Progress in tissue engineering: "scientists have created human kidneys from stem cells ... The artificial organs were created in a laboratory using human amniotic fluid and animal foetal cells. They are currently half a centimetre in length - the same size as kidneys found in an unborn baby. [Scientists] hope they will grow into full-size organs when transplanted into a human. ... It sounds a bit science fiction-like but it's not. The idea is to start with human stem cells and end up with a functioning organ. We have made pretty good progress with that. We can make something that has the complexity of a normal, foetal kidney ... The research team hope that doctors will eventually be able to collect amniotic fluid, which surrounds the growing embryo in the womb, when a baby is born. This will then be stored by scientists in case that person develops kidney disease later in life. The fluid can then be used to create a matching kidney. Creating an organ using a patient's own stem cells solves the problem of having to use powerful immunosuppressant drugs to stop the body rejecting a another person's kidney. ... the technology could be ready for use on humans in around 10 years." By which time it will probably be unnecessary to collect amniotic fluid, as the signals and chemicals it provides will be understood and reproduced.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8443740/Scientists-create-human-kidneys-from-stem-cells.html

A fairly long open access commentary on metformin and its effects on slowing aging in mice: "A recent study [may] certainly establish that metformin should be defined as geroprotective or gerosuppressant rather than bona fide [calorie restriction mimetic]. Long-living female mice from the outbred SHR strain were fed metformin in drinking water beginning at 3, 9 or 15 months of age and they were then analyzed for reproductive aging, mean and maximal lifespan and incidence of malignant tumors ... In female SHR mice, [researchers] now confirm that metformin treatment, if started early in life, notably increases by 21% the mean lifespan of tumor-free mice. In contrast, if started late in life, metformin treatment appears to significantly reduce (by 13%) the mean lifespan of tumor-free mice. ... It is perhaps relevant to note that, if started early in life, metformin treatment decreased the risk of death compared to the control group whereas similar treatment with metformin at older ages did not affect the relative risk of death in SHR female mice. Metformin's ability to increase the mean lifespan of tumor-free mice while simultaneously decreasing the risk of death in an age-related manner somewhat recapitulate metformin's ability to reduce cancer incidence among type 2 diabetic individuals."

Link: http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v3/n4/full/100316.html

The latest issue of Rejuvenation Research is available online, and it opens with what is perhaps one of the best of points to make in a world in which people are dying all around us:

I welcome Dr. Paula Moreira as a new member of our editorial board, but for the worst possible reason. Moreira has been appointed as a replacement for Mark Smith, a fellow professor at Case Western Reserve University, who tragically died in a car accident late last year. What is even worse is that Smith is not the only loss that the field of biogerontology has suffered in 2010. In fact, I am aware of fully five other researchers who died during 2010. Amir Abramovich (whose Ph.D. advisor has penned a brief obituary that appears later in this issue) and Estela Medrano also succumbed to road accidents. James Joseph died from complications following heart surgery. Chris Heward was the victim of a particularly aggressive esophageal cancer. And Bob Butler died very suddenly of leukemia.

...

I have chosen to highlight these sombre events in this space not only to commemorate lost friends and colleagues. My main reason for doing so is to draw attention to the questionable validity of our tendency to grieve especially intensely for those who die when still highly active. Though I share this tendency, I think it deserves scrutiny, because it is founded on an assumption that profoundly contradicts the motivation for the work to which we, as did the colleagues I have just listed, dedicate our lives.

Aging kills people, just as cars do. There are only two things that distinguish aging from other killers: it kills people very slowly, only after gradually and progressively debilitating them over many years, and it only kills people who were born quite a long time ago. The combination of these features seems to be the only available explanation for why we so meekly and calmly accept the deaths of so vast a number of people from aging, while feeling much more intense anger and despair at the comparatively rare deaths that occur in the industrialized world at younger ages.

...

Is it somehow OK, or at least only a little bit sad, when someone dies of "natural causes" after "a good innings"? I would suggest that it is not OK.

Ageism permeates our societies, and our descendants will look back in disgust and horror at the way in which we allowed our historical legacy of prejudice to suppress and slow down progress towards the biotechnologies of rejuvenation. We younger folk write off the old in so many ways, and in doing so each of us is only sticking the knife into the person we'll be a few decades down the line - and teaching our children to do exactly the same. Every death is a tragedy, but so many people work so hard to pretend otherwise.

Old people suffer from a terrible debilitating medical condition: aging. Why view them any differently than the victims of any other deadly disease? If not weighed down by the degenerations of aging and the knowledge of suffering a certainly terminal condition, elderly folk could contribute greatly to all fields of human endeavor, applying the experience and knowledge of a lifetime - or adeptly applying the savings of a lifetime to fund the work of others. We would all be far wealthier if the ongoing ability to create value offered by human beings was not destroyed after a bare few decades of productivity.

Even if it wasn't the case that it is in our immediate economic self-interest to build rejuvenation biotechnologies, working to cure aging would still be the greatest of charitable causes. No other aspect of human biology or the human condition causes as much pain and death.

Aging is a horror, and it twists our society into further horrors - such as the often shameful ways in which the young treat the old. The sooner that aging can be repaired and removed as a threat to human existence, the better the human condition will become.

