Chronic inflammation as a determinant of future aging phenotypes
Chronic inflammation causes aging more than previously thought. Inflammation was measured by measuring interleukin-6, and aging rates were estimated by number of cardiovascular deaths.
via Chronic inflammation as a determinant of future aging phenotypes.
First probable person to person transmission of new bird flu virus in China
Probable Human-to-Human Transmission of Avian Flu
“The first (index) patient – a 60 year old man – regularly visited a live poultry market and became ill five to six days after his last exposure to poultry. He was admitted to hospital on 11 March.
When his symptoms became worse, he was transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) on 15 March. He was transferred to another ICU on March 18 and died of multi-organ failure on 4 May.
The second patient, his healthy 32 year old daughter, had no known exposure to live poultry before becoming sick. However, she provided direct and unprotected bedside care for her father in the hospital before his admission to intensive care.
She developed symptoms six days after her last contact with her father and was admitted to hospital on 24 March. She was transferred to the ICU on 28 March and died of multi-organ failure on 24 April.
Two almost genetically identical virus strains were isolated from each patient, suggesting transmission from father to daughter.
Limited transmission between humans “is not surprising, and does not necessarily indicate that the virus is on course to develop sustained transmission among humans.”
Nevertheless, they point to several traits of H7N9 are of particular concern, and conclude that, while this study might not suggest that H7N9 is any closer to delivering the next pandemic, “it does provide a timely reminder of the need to remain extremely vigilant: the threat posed by H7N9 has by no means passed.”
via First probable person to person transmission of new bird flu virus in China.
Scanadu Builds a $149 Personal Tricorder for Non-Trekkies
Ready for pre-order at $149. Medical information in the hands of consumers, shared with physicians and easily stored, graphed and analyzed over time. Welcome to the future! We are living it.
via Scanadu Builds a $149 Personal Tricorder for Non-Trekkies | Wired Design | Wired.com.
11 Foods That Cut Calories, Not Energy
SARDINES
Sardines are truly a health food in a can. They’re high in protein, which boosts metabolism and leaves you feeling satiated for much longer than the equivalent amount of carbohydrates. They’re loaded with energizing omega-3 fats, which also help keep you full while being good for your heart, brain and mood at the same time. And because they’re low on the food chain, they’re almost never polluted with chemicals like mercury. Best of all, a full can is under 200 calories!
POMEGRANATE JUICE
What would you say to a juice that lowers cholesterol, reduces arterial plaque, might help protect against heart disease and cancer and may even help slow aging? Well, say hello to pomegranate juice. It has the highest antioxidant capacity of any juice on the planet, even beating out red wine and green tea in tests at the University of California. And because it’s low in sugar, it won’t set you up for overeating after you drink it, like high-sugar drinks. Calorie cost? Only 80 calories for four ounces.
PUMPKIN
Nope, it’s not just for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin is an energizing, low-calorie fruit (no that’s not a misprint) that’s brimming with immune-boosting vitamin A. It’s got way more potassium than a banana, and, for good measure, it’s loaded with fiber. That means your blood sugar won’t soar, but your energy will be constant and sustained. Canned pumpkin is available at every grocery store. You can heat it and season it just like you do pumpkin pie — with nutmeg, cinnamon and a little butter. Just leave out the sugar. It also makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes and has only 49 calories per cup
BLUEBERRIES
Blueberries are a true superfood. They’re loaded with fiber and antioxidants and studies show they boost memory making them a true “brain food,” too. Low in sugar but sweet and delicious, they’ll sustain your energy while adding nothing to your waistline. Add them to shakes or salads or eat them alone. Tip: Frozen blueberries are an undiscovered low-calorie treat that mix incredibly well with a little milk or yogurt. You’ll never even know you’re cutting calories. One cup: 84 calories.
BABY BROCCOLI
Even if you hate broccoli, you’ll love baby broccoli. It’s has a completely different taste, and is actually pretty good raw. Best of all, it’s satisfying, unbelievably nutritious, and ridiculously low in calories — less than 37 calories per cup. It makes a great raw vegetable snack, and because it’s so low in calories, you can even treat yourself to a couple of tablespoons of dip and not break the calorie bank.
