Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 18th 2019
This study provides a possible reason why genes carrying health risks have persisted in human populations. The second found evidence for multiple variants in genes related to ageing that exhibited antagonistic pleiotropic effects. They found higher risk allele frequencies with large effect sizes for late-onset diseases (relative to early-onset diseases) and an excess of variants with antagonistic effects expressed through early and late life diseases. There also exists other recent tangible evidence of antagonistic pleiotropy in specific human genes. The SPATA31 gene has been found under strong positive genomic sele...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 17, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, part 2
Update In March 2019, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released new guidelines that suggest that most adults without a history of heart disease should not take low-dose daily aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke. Based on the ASPREE, ARRIVE, and ASCEND trials, the ACC/AHA guidelines concluded that the risk of side effects from aspirin, particularly bleeding, outweighed the potential benefit. The new guidelines do not pertain to people with established cardiovascular disease, in whom the benefits of daily aspirin have been found to outweigh the risks. ___________...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH Tags: Heart Health Prevention Source Type: blogs

Have Specific Genetic Examples of Antagonistic Pleiotropy Been Identified in Humans?
This study provides a possible reason why genes carrying health risks have persisted in human populations. The second found evidence for multiple variants in genes related to ageing that exhibited antagonistic pleiotropic effects. They found higher risk allele frequencies with large effect sizes for late-onset diseases (relative to early-onset diseases) and an excess of variants with antagonistic effects expressed through early and late life diseases. There also exists other recent tangible evidence of antagonistic pleiotropy in specific human genes. The SPATA31 gene has been found under strong positive genomic sele...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 11, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

Why you should get a CT heart scan
A CT heart scan is a crucial test to have done at low cost, relatively modest radiation exposure, that tells you whether or not you have coronary heart disease. It’s the only test that tells you with confidence whether or not you have atherosclerotic plaque in your heart’s arteries. It is quantitative and can be used to track progression, regression, or stabilization over the years. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation floating around about heart scans, so be armed with better information. The post Why you should get a CT heart scan appeared first on Dr. William Davis. (Source: Wheat Belly Blog)
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - March 7, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates calcium score heart scan undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs

8 Health Risks of Untreated Depression
Medication side-effects can seem unbearable at times: dry mouth, nausea, dizziness, constipation. Certain prescriptions can also increase our risks for developing chronic conditions like thyroid disease and diabetes. Three years ago, I decided that the pills’ side-effects weren’t worth the relief they brought, so I slowly weaned off all my medication. I then plummeted into a severe depression that ended up taking a far greater toll on my health than the nuisance of my drugs. You may be justifiably concerned about how your mood stabilizer and antidepressant are altering your biochemistry, but also consider the grave con...
Source: World of Psychology - March 5, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Depression General Medications Antidepressant Cognitive Decline Diabetes Mood Stabilizer Source Type: blogs

A positive mindset can help your heart
Can being positive protect against heart disease? Yes! There is a lot of evidence suggesting that having a positive outlook — like being optimistic, cheerful, having gratitude and purpose in life — can be heart-protective. Researchers in the UK looked at psychological characteristics of over 8,000 people, and found that those who scored high on optimism and a sense of well-being enjoyed a 30% lower risk of developing heart disease. Other studies report similar findings: in a study of over 70,000 women followed for over 10 years, those who scored highest on an optimism questionnaire had a significantly lower risk of dea...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Heart Health Mind body medicine Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 4th 2019
In this study, we examined the benefits of early-onset, lifelong AET on predictors of health, inflammation, and cancer incidence in a naturally aging mouse model. Lifelong, voluntary wheel-running (O-AET; 26-month-old) prevented age-related declines in aerobic fitness and motor coordination vs. age-matched, sedentary controls (O-SED). AET also provided partial protection against sarcopenia, dynapenia, testicular atrophy, and overall organ pathology, hence augmenting the 'physiologic reserve' of lifelong runners. Systemic inflammation, as evidenced by a chronic elevation in 17 of 18 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokin...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 3, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