The SENS Foundation will be hosting the SENS5 conference in Cambridge, England at the end of August. Registration is open, and this note arrived in my in-box today:

I am writing to inform you that June 15th is the deadline for discounted registration and abstract submission for the fifth Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) conference ... The conference program features 33 confirmed speakers so far, all of them world leaders in their field. As with previous SENS conferences, the emphasis of this meeting is on "applied gerontology" - the design and implementation of biomedical interventions that may, jointly, constitute a comprehensive panel of rejuvenation therapies, sufficient to restore middle-aged or older laboratory animals (and, in due course, humans) to the physical and mental robustness of young adults.

I notice that Caleb Finch will be giving the SENS Lecture, entitled "Regenerative medicine for aging: a new paradigm worth trying" - now there's an example of progress in winning over the mainstream of aging research to the SENS approach of repair rather than slowing down aging. In this context, "regenerative medicine" means SENS; SENS Foundation founder Aubrey de Grey uses the term more expansively than the general public and media, who use it only in reference to stem cell therapies.

The SENS Foundation also recently issued a research report (in PDF format) for the first ten months of last year, with a year end report to follow. You should find it interesting to see funding amounts listed for the varying strands of SENS research, as well as insight into exactly what the researchers are up to at present:

I'm delighted to be able to share with you our research report, prepared for the first 10 months of 2010, by Tanya Jones (our Director of Research Operations), working with our researchers and my CSO Team. I thought it would be of interest to our supporters, and serve as a precursor to our 2010 Year End Report, which is currently under production as part of our finalizing our 2010 accounts.

...

SENS Foundation conducts intramural research in its Research Center in Mountain View, California. The primary focus of our intramural work is LysoSENS - investigating novel lysosomal hydrolases against intracellular aggregates that impair cell function - and we recently produced a detailed and comprehensive LysoSENS planning document in collaboration with our extramural project at Rice University.

We have also arranged for research in the MitoSENS strand - obviating mitochondrial DNA deletions - to be conducted at the Research Center, following the negotiation of a transfer agreement with Dr Corral-Debrinski covering materials produced, and used in, previous successful work by her group. Dr Matthew "Oki" O'Connor joined us in September to initiate this project.

The relative amounts devoted to each project clearly illustrate that the Foundation's primary focus at this time is the LysoSENS project, and I can guess at some of the strategic reasoning there. Much money and many connections with industry might be gained through success in the LysoSENS platform. Not just aging, but many diseases could be effectively treated in their late stages through progress in bioremediation of this sort, and that means that big pharma and big biotech would be very interested in licensing agreements - which in turn would assist the Foundation in greatly expanding its purview and influence.

It is, however, frustrating to see far less funding devoted to MitoSENS, the project aimed at removing the contribution of mitochondrial DNA damage to aging. Everyone has an opinion, and mine (for what it's worth, which isn't all that much in this case, and nor should it be) is that mitochondrial repair would make a better primary focus. Irrespective of the methodology chosen, it seems clear that the research community as a whole is frustratingly close to something that will work to completely reverse mitochondrial damage, whether it is through allotopic expression as advocated by the SENS Foundation or periodic whole-body replacement of mitochondrial DNA as demonstrated in mice some years ago.

Yet the funds going towards mitochondrial repair - both here and generally - are in no way proportionate to the degree to which the research community believes mitochondrial DNA damage to be a cause of aging and longevity.

The advice I give myself on this issue is the same as I'll give to anyone else in the same position: if you believe that too little funding is devoted to any given research goal, then get out there and do something about it. Earn money and donate it, and persuade others to do the same. After all, that's exactly what Aubrey de Grey did in order to arrive at his present position: helping to direct a Foundation of his own creation where enthusiastic people are now writing annual reports on their progress towards engineering the end of aging.

Amongst the fast track papers at Rejuvenation Research, there is one that describes a stem cell therapy for regenerating damage to the pancreas.

We demonstrate that intravenous delivery of human, or rat, pancreas-derived pathfinder (PDP) cells can totally regenerate critically damaged adult tissue and restore normal function across a species barrier.

One of the more interesting aspects of this demonstration is that rat or human pathfinder cells introduced into mice spur rapid regeneration that produces overwhelmingly mouse tissue rather than rat or human tissue - and all without causing immune issues. These "pathfinder cells" are a form of stem cell found in adult tissues; the name is a branding effort by the for-profit research group Pathfinder, LLC, and is aimed at distinguishing in the marketplace the exact form of stem cell they work with. This process of branding cell configurations or particular forms of cellular reprogramming is something we'll be seeing much more of in the future, no matter how irritating it may be to folk who are just trying to follow the science.

You might find the press release an easier read than the research paper:

the Company's unique cell-based therapy is able to completely reverse diabetes in a mouse model. ... With only two treatments with [pathfinder cells], just days after induction of diabetes, we were able to quickly regenerate critically damaged pancreatic tissue, restoring and maintaining normal glucose levels and healthy body weight. ... Immunohistochemical analyses of animal tissues confirmed [that] treatment lead to regeneration of pancreatic beta-cells and formation of functional islets, which displayed normal architecture. Further examination determined that the regenerated islets consisted overwhelmingly of mouse cells, and to a much lesser extent, donor [rat or human] PCs (0.05-0.18%).

Reading between the lines, I'm given to wonder whether these "pathfinder cells" are in fact much the same thing as the very small embryonic-like stem cells that another group claims to exist in most tissues in the body.

