More from the Sister Study

In the March 17, 2009 issue of Life Extension Update, we reported the finding from the Sister Study, a cohort of healthy sisters of breast cancer patients, of a beneficial association between multivitamin use and telomere length, a biomarker of aging. Telomeres, which are repeating DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes, shorten with increased cellular aging.

In articles published in the February and March, 2009 issues of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, further findings from the Sister Study concerning the impact of lifestyle on telomere length were revealed. In the February, 2009 issue, Christine Parks, PhD, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and her associates evaluated the effect of stress on telomere length in 647 Sister Study participants. Telomere length in DNA from blood samples was measured, and stress hormone levels in urine were assessed. Questionnaires completed by the subjects provided information on perceived stress levels. Continue Reading

Preliminary study finds nutritional supplement plus testosterone may help keep seniors out of the hospital

A report published in the March, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition described a study conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia which found that a combination of testosterone and an oral nutritional supplement may have kept previously undernourished older individuals out of the hospital.

Forty-nine men and women aged sixty-five and older whose nutritional assessment scores categorized them as undernourished were provided with advice on improved dietary intake and were assigned one of the following regimens: oral testosterone undecanoate (80 milligrams twice per day for men and 40 milligrams per day for women), an oral nutritional supplement consisting of 18 percent protein, both testosterone and the nutritional supplement, or no treatment for one year. Participants received regular home visits during which weight, dietary and medication compliance and other factors were assessed. Continue Reading

Study finds high incidence of vitamin D insufficiency in breast cancer survivors

In article published in the July, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, the National Cancer Institute, and other research centers report a high incidence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among female breast cancer survivors.

The current study utilized data from 790 participants in the multiethnic Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) study of breast cancer patients, which sought to determine the effect of diet, hormones, and other factors on breast cancer prognosis and survival. Blood samples collected within three years following the participants’ breast cancer diagnosis were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, the primary biomarker used to evaluate vitamin D status. Dietary questionnaires were used to obtain information concerning vitamin D intake levels from food and supplements. Continue Reading