What's hot

News flashes are posted here frequently to keep you up-to-date with the latest advances in health and longevity. We have an unparalleled track record of breaking stories about life extension advances.

Coffee drinkers less frail

April 30 2025. A study reported April 24, 2025, in the European Journal of Nutrition revealed a lower risk of frailty among older adults who drank a high amount of coffee in comparison with low intake.

Frailty , a condition described as a decline in the body's systems, increases the risk of disability, hospitalization and premature mortality.

Margreet R. Olthof of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and colleagues evaluated data from 1,161 participants aged 55 years and older in the ongoing Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Questionnaire responses provided information concerning coffee intake. The researchers utilized a five-component assessment that included weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow gait and low physical activity to evaluate frailty. Having at least three of these components was categorized as frailty, and one to two components characterized pre-frailty.

Individuals whose habitual coffee intake was between four and six cups per day had a 64% lower risk of frailty compared with people who consumed up to two cups daily. Consuming more than six cups per day was associated with a similar risk. A separate analysis of the development of frailty during seven years of follow-up found a reduction in risk associated with drinking between two and four cups. When the researchers examined pre-frailty, drinking between two and four cups of coffee per day was associated with a 27% reduction compared with fewer cups.

"Drinking coffee is a key part of many people's daily routine, and as people age, they are constantly looking for ways to maintain their health," Olthof stated. "Our findings highlight the possible beneficial association between daily coffee consumption and reduced risk of frailty in later life in the older population. Coffee consumption may thus enhance healthy aging, but it is important we also explore further dietary interventions, to ensure older adults can continue to live fulfilling lives."

—D Dye

Study offers “real-world evidence” of association between vitamin D use and lower cardiovascular disease risk

April 28 2025. The June 2025, issue of Clinical Nutrition reported the findings of a study of participants in the UK Biobank (a database of UK residents) which added evidence to the cardioprotective effect of vitamin D.

The authors, from the German Cancer Research Center, remarked that the recently reported D-Health Trial revealed potential efficacy of vitamin D to reduce major atherosclerotic cardiovascular events, but whether the effectiveness demonstrated in a clinical trial could be translated into real-world benefits was unclear.

The investigation included 183,874 men and 225,948 women who provided information concerning their use of vitamin D and had serum vitamin D levels measured after enrolling in the UK Biobank from 2006–2010. Serum vitamin D levels were categorized as deficient at less than 12 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), insufficient at 12 to less than 20 ng/mL, sufficient at 20 to less than 40 ng/mL or high at 40 ng/mL or greater. Subjects in the current investigation, who were 40–69 years of age at enrollment, did not have cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study.

During the 15.9-year follow-up period, 11.6% of the subjects received a diagnosis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In a fully adjusted model, the use of vitamin D was associated with a 6% lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and a 10% lower risk of ischemic heart disease. When serum vitamin D levels were analyzed, deficiency was associated with a 10% greater risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease compared with sufficient levels.

The authors concluded that regular vitamin D use and sufficient serum levels of the vitamin were both associated with a lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in real-world settings and that for people with low levels, regular use of the vitamin could be a beneficial prevention strategy.

—D Dye

Tomatoes, lycopene shows promise for weight maintenance

April 25 2025. Findings from a study reported at the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society suggest a role for tomatoes and lycopene, a carotenoid that gives tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables their red color, in preventing weight gain.

The study was conducted in zebrafish, which are widely used in scientific research. The investigation was based on an earlier observation that dietary administration of the female hormone estrogen prevented overfed zebrafish from becoming obese. Because lycopene and other tomato compounds affect some of the same biochemical pathways as estrogen, researchers Samantha St Clair, PhD, of Northern State University and colleagues sought to determine whether consuming tomatoes would have a comparable effect.

Zebrafish that were fed normal or high-fat diets were given tomato extract, lycopene or estrogen. High-fat diet-fed fish that received tomato extract had less weight gain than those that were given estrogen. The change in metabolism occurred after only one week. "We are really excited about this one-week time point," Dr St Clair enthused. "If a relatively short-term intervention tweaks metabolism to protect against weight gain, this implies that folks would be able to make some small adjustments to their daily diet and see benefits in a few weeks' time."

An additional finding was that fish that received a high-fat diet that were given both lycopene and estrogen had lower blood glucose levels than fish that received a normal diet. Higher glucose levels over time can contribute to the development of fatty liver disease and other health concerns.

"This study is unique because we are assessing interactions between tomatoes, estrogens and obesity prevention mechanisms," Dr St Clair stated. "Since tomatoes are a rich source of the antioxidant lycopene, we are assessing whether the obesity protection in tomato-supplemented fish stems in part from reduced inflammation in the liver."