One group of researchers believe that every tissue in the body is supported by a left-over population of fully pluripotent stem cells [(PSCs)] that might be easily accessible for use in therapies. ... In this review we present an evidence that adult tissues contain remnants from development; a population of PSCs that is deposited in various organs as a backup for primitive stem cells, plays a role in rejuvenation of the pool of more differentiated tissue-committed stem cells (TCSCs), and is involved in organ regeneration. These cells share several markers with epiblast/germ line cells and have been named very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs).

If, as here, researchers are already demonstrating promising results with stem cell populations isolated from adult tissues, then it shouldn't be too many more years before these forms of stem cell are well classified (and given more sensible names).

A recent addition to the growing number of scientific evidence supporting green tea shows that, aside from its well-known benefits, it also reduces levels of DNA damage.

Widely-believed to have originated from China, green tea has remained as one of the undisputable tea favourites. In the past, a notable pervasive belief regarding the well-loved beverage was that its health benefits are practically felt by those who drink it.  However, these “benefits” were hardly substantiated by scientific evidence.

Over the years, green tea has enjoyed the popular reputation of being a folklore medicine — until it increasingly gained the attention and curiosity of scientists and researchers. Recent findings finally provide a scientific backbone behind its wide range of favourable effects on health maintenance and restoration. With its proven position as a credible and effective natural treatment method, the delicious treat, especially when taken along with other natural health-protective foods and supplementation, redefines “delicious beverage” in a healthy manner.

Recent Human and In Vitro Study: Green Tea Protects from DNA Damage

The new study conducted by a team of experts from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University shows that by drinking green tea daily within a month, human DNA has higher chances of getting damage protection. Results show that the beverage consumption entailed reduction of DNA damage levels by a significant 20%. According to the researchers, the protective capacity and activity points to the green tea’s high antioxidant components and compounds.

Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the significant results of its genoprotective effects further support the notion that green tea is a “functional food”; rather than being a mere, commonplace, and delicious beverage. Both human supplementation trial and in vitro study confirmed the results.

The study is a significant addition to the body of supporting scientific evidence towards the potential and actual benefits provided by green tea contents, notably by its polyphenol components. The major health benefits proven and discovered through scientific research include Alzheimer’s disease prevention, reduction of cancer risks, and supplementary aid to weight management for more optimal results.

Essential Risk-reducing Contents of Green Tea

In order to have a better grasp of how strongly potent green tea is when it comes to risk-reduction, prevention, and health restoration; it is wise to have a more detailed look at its beneficial contents.

Flavonoids, Polyphenols, and Antioxidants

Possessing antioxidant roles, Flavonoids are highly concentrated in green tea. The high presence level renders the beverage capable of seizing and decapitating one of the leading potential causes of cell damage, and severe disease development:  free radicals or unstable molecules. Antioxidants found in green tea are higher than those in black tea due to the added processes that black tea requires. As such, it is unsurprising to know that instant and highly-processed iced teas already contain insignificant amounts of antioxidants.

Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, accounts for more than half of the content of catechins – an antioxidant which is 20 times more powerful and potent than vitamin C. The EGCG is widely believed to be one of the tea’s vital contents that aid in anti-cancer and antioxidant activities. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells, while it simultaneously destroys currently existing cancer cells; and healthy cells are left undamaged. Reportedly, this antioxidant can also prevent abnormal blood clot-formation —  an activity linked to one of the potent causes of stroke and heart attacks, called thrombosis.

A More Detailed Look on the Health Benefits of Green Tea

1. In Relation to DNA Damage

The study has shown the capacity of green tea in the reduction of DNA damage. It is important, then, to at least briefly know why this activity benefits human health.

DNA damage is inclined to cause immunosuppression, a high risk factor for certain types of cancer such as skin cancer. Based on a certain study on green tea polyphenols and skin cancer, the polyphenols reportedly are capable of blocking immunosuppression caused by exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation. The said study was applied to mice, and findings further show that polyphenol consumption has a long term protective effect, even after the mice have stopped polyphenol intake.

Furthermore, DNA damage and modifications can cause cellular dysfunction, and thus contribute to the complications of diabetes, such as diabetic nephropathy.

2. In Relation to Cancer

Polyphenols found in green tea are highly capable of stimulating apoptosis, a process that renders cancerous cells to commit suicide. Furthermore, it prohibits the progression of cell cycling, or cell division and replication, in abnormal or cancerous cells while sparing normal, healthy cells from damage. As discussed earlier, the anti-cancer and anti-carcinogen activity is significantly linked to the EGCG. However, it must be clarified that the remarkable antioxidant capabilities of green tea contents should be partnered with other potent sources of antioxidants. Employing antioxidant-source varieties and supplementation will heighten and optimize effects.

A study conducted by I-Hsin Lin of Chung Shan Medical University shows that polyphenols are capable of inhibiting tumorigenesis, a term that refers to tumour production. With lung cancer as Taiwan’s leading cause of all types of cancer-related deaths, and with the difficult struggle of quitting the smoking habit, the study provides benefits to smokers, in the sense that smoking-induced carcinogenesis can be regulated by consuming healthy amounts of green tea.

3. In Relation to Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

Brain cell damage appears to develop through several detrimental factors, such as excessive inflammation and increased iron accumulation levels. These cause and contribute to increasing production of free radicals, which in turn exhaust and deplete antioxidant supplies in the brain.

Fortunately, research shows that catechins found in green tea not only serve as powerful antioxidants since these also cause and trigger various cell mechanisms for neuroprotection including activation of survival genes, modulation of mitochondrial function, and iron chelation.

