Low-level chronic inflammation is produced by the aging immune system and causes many further problems: "Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of chronic disability in older adults. Although classically considered a 'wear and tear' degenerative condition of articular joints, recent studies have demonstrated an inflammatory component to OA that includes increased activity of several cytokines and chemokines in joint tissues that drive production of matrix-degrading enzymes. Rather than directly causing OA, aging changes in the musculoskeletal system contribute to the development of OA by making the joint more susceptible to the effects of other OA risk factors that include abnormal biomechanics, joint injury, genetics, and obesity. Age-related sarcopenia and increased bone turnover may also contribute to the development of OA. Understanding the basic mechanisms by which aging affects joint tissues should provide new targets for slowing or preventing the development of OA."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20699160

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

The differences in a nutshell: "Calorie restriction (CR) is the only paradigm that has consistently increased lifespan in a wide variety of model organisms. Many hypotheses have been proposed as the underlying mechanism, including a reduction in body size and adiposity, which is commonly observed in calorie-restricted animals. This has led to investigations as to whether similar changes in body composition produced by increasing energy expenditure via exercise can replace or enhance the benefits of reducing energy intake. ... In rodents, the data clearly show that exercise, regardless of body weight changes, can improve health and survival, but unlike CR, fails to extend lifespan. In humans, short-term weight loss studies show that exercise and CR produce similar improvements in disease risk factors and biomarkers of aging, while some parameters clearly benefit more with exercise. Epidemiologic evidence in humans supports exercise as a strategy to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality, but not to extend lifespan. It is unknown whether CR can extend human lifespan, but the metabolic profile of humans engaged in long-term CR shares many similarities with calorie restricted rodents and nonhuman primates. In conclusion, like CR, exercise can limit weight gain and adiposity, but only CR can extend lifespan. Therefore, in rodents, the ability of CR to slow aging is apparently more dependent on decreasing nutrient flux, rather than changes in energy balance and body composition."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20703061

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

While the FDA tries to block commercial application of stem cell therapies in the US, veterinary practices continue to demonstrate that the technology is ready and potentially useful: "A Golden Retriever, plagued with arthritis, recently underwent a stem cell extraction and implant to help with mobility. ... From the sounds of things, you would never suspect McIntyre was a frail and feeble dog. And these days, he's moving around pretty well, thanks to anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy and a new experimental surgery involving stem cells. ... like family, she wanted McIntrye to feel better and have a better quality of life. Cells were taken from his belly fat and shipped to California. Stem cells were extracted and then implanted back into his joints by a vet in Alpharetta. ... He'll never be like a puppy as far as agility but it will just give him a quality of life where he doesn't hurt and suffer." Meanwhile, the actions of unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats at the FDA mean that US residents must travel overseas to find the same treatment offered to humans. More importantly, what might already be a wildly successful and growing field is slowed down to a comparative crawl. When you're forbidden to sell a product, few organization will invest in development.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=12964756

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Via ScienceDaily, an example of the sometimes indirect way in which stem cell transplants can cause benefits: "Acute lung injury is brought on by a number of conditions, such as pneumonia and sepsis, also known as blood poisoning. In some cases, acute lung injury develops into a more serious condition, known as acute respiratory distress syndrome, and results in insufficient oxygenation of blood and eventual organ failure. ... inflammation due to injury or infection can make the border of epithelial cells become more porous than it should be. The increased permeability allows an often-deadly mix of substances, such as fluid and cells, to seep into and accumulate in the alveoli. ... The team decided to re-create the unhealthy lung conditions in the lab - by culturing human alveolar cells and then chemically causing inflammation - and to observe how the presence of bone marrow stem cells would change things. ... We then introduced mesenchymal stem cells without direct cell contact, and they churned out a lot of protein, called angiopoietin-1, which prevented the increase in lung epithelial permeability after the inflammatory injury ... [researchers] hope clinical trials will prove the therapy is a viable one for preventing respiratory failure in critically ill patients."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100811162352.htm

