Charlie Rose - Calorie Restriction

reposted from:

crabsallover highlights, key points, comments / links.

Part 2


Part 3

- monkeys on CR (30% calorie reduction) have reduced type 2 diabetes, reduced colon cancer, body fat reduced by 70%, 55 genes involved in inflamation have lowered expression

Part 4

- humans on CR have reduced heart disease
- nematode worms live 2 weeks
- resveratrol effects activity of sirtuins (anti-ageing genes)

Part 5

- polyphenols

Green tea and Alzheimer's

reposted from: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/01January/Pages/green-tea-and-alzheimers.aspx

crabsallover highlights, key points, comments / links.

“A cup of green tea a day appears to protect against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” reported The Daily Telegraph. It said that researchers have found the drink may also protect against cancer.

This study looked at the effects of a concentrated green tea extract that had been treated in the laboratory to mimic the effects of normal digestion. The researchers detected over 30 major compounds, called polyphenols, that remained active after being “digested”. The extract was then tested to see whether it protected rat nerve cells from the toxic effects of certain chemicals and a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Overall, this study adds to a large volume of research into green tea. However, the findings do not provide conclusive evidence that green tea combats either Alzheimer’s or cancer. A systematic review of 51 studies found that green tea is not protective against cancer. A good diet, plenty of exercise and a healthy lifestyle are important in reducing the risk of some cancers.

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the Medicinal Plant Research Group at the School of Agriculture in Newcastle University in collaboration with the Scottish Crop Research Institute and the GGS Indraprastha University in India. The study was supported by a grant from the Mental Health Foundation. It was published in the peer-reviewed journal Phytomedicine.

The Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Metro reported this research and mentioned previous human studies, without clarifying that this study was conducted on animal cells grown in the laboratory.

What kind of research was this?

This laboratory study investigated whether polyphenol compounds from green tea protect animal cells from the toxic effects of certain chemicals.

The researchers explain that both green and black tea are thought to be protective as they are high in polyphenols, chemicals that protect cells by neutralising toxic free radicals. They say that human studies have suggested that free radicals can cause nerve cell death and that other studies show an association between a protein called beta-amyloid, nerve cell death and dementia. The laying down and accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides in the brain may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been suggested that polyphenols may have anti-cancer properties.

The researchers were particularly interested in the chemical composition of digested green tea, and whether it was as effective as undigested green tea in neutralising free radicals.

What did the research involve?

Though the researchers acknowledge that results of previous research have been conflicting, they point to studies supporting the theory that green tea polyphenols might improve thinking (cognition) in animals and humans. In particular, they discuss a type of polyphenol called a flavonol, found in tea and thought to have anti-cancer, cholesterol-lowering and nerve-protection properties.

The researchers first brewed a pot of green tea. After 45 minutes, the mixture was concentrated and then went through a simulated digestion using enzymes and chemicals found in the stomach and small intestine, including acid, pepsin, bile salts and pancreatin. The resulting mixture, called “colon-available” green tea extract (CAGTE), was analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, which identifies the individual molecular contents of the mixture. This content was compared to an analysis of the undigested green tea.

The CAGTE was tested for its ability to protect cells that had been grown from rat nerve tumour cells from death. To induce cell death, the cells were incubated with either hydrogen peroxide, a source of free radicals, or beta-amyloid, the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The concentrations of chemicals used were sufficient to kill about half of the cells treated. Different concentrations of CAGTE were tested to see if they could prevent this cell death. This was done by pre-incubating the rat nerve cells with CAGTE 24 hours before exposing them to hydrogen peroxide or beta-amyloid.

What were the basic results?

When they looked for changes to tea following digestion, the researchers found that the flavanol derivatives were reduced in digested green tea extract compared to green tea itself.  The overall concentration of polyphenols remained similar in both green tea and digested green tea extract.

The digested green tea extract (CAGTE) significantly protected the rat nerve cells from the toxic effect of hydrogen peroxide at all concentrations of CAGTE tested. The lowest concentrations seemed to provide the best protection.

Lower concentrations of CAGTE were also able to protect the cells against death caused by beta-amyloid. However, higher concentrations of CAGTE reduced the number of cells compared to the untreated cells. This could be due to CAGTE killing some of the cells or stopping them from dividing.

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers say their results show that green tea metabolites (the contents of the green tea extract) can reduce cell death caused by hydrogen peroxide and beta-amyloid protein in the laboratory. The say this provides the basis for further study of flavanols as a potential way of alleviating some of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Conclusion

This laboratory research evaluates in more detail how chemicals found in green tea affect nerve cells. By carefully assessing the content of green tea and how it is digested, the researchers have advanced what is known about this research area. However, some caution must be taken in applying this research to humans. A large epidemiological study would be the most appropriate way of initially testing the effects of drinking tea in humans.

• As the tea extract was concentrated before being applied to the cells, it is not known what the effect of simply drinking green tea would be.
• It is not known for certain if the cell protection seen in these isolated rat nerve cells in the laboratory is directly applicable to the human diseases Alzheimer’s and cancer.
• The reduction in cell numbers seen with higher CAGTE concentrations is reported by the authors to be “in line with” the reputed anti-cancer properties of green tea polyphenols. However, the researchers were not specifically looking at effects of green tea on the growth of cancer cells. It is too soon to draw any conclusion about any anti-cancer effects.

Overall, this study adds to a large volume of research into green tea. However, the findings do not conclusively show that green tea combats either Alzheimer’s disease or cancer. A 1999 systematic review of 51 studies found that, while green tea is safe if consumed regularly in moderation, its anti-cancer properties remain unproven.

Links to the headlines

Daily cup of green tea 'could ward off cancer'. Metro, January 6 2011

Green tea 'can fight off dementia and could guard against cancer'. Daily Mail, January 6 2011

A cup of green tea, the daily guard against Alzheimer’s. The Daily Telegraph, January 6 2011

Links to the science

Okello EJ, McDougall GJ, Kumara S, and Seal CJ. In vitro protective effects of colon-available extract of Camellia sinensis (tea) against hydrogen peroxide and beta-amyloid (Aβ(1–42)) induced cytotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells. Phytomedicine, December 22 2010

Further reading

Boehm K, Borrelli F, Ernst E, et al. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) for the prevention of cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 3

Top 20 Functional foods for a long life

20/10/2008

Leeds University have created a list of the top 20 functional foods that will help you to live a long and healthy life.

The list was drawn up by Gary Williamson, Professor of Functional Foods at the University of Leeds, and features mainly whole fruit and vegetables (although drinking juices and smoothies will also count). He describes them as "lifespan essential" foods that will give you the best chance of living as long a life as possible.

Top 20 functional foods to eat your way to a healthy long life (non vegetables/fruits)

• apples
• blackberries
• black tea
• blueberries
• broccoli
• cereal bran
• cherries
• cherry tomatoes
• coffee
• cranberries
• dark chocolate
• green tea
• oranges
• peaches
• plums
• raspberries
• red grapes
• red onions
• spinach
• strawberries.

These foods contain the fibre, vitamins and antioxidants your body needs to help to reduce your risk of developing cancer and heart disease.

It doesn't matter if these foods are fresh, tinned or frozen, but is it is important to eat the whole of the fruit or vegetable to get all the benefit. Fruit juices and smoothies can also be beneficial.

But, to get the most benefit from these foods, they should not be be packaged with added salt or sugar (for example tinned in a sugar syrup). Any added sugar will raise the risk of developing diabetes and becoming overweight, while added salt is a sure-fire way to raise your blood pressure.

Professor Williamson's list chimes well with the Government's and the Blood Pressure Association's advice to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

From the Press Release:

The foods are rich in polyphenols - naturally-occurring chemicals like tannins, lignins and flavonoids found in plants which are widely accepted as having health benefits. A recent international study carried out by scientists in the US, UK and Australia which looked at the health benefits of polyphenols concluded that they helped protect against heart disease.*

Although the importance of eating fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet is widely understood, Professor Williamson’s work goes further by prescribing 20 foods which are essential to allow you to fulfil your life’s potential.

Professor Williamson, who has published more than 240 refereed scientific publications including more than 100 papers on polyphenols and health, says: “These foods have been chosen because they are highest in polyphenols, which reduce the risk of heart disease and help to slow down ageing processes.

“Epidemiology studies support the protective effects of polyphenol-rich foods. Lack of these components in the diet, because of low intake of fruit and vegetables, increases the risk of chronic disease.

“Although they might not be essential for growth and development or the maintenance of major body functions, there is increasing knowledge concerning their potential for health maintenance or disease risk reduction throughout adulthood and during ageing.

“This means that they are essential to fulfil the maximum individual lifespan, and so I propose that they are ‘lifespan essential’. This does not necessarily include an increase of the maximum potential lifespan, but rather an increase of the chance of reaching the genetically determined lifespan and an increase in the quality of life during aging by reducing the incidence of chronic, age-related diseases.”

* Hooper et al Flavonoids, flavonoid-rich foods, and cardiovascular risk: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008

In another article in the same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008 - Flavonoids and cardiovascular health: which compounds, what mechanisms? Johanna M Geleijnse and Peter CH Hollman

Hooper et al provide a sorely needed comprehensive review of 133 flavonoid trials, which they attempted to include in a meta-analysis. They aimed at determining the optimal doses of flavonoids and food sources for cardiovascular risk reduction and at setting priorities for future research. The main outcomes would not surprise researchers in the field—namely, that polyphenol-rich cocoa reduces blood pressure by 6 (systolic) and 3 (diastolic) mm Hg and that soy protein, which is rich in isoflavones, reduces LDL cholesterol by 0.2 mmol/L.



a drawback of the review by Hooper et al—namely, that a distinction between trials with isolated flavonoids and those with flavonoid-rich products cannot be made easily (if at all). Most of the trials included flavonoid-rich products, whereas only 10 trials were based on isolated flavonoids. Thus, it remains unclear whether the measured effect on cardiovascular biomarkers could actually be attributed to the targeted flavonoid(s). Chocolate and cocoa contain a rich mixture of (poly)phenols such as the flavonoid class of proanthocyanidins, which itself contains many different compounds. Apart from that, plant-derived foods such as tea and cocoa also contain other substances that could exert an effect on the cardiovascular system, such as theobromine, tryptophan, caffeine, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium.

Substantial evidence for a vasoprotective effect of specific flavonoids is, however, still lacking. Optimal doses of specific flavonoids for cardiovascular protection, one of the aims of the review, are still beyond the horizon.