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.

Anti-Aging = Anti-Alzheimer’s
Miia Kivipelto, from the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), and colleagues completed a two-year clinical trial in Finland of a multi-component lifestyle intervention in 1,260 older adults at risk for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s.  Physical activity, nutritional guidance, cognitive training, social activities and management of heart health risk factors was able to improve cognitive performance, both overall and in separate measures of executive function, such as planning abilities, and the relationship between cognitive functions and physical movement.

Dr. Klatz observes: “Previously, a number of studies have suggested the role of modifiable risk factors in late-life cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Finnish team confirms that the tenets of the anti-aging lifestyle improve cognitive performance, among older men and women at-risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Exercise Rx for Longevity
Queensland University of Technology (Australia) researchers urge that women would benefit from being prescribed exercise as medicine. Debra Anderson and colleagues completed a systematic literature review to reveal that moderate to high intensity activity is essential to reducing the risk of death in older women. The team reports that: “All studies found that physical activity was associated with lower rates of cognitive and physical decline and a significant reduction in all-cause mortality. In this review we found that exercise interventions (or lifestyle activities) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health.”  Writing that: “Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives, by developing home-based exercise programs that require few resources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle,” the study authors submit that: “The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise.”

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “Finding that moderate to high intensity activity is essential to reducing the risk of death in older women, Australian team submits that health professionals should prescribe tailored exercise programs for that subpopulation.”

To Manage Diabetes, Look to the Kitchen Spice Rack
Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois, USA), and colleagues tested four different herbs, either greenhouse-grown or dried commercial versions, namely – Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare), marjoram (Origanum majorana), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens), for their ability to interfere with a diabetes-related enzyme known as dipeptidyl peptidase IV.  The team found that greenhouse herbs contained more polyphenols and flavonoids compared to the equivalent commercial herbs. Notably, commercial extracts of Greek oregano, Mexican oregano and rosemary were better inhibitors of the enzyme, required to reduce risk of type-2 diabetes, than greenhouse-grown herbs. The study authors submit that: “Overall, herbs contain several flavonoids that inhibit [dipeptidyl peptidase IV] and should be investigated further regarding their potential in diabetes management.”

Comments Dr. Klatz:  “With lifestyle as a leading modifiable factor for type-2 diabetes, some people can manage the disease with exercise and changes to their diet.  In that previous research suggests that herbs may provide a natural way to help lower glucose in blood, these researchers report that the culinary herbs oregano and rosemary may become an important natural approach to manage blood sugar, among diabetics.”

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.