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

We'd like to see the research community persuaded to work on the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence rather than focusing on merely slowing aging via traditional drug development. So persuasion is important. Equally, the time frame is long, so another viable path is to guide the next generation of researchers in the right direction. This second approach is the purpose of the SENS Foundation's Academic Initiative (SENSFAI) program, which has been running for a few years now. Here's one of the young researchers to benefit from it: "Kamil Pabis is in his second year of university and has been working with the SENSFAI since 2009. He is currently studying biology at the University of Vienna. After completing his degree, Kamil plans to pursue his PhD and eventually a career in Molecular Biology or Biogerontology. ... I research vascular (and in part general) calcification and their relation to aging and age-related tissue decline. The impact of calcification could be major and under-appreciated, but unfortunately we do not have definitive data. This basic research lays the ground work for future projects. A relatively thorough understanding is required to distinguish the most promising therapies for actual reversal of the pathology. Eventually I plan to help facilitate and do research under a 'regression first' paradigm."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.sens.org/ai/blog/featured-student-2010-august

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Via EurekAlert! a reminder that we can think of most age-related conditions as resulting from one or more forms of damage that everyone suffers to some degree - but has progressed further in those who have the condition: "In many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's, clumps of proteins known as aggregates appear in the patients' brains as the degeneration progresses. Those clumps contain some proteins that are unique to the specific disease (such as Abeta in Alzheimer's), intertwined with many others that are common in healthy individuals. For years, those common proteins were thought to be accidental inclusions in the aggregates ... In fact, they may not be innocent bystanders at all, but instead their presence may influence the course of neurodegenerative disease. ... in the presence of proteins specific to Huntington's disease, these aggregators actually sped up the course of the disease, indicating that they could be fundamental to its progression. These findings indicate that widespread protein insolubility and aggregation is an inherent part of aging and that it may influence both lifespan and neurodegenerative disease. The presence of insoluble protein aggregates has long been a hallmark of protein aggregation diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. The team [asked] a simple question that had never been asked before: do normal proteins form insoluble clumps when normal, healthy individuals age?" Those "normal, health individuals" are on their way to the same end destination of neurodegeneration, just not as fast.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/plos-np080610.php

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Don't become fat: "Individuals with a large waist circumference appear to have a greater risk of dying from any cause over a nine-year period ... Having a large waist circumference has previously been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels and heart disease ... This may be because waist circumference is strongly correlated with fat tissue in the viscera - surrounding the organs in the abdomen - which is thought to be more dangerous than fat tissue under the skin. ... [researchers] examined the association between waist circumference and risk of death among 48,500 men and 56,343 women age 50 and older (median or midpoint age, 69 years in men and 67 years in women). All had participated in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, for which they completed a mailed questionnaire about demographic, medical and behavioral factors in 1992 or 1993 and provided information about weight and waist circumference in 1997. Deaths and their causes were tracked through the National Death Index until Dec. 31, 2006; a total of 9,315 men and 5,332 women died during this timeframe. ... After adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and other risk factors, very large waists (120 centimeters or 47 inches or larger in men, and 110 centimeters or 42 inches or larger in women) were associated with approximately twice the risk of death during the study period. A larger waist was associated with higher risk of death across all categories of BMI, including normal weight, overweight and obese."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/jaaj-lwa080510.php

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

A conference on general health tactics that are likely to maximize your remaining life expectancy will be held in October in San Francisco: "Advances are being made daily on what each of us can do NOW to slow the aging process to a minimum, and to delay or prevent the diseases of aging. Life extension news comes out faster than any one of us can evaluate it on our own. Let's get together and determine how to take personal action." Many of the folk involved in the longevity advocacy or research communities are also tinkerers who go beyond simply practicing calorie restriction and exercise, and taking a sensibly modest set of vitamins. My suspicion has always been that this is a dangerous path: there is nothing presently available to the public that is proven to do more for long-term health than calorie restriction and exercise. When you spend time tinkering and optimizing in the absence of solid data, you're not spending time helping to bring forward the advent new medical technologies. The recent history of the pro-longevity community is rife with people who have become distracted from the future and who end up behaving no differently than the pill-sellers and potion-hawkers of the "anti-aging" marketplace. Beware this fate.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://lifeextensionconference.com