EGCG has been proven capable of acting as an iron chelator, which stops iron from aiding the production of free radicals. It also boosts and stimulates quality operations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase — two antioxidant enzymes that further help in damage control caused by detrimental free radical activities effects.

4. In Relation to Weight Management

Green tea catechins also help weight loss success and efficiency. A conducted study published in the Journal of Nutrition reveals that green tea consumption enhances circulation of Free Fatty Acids (FFA), maintain triglyceride levels, and helps promote the loss of abdominal fat due to exercising.

The various and diverse health benefits of green tea show its multi-faceted role as a credible and effective natural treatment method. Indeed, green tea is no longer loved by health-conscious people for its light and luscious taste: It provides more depth to enjoyable beverage-drinking by adding “healthy” to it.

Sources
nutraingredients.com
whfoods.com
paktribune.com
nccam.nih.gov
diabetes.diabetesjournals.org
cancer.gov
truehealth.org
nutraingredients.com
freeiln.com

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Studies regarding probiotics has revealed its significant potential in reducing the risk of acquiring common cold especially during the cold months of winter.

There are over 500 million cases of the common cold in the United States each year. Rhinoviruses are identified as the culprit causing this viral infection. For the common cold alone, the cost amounts to a whopping $40 billion each year. This is according to a study on common cold published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A group of researchers,led by Anna Berggren of Sweden, conducted a study regarding the undiscovered health benefits of probiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that positively influence the health of its host. Bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria are the two most common microbes used as probiotics, and there are several strains of probiotics depending on the process by which it is cultured. Lactobacillus plantarum and lactobacillus paracasei were shown to have positive influence against common colds.

The results of the study revealed that individuals who were taking the strains of probiotics had a 55 percent reduction in incidents of catching the common cold. The researchers added that the duration of the symptoms was also reduced by probiotics and concluded that it is effective in reducing the risk of acquiring common cold. This study was published in the European Journal of Nutrition. It consisted of 272 healthy participants taking probiotic supplement for 12 weeks.

The consumption of probiotics alongside other effective immune boosters can reduce the risk of an upper respiratory tract infection like otitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and rhinitis. It has also been observed to have preventive benefits against cold to children in day care centers. This additional study on the health benefits of probiotics against common cold in Croatians was published in Clinical Nutrition on June of 2010.

Understanding Probiotics

Probiotics have been proven by medical studies to have numerous health benefits to the body when taken in adequate amount. They can come in the form of bifidobacteria, lactic acid bacteria, bacilli and even in yeast form. Probiotics are usually found in fermented foods such as yogurts and dietary supplements. Japan is one of the leaders in culturing probiotics and it is one of the countries with the most products containing probiotics in the market.

Unlike other bacteria that are known to have harmful effects to the body, probiotics help the body fight bad bacteria while providing support to the immune system at the same time.  This support readies the body from future attacks. Studies on the benefits of probiotics even suggest that it is not only beneficial in preventing some types of diseases but it may also have curative properties. Clinical studies since the middle of the 1990s have established significant evidence that probiotics can help in overcoming several gastrointestinal diseases. These bacteria settle in the gut and keep pathogens and other harmful microorganisms from harming the body and helps in the proper function of the immune system.

Health Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics are being continuously subjected to experiments and scientific studies to discover and obtain proof of its medicinal uses and health benefits. However, there are only preliminary results available and most of the potential benefits of probiotics need further research. Despite that, probiotics have been proven to be safe for human consumption and scientists are spending time and effort in obtaining proof of its value in influencing the immune system, in fighting cancer, and as a bio-therapeutic agent for severe diarrhea and irritable bowel movement.

The health benefits of probiotics are as follows;

Lactose Intolerance

Probiotics may help lactose-intolerant individuals adapt to more lactose. Therefore, the person can drink milk since probiotics helps the body convert lactose into lactic acid more easily and at a faster rate.

Lowering Cholesterol Levels

A popular strain of probiotics, lactobacillus bulgaricus (LAB), had demonstrated significance by helping break down bile produced by the gut. This helps break down cholesterol and has the resultant effect of lowering cholesterol levels. For human subjects who were fed with LAB, some showed reduced levels of cholesterol in their body.

Colon Cancer Prevention

In clinical investigations, Lactobacillus bulgaricus has demonstrated to have significant influence over the mutation of colon cancer cells. LAB has the ability to bind with carcinogenic substances called heterocyclic amines, which are found in cooked meat. This is one of the compounds thought to cause colon cancer. Laboratory experiments made on rodents with regards to the effects of LAB on colon cancer have shown promising results. However, the results in human trials are insufficient and conflicting. Although it has been recorded by a population study that people with high fermented dairy consumption has lower risk of developing colon cancer.

Immune System

Probiotics can protect the body against diseases by competing with pathogens in terms of growth and thus helping improve the immune function. Clinical studies have proven that probiotics help prevent and decrease the severity of respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and rotavirus infection in children. Probiotics is also beneficial in counteracting the side effects of antibiotics by keeping the immune system alert and ready to take over once the body stops taking antibiotics.

Reduction of Inflammation

Clinical studies have revealed that probiotics can regulate the cytokine function of the body. In effect, it regulates the body’s hypersensitivity and inflammatory responses.