WILD SALMON
There’s no better protein source than wild salmon, and you get the additional benefits of heart healthy, omega-3 fatty acids. The protein stabilizes your blood sugar, the fat keeps you from being hungry, and those magical omegas will improve your mood — you won’t even notice you’re cutting calories! You can have a nice 3 oz salmon steak for about 150 calories. Add a handful of brown rice and a heap of vegetables and you’ll be good to go for hours!
QUINOA
The Incas called it the “mother of all grains” and actually used it as a major source of fuel for their armies. Though it’s technically a seed, it cooks, acts and tastes like a grain, and has the highest protein content of any cereal on the planet. It’s also high in iron, and has 5 grams of fiber per cup. Calorie cost? Just over 100 calories per half cup. It’ll fill you up for hours! Tip: Combine with blueberries for a terrific breakfast.
OATMEAL
Oatmeal is a food that actually helps you cut calories! Studies have shown that people who eat a high-fiber breakfast food like oatmeal are satisfied longer, naturally eat fewer calories later in the day, and have more energy for things like mental performance. High in fiber and moderately high in protein, oatmeal fills you up and energizes all for a very moderate caloric cost of 150 calories per half cup of uncooked dry oats, which cooks up into a nice portion. Tip: Avoid the par-boiled packets — they’re loaded with sugar and have less fiber.
BLACK TEA
Switching to tea is an easy way to cut calories without losing energy. Black tea is made from the same plant — Camella sinensis — as it’s more famous cousin, green tea, but it’s also a very healthy beverage. All teas are energizing, and none have calories. Black tea makes an absolutely fabulous substitute for some of the high calorie, milk and sugar laden coffee concoctions we’ve been accustomed to drinking on a daily basis, yet the flavor is strong and satisfying — and it has less caffeine than coffee.
GRASS-FED BEEF
Three to four ounces of beef is surprisingly low in calories — a quarter pound is under 200 calories. And more surprises: Half the fat in beef is heart healthy monounsaturated fat, the same kind that’s found in olive oil. Beef stabilizes blood sugar and gives you lasting energy, plus it’s loaded with iron and amino acids. But there’s a world of difference between fast food and grass-fed beef. While more expensive, the grass-fed is high in omega-3’s and virtually free of hormones, antibiotics and hormones. Spend the extra money and get the good stuff.
WHEY PROTEIN POWDER
Whey protein powder is one of the best-kept secrets of dieters and athletes! It’s one of the highest rated proteins on the planet, containing a full range of amino acids. Studies show that it keeps folks feeling fuller longer. Plus, whey protein boosts immunity and slightly lowers blood pressure. Calorie cost? About 100 calories per serving.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS is a board certified nutritionist, a nationally known expert on weight loss, health and nutrition, and the best-selling author of 8 books including “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.” Visit him at www.jonnybowden.com
via 11 Foods That.
BBC News – Bacteria find key to treating obesity without surgery
In the latest study, researchers compared three groups of obese mice on a high-calorie diet.
- One group was given a gastric bypass
- One was given a sham operation, and the high-calorie diet continued
- One was given the same fake operation but then fed a low-calorie diet to promote weight loss
A week later the mice who had undergone the real obesity surgery had different bacteria in their guts, with an increase in types usually seen in lean individuals and a drop in types associated with obesity.
Three weeks after surgery they had lost about 30% of their bodyweight, the researchers reported in Science Translational Medicine.
There was little change in micro-organisms present in the mice who had had sham operations, even though the group on the low-calorie diet lost just as much weight as the mice who had had the bypass surgery.
Researchers then transferred samples from the guts of the three groups of mice into other germ-free mice.
Those who received bacteria from the bypass mice, lost a significant amount of weight in two weeks but the others saw no change.
It is not yet clear how the microbes influence weight loss, but one theory is that they have an impact on metabolism.
via BBC News – Bacteria find key to treating obesity without surgery.
Mechanisms of aluminum adjuvant toxicit – PubMed Mobile
What are the long term effects of auto-immunity (auto inflammation) on longevity?
via Mechanisms of aluminum adjuvant toxicit – PubMed Mobile.
