A panel of 10 luminaries in the field of gerontology, including Aubrey de Grey, Caleb Finch and Jan Vijg, convened to urge the translation of recent findings in the field of aging into therapeutic agents that can benefit the world’s growing population of older individuals. Their report was published in the July 14, 2010 issue of the American Association for the Advancement of Science journal Science Translational Medicine.

The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association proposed new guidelines for diagnosis to find signs of Alzheimer’s in people who do not yet have severe symptoms, or even any symptoms at all.

The guidelines are needed for the new approach to Alzheimer’s drug development. Just about every pharmaceutical company and many biotechnology companies have experimental drugs to block amyloid — there are more than 100 in the pipeline. And the companies would like to show that if they give their drugs early, they can slow or stop the disease.

That is the ultimate goal for the drug in the study sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The company is, for the first time, testing such a drug in patients who, on evaluation with memory tests and new brain scans and tests for amyloid in cerebrospinal fluid, seem to be in a very early stage of Alzheimer’s. The idea is to attack the disease when there may still be time to stop the worst brain cell death.

from the New York Times, July 17, 2010, Health

Much scientific evidence shows that with proper nutrition Alzheimer’s doesn’t develop in the first place.

Nordic Naturals® Named 2010 Manufacturer of the Year

By Vitamin Retailer Magazine, Inc.

Watsonville, CA (July 14, 2010) Nordic Naturals, the industry leader in omega-3 fish oil, has received the coveted Manufacturer of the Year Award for 2010 from Vitamin Retailer Magazine (VRM), one of the leading trade publications in the natural products industry. The award is based on several considerations including product quality, innovation, industry leadership and retailer support.

Nordic Naturals offers unique and innovative products that support general health as well as condition-specific formulas that can be enjoyed safely by children, adults, and animal companions. A complete catalog of products can be downloaded from the newly revised company site at www.nordicnaturals.com.

By absorbing blue light, carotenoids protect delicate photo-receptor cells in the retina’s macula from light damage. The density of your macular pigment (composed of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin) is essential to proper vision. Unfortunately, this density declines naturally over time. Some aging people also lose their ability to convert lutein into meso-zeaxanthin inside their macula.

Eating lots of lutein and zeaxanthin containing vegetables can help maintain the structural integrity of their macula. But meso-zeaxanthin is not part of the typical diet, it cannot be replaced except in supplement form.

If you’re one of more than 72 million people in America who use a computer daily at work, you’re probably familiar with eye fatigue.

Life Extension has come up with a supplement that targets eyestrain and protects visual acuity. Check it out at www.lef.org

By TARA PARKER-POPE

If you are looking for a chemical-free way to repel mosquitoes, you may already have the solution in your home. Turn on the fan, reports Anahad O’Connor in today’s Science Times.

Studies have found that wind is an effective method against mosquitoes and other airborne pests. The reason seems obvious: it prevents them from circling and landing on you, like a windstorm keeping a plane from its descent. But that is not entirely the case. A fan dilutes and disperses the carbon dioxide you exhale. Carbon dioxide is one of the major chemicals that attract mosquitoes. The wind from a fan also cools you off. Sweat, lactic acid and body heat attract mosquitoes — factors that a fan can help minimize.

From New York Times, 7/12/2010

By Lorraine Heller, 12-Jul-2010

In the first part of a special series, NutraIngredients takes a look at the market for eye health: What the market drivers are, which ingredients lead the way, and where future potential lies.

Market need

The dietary supplement and functional food market for eye health is being driven by several major forces: an aging population, unhealthy diets, an increased demand for natural ingredients and rising healthcare costs.

Eye conditions tend to be linked to age, environment, tobacco abuse and diet. The most common conditions affecting the global population are age-related macular-degeneration (AMD), cataracts and xerophthalmia, the latter of which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin A, and which is a common cause of childhood blindness.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 269m people suffer from vision impairment – excluding blindness – around the world. Age-related conditions in people over 50 account for an estimated 82 per cent of cases, with macular degeneration accounting for 7 per cent. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences in 2007, the incidence of eye disease has been found to compound in humans at a mean age of 43.9.

The rest of the story:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/Unravelling-the-market-for-eye-health/?utm_source=Newsletter_Product&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BProduct

High doses of resveratrol may improve blood flow in the brain and potentially boost brain health, say results of a new human study from the UK.

A single dose of 250 or 500 milligrams of resveratrol was found to boost blood flow in the brain but did not affect cognitive performance, according to new findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“The results of the current study provide the first indication in humans that resveratrol may be able to modulate cerebral blood flow variables,” wrote the researchers, led by David Kennedy from the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University.

“Thus, it seems reasonable to suggest that the potential effects of this molecule on brain function deserve a great deal more research attention with a clear focus on both healthy humans and pathologic groups,” they added.

The promise of long life

Resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and anti-fungal chemical, is often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine, and has particularly been associated with the so-called ‘French Paradox’. The phrase, coined in 1992 by Dr Serge Renaud from Bordeaux University, describes the low incidence of heart disease and obesity among the French, despite their relatively high-fat diet and levels of wine consumption

Read the rest of the article in www.nutraingredients-use.com, May 5, 2010, by Stephen Daniells

Traditional diets maximized nutrients
while modern diets minimize nutrients

TRADITIONAL DIETS                           MODERN DIETS

Foods from fertile soil                                             Foods from depleted soil

Choice of organ meats over muscle meats         Muscle meats, few organ meats

Animal fats                                                                 Vegetable oils

Animals on pasture                                           Animals in confinement

Dairy products raw and/or fermented   Dairy products pasteurized

Grains and legumes soaked/fermented              Grains refined and/or extruded

Bone broths                                                                 MSG, artificial flavorings

Unrefined sweeteners (honey, maple syrup)     Refined sweeteners

Lacto-fermented vegetables                                   Canned vegetables

Lacto-fermented beverages                                    Modern soft drinks

Unrefined salt                                                            Refined salt

Natural vitamins in foods                                      Synthetic vitamins added to foods

Traditional cooking                                                Microwave, irradiation

Traditional seeds/open pollination                   Hybrid seeds, GMO seeds

•Concentrated in four companies: Land O’Lakes, Foremost, Dean Foods, Dairy Farmers of America.

•CEOs typically make over $1 million per year

•Powerful behind-the-scenes lobbying group

Opposes competition of raw milk, especially as it allows farmers to get a higher price for their milk.

PP Slide #130, The Weston A. Price Foundaton.