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American Aging Association Notes   May 13-16, Phoenix, AZ, 2009
For active links go to this site:http://www.beloit.edu/nutrition/ln/ln09mayAGE.htm
The American Aging Association (AGE) is the pre-eminent association of physicians and researchers devoted to understanding how aging occurs and how to reduce some of the painful conditions people often encounter as they age. I have been a member since 1990.

I. HIGHLIGHTS: 1. As an introduction, you might want to see a video http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/156276/february-11-2008/aubrey-de-grey.
2. One of the most effective supports for losing weight is to weigh oneself daily.
3. Vitamin C and E supplement users have longer telomeres, and people with longer telomeres have much lower risk of chronic disease.
4. Exercise, a stimulating environment, and higher sex hormone levels are all important to maintaining your brain.

II. Protein Quality and Aging
The physiological ability to respond safely to stress is good for your health but decreases with age. This is improved by Resveratrol. Diet with resveratrol, oxaloacetate, green tea, curcumin, or medium length triglycerides allowed older dogs to be more active.

III. Epigenetics - Restoring telomere length preserves the immune system. With shortened telomeres, risk of heart disease increases 3x, infectious disease 8.5x. Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes virus shorten telomeres. EGCG in green tea is potent inhibitor of an enzyme essential for cancer cell survival. People need to exercise, get protein in diet daily, and maintain muscles. A ketogenic diet suppresses tumor growth, so reduce carb intake.

IV. Growth Hormone (GH) - Most people living in 2025 are likely to survive past 110 yrs old, many past 130! The speaker strongly advises against GH treatment for older people.

V. Pterostilbene (PT) and Resveratrol (R) - PT occurs naturally in sandalwood, blueberries, and grapes. PT and R are antioxidants and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. It is possible that PT may be even more beneficial than R at preventing age-associated deterioration.

VI. Phytochemicals (PC) in cancer prevention - most fruit PC are in fruit skins. PCs may work synergistically, so whole fruit is better than purified extracts. Apples prevent cancer proliferation, decrease tumor incidence in flies 40%, cause tumor size to shrink 80%. Apples are a potent anti-breast cancer agent. Walnuts are also great for health (presentation by James Joseph, man who discovered value of blueberries for health). Walnuts are "blueberries in a shell". They reduce inflammation and free radicals. 1 oz walnuts per day is ideal for health.

VIII. Aubrey de Grey session - Regenerative medicine
A. Neurogenesis (NG) is caused by physical activity. Main regions of NG are olfactory bulb (smell) and dentate gyrus of hippocampus (memory).  Physical activity must be followed by mental activity for new neuron survival to occur. Also need exposure to stimulating environments and physical and mental training in youth to retain neurogenesis ability with age.
C . Oxysterols (OS) - free radicals make oxysterols that are harmful, disrupting lysosomes, destroying cells, disrupting membranes, causing Alzheimer's.
D. Tissue engineering - The June 12th Christian Science Monitor has an article describing 3dimensional printing presses. The speaker's company has developed a 3d press that will use biologic materials, such as human cells, and they are developing reliable fabrication of human tissues.

IX. Sex hormones, Pituitary, and Steroid hormones
A. Menopause causes immune system senescence. Vitamin E makes vaccines and immune system much more effective.
B. DHEA (Mayo Clinic presenter) - People spend $15 million annually on DHEA supplements, but clinical trials show no benefit.
C. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause - lots of current research. 3 million women halted HRT in 2002 after Women's Health Study reported increased breast cancer. But 4% die of breast cancer, 45% from heart disease. STILL NOT CLEAR WHAT TO DO.
D. Testosterone (T) which are Androgens (A), cause many adverse effects when used medically in healthy people, so T is a POOR CHOICE.
E. Hayflick lecture - Leonard Hayflick discovered limited cell doublings of eukaryotic cells (that began my interest in aging research). Antioxidants slow telomere shortening. Stress, free radicals, etc. increase telomere shortening (see article in AJCN that vitamin C and E supplement users have longer telomeres ). People with short telomeres after age 60 are 3 to 8 times more likely to die of chronic diseases than those with longer telomeres.
F. Estrogen - Basal forebrain cholinergic system (CERG) is main place of cognitive (COG) degeneration. CERG is preserved when stimulated by E. Catecholamine system works twice as well when E levels higher, but inhibited by progesterone.
X. Insulin resistance (IR), Insulin signaling (IS), lipids, and aging genetics -
1. Intramuscular lipid is a serious problem. Saturated fat (SF) very bad, polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) is okay and may be beneficial. SF causes lots of troubles, increases glucose levels, increases tissue inflammation. Obesity induces fatty acid synthesis driving oxygen to adipocytes leading to cell death promoting adipokines, IR, and inflammation.
2.Simin Meydani (Vit E expert at Tufts) lab report - For nutritional help, eat PUFA, not SF, take 200 IU vitamin E to help inhibit cylcooxygenase, get fish oil that reduces PGE2 (harmful prostglandin), and EPA in fish oil that reduces PGE2.

The highlights of the meeting of the American Aging Association for May, 2009. For active links and more complete explanations, go to this site:http://www.beloit.edu/nutrition/ln/ln09mayAGE.htm Remember – you are what you eat! Till next time  ********Doc Roc