Young Blogger and his 6 year experience following the CRON Diet
Pretty amazing results in the studies listed in this article. Restricting calories has increased longevity in every species tested. We now have a sector of the human population voluntarily undertaking the experiment on themselves. Simply eating smaller portions makes a huge difference in our caloric intake, but the CRON diet is “Caloric Restriction” WITH “Optimal Nutrition”. This makes better sense than simply cutting your calories down by 1/3 or more. Super promising solution to the ageing problem until we are able to develop nano- and bio-tech to move us into healthy triple digits and beyond.
Young Blogger and his 6 year experience following the CRON Diet.
Einstein the Misogynist
To gain a view of what male privilege looks and sounds like, I can think of no better example than a document written by one of the greatest human minds in history: Albert Einstein.
This is a contract written by Albert Einstein during the course of his first marriage to Maric. Although Albert and Maric married in 1903 and produced two sons, their correspondence shows they had a daughter born out of wedlock in 1902. Her fate remains unknown to this day.
Sometime in 1912, Albert traveled to Berlin where he began a long affair with his cousin, Elsa. During the course of that affair, Albert and Maric experienced a turbulent married life and lived apart for several years. At one juncture, Albert deemed it appropriate to write this Marriage Contract and to try to induce his wife to agree to it. This contract is sometimes passed around the internet, incorrectly, as a “Wedding Contract”, but it was much later in their marriage that Albert chose to wield the hammer of male privilege over Maric.
Maric did adopt some of the points in this document in order to have Albert living back in the home with she and her sons, thereby securing her place, both socially and financially, through the only means available to females during that era–that of her husband’s status and financial means.
Maric and Albert later divorced and he married his cousin, Elsa.
His wife never agreed to this contract, though, nor would anyone who wasn’t entirely dependent on the author’s good will for their own survival. What a piece of history we have in this document, demonstrating the privileged position of “Master” to which males automatically assumed they were entitled and, even by the brightest among us, the subordinate position of the female who existed merely to satisfy their needs.
What a horrid piece of historical documentation.
Antibiotics disrupt gut flora in infants: Recovery still incomplete after eight weeks
Eight weeks after antibiotic treatment of infants, the diversity of gastrointestinal flora remained diminished, although the number of individual bacteria was back to normal, according to a paper in the November 2012 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Additionally, the potentially disease-causing Proteobacteria were now the d
via Antibiotics disrupt gut flora in infants: Recovery still incomplete after eight weeks.
Researchers quantify how many years of life are gained by being physically active
In a new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, researchers have quantified how many years of life are gained by being physically active at different levels, among all individuals as well as among various groups with different body mass index.
Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-quantify-years-life-gained-physically.html#jCp
via Researchers quantify how many years of life are gained by being physically active.
Omega-3s: Fishing for a Mechanism
Mithridates VI, king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia (now Turkey) from about 120 BC to 63 BC, was a forward-thinking and perceptive individual who understood that a little bit of stress can be a good thing. Terrified of succumbing to the same fate as his father, who was assassinated by poisoning at his own banquet, Mithridates began ingesting sublethal doses of poisons to develop immunity to them, a real-life example of The Princess Bride’s Westley.
The benefit of this practice, which in modern times is known as “hormesis,” is believed to stem from the fact that in low, subtoxic amounts, poisons, toxins, and other types of stress will upregulate antioxidants and detoxification enzymes in the liver, heart, and other major organs, thereby augmenting the natural ability of the body to detoxify and protect itself against future exposure to those same toxins. Could that be what’s happening with n-3 PUFAs in the heart? Could the highly reactive oxidized products generated from PUFA oxidation cause adaptations in the heart—such as biochemical/biophysical alterations in membranes and the upregulation of cardio-protective genes—that subsequently protect the vital organ against disease and stress?
via Omega-3s: Fishing for a Mechanism | The Scientist Magazine®.
via Omega-3s: Fishing for a Mechanism | The Scientist Magazine®.
BBC News – Low calcium hormone disease risk
Having too little calcium in the diet increases womens risk of a hormone condition that can cause bone fractures and kidney stones, scientists suggest.
New study finds brain tumors can arise from neurons
The new research shows that tumors can in fact have their origins in several types of differentiated cells in the central nervous system, including neural stem cells, astrocytes (a sub-type of glial cell) and even neurons, when cancer-causing genes are introduced. Neurons do not divide, but when the genes were introduced they were found to transform into stem cells that could reproduce rapidly.
Uncommon Health 