cholesterol and blood sugar levels normal. Control high blood pressure with a healthy diet, refrain from salty foods and if necessary, treat it with medication.

    Life’s essential 8 factors

    It is important to simultaneously control all these “Life’s essential 8” factors for optimal control. People who do this were found to consistently have a lower biological age than others who do not. They also tend to not get Alzheimer’s disease whereas controls do. Lifestyle factors matter for healthy aging and a young brain. Studies showed that the biological age of those who take care of their lifestyles is on average 6 years younger than that of controls. You can reduce your biological age even further with bioidentical hormone replacement in andropause and menopause.

    Aug
    02
    2024

    Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    By | sleep, stress

    Many people sleep throughout the night, but do you wake up every night at 3 AM? This article will explain to you what to do. A recent article of CNN Health reviewed why this happens in some people and what you can do about it.

    Nocturnal awakenings are common. Waking up several times during the night occurs naturally between sleep cycles. However, these awakenings last only a few seconds to a few minutes, and then we fall asleep again. A complete sleep cycle takes between 90 and 110 minutes and consists of 4 stages.

    It is during the fourth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage that your sleep is lighter and you can wake up briefly. This is normal, if you fall asleep again after. As long as you are not hungover the following day, there is no concern regarding this.

    Problematical nightly insomnia

    However, a small percentage of people wake up around 3 AM every night and have major problems falling asleep again. They may stay awake for 1 or 2 hours and they get a “hangover” the following day due to the missing sleep. Often they may require a nap in the following afternoon to catch up with the sleep deprivation. Dr. Cathy Goldstein, a professor of neurology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor said: “Circadian rhythm is our internal biological clock, it times when we’re awake, it times when we’re asleep — it times most of our physiological processes, so our body does what it needs to do at the right time of day.”

    Night owls and early birds

    She went on to say: “Circadian rhythms and sleep architecture change with age, which might be why someone would feel like they received more deep sleep when they were younger. As people age, they tend to spend more time in light stages of sleep.” There are also other sleep behaviors such as night owls and early birds. It is the night owls who go to bed late, which change their circadian rhythms. This can result in light sleep, more nighttime awakenings and daytime sleepiness.

    What to do when you have problems falling back to sleep

    The key to rectify a changed circadian rhythm is as follows.

    • Always go to bed between 10 PM and 11 PM, which will set the circadian rhythm.
    • Have natural light exposure during the day and have no artificial lights in the bedroom during the night.
    • Make sure the room temperature is cool and there is no noise exposure in the bedroom.
    • Use a low dose melatonin supplement in the night, if you cannot return to sleep right away in the middle of the night.
    • If you cannot go back to sleep within 15 minutes, get up to avoid associating your bed with wakefulness. Listen to relaxing music or meditate.
    • Goldstein said: “If the awakening is naturally caused by your sleep architecture and does not affect how you function the next day, there is nothing to worry about.”

    Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    Do you Wake up every Night at 3 AM?

    Conclusion

    Do you wake up every night at 3 AM? A small percentage of people do. As long as we fall asleep right away this is normal. But, if we stay awake for 1 or 2 hours, we need to do something about it. In order to establish a healthy circadian sleep rhythm, we need to go to bed around the same time of the evening, preferably between 10 and 11 PM. We need to have natural light exposure during the day and have no artificial lights in the bedroom. Make sure the room temperature in the bedroom is cool and there is no noise exposure. Use a low dose melatonin supplement in the night, if you cannot return to sleep. If you cannot go back to sleep within 15 minutes, get up to avoid associating your bed with wakefulness. Listen to relaxing music or do meditation.

    Establishing a “sleep hygiene” with habits like avoiding stimulation and replacing it with relaxation before going to sleep is a good first step to a more restful night.

     

    Jul
    20
    2024

    A Plant-based Diet Helped Prostate Cancer Patients Significantly

    By | breast cancer, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, diet, exercise, Mortality, Processed food

    A new study in JAMA Network Open showed that a plant-based diet helped prostate cancer patients significantly. Briefly, in this study physicians followed 2062 men with localized prostate cancer for a median follow-up of 6.5 years. The researchers paid close attention to the diet of these patients. Physicians compared patients with a high plant-based diet index to patients with a high meat/dairy diet index. Researchers measured prostate cancer progression and found a 47% reduction in prostate cancer progression with the plant-based diet group. This was in comparison to the meat/dairy group. They concluded that consumption of a primarily plant-based diet associated with a better health outcome for prostate cancer patients.

