From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Sat Jun 02 2001 - 01:28:58 MDT
LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE JUNE 1 2001
IN THIS ISSUE, JUNE 1 2001:
LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE EXCLUSIVE: Personal choices may be important as
genetics in individual lifespans
PROTOCOL: Depression
FEATURED PRODUCTS OF THE WEEK: SAMe, DMAE capsules
BOOK: Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa MD
LIFE EXTENSION MAGAZINE JUNE 2001 ISSUE NOW ONLINE!
LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE EXCLUSIVE
Personal choices may be as important as genetics in individual lifespans
The longest continuous study of physical and mental health ever conducted,
published in the June, 2001 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry,
is the first of its kind to follow a large group of males from adolescence
to old age. The study found that the personal choices we make are as
important as uncontrollable variables in predicting longevity. The study,
initiated in 1940, examined data from 237 Harvard students and 332 inner
city males considered to be disadvantaged. Participants were followed for
sixty years or until death. The men received complete physical
examinations every five years, and psychosocial information was collected
every two years. The study assessed six uncontrollable and seven
controllable factors. Uncontrollable factors included major depression,
longevity of one's ancestors, social class, family ties, childhood
temperament, and physical health at age fifty; and controllable factors
included alcohol use, smoking status, exercise, maintaining a normal
weight, the possession of coping skills, marital stability and education.
Between the ages of 70 and 80 the participants were assessed for four
parameters of "successful aging": physical health, death and disability
before the age of 80, mental health and social supports. Participants
were also asked to rate their activities and their enjoyment of life.
The study found that the health of the inner-city men at age 65 was the
same as that of the college educated men at age 75. However, for the 25
inner-city men who obtained a college education, aging as measured in the
study occurred at the same rate as that of the Harvard students. The
researchers determined that if the seven controllable variables were
controlled by the participants, depression was the only uncontrollable
variable that affected the quality of aging.
Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry and study coauthor George
Vaillant, MD commented, "An active and happy old age, dear Brutus, may lie
not so much in our stars and genes as in ourselves."
The authors also examined other long-term health studies and found that
education and family involvement were the two most accurate predictors of
successful aging.
PROTOCOL
Depression
Although we're only beginning to pull back the curtains that hide the
inner workings of the human brain, we do know that several
neurotransmitters (chemical messengers), including norepinephrine and
serotonin, help to regulate our moods and keep us happy. Depressed people
tend to have lower levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. If, for any
reason, the amounts of these key neurotransmitters drop below critical
levels, the result may be an endogenous depression that seems to come from
nowhere, linger forever, sap our energy, and ruin our lives.
Why do brain levels of mood regulators fall in some people but not in
others? We can't fully answer that question, although we know that
genetics plays a major role. Depression, like other mood disorders, tends
to run in families. Depression is even more likely to be shared by
identical twins: if one is depressed, there's a better than 50% chance
that the other will be, too.
It is possible to treat the underlying causes of depression without taking
synthetic drugs. Several natural remedies have brought relief to many
people who suffer from depression.
The safest and most effective antidepressant in the world is the European
drug S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe). SAMe is a simple natural metabolite
produced from the essential amino acid methionine and adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) by an enzyme known as MAT (methionine adenosyl
transferase). It is found in every cell within the body and plays an
important role in critical biochemical processes. For one thing, it serves
as a precursor for glutathione, Coenzyme A, cysteine, taurine, and other
essential compounds.
DMAE is a remarkably powerful tool for relieving depression and/or
fatigue. A brain stimulant, DMAE passes through the blood-brain barrier
into the brain, where it helps increase the levels of acetylcholine (a
neurotransmitter that plays an important role in both mood and energy
levels).
DMAE has been shown to elevate mood, improve memory and learning, and
increase intelligence, and is even more effective when taken with vitamin
B5 (pantothenate). DMAE has also been used with great success in the
treatment of ADD (attention deficit disorder) in children and adults.
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064433/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
FEATURED PRODUCTS OF THE WEEK
SAMe 50 tablets
SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) is an amino acid derivative normally
synthesized in the body. It is widely used in Europe as an antidepressant.
SAMe is used by the body in three important pathways: methylation
(contributing methyl groups to activate certain molecules); the synthesis
of polyamines (for cell growth, gene expression, neuronal regeneration,
etc.); and transsulfuration (synthesis of cysteine, glutathione and other
sulfate chemicals). In young, healthy people SAMe is well distributed
throughout the body as a result of its synthesis from methionine by
enzymes using ATP. However, in sickness and in age, system levels may
become depleted. Supplemention of the cofactors folate, TMG, vitamins B6
and B12, together with SAMe appears to be an effective method to overcome
this deficiency.
SAMe may:
Be the fastest acting, safest and most effective antidepressant available.
Help prevent and reverse liver disease.
Be effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome
and osteoarthritis.
Help to synthesize phosphatidylcholine, which keeps cell membranes fluid
and is used in the brain to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064434/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
DMAE capsules
DMAE is a memory enhancing substance common to a number of drugs that are
known to stabilize cell membranes. Cell membrane degradation has been
proposed as one of the prime mechanisms of aging. DMAE is a precursor to
choline and acetylcholine. However, DMAE has been shown to cross the
blood-brain barrier faster than choline. It is the choline inside cells
that is converted to phosphatidylcholine, used in the building and repair
of cell membranes, especially in the brain.
In Europe, the drug Centrophenoxine, which combines DMAE with a
synergistic chemical called p-chlorophenoxyacetate, is prescribed to boost
cognitive function in the aged. It is likely that all the benefits of
Centrophenoxine may be obtained more inexpensively from DMAE.
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064435/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
BOOK
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD
Brain Longevity offers a four step plan based on both Eastern and Western
medical traditions, including the latest research on brain chemistry. It
reveals how the right diet, exercise, meditations, and supplements can
revitalize and regenerate your mind and memory. Most of all, it is the
only program to use Dr Khalsa's findings on cortisol, an adrenal hormone
produced both in reaction to stress and as part of the aging process,
toxic to human brain cells. In Brain Longevity, you'll learn how cortisol
accelerates aging of the mind and how to reverse this condition.
Filled with treatments that have already achieved remarkable results with
Dr Khalsa's patients, Brain Longevity is certain to be one of the most
talked about books of the century. Here are the keys to a healthier,
happier and more productive life, to think better, remember better, and
live better today and in the coming years.
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064446/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
JUNE 2001 LIFE EXTENSION MAGAZINE NOW ONLINE
As we see it: Does cholesterol cause artery disease?
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064436/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Cover story: A natural anticholesterol dietary supplement, Policosanol
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064437/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Report:
An unjustified attack on vitamin E
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064441/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Homocysteine news by Terri Mitchell
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064442/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Risk was known as FDA OK'd fatal drug
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064443/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
In the news:
Melatonin and cancer, I3C as a possible treatment for ovarian cancer, Soy
for Alzheimer's
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064444/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Review:
It's never too late to regenerate your brain
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064445/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Questions and Answers:
Garlic for your pet, Taking pregnenolone, and more
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064447/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
June 2001 Medical Updates
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064448/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
June 2001 abstracts
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064449/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Visit our website at:
http://www.lef.org/cgi-local/welcome.cgi/id=151064450/sgroup_id=699/welcome.
html
Thank you to all who sent letters or telephone calls in support of Florida
Senate Bill 1324.
If you have any questions or comments about this issue or past issues of
Life Extension Update, send them to ddye@lifeextension.com
For longer life,
Dayna Dye
Editor, Life Extension Update
ddye@lifeextension.com
Life Extension Foundation
www.lef.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 08:07:53 MST