Coffee Lowers Risk of Dementia and Alzheimers

A Finnish study found that drinking coffee during midlife can slash your risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that those who drank coffee during midlife had a lower risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease later in life than those who drank no coffee at all. Those who drank three to five cups of coffee a day lowered their risk by a whopping 65 percent.

The lead researcher Miia Kivipelto stated, “We aimed to study the association between coffee and tea consumption at midlife and dementia/AD risk in late-life, because the long-term impact of caffeine on the central nervous system was still unknown, and as the pathologic processes leading to Alzheimer’s disease may start decades before the clinical manifestation of the disease."

Coffee drinking was categorized into three groups: low (0 to 2 cups daily), moderate (3 to 5 cups) and high (more than 5 cups). Tea-drinking was categorized into two groups: those not drinking tea and those who drank at least one cup daily. While all coffee drinkers had a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than non-drinkers, those who drank moderate amounts of coffee lowered their risk by a surprising 65 percent. Drinking tea had no impact on the risk of developing dementia.

The study results have important implications in the delay or prevention of demenita/AD as there is a large amount of coffee consumption globally. The Finnish study still needs to be confirmed by other studies, but it opens the possibility that dietary interventions could modify the risk of dementia/AD. The Finnish researcher also stated,“the identification of mechanisms of how coffee exerts its protection against dementia/AD might help in the development of new therapies for these diseases.”

Red Wine Cuts Lung Cancer Risk

A study published in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found that moderate consumption of red wine lowered the risk of lung cancer in men.

“An antioxidant compound in red wine may be protective of lung cancer, particularly among smokers,” said Chun Chao, Ph.D., a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, California.

Enjoying a glass or two of red wine daily may slash your risk of developing lung cancer by 60 percent if you’re a smoker.The study collected information on over 84,000 men aged 45 to 69 years old in California’s health care system. Scientists measured the effects of beer, white wine, red wine and liquor on the risk of developing lung cancer. Factors such as race, education, body mass index, and smoking history were also considered.

The researchers found that for every glass of red wine consumed each month, the risk of developing lung cancer dropped by two percent. The biggest reduction was seen in smokers who drank one or two glasses of red wine daily. Their risk was reduced by 60 percent. Beer, white wine and liquor had no measureable effect.

“Red wine is known to contain high levels of antioxidants,” said Chao. “Red wine is known to contain high levels of antioxidants. There is a compound called resveratrol that is very rich in red wine because it is derived from the grape skin. This compound has shown significant health benefits in preclinical studies.”

Researchers warn that their findings shouldn’t encourage heavy drinking and also noted that even smokers who drank red wine had a higher risk of lung cancer than non-smokers.

A Better Mammogram

Radiologists have devised a better way to perform a mammogram, called digital tomosynthesis. An X-ray tube moves in an arc around the breast, capturing several images. The information is then sent to a computer, which produces clear, highly focused 3-dimensional images of the breast.

One out of seven women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Up until now, a mammogram has been the best hope for early detection. But mammograms can be uncomfortable and difficult to read. Now, new technology may change all that.

The radiologists can look at it like pages of a book, looking at one area of the breast in isolation. Traditional mammograms only take two angles of the breast. Depending on breast size, tomosynthesis takes at least 11 different angles. Another bonus -- tomosynthesis uses less compression than traditional mammograms and that means less pain for the patient. Doctors are awaiting FDA approval. The cost of the test is expected to be about the same as a traditional mammogram.

The technique is currently being reviewed by the FDA and should be commercialized within the year. It is easy to implement in any centers that currently provide mammography, with no necessary extra training for technicians to interpret results.

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The American Association of Physicists in Medicine

XLPharmacy discusses red wine and the heart

A natural compound found in red wine may protect the heart against the effects of the aging process, researchers said on Tuesday. In their study, mice were given a diet supplemented with the compound known as resveratrol starting at their equivalent of middle age until old age.
These mice experienced changes in their gene activity related to aging in a way very similar to mice that were placed on a so-called calorie restriction diet that slows the aging process by greatly cutting dietary energy intake. Most striking was how the resveratrol, like calorie restriction, blocked the decline in heart function typically associated with aging, according to Tomas Prolla, a University of Wisconsin professor of genetics who helped lead the study.
In some studies, animals given a diet with greatly reduced caloric intake have lived longer than animals with normal diets. But perpetual hunger is a steep price to pay for greater longevity, some researchers say.
Resveratrol, found in abundance in grapes and in red wine, has drawn a lot of interest from scientists and some companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, which in April said it would pay $720 million to buy Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc, a company that is developing drugs that mimic the effects of resveratrol. Some studies have shown that in high doses, resveratrol extended the life span of fruit flies and worms and prevented early death in mice fed a high-fat diet.
In this study, mice were given relatively low doses compared to the earlier research, and still experienced important aging-related benefits, the researchers said. The researchers began giving the resveratrol diet to the mice when they were 14 months old -- their middle age -- and followed the animals until they were about 30 months old. The researchers then conducted tests on cardiac function and on gene activity related to aging.
"Resveratrol at low doses can retard some aspects of the aging process, including heart aging, and it may do so by mimicking some of the effects of caloric restriction, which is known to retard aging in several tissues and extend life span," added Prolla, whose study was published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.
Using a method that permits simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes at the same time, the researchers found a huge overlap in the genes whose activity were changed by resveratrol and caloric restriction. They looked at the heart, brain and muscles, and said that the effect of resveratrol was strongest in the heart but did prevent some aging-related changes in the other tissues.
Just because mice had these benefits does not mean people also would, although Prolla said, "I think there's a high likelihood that our findings are applicable to humans." He said he expected to see a lot of studies in the coming years on the effects of resveratrol supplementation in people.

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Erectile Dysfunction Video at XLPharmacy Blog

If you're a sexually active man, the idea of losing your ability to have intercourse may be hard to imagine. But erectile dysfunction (ED) affects millions of men. What are the causes of this widespread condition? How do you know if you have erectile dysfunction -- and whether the cause is biological or psychological? Join our panel of experts and patients for a candid discussion of this sensitive issue.

When we talk about the fifteen million men with erectile dysfunction, a lot of these patients have a physical cause. The physical causes have to do with the vascular system, with blood flow -- insufficient blood flow going to the penis. It has to do with high blood cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure --

Watch Video for more information...

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