GrimAge is the Latest Evolution of the Epigenetic Clock
The original epigenetic clock is a measure of age, a weighted algorithmic combination of specific DNA methylation sites on the genome. Numerous variations on this theme are being produced, and here I'll point out news on the latest, a metric called GrimAge. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that steers protein production and thus cell behavior. Epigenetic clocks correlate well with chronological age, and it has been shown that populations of older individuals with pronounced age-related disease or otherwise exhibiting higher mortality rates tend to have higher epigenetic ages. There are some problematic exc...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 30, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

Reduce HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES naturally and safely . . . without scam products
High triglyceride levels are as common as muffin tops and man breasts. You will find a triglyceride level among the four values on any standard cholesterol panel. High triglycerides are either ignored by most doctors or reflexively “treated” with drugs, such as fibrates (Lopid, fenofibrate), prescription fish oil (Lovaza, Vascepa) and, of course, statins. But buried in this single triglyceride value is tremendous insight into diet, metabolic efficiencies, and cardiovascular risk, with control using natural, non-medication means easy to accomplish with absolute NO need for overpriced Big Pharma scam products. Why are ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 28, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates grain-free triglycerides undoctored Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs

Nutritional Lipidology
The statin drug industry and their willing and eager servants, i.e., doctors, have managed to prop up a drug franchise that has reaped hundreds of billion of dollars over the years while providing little benefit but plenty of harm. Although I’ve discussed these issues many times here in the Wheat Belly Blog, the Wheat Belly books, and more recently in the Undoctored book and Blog,  it bears exploring further. I keep on hoping that clarity, logic, evidence, truth and repetition overcome our lack of billions of dollars in marketing that Big Pharma controls, a genuine David-vs-Goliath situation. I call all the varied c...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 17, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates cardiovascular cholesterol heart lipoproteins statin undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs

What is a plant-based diet and why should you try it?
Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources. Mediterranean and vegetarian diets What is the evidence that plant-based eating patterns are healthy? Much nutrition research has examined plant-based eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet. The Mediterranean diet has a foundation of plant-based foo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 26, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, part 2
Well, it seems as though not even a week can go by without more data on aspirin! I recently reviewed the ARRIVE trial and the implications for primary prevention — that is, trying to prevent heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people. Since then, yet another large clinical trial — the ASPREE study — has come out questioning the use of aspirin in primary prevention. Three articles pertaining to this trial were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, which is an unusual degree of coverage for one trial and highlights its immediate relevance to clinical practice. Aspirin still strongly i...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 25, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH Tags: Heart Health Prevention Source Type: blogs

Daily Low Dose Aspirin Fails to Extend Healthy Life Spans in Older Patients
Aspirin is arguably a calorie restriction mimetic, able to spur some of the same beneficial cellular stress responses that are activated by low nutrient levels. Calorie restriction itself, practiced over the long term, does not have a very large effect on human life span. Given the existing demographic data, a gain of even five years of life would be very surprising. Further, it is well established that the life extension resulting from calorie restriction scales down as species life span scales up. Mice live up to 40% longer on calorie restricted diets, but we humans certainly don't. Aspirin has other effects besid...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 18, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

The Absence of Mental Illness Doesn ’ t Equal Mental Health
In an increasingly globalized and mediatized world, in which mental illness is one of society’s most discussed cultural artifacts, Colleen Patrick Goudreau’s words ring out: “If we don’t have time to be sick, then we have to make time to be healthy”. With the prevalence of mental health problems, it is clear why. Mental health issues are one of the leading causes of the overall disease burden globally, according to the World Health Organisation. One study reported that mental health is the primary source of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds. Compared to previo...
Source: World of Psychology - August 12, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Staff Tags: Brain Blogger Mental Health and Wellness Publishers Research Colleen Patrick Goudreau Mental Health Promotion mental illness prevention Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 13th 2018
We report that the disruption of excitation-contraction coupling contributes to impaired force generation in the mouse model of Sod1 deficiency. Briefly, we found a significant reduction in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) activity as well as reduced expression of proteins involved in calcium release and force generation. Another potential factor involved in EC uncoupling in Sod1-/- mice is oxidative damage to proteins involved in the contractile response. In summary, this study provides strong support for the coupling between increased oxidative stress and disruption of cellular excitation contraction mac...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 12, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs