Nutrition Review

A study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified critical biochemical pathways linked to the aging of human muscle. By manipulating these pathways, the researchers were able to turn back the clock on old human muscle, restoring its ability to repair and rebuild itself. The findings will be reported in the Sept. 30 issue of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, a peer-reviewed, scientific publicationof the European Molecular Biology Organization. "Our study shows that the ability of old human muscle to..."

Research published this week in the open access journal, PLoS Medicine, suggests that there is an association between thiazolidinediones – a type of drug introduced in the 1990s to treat type 2 diabetes – and bone fracture. Ian Douglas of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and colleagues searched the UK General Practice Research Database, a computerised record of clinical records from over 6 million patients registered at...

Led by Dr Carsten Flohr, a Clinical Scientist from The University of Nottingham, and Dr Luc Nguyen Tuyen from the Khanh Hoa Provincial Health Service in central Vietnam, the study is the largest double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial to date looking at the potential links between hookworm and other gut worm infections and allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema. Thanks to improved hygiene practices parasitic worms have been mostly eradicated among human populations living in developed countries. However, experts believe that over millions of years of co-evolution worms have found methods...

An international study led by Ohio State University neuroscience researchers describes one of the missing triggers that controls calcium inside cells, a process important for muscle contraction, nerve-cell transmission, insulin release and other essential functions. The research is being posted online April 22 in the journal Nature. The researchers believe the findings will enhance the understanding of how calcium signals are...

Li et al. explain how prolonged stress sparks the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to release its calcium stores, inducing cells to undergo apoptosis in several aging-related diseases. The study will appear in the September 21, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (online September 14). Stressful conditions cause misfolded proteins to accumulate in the ER. Cells try to recover by slowing down...

A high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in men, while a drug used to treat gout seems to protect against the blood pressure increase, according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference. “This is the first evidence of a role of fructose in raising blood pressure and a role for lowering uric acid to protect against that blood pressure increase in people,” said Richard Johnson, M.D., co-author of the study and professor and head of the division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of...

For scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, what seemed like a disappointing result turned out to be an important discovery. Their findings, published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), provide conclusive proof that, when a muscle is injured, white blood cells called macrophages play a crucial role in its regeneration. The scientists also uncovered the genetic switch that...

Moderately reduced lung function as measured by FVC, or forced vital capacity, is related to an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. Researchers in this study think that this may be a link between reduced lung function and cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure. Since lung function declines rapidly with age, ...

This study compared the benefits of using a treadmill underwater or on land for obesity. Both methods of using the treadmill improved aerobic fitness and helped reduce body fat percentage. However, most notably, the underwater treadmill training appeared to produce greater gains in lean body mass. Loss of lean body mass, or sarcopenia, is one of the defining characteristics of aging. This study would support the idea that weight bearing exercise in water...

Faced with the prospect of having some major dental work done and having been on Fosamax for three years without any results in the improvement of bone density, I stopped taking Fosamax and went on Osteophase. I have been taking 4 tablets a day for the last 9 months and my bone ...