—D Dye

Quercetin, dasatinib could help reduce post-op delirium

April 23 2025. Research reported April 22, 2025, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Nexus revealed a link between postoperative delirium and the accumulation of senescent cells in the brains of older mice. Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing and, instead of being eliminated, remain to secrete substances that cause damaging inflammation in surrounding tissue.

"Abnormal neurological manifestations, including perioperative neurocognitive disorders such as delirium, are reported in aged populations following various peripheral insults including infections and surgeries such as orthopedic and cardiac surgeries," authors S. M. Perikamana and colleagues at Duke University observed. "Neuroinflammation is central to all these pathologies and, in fact, is a key pathological hallmark of most neurological dysfunctions."

The study included 22-24-month and 3-month-old mice divided into groups that received one of the following: leg fracture surgery preceded by treatment with the senolytic compounds quercetin and dasatinib, fracture surgery following pretreatment with an inactive substance, or no surgery and no treatment.

Older animals that had undergone surgery showed an increase in markers of senescence in the brain's hippocampus (an area involved in learning and memory) compared with animals that did not undergo surgery. Mice pretreated with quercetin plus dasatinib had fewer surgery-induced senescent cells compared with no pretreatment, which was associated with less surgery-induced neuroinflammation.

Postoperative senescence-associated proinflammatory factors in peripheral blood increased among aged animals that underwent fracture surgery compared with young animals. This increase was reduced in animals pretreated with quercetin and dasatinib.

"The results demonstrate an increase in orthopedic trauma-associated senescent cell burden within the hippocampus of aged mice," the authors stated. "Depletion of senescent cells using senolytics significantly reduced orthopedic trauma-induced neuroinflammation. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying postoperative neurocognitive complications and suggest senescent cell targeting as a therapeutic intervention to mitigate neuroinflammation."

—D Dye

Vitamin D during chemotherapy improves pathological complete response in women with breast cancer

April 21 2025. A prospective randomized clinical trial found that vitamin D improved pathological complete response when given to women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer prior to surgery. The trial was reported April 14, 2025, in the World Journal of Surgery.

The investigation included 114 breast cancer patients who received 50,000 international units (IU) orally administered vitamin D3 each week and 113 patients who served as a control group. Serum vitamin D levels were measured prior to and after chemotherapy.

Vitamin D levels were significantly higher following chemotherapy among women who received the vitamin compared with initial levels, while remaining low among the control group. Examination of surgically removed tissue not including the axilla (the area under the arm) revealed pathological complete response of the breast among 28.2% of the entire group, while the remaining 71.8% did not have pathological complete response. Among women who were given vitamin D, 39.5% experienced pathological complete response compared with 16.8% of those who did not receive the vitamin. When axillary tissue was included in the analysis, the percentage of pathological complete response was 24.3% in the vitamin D group and 10.6% among women who did not receive vitamin D. In the multivariate analysis, vitamin D was associated with more than double the likeliness of pathologic complete response compared with no vitamin D.

"This is the first and only study to compare the effect of oral vitamin D supplementation on pathological complete response during neoadjuvant systemic therapy," authors Enver Özkurt of Demiroglu Bilim University in Türkiye and colleagues announced. "Vitamin D . . . has a significant effect on pathological complete response in breast cancer patients. Although this effect is not significant for axillary pathological complete response, there is an almost significant correlation."

—D Dye

Pomegranate extract lowers cardiometabolic risk factors in older men and women

April 18 2025. Findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial added evidence to cardioprotective effects for an extract of pomegranate. The findings were reported April 1, 2025, in the journal Nutrients.

"Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), a fruit representing a rich source of antioxidants, such as ellagitannins (particularly punicalagin, which is unique to pomegranate), has been shown to exhibit one of the highest levels of antioxidant activity among multiple polyphenol-rich foods (e.g., green tea, wine)," authors Grace Farhat of Manchester Metropolitan University and colleagues noted.

"This trial aimed to assess the effects of pomegranate extract on inflammatory markers and cardiometabolic risk factors in normal-weight and overweight adults aged 55–70 years."

The trial compared 41 men and women who received 740 milligrams pomegranate extract and 37 participants who received a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Both overweight and normal weight participants had increased markers of inflammation associated with aging. Weight, blood pressure, markers of inflammation, fasting blood glucose and lipid levels were measured at the beginning of the study at six and 12 weeks.

Among participants who received pomegranate extract, the inflammatory markers interleukin-16 and interleukin-1beta levels declined at six weeks and were significantly lower after 12 weeks compared with levels measured at the beginning of the study and with the placebo. Inflammatory markers C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha also showed a downward trend. Systolic blood pressure significantly decreased and diastolic pressure trended downward among participants who received pomegranate while no significant effects were observed in the placebo group in comparison with measurements obtained at the beginning of the study.