    Colon cancer studies on plant-based diet and exercise

    The medical literature shows that the survival of colon cancer improves when patients consume plant-based diets and at the same time exercise regularly. One study showed that a combination of plant-based diet and regular exercise allowed colon cancer patients to survive longer. This was in comparison to a control group on meat/dairy products who did not exercise.

    Breast cancer patients

    Researchers followed 6,235 breast cancer patients for 9.4 years. A group of women with hormone-negative breast cancer on soy products reduced their risk of dying from breast cancer by 21%. A low-fat diet following breast cancer diagnosis reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 23%. At the same time a low-fat diet also reduced mortality from breast cancer by 17%. Another medical study compared the diet of women who developed breast cancer with diets of women who did not have breast cancer. The offending foods were American, cheddar, and cream cheeses. Women who ate most of these in their diet had a 53% higher risk of developing breast cancer.

    36 foods that help you to fight cancer

    The MD Anderson Cancer Center website lists 36 foods that help you to fight cancer. On top are foods like berries, broccoli, tomatoes, walnuts, grapes and other vegetables, fruits and nuts. Vegetables come in a variety of different colors. Be sure you aim for a rainbow color mix to get the most phytochemicals from your vegetables. Include frozen vegetables, whole grains and avoid processed foods. The website also reminds people that processed meats, red meat and too much alcohol causes various cancers. Women should limit alcoholic drinks to one drink per day. Men should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks per day. Less than that is desirable.

    Prostate Cancer Patients Were Significantly Helped with a Plant-based Diet

    Prostate Cancer Patients Were Significantly Helped with a Plant-based Diet

    Conclusion

    Recently a medical publication stated that prostate cancer patients were significantly helped with a plant-based diet. However, further research of medical publications showed that colon cancer and other cancers were also reduced on this diet. In addition, breast cancer survival increased on soy products, low-fat diets and plant-based diets. Any processed food leads to cancer, heart attacks and strokes with increased mortality rates. The MD Anderson Cancer Center website lists 36 foods that showed cancer protection from phytochemicals. Don’t wait until you come down with cancer, adopt a sensible diet for cancer prevention now!

    Jul
    06
    2024

    New Protein Biomarkers Help Diagnose Cancer 7 Years earlier

    By | Arthritis, breast cancer, Cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, prostate cancer

    Several studies showed that new protein markers help diagnose cancer 7 years earlier than conventional tests. One study described how researchers were able to diagnose 19 different cancers years before other tests could show these results. Another study confirmed that 2,074 circulating proteins showed an association with 9 cancers. These consisted of bladder, breast, endometrium, head and neck, lung, ovary, pancreas, kidney, and malignant non-melanoma.

    First study

    The first study found 371 plasma protein markers that pointed to an increased cancer risk. 107 of them showed an association with cancers that physicians could only diagnose 7 years later. The researchers stated that there was an opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment. The treatment results would be much better than it is the case with a later diagnosis. In this study researchers examined plasma from 503,317 adults aged 39 to 73.

    Second study

    The second study found an association between 40 specific proteins and 9 common cancers as mentioned above. Researchers examined a total of 2,074 circulating proteins in 337,822 cancer cases. Of the 2074 circulating proteins only 40 proteins were specific for the nine cancers that I mentioned above.

    Proteomics

    The scientists who performed the studies with data from the UK Biobank specialized in the discipline of proteomics. This involves a thorough investigation of proteins in blood plasma. Here is a summary of a discussion of the findings of both studies.

    The first study identified plasma proteins that showed linkage to an increased risk of cancer of the liver, digestive and gastrointestinal tracts, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as colorectal, lung, kidney, brain, stomach, esophagus, endometrium, and blood cancers.

    The second study showed links of protein markers to these 9 cancers: bladder, triple-negative breast, endometrium, head and neck, lung, ovary, pancreas, kidney, and malignant non-melanoma.

    The authors of both studies felt that their findings contributed to an early diagnosis of these cancers. Specifically, analysis of blood plasma proteins can diagnose cancer 7 years before a clinical diagnosis.

