Category Archives: Anti-Aging Medicine

EGCG ,a compound in green tea, could alleviate high-fat and high-fructose -induced insulin resistance and cognitive impairment.

Green tea's top catechin and most biologically active component, EGCG, could alleviate cognitive impairment and insulin resistance caused by the consumption of high-fructose and high-fat. This is the determination of researchers from Northwest A&F University's College of Food Science and Engineering. They reached this conclusion after conducting a study centered on mice. The details of the study were recently published in The FASEB Journal.

Insights From Previous Studies

Prior research indicated EGCG had the potential to treat an array of human diseases. However, EGCG's ability to influence insulin resistance and cognitive impairment resulting from the typical Western diet were unclear. The study outlined above has eliminated some of the uncertainty regarding the effects of EGCG.

The Magic of Green Tea

Green tea is consumed more than any other liquid besides water. The tea leaves used for green tea are grown in more than 30 countries. The centuries-old habit of drinking green tea just might be a better alternative to modern medicine in the fight against insulin resistance, obesity and the impairment of memory.

About the Study

The research team separated young mice into three groups according to diet. The first was a control group that consumed a standard diet. The second group was provided with an HFFD diet. The third group was provided with an HFFD diet along with two grams of EGCG for each liter of drinking water. The research team monitored the mice across 16 weeks.

The Results

It was determined the mice provided with HFFD had a higher body weight than the mice in the control group. The HFFD group also had a higher body weight than the mice in the HFFD+EGCG group.

A Morris water maze test was administered. The HFFD mice took longer to reach the platform compared to those in the control group. The HFFD+EGCG mice had a dramatically lower escape distance and escape latency than those in the HFFD group.

The hidden platform was then removed for a probe trial. The mice inthe HFFD group took less time within the target quadrant compared to those in the control group. They also crossed fewer platform crossings than the mice in the control group. The HFFD+EGCG group showed a meaningful increase in the average amount of time spent in the target quadrant. They also had a greater number of platform crossings. Thismeans EGCG might improve memory impairment caused by HFFD.

Read more here:
Green Tea Boosts Memory, Combats Obesity - Anti Aging News

THURSDAY, Aug. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Eating protein at all three daily meals, instead of just at dinner, might help seniors preserve physical strength as they age, new research suggests.

The Canadian study found that protein-rich meals evenly spread throughout the day staved off muscle decline, but did not increase mobility, in older people.

Study co-author Stephanie Chevalier said, for seniors, "The important point is to create three meal occasions with sufficient protein to stimulate muscle building and greater strength, instead of just one."

Chevalier is an assistant professor of medicine at McGill University in Montreal.

The functional decline associated with aging often leads to falls, mental impairment and loss of independence. Chevalier's team wondered if more evenly distributed protein consumption might be tied to better physical performance and a reduced rate of decline.

To find out, they tracked more than 1,700 relatively healthy Quebec men and women, aged 67 to 84, who were all enrolled in a three-year study.

The participants provided dietary information and underwent yearly hand, arm, and leg strength testing. They were also tested for mobility.

Over the three years, the researchers found that both men and women saw their overall physical performance worsen, with muscle strength fading more significantly than mobility.

But those who consumed protein more evenly throughout the day appeared to retain greater muscle strength -- though not greater mobility -- than those who consumed most of their protein late in the day.

However, Chevalier stressed the researchers only observed an association between protein distribution and muscle strength, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

"In other words, we cannot conclude that older people had greater strength because they were ingesting protein evenly distributed at every meal," she said.

Establishing direct proof would require more research, she said.

Still, the study finding held up regardless of the total amount of protein consumed, she noted.

Prior research has indicated that adults of all ages should consume a minimum of 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (To convert pounds to kilograms, divide your body weight by 2.2.)

For a 155-pound man, that would add up to about three ounces of protein a day, Chevalier said. Spread across breakfast, lunch and dinner, that would mean about one ounce of protein at each meal. A 130-pound woman would require a little less than one ounce per meal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Dietary Guidelines call for those over age 50 to consume 5 to 7 ounces of protein foods daily.

