By Dr. Robert Goldman & Dr. Ronald Klatz

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.

Fish Oil Supports Brain Structure
Lori Daiello, from the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital (Rhode Island, USA), and colleagues completed a retrospective study of older adults (229 cognitively normal individuals, 397 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 193 patients with Alzheimer’s disease), enrolled in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, who were assessed with neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging every 6 months. Researchers tracked global cognitive status, and cerebral cortex gray matter and hippocampus and ventricular volumes.  The study found that fish oil supplement use during the study was associated with significantly lower rates of cognitive decline as measured by two standardized assessment scales, but this benefit was observed only for the group of participants without dementia at the time of enrollment. Importantly, the study authors report that: “[fish oil supplements] use during the study was also associated with less atrophy in one or more brain regions of interest.”

Dr. Klatz observes: “On average, one person is diagnosed every minute with Alzheimer’s disease, a condition for which no cure presently exists and thus for which intensive efforts to prevent or slow cognitive decline with age is focused. These researchers report that dietary supplementation of fish oil may improve memory function and reduce the incidence of cognitive decline.”

Regular Exercise Cuts Cancer Risks
Researchers involved in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study analyzed data obtained from biennial questionnaires completed by 59,308 postmenopausal women who were enrolled in E3N, the French component of EPIC. The mean duration of follow-up was 8.5 years, during which time, 2,155 of the women were diagnosed with a first primary invasive breast cancer. The total amount of self-reported recreational physical activity was calculated in MET-h [metabolic equivalent task-hours] per week. Data revealed that postmenopausal women who in the past four years had undertaken regular physical activity equivalent to at least four hours of walking per week (equal to 12 MET-h per week) were at 10% lower risk for invasive breast cancer, as compared with women who exercised less during those four years.   The study authors submit that: “The results of this largest prospective study on the protective effects of physical activity indicate that moderate and high physical activity are associated with modest decreased breast cancer risk.”

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “With previously published data suggesting that a routine of regular physical activity associates with reduced risks of invasive breast cancer, this large-scale European study finds that the postmenopausal breast cancer risk decreases significantly with a regimen of physical activity.”

Feed Your Eyes
Vallikannan Baskaran, from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (India), and colleagues studied the role of dietary fats to promote the bioavailability of lutein – a key carotenoid for eye health,  Employing a lab animal model, the team tested olive, coconut, soybean, sunflower, rice bran, corn, groundnut, and fish oils, fed in conjunction with lutein (200 microMoles).  After 15 days, plasma lutein levels were found to be highest in olive oil (82%) and coconut oil (68%).  Importantly, the study authors report that: “lutein accumulation in the liver and the eye was highest in the [olive oil] (120% and 117%) and [coconut oil] (105% and 109%) fed groups, compared to control.”

Comments Dr. Klatz:  “Recent studies have identified the importance of lutein – a carotenoid, in maintaining eye health as we age.   This team from India reports that the absorption of lutein is enhanced by consuming olive or coconut oil.”

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.