Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) for menopausal symptoms: A systematic review of its efficacy. (Pharmacol Res. 2008)

[Calcium in Aging, Health, and Anti-Aging. Significance of calcium supplement for Anti-aging.] (Clin Calcium. 2008)

[Calcium in Aging, Health, and Anti-Aging. Vitamin D and anti-aging medicine.] (Clin Calcium. 2008)

Calcium supplementation and vascular disease. (Climacteric. 2008)

Cases in CAM: What's the Good of Flaxseed?

Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is not associated with a reduction in carotid atherosclerosis: The Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives study (Atherosclerosis 2008)

Do phytoestrogens reduce the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence? What clinicians need to know. (Eur J Cancer. 2008)

Dual effects of melatonin on oxidative stress after surgical brain injury in rats. (J Pineal Res. 2008)

Early life and adult exposure to isoflavones and breast cancer risk. (J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev. 2008)

Early lipoic acid intake protects retina of diabetic mice. (Free Radic Res. 2008)

Effect of soybean on breast cancer according to receptor status: A case-control study in Japan. (Int J Cancer. 2008)

Flavonoids and cardiovascular health: which compounds, what mechanisms?

Garlic supplements help lower high blood pressure “When the researchers pooled the data from the trials, they found that garlic reduced systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 4.6 mm Hg, on average. An analysis limited to people with high blood pressure showed garlic reduced systolic blood pressure by 8.4 mm Hg, on average, and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 7.3 mm Hg. The higher a person's blood pressure -was at the beginning of the study, the more it was reduced by taking garlic. The effects were similar to those of widely used drugs for treating hypertension, for example beta blockers, which reduce systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg, and ACE inhibitors, which produce an 8 mm Hg average drop in systolic blood pressure, the researchers note. The 600 mg to 900 mg dosage used in the studies is equivalent to 3.6 mg to 5.4 mg of garlic's active ingredient, allicin, Ried and her team point out. A fresh clove of garlic contains 5 mg to 9 mg of allicin. “

Lipoic acid: a novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis and other chronic inflammatory diseases of the CNS. (Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2008)

Lutein and zeaxanthin for macular degeneration. (Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2008)

Lycopene attenuates diabetes-associated cognitive decline in rats. (Life Sci. 2008)

L: -Carnitine mediates protection against DNA damage in lymphocytes of aged rats. (Biogerontology. 2008)

Omega-3 rather than genetics is key to lack of CHD in Japanese?

Omega-3, Some Omega-6 Fatty Acids Boost Cardiovascular Health: Reduce heart attack risk and blood pressure, studies show “High intake of the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish and vegetable cooking oils appear to help prevent heart attacks, while the omega-6 fatty acids in vegetables and nuts help keep blood pressure low, two international research teams report. A study in Costa Rica found that high intake of omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of heart attack by 59 percent, said a report published in the July 8 online issue of Circulation. …A number of other studies have shown that high intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. This is the first study to look at its association with heart attack risk, Campos said.”

Postprandial triglyceride responses to aerobic exercise and extended-release niacin (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008) “Conclusions:Aerobic exercise lowers the postprandial triglyceride response to a high-fat meal. Niacin lowers fasting but not postprandial triglycerides and appears to influence the triglyceride-lowering effect of aerobic exercise when combined. However, exercise decreases postprandial insulin concentrations after niacin administration, which illustrates the potential metabolic benefits of exercise in persons taking niacin. “

Potassium may help lower blood pressure: studies “Research shows that boosting levels of potassium in the diet may lower a person's risk of developing high blood pressure and may decrease blood pressure in people who already have "hypertension."”

Protective effect of quercetin in primary neurons against Abeta(1-42): relevance to Alzheimer's disease. (J Nutr Biochem. 2008)

Pro-inflammatory genetic background and zinc status in old atherosclerotic subjects. (Ageing Res Rev. 2008) “Zinc deficiency has been suggested as an environmental risk factor for AT. With advancing age, the incidence of zinc deficiency increases for several reasons. Among them, dietary intake, malabsorption and genetic background of inflammatory markers may be involved. A crucial contribution may also be played by increased oxidative stress which may lead to the appearance of dysfunctional proteins, including metallothioneins (MT) that are in turn involved in zinc homeostasis. The detection of candidate genes related to inflammation and promoting AT and their reciprocal influence/interaction with zinc status might allow earlier appropriate dietary interventions in genetically susceptible subjects.”

