Auyeung TW, Lee JS, Leung J, Kwok T, Leung PC, Woo J.

Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. auyeungtw@cuhk.edu.hk

Abstract
BACKGROUND: height loss beginning in mid-life and post-menopausal period was associated with adverse health outcomes. However, height loss occurring after old age has been little studied. We examined how height loss was related to bone mineral density (BMD) change, fracture incidence and cause-specific mortality in older adults.

METHODS: the stature and BMD of 3145 community-dwelling men and women aged =65 were measured at baseline and after 4 years. All fracture and cause-specific mortality events were searched in a territory-wide clinical information database and death registry.

RESULTS: twenty-five (1.6%) men and 64 (4.0%) women lost >2 cm after 4 years. In women, the BMD decline was faster in the rapid height losers (adjusted difference = 4.18%, P < 0.001). There was no corresponding difference observed in men. Rapid height loss was associated with excess all fractures and hip fractures (adjusted HR for all fractures = 2.86, P < 0.001; adjusted HR for hip fractures = 4.74, P < 0.01) in women but only hip fractures (adjusted HR = 4.93, P < 0.05) in men. The all-cause (adjusted HR = 3.43, P < 0.01) and respiratory disease mortality (adjusted HR = 5.64, P < 0.05) were higher in men with rapid height loss, whereas those in women were insignificant.

CONCLUSIONS: modest height loss occurring after old age, >2 cm in 4 years, was associated with excess hip fracture, total and respiratory disease mortality in older men. In women, it was associated with excess BMD decline, all fractures and hip fractures but not mortality. Further research is needed to determine the usefulness of regular stature measurement as an indicator of bone health in the primary-care setting in older adults.

PMID: 20817934 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]PMCID: PMC2956531 [Available on 2011/11/1]

Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Vaska P, Fowler JS, Telang F, Alexoff D, Logan J, Wong C.

National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 5274, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. nvolkow@nida.nih.gov

Abstract

CONTEXT: The dramatic increase in use of cellular telephones has generated concern about possible negative effects of radiofrequency signals delivered to the brain. However, whether acute cell phone exposure affects the human brain is unclear.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if acute cell phone exposure affects brain glucose metabolism, a marker of brain activity.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized crossover study conducted between January 1 and December 31, 2009, at a single US laboratory among 47 healthy participants recruited from the community. Cell phones were placed on the left and right ears and positron emission tomography with ((18)F)fluorodeoxyglucose injection was used to measure brain glucose metabolism twice, once with the right cell phone activated (sound muted) for 50 minutes (“on” condition) and once with both cell phones deactivated (“off” condition). Statistical parametric mapping was used to compare metabolism between on and off conditions using paired t tests, and Pearson linear correlations were used to verify the association of metabolism and estimated amplitude of radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic waves emitted by the cell phone. Clusters with at least 1000 voxels (volume >8 cm(3)) and P < .05 (corrected for multiple comparisons) were considered significant.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Brain glucose metabolism computed as absolute metabolism (µmol/100 g per minute) and as normalized metabolism (region/whole brain).

RESULTS: Whole-brain metabolism did not differ between on and off conditions. In contrast, metabolism in the region closest to the antenna (orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole) was significantly higher for on than off conditions (35.7 vs 33.3 µmol/100 g per minute; mean difference, 2.4 [95% confidence interval, 0.67-4.2]; P = .004). The increases were significantly correlated with the estimated electromagnetic field amplitudes both for absolute metabolism (R = 0.95, P < .001) and normalized metabolism (R = 0.89; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: In healthy participants and compared with no exposure, 50-minute cell phone exposure was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the region closest to the antenna. This finding is of unknown clinical significance.

PMID: 21343580 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Raffaitin C , Féart C , Le Goff M , Amieva H , Helmer C , Akbaraly TN , Tzourio C , Gin H , Barberger-Gateau P .

From the Diabetology-Nutrition Unit (C.R., H.G.), University Hospital of Bordeaux, Pessac; INSERM, U897 (C.R., C.F., M.L.G., H.A., C.H., P.B.-G.), Bordeaux; Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2 University (C.R., C.F., M.L.G., H.A., C.H., H.G., P.B.-G.), Bordeaux; INSERM, U888 (T.N.A.), Montpellier; Montpellier 1 University (T.N.A.), Montpellier; University Hospital of Montpellier (T.N.A.), CMRR Languedoc Roussillon, France; and INSERM, U708 (C.T.), Paris, France.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components with risk of cognitive decline on specific cognitive functions.

METHODS: Participants were 4,323 women and 2,764 men aged 65 and over enrolled in the longitudinal Three-City Study. Cognitive decline, defined as being in the worst quintile of the distribution of the difference between baseline score and either 2- or 4-year follow-up, was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, global cognitive function), the Isaacs Set Test (IST, verbal fluency), and the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT, visual working memory). MetS was defined by National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (at least 3 of 5 cardio-metabolic abnormalities: hypertension, high waist circumference, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, hyperglycemia). Proportional hazards models were adjusted for age, gender, educational level, center, baseline cognitive score, APOE4 genotype, and other potential confounders.

RESULTS: MetS at baseline was associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline on MMSE (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.22 [1.08-1.37]; p = 0.001) and BVRT (HR = 1.13 [1.01-1.26]; p = 0.03) but not on IST (HR = 1.11 [0.95-1.29]; p = 0.18). Among MetS components, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL cholesterol were significantly associated with higher decline on MMSE; diabetes, but not elevated fasting glycemia, was significantly associated with higher decline on BVRT and IST.

CONCLUSIONS: MetS as a whole and several of its components had a negative impact on global cognitive decline and specific cognitive functions in older persons.
PMID: 21288982 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Top Antioxidant Foods
[ORAC* units per 100 grams**] Fruits Vegetables Prunes 5770 Kale 1770 Raisins 2830 Spinach 1260 Blueberries 2400 Brussels sprouts 980 Blackberries 2036 Alfalfa sprouts 930 Strawberries 1540 Broccoli florets 890 Raspberries 1220 Beets 840 Plums 949 Red bell peppers 710 Oranges 750 Onions 450 Red grapes 739 Corn 400 Cherries 670 Eggplant 390 * Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity **About 3.5 ounces ]]> http://thelongevityproject.com/top-antioxidant-fruits-and-vegetables/feed/ 0 http://thelongevityproject.com/the-okinawa-phenomenon/ http://thelongevityproject.com/the-okinawa-phenomenon/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:01:53 +0000 TLP http://thelongevityproject.com/the-okinawa-phenomenon/ The island of Okinawa located between Japan’s main islands and Taiwan has the highest rate of living centenarians per 100,000 population, the lowest death rates from top 3 killer diseases (cancer, heart disease and CVA), the highest life expectancy for both male and female 65 years old and older in Japan, and Okinawan female has the highest life expectancy in all age categories: 0,20,40,65 years old and older, ranked # 1 in all of Japan. Okinawa’s enjoy low-stress simple lives, regular physical activity, a strong community and social support, and they eat non-processed food: fish and soy foods, moderate amounts of good fats, locally grown vegetables and large quantities of tofu (high protein, low-fat, calcium, vitamin E) and seaweed (higher in vitamin and minerals than land vegetables). Miso soup with spinach or eggs with rice is a typical breakfast. Younger Okinawans are changing food habits and begin to experience the same health problems as Americans.