By Dr. Ronald Klatz & Dr. Robert Goldman

Longevity News and Review provides readers with the latest information in breakthroughs pertaining to the extension of the healthy human lifespan.  These news summaries are compiled by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net), a non-profit medical society composed of 24,000 physician and scientist members from 110 nations, united in a mission to advance biomedical technologies to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process.   Dr. Ronald Klatz, M.D., D.O., A4M President, and Dr. Robert Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., D.O., FAASP, A4M Chairman, physician co-founders of the anti-aging medical movement, distill these headlines and provide their insightful commentary.

Short Daily Walk Promotes Independent Living
Coordinated at the University of Florida (Florida, USA), the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study is an ongoing, large randomized controlled trial to assess physical activity and health education in older adults. Assessing data collected on 1,635 men and women, ages 70 to 89 years, who led sedentary lifestyles and were at risk of mobility disability, the LIFE Study Investigators observed that the risk of major mobility disability was reduced by 18% among participants in the physical activity group, meaning that they were more capable of walking without assistance for about a quarter mile. A daily 20-minute walk was found to help stave off major disability and enhance the quality of these older adults.

Dr. Klatz observes: “The ability to walk unassisted is a key to independent living.  Reduced mobility is common in older adults and is a risk factor for illness, hospitalization, disability, and death.  These researchers report that a 20-minute walk each day may ward off major physical disability and enhance quality of life.”

Fitness in 50s Is An Anti-Aging Essential
Rachel Cooper, from University College London (United Kingdom) and colleagues warn that poor physical capacity in midlife may raise a person’s risk of premature death.  The team assessed data collected on 1,355 men and 1,411 women, all age 53 years when their fitness was measured, who were enrolled in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development in England, Scotland, and Wales. A visiting nurse assessed each participant’s ability to perform three physical tests. One test gauged hand grip strength, another evaluated a person’s ability to balance on one foot and the third noted the time it took the participant to stand up from a chair. The researchers then followed the participants for the next 13 years, using information from the National Health Service register to find out which had died. They took into account other factors that could influence the risk of death, including smoking, body size and a history of illnesses such as heart and lung problems at age 53.  With 177 deaths during the follow-up period, the data suggested that the participants who performed in the lowest one-fifth on the tests were almost four times as likely to die during follow-up as people who completed the tasks best. Those who couldn’t perform any of the tests were more than eight times as likely to die as the top performers.   Observing that: “Lower levels of physical capability at age 53 and inability to perform capability tests are associated with higher rates of mortality,” the study authors submit that: “Even at this relatively young age these measures identify groups of people who are less likely than others to achieve a long and healthy life.”

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “This first-of-its-kind study links poor physical ability of men and women in their 50s with an increased likelihood of dying, reinforcing the essentiality of fitness in aging.”

Red Wine Counteracts Cavities
Cavities, periodontal disease and tooth loss start when certain bacteria in the mouth get together and form biofilms, which are communities of bacteria that are difficult to kill. They form plaque and produce acid, which starts damaging teeth.  M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas, from the Instituto de Investigacion en Ciencias de la Alimentacion (CIAL), CSIC-UAM (Spain), and colleagues grew cultures of bacteria responsible for dental diseases as a biofilm. They dipped the biofilms for a couple of minutes in different liquids, including red wine, red wine without the alcohol, red wine spiked with grape seed extract, and water and 12 percent ethanol for comparison. Red wine with or without alcohol and wine with grape seed extract were the most effective at getting rid of the bacteria.  Observing: “almost complete and early degradation … when incubating biofilms with the red wine extract,” the study authors submit that: “this is the first study of antimicrobial properties of wine in an oral biofilm model.”

Comments Dr. Klatz:  “Affecting estimated 60 to 90 % of the global population, cavities, periodontal disease and tooth loss may be addressed in the future with natural substances derived from red wine, which this study suggests slows oral bacteria growth.”

Anti-aging medicine is the fastest-growing medical specialty throughout the world and is founded on the application of advanced scientific and medical technologies for the early detection, prevention, treatment, and reversal of age-related dysfunction, disorders, and diseases.  It is a healthcare model promoting innovative science and research to prolong the healthy lifespan in humans.  As such, anti-aging medicine is based on solid scientific principles of responsible medical care that are consistent with those applied in other preventive health specialties.  The goal of anti-aging medicine is not to merely prolong the total years of an individual’s life, but to ensure that those years are enjoyed in a productive and vital fashion.  Visit the A4M’s World Health Network website, at www.worldhealth.net, to learn more about the A4M and its educational endeavors and to sign-up for your free subscription o Longevity Magazine™ e-Journal.