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

The FDA is the only reason that we don't see dozens of different serious commercial efforts to treat people using early-stage stem cell therapies within the US. One of the few groups to try is presently under pressure, as this press release notes: "Regenerative Sciences, Inc., a Colorado medical practice that specializes in the use of a person's own stem cells to help patients avoid more invasive orthopedic surgery, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking to enjoin the clinic physicians from practicing medicine using patients' own stem cells. The lawsuit will allow Regenerative Sciences to question the FDA's policy that adult stem cells can be classified as drugs when used as part of a medical practice. ... The FDA will finally answer our questions, in court, about their claims and jurisdiction as opposed to doing everything in their power to avoid the issue that we are not a drug manufacturer, but simply a medical practice." The FDA has a long history of abuse and overreach, and this is simply more of the same - exactly what we should expect of bureaucrats left largely unaccountable for their actions. Progress and discovery becomes entirely secondary to the urge to power. When everything that is not explicitly permitted is forbidden, there is no innovation, no progress. This age of biotechnology could be far further advanced if not for the short-sighted fools who write and enact medical regulations.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/colorado-medical-clinic-welcomes-opportunity-to-fight-fda-in-court-100247969.html

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Via EurekAlert!: "Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve connections that control voluntary movement after spinal cord injury, showing the potential for new therapeutic approaches to paralysis and other motor function impairments. ... They did this by deleting an enzyme called PTEN (a phosphatase and tensin homolog), which controls a molecular pathway called mTOR that is a key regulator of cell growth. PTEN activity is low early during development, allowing cell proliferation. PTEN then turns on when growth is completed, inhibiting mTOR and precluding any ability to regenerate. ... Until now, such robust nerve regeneration has been impossible in the spinal cord. ... An injury the size of a grape can lead to complete loss of function below the level of injury. For example, an injury to the neck can cause paralysis of arms and legs ... These devastating consequences occur even though the spinal cord below the level of injury is intact. All these lost functions could be restored if we could find a way to regenerate the connections that were damaged. ... are now studying whether the PTEN-deletion treatment leads to actual restoration of motor function in mice with spinal cord injury."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/uoc--ibn080510.php

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

From the Telegraph: "In as little as five years, researchers hope to be able to coax the heart into regenerating itself, repairing the damage caused by cardiac arrests and old age. ... It works in a similar way to stem cells but instead of the new cells being grown outside the body and then injected back in, the technique simply makes the cells [transform] at the point where they are needed. ... The main problem is that when beating muscles cells - known as cardiomyocytes - die during an attack there is no way to reactivate them and the surrounding connective tissue - known as fibroblasts - cannot take over their role.
Now [researchers] have discovered a way of reprogramming fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. ... We first have to test if the same factors can convert human fibroblasts to beating heart muscle and then find ways to safely introduce these factors, or small molecules that mimic these factors, into the coronary circulation so they can reprogram the existing fibroblasts in the heart. I envision such factors being loaded into a stent that is placed in the coronary artery and can elute (allow to emerge) the reprogramming factors over 1-2 weeks. ... The team found that they needed a combination of just three substance - Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 - to efficiently convert fibroblasts into cells that could beat like cardiomyocytes."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7928426/Damaged-heart-could-be-coaxed-into-mending-itself-claim-scientists.html

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

These researchers argue that embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are most likely the same in any aspect that matters: "the pluripotency of ES cells fueled excitement over their use in regenerative medicine. While ethical hurdles associated with the clinical application of human ES cells appeared to have been overcome with the development of methods to create iPS cells, some recent research has suggested that ES and iPS cells have substantial differences in which sets of genes they express. These findings [argue] to the contrary, rekindling hopes that, under the proper circumstances, iPS cells may indeed hold the clinical promise ascribed to them earlier. ... iPS cells are made by introducing three key genes into adult cells. These reprogramming factors push the cells from a mature state to a more flexible embryonic stem cell-like state. Like ES cells, iPS cells can then, in theory, be coaxed to mature into almost any type of cell in the body. Unlike ES cells, iPS cells taken from a patient are not likely to be rejected by that patient's immune system. This difference overcomes a major hurdle in regenerative medicine. ... At this stage, we can't yet prove that they are absolutely identical, but the available technology doesn't reveal differences. ... Some earlier studies have indicated that iPS and ES cells are dissimilar enough to be classified as different cell types. [The researchers] concluded that the differences noted in other studies were not consistent between different laboratories and thus were not likely to be a result of fundamental differences between the cell types."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/wifb-hes080510.php