Other Health Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics have also been observed to improve the bioavailability of nutrients such as calcium, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and B vitamins. It is also being studied to have beneficial effects in maintaining the acidity of the female genital environment thereby preventing the onset of bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infection and yeast infection.

Healthy Tips to Prevent the Common Cold

The common cold can be prevented by taking sufficient dosage of probiotics and immune boosting foods and adequate exercise. There are over 200 different viruses that cause the common cold.  Remember that cold symptoms vary when it comes to its levels of severity.

Aside from maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it also important to be watchful of where you put your hands. Cold-causing viruses can spread through droplets and can live outside the body for an extended period of time. Touching surfaces may transmit the virus. So here are a few tips to live by:

• Avoid touching your face. You can also use a hand sanitizer or any form of disinfectant to keep your hands clean while you are on the go.
• Always keep it a habit to wash your hands frequently
• If you have colds, be proactive when it comes to keeping the infection from spreading by throwing your used tissues properly, covering your mouth when you sneeze and by staying at home to avoid contact with other people as much as possible.

Sources
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Probiotics-show-potential-against-common-cold-Study
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53472
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0905c.shtml

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Kiwifruit, a world favorite, is now being seen as one of the leading “super foods” around because of myriad of health benefits, including its prebiotic potential and anti-cancer potential.

In a recently published Journal of Functional Foods, researchers from the NZ Institute of Plant and Food Research claim that pectin that has been derived from kiwifruit may help improve the levels of good bacteria in the digestive tract.

The humble pectin… was actually a health superstar!

The same pectins (the researchers found a total of six varieties of pectin in the species Actinidia deliciosa) the study says, may also help protect the good bacteria as they flourish in the digestive tract.  A growing body of studies suggest that the once humble pectin (usually used as a gelling agent for fruit jams and as material for encapsulating supplements and drugs) can provide the following benefits:

• Better digestion with pectin’s natural fiber content
• Prebiotics
• Increased heart health with its capacity to lower LDL (low density lipoproteins) or “bad cholesterol”

Compared to inulin fiber, the pectins from kiwifruit showed an enhanced effect on the good bacterias Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. The pectins also helped the body fend off bacterial invasions by lessening the adhesion of bad bacteria like Salmonella typhimurium.

Prebiotics?

The majority of health-inclined individuals around the world know of prebiotics. But how about prebiotics? What do they do?

Probiotics are compounds that encourage the growth and flourishing of good bacteria or essential bacteria in the digestive tract.  They directly contribute to the growth of the organisms in the intestinal flora.

Prebiotics on the other hand, protect the bacterial growth in the intestinal flora.  Since prebiotics are non-digestible substances they can also help carry away waste from the intestines.  Prebiotics are also important because they prolong the life of good bacteria and  they also keep the bacteria healthy.

Other benefits of prebiotics include:

1. May help ease the symptoms of diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics
2. Also helps people suffering from traveler’s diarrhea.
3. Helps reduce the pain and inflammation associated with gastroenteritis.
4. Helps normalize and regulate bowel function.
5. May help improve colitis
6. Can help reduce the incidence of irritable bowel problems.
7. Helps the body absorb calcium
8. Can help strengthen the immune system

Natural sources of prebiotics include:

• Whole grain products
• Leguminous foods
• Onions
• Fresh honey
• Fresh and cooked greens
• Garlic
• Yogurt, milk and other dairy products
• Different types of berries
• Bananas
• Apple cider vinegar (raw, not cooked)
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Other grains (gluten-free)

Amazing benefits of kiwifruit

Does kiwifruit offer other benefits other than prebiotics? Yes! Here are some of the main benefits of getting your healthy dose of kiwifruit everyday:

1. Kiwifruit is rich in vitamins and minerals, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C – one kiwifruit has more vitamin C than a regular orange), beta carotene and potassium. Potassium is brain food that increases one’s alertness and also improves one’s memory.

2. According to research performed in Italy, kiwifruit can also help improve the health of the respiratory tract. Seven portions of the fruit every week can yield respiratory benefits (respondents, children aged six to seven, showed less wheezing and shortness of breath compared to other respondents who received little or no kiwifruit throughout the testing period)

3. Kiwifruit  can also help ward off the effects of age-related macular degeneration.

4. Kiwifruit is a potent source of natural antioxidants, which can help reduce the incidence of certain types of cancer, heart disease and can also improve one’s vision.

5. Kiwifruit is a natural source of soluble fiber, which improves the digestive function and also helps transport human waste more efficiently.

6. Kiwifruit may be helpful in reducing harmful mutations or changes to one’s DNA. This is important in keeping your DNA pristine for the next generation (your children, who will be receiving your DNA – and all that comes with it, including risks to certain types of diseases, etc.)

7. Kiwifruit, because of its high soluble fiber content, can help individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes (or type-2 diabetes) and people with high cholesterol. Natural fiber has been known to control blood glucose levels and bad cholesterol levels.

8. Also due to its high fiber content, kiwifruit may also help prevent deadly colon cancer.

9. Kiwifruit is a natural source of the nutrient inositol. Recent studies show that inositol is very beneficial as a supportive treatment for depression.

10. It contains the compound arginine, which is capable of dilating or opening up constricted blood vessels.  As such, it is not only good for people with hypertension but is also very beneficial for males suffering from impotence or erectile dysfunction. Arginine has been long used for the treatment of impotence in males.

11. In China, a study made use of kiwifruit to see whether Chinese athletes can last longer during the rigorous physical exertion during training.  With the addition of five percent carbohydrates to kiwi juice, the athletes were able to last longer – their blood glucose levels remained stable after taking the kiwi juice.

12. Amazingly, this small fruit also has a high percentage of the natural brain chemical serotonin. This compound has a relaxing effect when utilized by the body.

Kiwifruit is a type of fruit that provides the best ratio of calories to fiber & essential nutrients.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
nutrition.about.com
mayoclinic.com
bodyecology.com
kiwi-fruit.info
whfoods.com
calharvest.com
bimuno.com

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Understanding the physical basis of human memory will enable therapies to both enhance youthful memory and reverse its decline with age. From ScienceDaily, an example of present investigations into the biology of memory: "We found one of the key proteins involved in the process of memory and learning. This protein is present in the part of the brain in which memories are stored. We have found that in order for any memory to be laid down this protein, called the M3-muscarinic receptor, has to be activated. We have also determined that this protein undergoes a very specific change during the formation of a memory - and that this change is an essential part of memory formation. In this regard our study reveals at least one of the molecular mechanisms that are operating in the brain when we form a memory and as such this represents a major break through in our understanding of how we lay down memories. This finding is not only interesting in its own right but has important clinical implications. One of the major symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is memory loss. Our study identifies one of the key processes involved in memory and learning and we state in the paper that drugs designed to target the protein identified in our study would be of benefit in treating Alzheimer's disease."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628101450.htm

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

From Impact Aging earlier this year, an open access paper on some of the mechanics of hormesis: a little stress on your system improves longevity. "Oxidative stress constitutes the basis of physio-pathological situations such as neurodegenerative diseases and aging. However, sublethal exposure to toxic molecules such as reactive oxygen species can induce cellular responses that result in stress fitness. Studies in Schizosaccharomyces pombe have recently showed that the Sty1 MAP kinase, known to be activated by hydrogen peroxide and other cellular stressors, plays a pivotal role in promoting fitness and longevity when it becomes activated by calorie restriction, a situation which induces oxidative metabolism and reactive oxygen species production. Activation of the MAP kinase by calorie restriction during logarithmic growth induces a transcriptional anti-stress response including genes essential to promote lifespan extension. Importantly enough, the lifespan promotion exerted by deletion of the pka1 or sck2 genes, inactivating the two main nutrient-responsive pathways, is dependent on the presence of a functional Sty1 stress pathway, since double mutants also lacking Sty1 or its main substrate Atf1 do not display extended viability. ... We propose that moderate stress levels that are not harmful for cells can make them stronger."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v2/n4/full/100133.html

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

From Depressed Metabolism: "Some contemporary atheists and secular humanists do not stop at debunking the idea of God but seem to think that making a persuasive case against religion requires them to refute all of its associated ideas as well; including the desire for immortality. Paula Kirby is not the first secular person praising our limited lifespan and glorifying death: 'For atheists it is the very transience of life that helps to give it its meaning: for it prompts us to live it to the full' ... Kirby does not just repeat the hollow non-empirical cliche that life can only have meaning in the face of death but she also pretends to speak on behalf of all atheists. As can be expected, she cannot imagine an extremely long lifespan to be anything else than unspeakable boredom. When she writes that 'Susan Ertz got it spot on with her witty remark that millions yearn for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon' one cannot help thinking that she is conveying more information about herself and Susan Ertz than about humans in general. ... It is remarkable to what extent the notion of death as not only biological but ontological necessity has permeated Western philosophy - remarkable because the overcoming and mastery of mere natural necessity has otherwise been regarded as the distinction of human existence and endeavor."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2010/05/25/humanist-death-apologetics/

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

If you've been reading Fight Aging! for a while, you'll recall that I've discussed organized crowdsourcing of funding of life science research - and longevity science in particular - for a few years now. This is a concept whose time has come: the Internet is providing great transparency and insight into all fields of endeavor, the cost of biotechnology has fallen rapidly to the point at which graduate students and a few tens of thousands of dollars can accomplish meaningful novel research, and crowdsourcing is achieving critical mass in other markets.

So we have ventures like Kickstarter, which is making a name for itself in art, publishing, and manufacturing projects. That is an example of a successful marketplace, where workers and funders can come together to raise sums comparable to pre-angel investments in start up companies - but on their own terms, and usually far better terms.

If you can raise money for books, art projects, and widgets, why not for discrete life science research projects with determined goals? The LongeCity (previously the Immortality Institute) crowd have been trying this for some years, with a great deal of success considering the limited audience of this community in comparison to the audience available through Kickstarter. It is sad but true that far more people are brought to a state of excitedly opening their wallets for the development of an iPhone widget than for any sort of biotechnology project, even one that will contribute to the reversal of aging.

But regardless, the groundwork is laid - this is the time for growth in crowdsourced funding. For the scientific community, the remaining piece of the puzzle at this time would seem to be a viable first marketplace, some Kickstarter-for-science that captures an audience and replicates the success of Kickstarter in this field. Once that is done a single time, then the idea will be accepted by the public and many such ventures can blossom.

Today, I see a fairly professional offering is put forward as a contender: Petridish:

Petridish lets you fund promising research projects and join first hand in new discoveries. World famous researchers post projects and expeditions that need your help to get off the ground. Each project has a minimum threshold it must hit in pledges, or it will not be funded. Backers in successful projects join the team and get insider rewards such as: Early access to news about progress and findings, souvenirs from the field, acknowledgements in journals, naming rights for new discoveries, or the ability to join an expedition in person.