"Pomegranate extract can lower inflammatory markers and blood pressure, which can be high in both normal-weight and overweight older adults, making it a cost-effective measure to promote healthy aging," the authors concluded.

—D Dye

JAMA study predicts CT scans could account for 5% of all cancers

April 16 2025. A study published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Internal Medicine estimated that exposure to computed tomography (CT) scans could eventually be the cause of 5% of all new cancer diagnoses each year. The investigation was funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD, and colleagues noted that scans can be overused, and some are unlikely to be helpful. People can lower their risk of developing cancer by getting fewer or low dose scans. "There is currently unacceptable variation in the doses used for CT, with some patients receiving excessive doses," Dr Smith-Bindman reported.

The study included 61,510,000 individuals who received 93,000,000 CT scans in 2023. The authors of the report projected that 103,000 radiation-induced cancers could result from the scans and that most would occur in adults. Abdominal and pelvic CT accounted for the highest number of projected cancers at 37%, followed by chest CT at 21%.

"CT can save lives, but its potential harms are often overlooked," Dr Smith-Bindman stated. "Given the large volume of CT use in the United States, many cancers could occur in the future if current practices don't change. Our estimates put CT on par with other significant risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and excess body weight. Reducing the number of scans and reducing doses per scan would save lives."

"Few patients and their families are counseled about the risk associated with CT examinations," coauthor and UCSF assistant professor Pediatric Critical Care Malini Mahendra, MD, remarked. "We hope our study's findings will help clinicians better quantify and communicate these cancer risks, allowing for more informed conversations when weighing the benefits and risks of CT exams."

—D Dye

Magnesium: strong bone factor

April 14 2025. A study reported April 9, 2025, in Health Science Reports added evidence to a strong role for magnesium deficiency in osteoporosis.

Authors Eman T. Ali and colleagues noted that magnesium's relationship with low bone mineral density and fracture risk is not completely understood. "We designed our study to identify the primary risk factors for fracture incidence in osteoporosis and explore the potential correlation between magnesium deficiency and reduced bone density," they wrote.

The study included 162 participants and 50 healthy control subjects. Participants' history was obtained, physical examinations were conducted, and blood samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, parathyroid hormone and other factors. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femur neck was measured with the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). T-scores, which compare bone mineral density values with those of healthy individuals of the same age and sex, were calculated.

Among the 162 participants, 62 had osteopenia, 58 had osteoporosis and 42 had normal bone density as indicated by T-scores. Men and women with osteoporosis had significantly lower levels of vitamin D, calcium and magnesium than the other groups and higher parathyroid hormone levels. Increased levels of magnesium and vitamin D were associated with better T scores and bone mineral density. Higher magnesium levels were additionally associated with lower markers of inflammation.

"Patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia exhibit magnesium deficiency, which may be more significant than vitamin D," the authors remarked. "The findings highlighted a strong correlation between magnesium deficiency and osteoporosis, with a more significant odds ratio compared to factors like 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, bone mineral density, T-score, and calcium."

"Thus, magnesium deficiency emerges as a major risk factor for osteoporosis progression and a predictor of fracture incidence in patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia," they concluded.

—D Dye

The brain needs vitamin K

April 11 2025. Research conducted at Tufts University demonstrated a need for adequate vitamin K for healthy brain function. The findings, published in the American Society for Nutrition's Journal of Nutrition suggest a benefit for adding more vitamin K to the diet.

"Green leafy vegetables are the main source of phylloquinone (PK), the primary form of dietary vitamin K," Tong Zheng, PhD, and colleagues wrote. "Concerningly, most adults do not consume the recommended quantity of these foods, leading to inadequate PK intake, especially among older adults in the United States."

In the current study, 60 mice were given a diet that was low in vitamin K or a diet that provided a healthy amount of the vitamin (control diet) for six months. At the end of the treatment period, 26 of the mice underwent behavioral tests.

Mice that consumed low vitamin K diets had decreased recognition memory and took longer to learn how to find a platform in a water maze test compared with the control mice. The animals that were fed diets low in vitamin K had significantly lower brain levels of menaquinone-4 (a form of vitamin K2) and fewer proliferating and newly generated brain cells in an area of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning. They additionally exhibited more inflammation compared with control animals. "We found a higher number of activated microglia, which are the major immune cells in the brain," Dr Zheng reported.

