Anti Aging Health and Nutrition

Posts Tagged ‘anti-aging’

Sitting down for more than six hours a day increases the risk of mortality, particularly in the case of women. This is one of the key findings in a study conducted by researchers of the American Cancer Society and published on the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study followed a cohort of over 123 thousand relatively healthy people over a period of 14 years. Researchers say time spent sitting was independently associated with total mortality, regardless of physical activity level. The study concludes that in order to reduce the risk of mortality, it is not only recommended being physically active but also reducing time spent sitting.

Dr. Alpa Pattel, lead researcher, stated in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society that “Prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.”

The study links the sedentary lifestyle followed by many people in the US to the obesity epidemic as well as to all-cause death rates. Greater physical activity, less sedentarism, having a balanced diet, caloric restriction, and proper consumption of nutritional supplements have all been associated with greater longevity.

At the School of Life Sciences at Lanzhou University, G.A. Liu and R.L. Zheng conducted research into the ability of polyphenols (groups of chemicals found in plants) to protect healthy cells against diseases like heart disease and cancer at the cellular level.

The Study

Seven polyphenols were studied, among them resveratrol.

DNA damage was induced by using hydrogen peroxide on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) which is known to cause single strand breakage in DNA. The researchers then observed the ability of the seven polyphenols to protect the cells against the damage the hydrogen peroxide was invoking on the cellular DNA.

Resveratrol Provides Significant Cell Protection

Resveratrol, as well as others of the seven tested polyphenols, had a substantial impact on inhibiting cell damage. The impact was dose-dependent as higher doses were more effective in cell protection.

Some of the polyphenols, however, failed to provide any protection. In fact, only three had any effect in protecting the cells against hydrogen peroxide damage (resveratrol, quercetin, and 7.8-dihydroxy-4-methyl coumarin), but these had a big enough impact to convince the researchers that they had discovered a possible mechanism explaining resveratrol’s outstanding track record in protecting against cancer and heart disease.

G. Calabrese of the Department of Human Nutrition at Universita Cattolica in Piacennza, Italy took a close look at the health benefits of moderate red wine consumption as it might impact menopause.

Leading up to this 1999 study, there was a great deal of literature surrounding the health benefits of resveratrol, a polyphenol naturally occurring in many foods and beverages. Its cancer preventative and heart disease preventative characteristics have made resveratrol the focus of many studies. However, Calabrese intended to determine if these health benefits would extend themselves beyond cancer and heart disease and might be an influence on menopause.

Calabrese’s Findings Surrounding Resveratrol

The hypothesis of this study is based on the idea that the structure of resveratrol is so much like that of diethylstilbestrol, a drug prescribed to prevent miscarriages, that it might act as a phytoestrogen in humans.

Calabrese’s team conducted a population study, read literature on resveratrol’s effects on female reproduction, osteoporosis, and cancer, and they conducted various trials of their own.

Conclusion

Their findings concluded that moderate wine consumption appeared to act as a phytoestrogen, a compound in plants that simulates estrogen in humans. Resveratrol boosted the physiological reactions that typically accompany estrogen increases. This activity could effectively moderate the effects and symptoms of menopause in women.

Doctors Philippe Marambaud, Haitian Zhao, and Peter Davies from the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York published a study in 2005 that found that resveratrol, a red wine ingredient, lowers the levels of an Alzheimer’s disease protein.

Several studies show that moderate red wine consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Wine is full of antioxidant compounds that have potential nerve protection characteristics. In this study, resveratrol is shown to lower the levels of a specific protein that clumps in the brain as a result of a gene variation. This protein, called beta amyloid, can lead to memory loss and dementia, which are features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that leads to the most common form of dementia occurring in aging adults. These findings suggest resveratrol supplements, made from natural compounds, have a therapeutic potential in Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that moderate wine intake reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Resveratrol is suspected to have antioxidant and nerve protection properties. Therefore, resveratrol contributes to the beneficial effect of drinking red wine on the nerve degeneration process associated with aging.

This study also suggests that chemical modifications of resveratrol can be done in the context of improving its potency, stability, and the rate at which resveratrol is absorbed. This can also improve resveratrol’s therapeutic use to fight the effects of aging.