Crowdsourced funding is a tremendously powerful tool for minority research fields - such as the rejuvenation biotechnology of the SENS Foundation. This is true for exactly the same reasons that make it a powerful tool for indie publishers and other entities largely removed from the traditional funding sources in their industry. In fact, the history of the SENS Foundation and Methuselah Foundation has been one long crowdsourced funding effort, launched by the early interest of the transhumanist community and carried onward by a broader community of people who value longer lives enough to do something about it.

What an organization like Petridish can bring to the table, if successful, is a larger audience and a formalism of the crowdsourced funding process that enables it to proceed much more smoothly - and more successfully. There are economies of scale that emerge quite quickly if you want to break down your fundraising into ten small programs rather than one big one, but it takes something like a Petridish or a Kickstarter to make this work well.

I believe that the SENS Foundation folk should contact the Petridish folk and set something up: there is no shortage of discrete, interesting projects that the Foundation would like to undertake, and I think this would be an excellent test of the waters. This is the future of small to mid-sized project funding, both in the sciences and elsewhere: if you want enthusiastic, knowledgeable supporters, then you have to get them more involved in the nuts and bolts of your work - in the small victories and accomplishments that are the foundation of the bigger picture. This is the best way to do that.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Via EurekAlert!: "Alzheimer's disease is characterized by abnormal deposits in the brain of the protein Amyloid-ß, which induces the loss of connections between neurons, called synapses. Now, scientists [have] discovered that specific antibodies that block the function of a related protein, called Dkk1, are able to completely suppress the toxic effect of Amyloid-ß on synapses. ... Dkk1 is elevated in the brain biopsies of people with Alzheimer's disease but the significance of these findings was previously unknown. Scientists [have] found that Amyloid-ß causes the production of Dkk1, which in turn induces the dismantling of synapses (the connections between neurons) in the hippocampus, an area of the brain implicated in learning and memory. ... scientists conducted experiments to look at the progression of synapse disintegration of the hippocampus after exposure to Amyloid-ß, using brain slices from mice. They were able to monitor how many synapses survived in the presence of a specific antibody which targets Dkk1, compared to how many synapses were viable without the antibody. The results show that the neurons that were exposed to the antibody remained healthy, with no synaptic disintegration."

Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/ucl-sdt030512.php

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Failing to exercise damages your prospects for healthy life in the future: "one in three men and one in two women over the age of 75 are not physically active at all. A recent study led by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) says this lack of exercise makes these seniors three times more likely to die sooner than their counterparts who do only light day-to-day activities. ... Any movement is better than no movement at all to lower your risk of death ... For every 287 calories per day a senior expended, there was a 32 percent reduction in death rate over the six-year period encompassed by the study. ... It is well-established that exercise leads to the reduction of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and it can preserve mental sharpness. What is significant about the current findings is that the study is the first to provide credible evidence that everyday activity might be beneficial ... Researchers ask how much activity do we need, but the public approaches it by asking how little can I get away with ... experts caution against using the study as a basis to give up exercise, a conclusion not supported by the data." A little is better than none, but more is better than a little. Rejuvenation medicine is on the far horizon, and if you want the best chance of being alive and healthy to benefit from it, you'd better take care of the health basics here and now.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://senior-spectrum.com/news04_072710/

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

Via EurekAlert!: "This paper reports the discovery of one of the first targeted drugs specifically developed to reverse fibrosis and regenerate the kidney. We're optimistic about the benefits, but the real proof will come from clinical testing. ... In the kidneys and other organs, fibrosis develops from normal repair mechanisms that do not stop. Scar tissue slowly builds up and replaces the working cells of the organ. In 2003, [researchers] reported that the destructive fibrosis in mice can be countered by the human protein BMP-7, originally named for its ability to spur bone growth. ... However, the large protein needs to be injected or surgically implanted and, therefore, is not useful for long-term treatment protocols. Probing deeper into the biology of the kidney, they identified the protein Alk3 [and] based on the details about the molecular interaction between the BMP protein and the ALK receptor, [scientists] developed a class of small functional peptides, including THR-123, which then underwent further testing. ... This receptor must be present for the new molecule to function ... Working through the receptor, the molecule suppressed inflammation, cell death and fibrosis formation, as well as reversing established fibrosis and allowing kidneys to regenerate functional cells ... Further experiments showed that the test drug worked even better in the mice when given in combination with ACE inhibitors, the anti-hypertensive drugs now considered a standard therapy for chronic kidney disease which work by targeting another molecular process. ... Targeting the receptor not only stops fibrosis, it removes established fibrosis, and it works in combination with an existing drug used in patients. The next step is to test this molecule in the clinic."

Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/bidm-stk030712.php

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

You'll find some thoughts on incentives, politicians, and longevity science over at h+ Magazine. I don't agree with all of them, but then my views on the state as a millstone hung upon the neck of medical progress are known: "After finding out I was an economist, [Aubrey de Grey] effectively challenged me to work out what we should want politicians to do ... With over 150,000 people dying every day, I hope governments would respond to the animal experiments by accelerating our journey to [actuarial] escape velocity through massively increasing funding for longevity medical research, because the cost of dying this year goes way up if it causes you to just miss out on the chance to live long enough to live forever. But since a rational world would already make abolishing death a top priority, we can't count on politicians automatically doing this. Still (as I will explain at the end of this article) people will likely be made aware of any inevitable approach to escape velocity which should cause at least some voters to reward politicians who increase taxpayer support for medical research. ... Once we actually reach escape velocity, U.S. politicians would face enormous political pressure to make the necessary medical treatments available to all Americans, regardless of income. The U.S. government might well do this by limiting how much companies could charge for the needed medicines. Predicting this, pharmaceutical companies would have fewer incentives to develop the cures in the first place."