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

A person’s weight has more bearing on his predisposition to developing high blood pressure than his current fitness level, Texas study says.

In a new study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, researchers established a concrete link between a person’s weight and the incidence of high blood pressure.

It appears that exercising is not enough to keep blood pressure down, because according to Susan Lakoski, MD, obese or overweight individuals are still at high risk for hypertension if they do not get their weight down, despite of their continued efforts at being physically fit.

What does this mean?  According to the researchers, the main target when you want to lower your blood pressure is to get your weight down with your best efforts.

It’s not enough that you get some minutes of exercise per week, though this has not been discredit.  What the researchers are saying is that you have exert every healthy effort to keep your weight down and keep it from going up.

Weight, according to the Texas study, takes precedence to physical activity when it comes to determining the risk for developing high blood pressure.  According to the CDCP, nearly 1/3 of all adult Americans suffer from high blood pressure.

Half of those who suffer from high blood pressure are within the 55+ years range, which means more and more of our seniors are at greater risk of suffering from stroke, coronary heart disease and other dangerous medical conditions.

According to the study’s data, it appears that only the people within the normal weight range experience palpable blood pressure benefits when they exercised.

The bottom line?  People should focus on getting their weight within the normal range and start moving.  Because obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can increase mortality and risk for many negative health conditions, including heart problems.

Natural ways to keep your blood pressure down

If you have high blood pressure, follow these guidelines to naturally keep your blood pressure down:

1. It would do your heart a world of good if you quit smoking today – because cigarettes have been proven to contribute to the development of hypertension in both men and women.

2. If you are presently overweight, cut down on fatty foods and start exercising to lose the extra pounds.

3. Exercise 30 to 40 minutes everyday.  Experts recommend 150 minutes of exercise for both men and women for general wellness.  Regular exercise is also a general preventive for many diseases and negative health conditions.

4. Cut down on your coffee intake, as caffeine has been shown to increase blood pressure.  Limit your intake of regular coffee to 1 to 2 cups per day to reduce your caffeine load.  Substitutes to coffee like green tea are a good idea, because green tea only has half of the caffeine content of regular coffee.

5. Reduce your salt intake, because sodium directly increases a person’s blood pressure.  More than 2,300 milligrams of the stuff per day can cause your blood pressure to spike.

6. Control your stress level, because stress can cause hypertension and can also affect your mental health in the long term.  Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, stretching, meditation and aromatherapy are options that you can explore when it comes to de-stressing.

7. Natural supplements like fish oil, garlic, hawthorn and folic acid have been known to reduce oxidative stress of the heart and the other organs in the body, which may help in your overall effort to reduce your blood pressure.  Coenzyme Q10 or Co-Q10 has also shown great promise when it comes to protecting the heart and reducing a person’s blood pressure.

Sources:
familydoctor.org
newsmaxhealth.com
altmedicine.about.com

Not having any social bonds or friends can cause severe health problems in the long term.

According to researchers from the Brigham Young University, having and keeping friends over a long period of time actually contributes to a longer, healthier life.  Julianne Holt-Lunstad, one of the key researchers of the study, states that having no friends translated to the stress and potential damage created by smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes per day.

The study

Holt-Lunstad and other researchers analyzed existing data from over 140 studies and attempted to create a causal pathway between health and social bonds.  The data involved in the study were from more than 300,000 individual test subjects.  The study was published in the scientific journal PLoS Medicine.