    Discussion

    Joshua Atkins, PhD, BBmedSci, a senior genomic epidemiologist at the University of Oxford stated: “Proteins that are not causal for cancer development, but are a consequence of cancer growth can provide avenues for detecting cancers at an earlier stage when treatment can be more successful.” Dr. Atkins said further: “Nevertheless, disruption of these processes can result in diseases including cancer. For some proteins, higher blood levels are linked to higher cancer risk, while others may be protective, so higher levels are linked to lower risk.” He explained further that protein concentrations are not always related to one tissue type. He said: “The protein FGFR3 is linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, but lowering its levels is tied to an increased osteoarthritis risk.” It will take more investigations before a clinical test is available that physicians can order to diagnose cancer early.

    New Protein Biomarkers Help Diagnose Cancer 7 Years earlier

    New Protein Biomarkers Help Diagnose Cancer 7 Years earlier

    Conclusion

    Blood proteins showed linkage to a number of cancers in two separate research papers based on the UK Biobank data. The first study identified plasma proteins that were linked to an increased risk of cancer of the liver, digestive and gastrointestinal tracts, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as colorectal cancer, also lung, kidney, brain, stomach, esophagus, endometrium, and blood cancers.

    The second study showed links of protein markers to these 9 cancers: bladder, triple-negative breast, endometrium, head and neck, lung, ovary, pancreas, kidney, and malignant non-melanoma. On average these sensitive cancer tests can diagnose cancer 7 years before a clinician is able to diagnose it. In the future your doctor may screen you for cancer as you age, as cancer is mostly a disease of older people. Earlier diagnosis of cancer will give better treatment results.

    Jun
    22
    2024

    Metabolism Can Vary in People

    By | Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, Diabetes, diet, exercise, fasting mimicking diet, Fitness, green tea, Hormones, lifestyle, mitochondria, Obesity, Smoking, Weight loss

    Weight loss is easier for some than others, because metabolism can vary in people. In the following I will outline this in more detail. A biochemist recently published an article in “the conversation”, which is the basis for my review.

    Everybody has their own metabolism

    It is important to realize that everything that our body comes in contact with influences our physical characteristics like our blood pressure and our energy. Together all the biological characteristics have the name phenotype. The most important factor that influences our phenotype is our metabolism. It matters what you do like eating, whether you are taking medication, smoking, or exercising. This all influences your metabolism. On a molecular level it starts when your digestive system breaks nutrients down into each component: carbohydrates, fats and protein. When your digestive juices break down these food components, electrons are released from chemical bonds. These are transferred to the mitochondria, the energy packages in all of our cells. It is important to note that we do not all have the same metabolism as our neighbour. There are different types of metabolism.

    Metabolism of an elite athlete

    Elite athletes are not born that way. They have to practice hard physically for many hours a day and do that over several years. Their bodies adapt to the regular training by creating extra mitochondria in every cell of their body. Their body also learns how to burn fat, carbs and amino acids into chemical energy effectively. The elite athlete has superior energy production.

    Metabolism of a Covid-19 patient

    At the other end of the spectrum is the metabolism of a Covid-19 patient. Researchers found by examining patients who got sick from Covid-19 that their fat metabolism was impaired. This inability to burn fat persists in long Covid patients. The fatigue from long Covid is due to a dysfunction of the mitochondria. The mitochondria are not producing enough energy.

    The in-between metabolism of blood donors

    Travis Nemkov is an assistant research professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His team investigated blood from 13,000 blood donors. They found that the metabolism of blood donors placed between the metabolism of elite athletes and that of Covid-19 patients. They also found a lot of variation of a metabolite by the name of kynurenine, which is due to a breakdown of the amino acid tryptophan. The researchers found that blood from donors with higher kynurenine levels was unable to restore blood levels of blood recipients. In addition, they found that kynurenine levels were higher in older donors and also in patients with obesity (higher BMI’s). Kynurenine was also a strong predictor for Covid-19 severity.

    Weight loss problems when the metabolism is slow

    We all know people who have a problem shedding their weight compared to others who loose weight with only a few days of food restriction. “People might have fast, slow, or average metabolism, regardless of their body size and composition,” says Dr. Chih-Hao Lee, professor of genetics and complex diseases at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This Harvard University website explains this in detail. How do we speed up a naturally slow metabolism?  We can exercise a bit more, and watch the quality of our food intake. This means cutting out added sugar, too much fat, too many carbohydrates and processed foods. The Harvard website says: “Studies have found green tea contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate, which may increase the calories and fat you burn. “By making these small changes mentioned you can rev up your metabolism.

    Hormones and body weight

    Our metabolism and body weight depend on a number of hormones: leptin, insulin, estrogens, androgens and growth hormone play a crucial role in weight control. Additional hormones, such as the thyroid hormones are involved in maintaining our weight in a healthy range. Researchers have noticed that patients with hypothyroidism gain weight and burn less calories in their mitochondria. On the other hand, patients with hyperthyroidism stimulate their metabolism, lose weight and burn more calories. The exact mechanism of how thyroid hormones interact with the other hormones is unknown.

    Metabolism Can Vary in People

    Metabolism Can Vary in People

    Conclusion

    I came across a review about metabolism and weight control, written by a biochemist. He pointed out that different people have different metabolisms. Examples he gave were the metabolism of elite athletes and the metabolism of Covid-19 patients, who are at the low end. His team investigated the metabolism of 13,000 people who were blood donors. He called them people with an in-between metabolism.

    How to speed up naturally slow metabolism

    How do we speed up a naturally slow metabolism?  We can exercise a bit more, and watch the quality of our food intake. This means cutting out added sugar, too much fat, too many carbohydrates and processed foods. Your physician can also tell you whether your thyroid hormones and your human growth hormone are adequate. Other hormones that regulate your metabolism are leptin, insulin, estrogens and androgens. When you look at the factors that are responsible for your metabolism, the genetic factors come first. Your hormone status, eating pattern and exercise status come second. But by making small changes to the factors mentioned you can rev up your metabolism significantly.

    Jun
    10
    2024

    About Aging and a Prolonged Life

    By | alcohol, andropause, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, diet, exercise, fasting mimicking diet, Fitness, heart attack, High Blood Pressure, Hormones, Menopause, Mortality, Obesity, Prevention, sleep

    The topic “about aging and a prolonged life” is always popular with people. CNN recently discussed this topic with the Nobel prize winner and molecular biologist, Professor Venki Ramakrishnan. He shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath for research on the structure and function of ribosomes. Ribosomes are sub particles in the cell responsible for making proteins. In the following I will summarize this interview.

    What is aging?

    150 years ago, people lived only about to 40 years. Today we can live up to 84 years in most countries. It is because medicine has learnt a lot about the reasons why diseases occur and how they can be cured. Physicians have a number of antibiotics available for those who suffer infections. Heart bypass surgeries and stents can prolong a person’s life when there is hardening of the coronary arteries.

    Aging processes

    The following aging processes occur all our lives:

    • DNA breaks happen in our cells, but repair mechanisms are in place that deal with this. With older age repair mechanisms are more sluggish.
    • Faulty proteins form inside cells, however, we have mechanisms to take care of that.
    • Chemical damage to molecules in our cells accumulates. The cells can only partially eliminate these.
    • Hormone disbalances occur during menopause and andropause. But anti-aging physicians can correct this by doing hormone tests and ordering bioidentical hormone supplements.
    • There are limits of what anti-aging medicine can do: osteoarthritis affects our joints; our muscles are aging and with it our heart muscle. Degenerative neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and dementia occur frequently as we get older with no effective therapies.
    • The immune system weakens with age. To a certain extend vitamin D3 and other supplements can strengthen it, but only to a certain extent.

    Systems working together in our body

    Dr. Ramakrishnan said that our bodies work like cities. In it are various systems that need to work together to keep us alive. If a major system fails, we die. Some of the essential organ systems are the heart, the brain, kidneys, our gut, the lungs, the bone marrow and all our hormone glands. If one of these organs breaks down, we are in trouble. If an organ donor is not available, we perish. But even when everything is working together well, we are limited reaching a maximal lifespan of about 120 years. This has to do with limits of our cell metabolism and the aging processes mentioned above. Science has not found a way to prolong our maximal lifespan and likely will not find one soon. But there are various lifestyles that can prolong life as I mentioned here before.

    Genetic effect on our lifespan

    CNN asked Dr. Ramakrishnan what genetic effects there are that would transmit longevity from a parent who lived until 95 or older to a child’s lifespan. He answered the following: “There is a correlation between the ages of parents and their children, but it’s not perfect. A study of 2,700 Danish twins showed that heritability — how much of our longevity is due to our genes — only accounted for about 25% of lifespan. Still, researchers have found that mutation in just a single gene can double the lifespan of a certain type of worm. Clearly there’s a genetic component, but the effects and implications are complex.”

    Relationship between cancer and aging

    The same genes are involved for the growth of the body at a young age, and the older person who comes down with cancer. In old age the same genes can cause cancer and dementia. Dr. Ramakrishnan said: “Our risk of cancer increases with age because we accumulate defects in our DNA and genome, which sometimes cause gene malfunctions that lead to cancer. But many of our cellular repair systems that seem to be designed to avoid cancer early in life also cause aging later.”

    Apoptosis (programmed cell death) and senescent cells

    The body has two mechanisms in place that counter the danger of developing cancer cells. Dr. Ramakrishnan explained: “For example, cells can sense breaks in our DNA that might allow chromosomes to join in an abnormal way, which could lead to cancer. To prevent that joining, a cell will either kill itself or enter a state called senescence, where it can no longer divide. From the perspective of an organism like us, which has trillions of cells, this makes sense. Even if millions of cells are destroyed this way, these actions protect the whole organism. But the buildup of senescent cells is one of the ways we age.”

    Lifestyle changes that help you live longer

    Dr. Ramakrishnan said that our grandmothers knew what a healthy lifestyle was. The following is a list of what science now confirms adds years to your life:

    • Don’t be gluttonous. Eating a variety of healthy foods in moderation can prevent the health risks of obesity.
    • Get exercise: this helps us regenerate new mitochondria, which are the powerhouses of our cells providing energy.
    • Avoid stress, which creates hormonal effects that change our metabolism and can accelerate aging.
    More life prolonging points:
    • Get enough sleep. This allows our bodies to do molecular-level repair.
    • One of the newer findings is Dr. Longo’s fasting mimicking diet. Do a semi-fast once a month for 5 days with 500 to 600 calories per day. This helps you to shed 0.5 to 0.7 units of body mass index. It also stimulates your immune cells, your stem cells and elongates your telomeres. Long telomeres make you live longer.
    • Replacing missing hormones with the help of an anti-aging physician will add about 10 years to your life. I mentioned this earlier.

    A few more points about longevity research

    Dr. Ramakrishnan said: “Already the top 10% of income earners in both the US and the UK live more than a decade longer than the bottom 10%. If you look at health span — the number of years of healthy life — that disparity is even greater. Poorer people are living shorter, less healthy lives.” He said further about the concept of “immortality”: “I think this quest for immortality is a mirage. One hundred and fifty years ago, you could expect to live until about 40. Today, life expectancy is about 80, which, as author Steven Johnson has said, is almost like adding a whole extra life. But we’re still obsessed about dying. I think if we lived to be 150, we’d be fretting about why we’re not living to 200 or 300. It’s never-ending.”

    About Aging and a Prolonged Life

    About Aging and a Prolonged Life

    Conclusion

    CNN discussed the quest for longevity with Nobel prize winning Dr. Ramakrishnan. He pointed out that the aging process is due to a number of factors that work together. There are DNA breaks, faulty proteins, chemical damage to molecules, hormone disbalances and degenerative changes. We need to watch that we do not overeat, get regular exercise and eat a variety of healthy foods. In addition, we need to avoid stress, get enough sleep and replace missing hormones with bioidentical hormones. A newer boost to your health is the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) from Dr. Valter Longo that helps you keep your weight in the lower body mass index range. Dr. Longo showed in animal experiments and with humans that the FMD elongates telomeres, which directly prolongs life.

    Apply what helps your longevity

    While it is far-fetched to believe that we now have a ticket to live for 120 years or longer, it is more important to know that we can do our part to spend our golden years in health and wellness.

    May
    25
    2024

    Cancer in younger Adults is due to Accelerated Aging

    By | alcohol, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, diet, Heart Disease, Mortality, Processed food, telomeres

    Recent research showed that cancer in younger adults is due to accelerated aging. Researchers presented a paper at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024. They discussed in detail how cancer presents in aging tissues.

    Details of the study

    Researchers examined the UK Biobank databases of 148,724 individuals aged 37 to 54 years. 9 biomarkers from blood of these patients served to calculate the biological age of these patients. The following were the blood tests: albumin, alkaline phosphatase, creatine, C-reactive protein, glucose, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, white blood cell count, and lymphocyte proportion. I will discuss below how they calculated the biological age from these factors. In most patients there was a discrepancy between the chronological age and the biological age.

    The researchers also checked the cancer registries to check how many cancer patients were found before age 55. Nearly 3200 cancers were found. Patients born between 1950 and 1954 were compared to patients born in or after 1965. Surprisingly the younger patients (born in or after 1965) had 17% higher accelerated aging. This made this group more prone to develop early cancers.

    Significance of accelerated aging regarding cancer frequency

    The researchers also found that increases in accelerated aging were associated with a significant risk of early-onset lung cancer, early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, and early-onset uterine cancer. Individuals who had the highest amount of faster aging were compared to people who had the smallest amount of faster aging. The faster aging group had twice the risk of early-onset lung cancer, more than 60% higher risk of gastrointestinal tumors, and more than 80% higher risk of uterine cancer.

    Calculating the biological age 

    The following is a list of items to calculate the biological age (taken from this CNN source):

    • albumin: a protein made by the liver that declines with age
    • creatinine: a waste product in blood produced by protein digestion and the breakdown of muscle tissue; a measure of kidney function. Lower levels correlate with better longevity.
    • glucose: With age, blood sugar stays higher for longer after meals.
    • c-reactive protein: made by the liver in response to inflammation; relatively higher levels correspond to faster aging
    • lymphocyte percent: The concentration of these white blood cells related to immune function tends to decrease with age.

    More items to calculate biological age:

    • mean cell volume: a measure of the average size of red blood cells, which increases with age
    • red cell distribution width: the difference between the size of a person’s smallest and largest red blood cells, which tends to increase with age
    • alkaline phosphatase: an enzyme produced mainly by the liver and bones that tends to increase with age
    • white blood cell counts: Numbers of white cells in the high end of the normal range in the blood may correspond with greater aging.

    Using these criteria, a research group developed the algorithm PhenoAge. This is how the biological age was calculated.

    What factors lower the biological age?

    There are 8 essential components that determine your biological age: diet, physical activity, avoiding nicotine exposure, sleep health, lower body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. This link states that when you optimize this list of 8 essential components your biological age will be 6 years less than your chronological age. It will make you resistant to several diseases including cancer.

    Your telomere length is important to reduce your biological age

    Researchers know for some time that telomere length determines the biological age. Telomere length determines how old we get. It also can predict whether we get illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular diseases as we age. In addition, it determines whether you get the blessing of longevity or not. Researchers showed that two lifestyle habits, namely a Mediterranean diet and regular exercise, preserve our telomeres to give us a younger biological age.

    Effect of Junk foods on our biological age

    Too many people eat unhealthy foods like processed meats, French fries, hamburgers and other processed foods. How does this affect your lifespan? When we consume unhealthy foods and beverages, like sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed foods, we gain weight. Obesity and other chronic conditions are the results that put us at a higher risk regarding at least 13 types of cancer. Included in this are endometrial (uterine) cancer, breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and colorectal cancer.

    How can we counter the devastating effect of highly processed foods?

    We need to buy whole foods that were not processed. Buy fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, organic chicken, fish like wild salmon.  Cook your own meals. This link describes anti-aging foods that help you to enjoy a longer life with less diseases. Other studies showed in the past that this type of food preserves your telomeres, prevents many cancers and prevents heart attacks and strokes.

    Discussion

    The study in the beginning of this review showed a higher cancer frequency in younger patients. This is a new concerning trend. But the study failed to show the reason behind this. In my opinion it is the fact that younger people nowadays have poorer lifestyles than in the past. They consume junk foods and larger amounts of alcohol regularly. This behavior pattern causes shortening of telomeres, lowering of the biological age and the emergence of diseases mentioned above. We need more research into the causes of telomere shortening in younger patients. Also, why do they experience accelerated aging with an increase in the biological age? The research paper shown in the beginning of this review was done on a British population.

    There is a need for other studies

    A similar study with a more diverse population including a record of their eating habits would be welcome. Apart from measuring the biological age, measuring the telomere length would also be useful. In addition, a control group of younger people who consume healthy foods would help as a contrast. This control group likely would have a lower biological age and longer telomeres than the experimental group.

    Cancer in younger Adults is due to Accelerated Aging

    Cancer in younger Adults is due to Accelerated Aging

    Conclusion

    In the beginning of this review, I described a study about younger patients. They had an accelerated biological age with a higher rate of various cancers. I showed that other researchers examined telomere length and the longer it was the less cancer the patients got. I mentioned that eating junk foods, processed meats and consuming sugary drinks was bad for your health. This accelerates your biological age and shortens your telomeres. As this study was based on a British cohort, we need new research that concentrates on a more diversified population. Apart from measuring the biological age, measuring the telomere length would also be useful. In addition, a control group of younger people who consume healthy foods would help as a contrast. This control group likely would have a lower biological age and longer telomeres than the experimental group.