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.

Surf to Combat Depression
Shelia R. Cotten, from Michigan State University (Michigan, USA), and colleagues assessed data collected on 3,075 community-dwelling respondents observed over 4 waves of data of the Health and Retirement Study, yielding a total of 12,300 observations. The researchers assessed the extent of Internet use via interview, and assessed depression via a standardized scale.  With other factors constant, the authors found that Internet users had an average predicted probability of depression of .07, whereas that probability for nonusers was .105. Based on the difference, Internet use led to a 33% reduction in the probability of depression. Submitting that: “the mechanism linking Internet use to depression is the remediation of social isolation and loneliness,” the study authors conclude that: “Encouraging older adults to use the Internet may help decrease isolation and depression.”

Dr. Klatz observes: “Late-life depression is an underrecognized medical condition among older men and women.  Internet use may reduce depression, among retirees.”

When Less Can Do More
Dorothy Dunlop, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Illinois, USA), and colleagues investigated whether spending more time in light activities can help prevent disability as well.  The researchers identified a group of 1,680 adults, ages 45 to 79 years, from the Osteoarthritis Initiative study who were free of disability but were at elevated risk for developing it because they had knee osteoarthritis or other risk factors for knee osteoarthritis, such as obesity.  To track the amount and intensity of physical activity these at-risk people engaged in every day, the team had them wear an accelerometer during waking hours for about a week.  Two years after collecting the results from the accelerometer, participants were surveyed and asked about the development of disabilities. As expected, more time spent in moderate or vigorous activity was associated with lower reports of disabilities, and researchers found that greater time spent in light intensity activities also was related to fewer disabilities, even after accounting for time spent in moderate activities.  Those who spent more than four hours per day doing light physical activity had more than a 30% reduction in the risk for developing disability, as compared to those spending only three hours a day in light activity.  Submitting that: “These prospective data showed an association between greater daily time spent in light intensity physical activities and reduced risk of onset and progression of disability in adults with osteoarthritis of the knee or risk factors for knee osteoarthritis.” The study authors encourage for:  “An increase in daily physical activity time may reduce the risk of disability, even if the intensity of that additional activity is not increased.”

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “In that a number of studies suggest that the more time people spend in moderate or vigorous activities, the less likely they are to develop disability,  Light physical activity every day may help people with or at-risk of knee arthritis to avoid developing disabilities as they age.”

Banish These Beverages
Aaqib Habib Malik, from Griffin Hospital (Connecticut, USA), and colleagues completed a literature review of 12 studies with a total of 409,707 participants) involving sugar sweetened beverages and blood pressure.  The data showed a positive association between increased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and elevated blood pressure in all 12 studies, that was statistically significant in 10 studies.  Submitting that: “our systematic review shows that the consumption of [sugar sweetened beverages] is associated with higher [blood pressure], leading to increased incidence of hypertension,” the study authors urge that: “Restriction on [sugar sweetened beverages] consumption should be incorporated in the recommendations of lifestyle modifications for the treatment of hypertension.”

Comments Dr. Klatz:  “There are many effective non-drug measures to manage hypertension – making smart dietary choices being one of them.  Sugar sweetened beverages such as sodas and juice cocktails may elevate blood pressure.”

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.