Quercetin reduces susceptibility to influenza infection following stressful exercise. (Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008)

Relations between dietary sodium and potassium intakes and mortality from cardiovascular disease: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risks1 (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008) “Conclusions: A high sodium intake and a low potassium intake may increase the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.”

Resveratrol Found to Improve Health, But Not Longevity in Aging Mice on Standard Diet “Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age. This study, conducted and supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is a follow-up to 2006 findings that resveratrol improves health and longevity of overweight, aged mice. The report confirms previous results suggesting the compound, found naturally in foods like grapes and nuts, may mimic, in mice, some of the effects of dietary or calorie restriction, the most effective and reproducible way found to date to alleviate age-associated disease in mammals. … Researchers still have much to learn before resveratrol can be recommended for human use. Basic questions of safety and biological effect in humans remain to be studied experimentally.”

Resveratrol May Prevent Breast Cancer “Resveratrol, a nutrient found in red wine, keeps estrogen from causing breast cancer in test-tube studies. Prolonged exposure to estrogen is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Most research has focused on the interactions between estrogen and estrogen receptors on breast cancer cells. But when the body's system for processing estrogen gets out of balance, dangerous estrogen metabolites appear. These toxic compounds react with DNA in breast cells and jump-start the growth of tumors. “

Resveratrol, Found In Red Wine, Wards Off Effects Of Age On Heart, Bones, Eyes And Muscle

Soy intake and breast cancer risk in Singapore Chinese Health Study. (Br J Cancer. 2008)

Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count “Eating half a serving of soy food a day lowers sperm concentrations and may play a role in male infertility, particularly in obese men, Harvard University researchers report. The reason for this relationship between soy and sperm count isn't clear. However, researchers speculate that soy increases estrogen activity, which may have a negative affect on sperm production and also interfere with other hormonal signals. "There have been a lot of interest in estrogen and isoflavones in particular and a potential relationship to fertility and other reproductive disorders," said lead researcher Dr. Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Research in animals has shown that isoflavones and estrogen can have a potentially negative affect on reproduction, including decreased fertility, Chavarro said. However, there is very little evidence of how these findings apply to humans, he said. … "When patients are overweight, the fat tissue converts male hormones to more female hormones," Sadeghi-Nejad said. "So, it is possible that the combination of this estrogenic source [soy] and the extra internal estrogen that is caused by the conversion of androgen to estrogen through the fat has a more deleterious effect in that group of patients." “

Study Sparks Uncertainty About Cardiovascular Effects of Calcium Supplements in Postmenopausal Women “The results of the study, titled "Vascular events in healthy older women receiving calcium supplementation: randomized controlled trial," suggest a link between calcium supplementation and increased rates of adverse cardiovascular events in postmenopausal women. The study's authors urge clinicians to balance this new information against the acknowledged benefits of calcium on bone health. … Although many calcium supplementation studies do not mention vascular events, the authors of this study report found three other studies that showed slight trends similar to those uncovered in the current study. The authors write, "Taken together, these four studies raise major concerns about the cardiovascular safety of calcium supplementation, particularly with respect to myocardial infarction in older postmenopausal women."”

The effects of high potassium consumption on bone mineral density in a prospective cohort study of elderly postmenopausal women. (Osteoporos Int. 2008) “CONCLUSIONS: Potassium intake shows positive association with bone density in elderly women, suggesting that increasing consumption of food rich in potassium may play a role in osteoporosis prevention.”

The emerging role of docosahexaenoic acid in neuroinflammation. (Curr Opin Investig Drugs. 2008)

The impact of fish-oil supplements on insulin sensitivity (Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 2008) “Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study show that the intake of high dose fish oil supplements over 60?days can help to reduce the risk of CHD and mortality in overweight individuals.”

Vitamin D: Builds Bones And Much More

Zinc Helps Elderly Ward Off Pneumonia “"Not only did (people with lower zinc concentrations) have a higher risk of developing pneumonia, when they did become sick, they did not recover as quickly and required a longer course of antibiotics," corresponding author Simin Nikbin Meydani, director of the nutritional immunology laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, said in a prepared statement. “