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.

Smart Dietary Choices to Avoid Stroke
Xinfeng Liu, from Nanjing University School of Medicine (China), and colleagues completed a meta-analysis of 7studies with a total of 254,489 participants who were followed for an average of 14 years. The data revealed that the participants with the highest amount of protein in their diets were 20% less likely to develop a stroke, as compared to those with the lowest amount of protein in their diets. For every additional 20 grams per day of protein consumed, the risk of stroke decreased by 26%.  The team advises, however, the protein of-choice is fish, and that red meat consumption should be limited, in accordance with other published studies associating it with increased stroke risk.  The study authors conclude that: “These findings suggest that moderate dietary protein intake may lower the risk of stroke.”

Dr. Klatz observes: “Numerous published studies report that a diet abundant in colorful fruits and vegetables may lower stroke risk.  Chinese researchers find that people with diets higher in protein, especially from fish, may be less likely to have a stroke.”

Tai Chi Enhances Stem Cells
Shinn-Zong Lin, from the Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital (Taiwan), and colleagues enrolled healthy young subjects in a year-long study to assess the different effects of Tai Chi – a traditional Chinese martial art and sport, brisk walking, or no exercise habit – on the number of CD34+ cells, a type of stem cell critical in essential body functions.  The researchers observed that the group performing Tai Chi saw a rise in their cluster of differentiation 34 expressing (CD34+) cells, as compared with the no-exercise group.  Submitting that Tai Chi may prompt vasodilation and increase blood flow, the lead author posits that:  “Tai Chi seems to be an easier and more convenient choice of anti-aging exercise.”

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “CD 34+ cells express the CD 34 protein and are ‘cluster markers’ for hematopoietic stem cells (blood stem cells) involved in cell self-renewal, differentiation and proliferation.   These researchers report that the traditional Chinese martial art/sport of tai chi increases the number of CD34+ cells.”

Soothe Stress with Chocolate
Swiss researchers reveal that dark chocolate (125 mg of epicatechin) may reduce elevations in stress hormones, when consumed prior to a stressful event.  The team enrolled 65 healthy men, ages 20 to 50 years, who received either 50 g of dark chocolate, or placebo, two hours before a stress test.  While stress markers increased among both groups, the dark chocolate group showed blunted responses for cortisol and epinephrine.  Observing that: “flavonoid-rich dark chocolate intake buffers endocrine stress reactivity,” the study authors posit that dark chocolate may exert “inhibitory peripheral effects … on the biosynthesis and secretion of cortisol and catecholamines.”

Comments Dr. Klatz:  “Mounting scientific evidence suggest that consuming dark chocolate confers therapeutic health effects, most notably on cardiovascular parameters.  Swiss team reveals that 50 grams of dark chocolate a few hours before a stressful event may reduce elevations in stress hormones.”

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.