Link: http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/02/28/the-politics-of-medical-immortality/

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Michael Rae is the co-author of Ending Aging, a research assistant at the SENS Foundation, and a long-standing figure of note in the calorie restriction community: "I would say that one exciting recent development is that, with an increase in our research budget this year (based on performance last year and a more optimistic financial outlook from many of our donors), we've recently approved funding for several quite important and exciting research projects. One is a project whose ultimate aim is to tissue engineer a new thymus. The thymus is a gland located near the breast bone, where T-cells (an important immune cell) mature. The thymus shrinks with age, and the tissues on the outer layer of the organ where T-cells mature lose their architectural integrity, leading to a progressive failure to produce new T-cells to fight novel infections. The thymus engineering project, which is underway with SENS Foundation support at the Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine by Dr. John Jackson and colleagues, is to use a trick that you may have heard of having been used to make a new rat heart using the tissue scaffolding of another's. ... The fifth SENS Conference was, indeed, quite amazing! Unlike the previous conference, this time much more of the work being presented had already been published; it was none the less remarkable to see just how much had been accomplished in the last year, from restoring cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease using a drug that boosted up the ability of their brains' lysosomes ('garbage disposal systems' as it were) to break down the sticky beta-amyloid protein [to] a just-begun study on a very bold and ambitious way [to] restore the loss of cells and degraded circuitry of the aging neocortex (the area of the brain where, arguably, our highest, most 'human' cognitive activity occurs)."

Link: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/314216

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Via EurekAlert!: researchers "created super strong, marathon mice and nematodes by reducing the function of a natural inhibitor, suggesting treatments for age-related or genetically caused muscle degeneration are within reach. It turns out that a tiny inhibitor may be responsible for how strong and powerful our muscles can be. ... By acting on a receptor (NCoR1), [researchers] were able to modulate the transcription of certain genes, creating a strain of mighty mice whose muscles were twice a strong as those of normal mice. ... By genetically manipulating the offspring of [mice and nematodes], the researchers were able to suppress the NCoR1 corepressor, which normally acts to inhibit the buildup of muscle tissues. ... In the absence of the inhibitor, the muscle tissue developed much more effectively. The mice with the mutation became true marathoners, capable of running faster and longer before showing any signs of fatigue. In fact, they were able to cover almost twice the distance run by mice that hadn't received the treatment. They also exhibited better cold tolerance. Unlike previous experiments with so-called super mice, this study addresses the way energy is burned in the muscle and the way the muscle is built. Examination under a microscope confirmed that the muscle fibers of the modified mice are denser, the muscles are more massive, and the cells in the tissue contain higher numbers of mitochondria - cellular organelles that deliver energy to the muscles. Similar results were also observed in nematode worms, allowing the scientists to conclude that their results could be applicable to a large range of living creatures."

Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/epfd-tag110711.php

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Armed with newer, cheaper, and better biotechnologies, researchers can measure ever more of the detailed effects of good health practices such as regular exercise, calorie restriction, and the like. It is possible now to examine the workings of metabolism in any specific part of the body in very great detail, all the way down to the molecular machinery in our cells, see how it changes with age, and see how those changes differ with different lifestyle choices. Or at least this can be done in mice - in humans, more statistical work is required to use today's technology to pull apart the differences between young and old, exercising and sedentary. The option to wait around for sizable portions of a human life span isn't there, after all; science moves faster than that.

Here is an open access paper that measures a little more of the effects of exercise, and along the way provides yet another compelling argument to be someone who exercises rather than someone who sits around growing ever more unfit with each passing year:

Healthy brain aging and cognitive function are promoted by exercise. The benefits of exercise are attributed to several mechanisms, many which highlight its neuroprotective role via actions that enhance neurogenesis, neuronal morphology and/or neurotrophin release. However, the brain is also composed of glial and vascular elements, and comparatively less is known regarding the effects of exercise on these components in the aging brain. Here, we show that aerobic exercise at mid-age [also] counters several well-established glial markers of brain aging. Similarly, we show that age-related changes in neurovascular morphology and function were reduced with exercise.

...

Thus, our results show that exercise can potentially mitigate progressive age-related changes in several key non-neuronal elements of the brain. Further, we show that these brain processes are still highly responsive to exercise in the midlife age range, consistent with studies showing that cognitive function can benefit from exercise even if initiated at later ages.

It's never to late to start on exercise. In the future, there will be rejuvenation biotechnologies capable of restoring the old to youthful health and vigor by repairing the low-level biological damage that causes aging. This will happen, I assure you - and it will be one of the least of the amazing new things to arrive in the years ahead. But human rejuvenation will almost certainly arrive later that either you or I desire, and until such time as it does become widely available the best things you can do for your own personal future of health and longevity are pretty primitive - lifestyle choices and supporting research and development.

All told, the better you do with the cards you have now, the more likely you are to live to benefit from the future of longevity-enhancing medicine. So do better.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm