Nutrition News » Aging

Tumeric Compound Has Neuroprotective Effects

gkhalsa — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:00:11 +0000

Compound From Turmeric Has Neuroprotective Effects

Two new studies suggest that a compound derived from turmeric may have clinical promise for ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), both of which currently lack good therapies.
A synthetic derivative of turmeric made by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies dramatically improved the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of these conditions.
In previous studies, David R. Schubert and Pamela Maher in the Salk Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory had developed a series of new compounds using a novel drug discovery paradigm that starts with natural products derived from plants; it then calls for selecting synthetic derivatives that show efficacy in multiple assays testing protection against various aspects of the nerve cell damage and death that occur in brain injuries and in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases.
One compound, called CNB-001, which was derived from curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, proved highly neuroprotective in all of the assays; it also enhanced memory in normal animals.

Additional information from Science Daily and the Journal of Neurochemisty on curcumin studies.

Enter title here

Permalink: http://www.nutritionnews.com/health/tumeric-compou…ective-effects/ ‎Edit tumeric-compound-has-neuroprotective-effects

View the full article at Vitamin Retailer Magazine

Technorati Tags: aging, Brain Damage, curcumin, demential, traumatic brain injury

Eating Healthier Means Living Longer

gkhalsa — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:52 +0000

Eating Healthier Means Living Longer

By 2030, an estimated 973 million adults will be aged 65 or older worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the dietary patterns of a large and diverse group of older adults, and to explore associations of these dietary patterns with survival over a 10-year period. A secondary goal was to evaluate participants’ quality of life and nutritional status according to their dietary patterns.

By determining the consumption frequency of 108 different food items, researchers were able to group the participants into six different clusters according to predominant food choices:

“Healthy foods” (374 participants)
“High-fat dairy products” (332)
“Meat, fried foods, and alcohol” (693)
“Breakfast cereal” (386)
“Refined grains” (458)
“Sweets and desserts” (339).

According to lead author Amy L. Anderson, Ph.D., Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, the “results of this study suggest that older adults who follow a dietary pattern consistent with current guidelines to consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry and fish, may have a lower risk of mortality. Because a substantial percentage of older adults in this study followed the ‘Healthy foods’ dietary pattern, adherence to such a diet appears a feasible and realistic recommendation for potentially improved survival and quality of life in the growing older adult population.”

Aging Effects Reversed In Mice

gkhalsa — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:00:08 +0000

Premature aging can be reversed by reactivating an enzyme that protects the tips of chromosomes.

Creating a genetic switch that allows them to artificially age — and rejuvenate — lab mice, scientists have shown that it is possible to reverse some effects of aging in mammals.

Dr. Ronald DePinho, the molecular biologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School led the study, published in the journal Nature.

This is incredibly exciting news. Switching on or reactivating an enzyme that protects the tips of chromosomes can actually reverse the effects of aging.

Moderate Exercise Enhances Connectivity in Brain Circuits

gkhalsa — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:00:02 +0000

Brain scans of adults 55 to 80 who walked three times a week showed increased connections between brain areas after a year compared with adults who did stretching and toning exercises alone. Older adults who are more fit and get off the couch tend to have better connectivity in specific regions of the default mode network (DMN) than their sedentary peers. Read more in Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience.

Top Beauty Trends For 2010

gkhalsa — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:40:28 +0000

As consumers become more aware of what is going into their bodies, they’ll start to notice specifics about their beauty products as well, according to Nica Lewis, director of Mintel Beauty Innovation in Chicago.

Beauty in 2010 will be a combination of old and new trends, the market research firm claims. Here are Mintel’s top beauty predictions for this year.

What isn’t mentioned is cutting edge age related gene clusters and new technology to modulate the expression of how pigmentation, hydration, elasticity, and the free radicals that supplements alone can’t handle.

object>