Based on their analysis, having no strong social bonds with other people produced the following harmful effects on a person:

1. Having no friends to talk to and bond with meant a person was almost like an alcoholic.

2. Having no social bonds was also measured as being more harmful than not exercising regularly.

3. According to the study, obesity’s effects on the human body paled in comparison to having no friends at all.

What is a real friend?

To make friends and keep the good ones, you have to know what a real friend does.

1. A real friend trusts you for who you are and respects you for your  identity and practices.

2. Growing and changing doesn’t mean that you will lose a real friend.  Real friends understand that people are always in a state of change – but they do not lose sight of the reason why they became friends with you in the first place.

3. Real friends do not stifle you or make you feel that you have to be somebody you are not.  Real friends give people the necessary to grow and establish their own identity, separate from friends and peer groups.

4. Privacy and confidentiality is important in a real friendship – and real friends know how to keep to themselves the things they hear from a confiding friend.

5. Real friends are able to absorb or accept how people express what they think and what they feel.

6. Real friends are a joy to be with when you are facing personal challenges, because they can provide a certain measure of support so you can beat these obstacles in life.

7. A real friend does not drive away people who want to help.

8. Being with a real friend produces happiness – there is no pressure to be with the person, but a genuine desire drives you to bond with each other.

9. A real friend never takes advantage of another person, no matter what the circumstances are.

10. A real friend creates and nurtures an emotional bond that allows both of you to grow and reach your full potentials as a human being.

How do you make friends?

If you haven’t been socializing lately, you may feel that your social skills are quite rusty.  You may feel that no one would be interested in talking to you and being friends with you.

This is not true.  While the world is a hard place to live in, people are often very open and happy to accept newcomers and new friends.  You just have to leave your shell of elusiveness and isolation to make new friends.

Do you want to make new friends? Try the following places and events:

1. Identify other issues in your life and try finding a support group that fits your needs.  Support groups exist in every city and state in the United States, and many of these support groups have online presence, which means they won’t be hard to find.

2. Watched any good theatrical productions lately?  The theater is a good place to find good people to chat with and make friends with.

3. Love rock n’ roll music or country tunes?  Then go to a concert – we’re pretty sure that concerts are packed with enough people for you to find at least one or two people to connect with.  You just have to start a good conversation.

4. Other places that you can visit include art shows, book launches, poetry reading shows, etc.  Visit events that interest you – so you can meet and talk to like-minded people.

Having trouble reaching out to new people? Try the following:

1. Make good conversation with the new acquaintance and focus on listening rather than going on and on about yourself.  People generally love good listeners and they will warm up to you faster if you show that you genuinely want to know more about them.

2. After warming up to the new acquaintance, you may want to invite the other person to lunch or another event that he or she may be interested in.

3. If you’ve learned enough about your new acquaintance, watch out for news or updates in his field of interest.  Then you can call or drop him an email about the news – this is a great way to create a two-way channel of communication between budding friends.

4. If the person is doing something (like building a model airplane), offer your assistance – but don’t be too pushy, as this will make the other person avoid you.

How do you keep good friends?

Once you have made a good friend (or good friends), you have to make sure that your friendship does not die out – like a candle left out too long outside.  Here are some steps to maintain a good friendship for the long term:

1. A good friend is interested and participates in the interests and passions of his own friend.  Make sure that you join your friend in activities that he likes, and vice versa.

2. Small things like playing video games or even sharing a tasty meal can mean a lot to friends.  Talking and listening is a also an excellent way to show that you care for another person.

3. Keep the lines of communication open with your new friends.  Do not isolate yourself for no reason or cut them off when you feel frustrated or depressed.  Instead, keep an open line and talk to them about your problems . You might be surprised how efficient friends are in cheering other people up.  You have to be there for them too, when they need someone to lean on or listen to them.

4. The effort to maintain the friendship should not be one sided.  The  effort and responsibility should be shared equally by both parties, so make sure that you do your part and you remind your friend that he should exert effort as well.

5. Show your home to your friend – this act alone will tell your friend that you are comfortable with him and you trust him as a friend.

Sources:
newsmaxhealth.com
download.ncadi.samhsa.gov