"We know that a healthy diet works, and that people who don't eat a healthy diet don't live as long or do as well cognitively," senior author Sarah L. Booth noted. "By choreographing animal and human studies together, we can do a better job of improving brain health long-term by identifying and targeting specific mechanisms."

—D Dye

Absence of five cardiovascular risk factors could equal more than ten more years of life

April 07 2025. A study reported March 30, 2025, in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that people who did not have five classic cardiovascular disease risk factors at age 50 could live more than ten years longer than those who had all risk factors.

"Five risk factors account for approximately 50% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease," C. Magnussen and colleagues of the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium wrote.

The study included over two million men and women living in 39 countries. Risk factors evaluated in the study included arterial hypertension, elevated lipids, being underweight, overweight or obese, having diabetes and smoking at the age of 50 years.

For individuals who had all five risk factors, lifetime cardiovascular disease risk was 38% among men and 24% for women. When people who had no risk factors at age 50 were compared with those who had all of them, the number of years of life without cardiovascular disease were estimated at 10.6 years for men and 13.3 years for women. Men who had none of the risk factors could expect to live 11.8 years longer and women could expect 14.5 more years than those who had all of the risk factors. Improvement in arterial hypertension between the ages of 55 to less than 60 years was associated with the most additional years of living free of cardiovascular disease, and modification of smoking during these years was associated with the most extra years of life.

"The absence of five classic risk factors at 50 years of age was associated with more than a decade greater life expectancy than the presence of all five risk factors, in both sexes," the authors concluded.

—D Dye

Nonprescription magnesium use associated with reduced heart failure risk

April 04 2025. The April 1, 2025, issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association published findings from an observational study that revealed a lower risk of developing heart failure among veterans with diabetes who used nonprescription magnesium.

Researchers Yan Chang, PhD, and colleagues observed that randomized controlled trials to establish efficacy and safety of single nutrients are often cost-prohibitive and that observational studies may be the best alternative. They noted that added dietary nutrients are inexpensive and generally safe. "In this study, we emulated a hypothetical target clinical trial to estimate the effects of magnesium . . . on preventing heart failure in a large cohort of US military veterans with diabetes," they wrote.

The study evaluated 93,887 veterans with diabetes aged 40 years and older who received care in the US veterans' health care system from 2006 through 2020. Subjects included 17,415 men and women who used nonprescription magnesium and 76,472 nonusers. The average duration of magnesium use was 3.5 years.

During up to 10 years of follow-up, 8% of magnesium users were diagnosed with heart failure, compared with 9.7% of nonusers, resulting in a 6% lower risk of heart failure. Major adverse cardiac events, including all‐cause death, hospitalization for heart failure, ischemic stroke or heart attack were similarly lower among those who used magnesium.

When blood serum magnesium levels were examined, subjects with normal levels who used nonprescription magnesium had an 8% lower risk of heart failure compared with nonusers, while magnesium users with low levels of the mineral had a 20% lower risk.

"Available evidence indicates that dietary magnesium intake is inadequate in most adult Americans, and deficiency is common," Dr Chang and associates remarked. They concluded that long-term nonprescription magnesium "was associated with a lower risk of heart failure and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes."

—D Dye

Higher vitamin B12 status associated with lower mortality during 202-month median

April 02 2025. The April 2025 issue of Nutrition Research reported the finding of a lower risk of premature mortality among men and women who had a calculated indicator of high vitamin B12 status compared with those individuals B12 was low.

Vitamin B12 status is currently determined by measuring blood serum levels of the vitamin. "Previous studies suggested that there was a potential link between low or high serum B12 concentrations and the risks of mortality, but with inconsistent results," authors Yonmei Li and coauthors wrote. "One reason for these inconsistent results may be that vitamin B12 metabolism can be severely affected under many critical conditions, resulting in an unusual elevation."

Researchers developed the vitamin B12 indicator using three markers: levels of holotranscobalamin (a protein that carries vitamin B12 in the blood, referred to as "active vitamin B12"), methylmalonic acid (elevated in blood or urine when the body has insufficient vitamin B12) and homocysteine (a potentially damaging amino acid that can become elevated when people have insufficient vitamin B12 or other B vitamins).

The current investigation included 12,103 adults enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's 1999–2004 database. Vitamin B12 status was categorized as low, low normal, moderate and high. Adjusted analysis of the data determined that vitamin B12 status that was among the low category was associated with a risk of mortality from any cause during follow-up that was 75% greater than the risk associated with the high category. The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 84% higher among those whose vitamin B12 status was lowest, and the risk of cancer death was more than twice as great.

Li and colleagues concluded that the calculated vitamin B12 score may be more valuable for assessing the association between B12 status and mortality risk than serum vitamin B12 levels.

—D Dye

What's Hot Archive