In general, one ounce of meat, poultry or fish or one egg or one tablespoon of peanut butter, one-quarter cup of cooked beans or one-half ounce of nuts or seeds qualify as an ounce of protein, according to the USDA.

An outside nutrition expert offered one explanation why the new findings might work.

"Muscle protein is constantly being broken down and built back up. We need protein in our diet daily to make this happen," explained Lona Sandon, a dietetic educator.

That's true at any age, but in late life muscle protein tends to break down faster than it builds up, added Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Also, research has shown older adults require a higher amount of protein, she said.

"Eating protein throughout the day seems to be a means to stay in a positive protein balance longer than just eating most of your protein for the day in the evening meal," said Sandon.

Sandon said distributing protein intake evenly throughout the day is likely beneficial to everyone, young and old.

Much of the research in this area stems from sports nutrition studies, she added. "This research has also shown a benefit to spreading protein throughout meals over the day for increased muscle mass and strength benefits in active individuals and adults," she added.

However, she cautioned that eating protein alone is not an anti-aging silver bullet.

"You can't just eat a steak and suddenly have bulging biceps," she said, noting the need for some level of physical activity or resistance training as well.

The study was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

See the article here:
Protein at All 3 Meals May Help Preserve Seniors' Strength - Sioux City Journal

THURSDAY, Aug. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Eating protein at all three daily meals, instead of just at dinner, might help seniors preserve physical strength as they age, new research suggests.

The Canadian study found that protein-rich meals evenly spread throughout the day staved off muscle decline, but did not increase mobility, in older people.

Study co-author Stephanie Chevalier said, for seniors, "The important point is to create three meal occasions with sufficient protein to stimulate muscle building and greater strength, instead of just one."

Chevalier is an assistant professor of medicine at McGill University in Montreal.

The functional decline associated with aging often leads to falls, mental impairment and loss of independence. Chevalier's team wondered if more evenly distributed protein consumption might be tied to better physical performance and a reduced rate of decline.

To find out, they tracked more than 1,700 relatively healthy Quebec men and women, aged 67 to 84, who were all enrolled in a three-year study.

The participants provided dietary information and underwent yearly hand, arm, and leg strength testing. They were also tested for mobility.

Over the three years, the researchers found that both men and women saw their overall physical performance worsen, with muscle strength fading more significantly than mobility.

But those who consumed protein more evenly throughout the day appeared to retain greater muscle strength -- though not greater mobility -- than those who consumed most of their protein late in the day.

However, Chevalier stressed the researchers only observed an association between protein distribution and muscle strength, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

"In other words, we cannot conclude that older people had greater strength because they were ingesting protein evenly distributed at every meal," she said.

Establishing direct proof would require more research, she said.

Still, the study finding held up regardless of the total amount of protein consumed, she noted.

Prior research has indicated that adults of all ages should consume a minimum of 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (To convert pounds to kilograms, divide your body weight by 2.2.)

For a 155-pound man, that would add up to about three ounces of protein a day, Chevalier said. Spread across breakfast, lunch and dinner, that would mean about one ounce of protein at each meal. A 130-pound woman would require a little less than one ounce per meal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Dietary Guidelines call for those over age 50 to consume 5 to 7 ounces of protein foods daily.

In general, one ounce of meat, poultry or fish or one egg or one tablespoon of peanut butter, one-quarter cup of cooked beans or one-half ounce of nuts or seeds qualify as an ounce of protein, according to the USDA.

An outside nutrition expert offered one explanation why the new findings might work.

"Muscle protein is constantly being broken down and built back up. We need protein in our diet daily to make this happen," explained Lona Sandon, a dietetic educator.

That's true at any age, but in late life muscle protein tends to break down faster than it builds up, added Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Also, research has shown older adults require a higher amount of protein, she said.

"Eating protein throughout the day seems to be a means to stay in a positive protein balance longer than just eating most of your protein for the day in the evening meal," said Sandon.

Sandon said distributing protein intake evenly throughout the day is likely beneficial to everyone, young and old.

Much of the research in this area stems from sports nutrition studies, she added. "This research has also shown a benefit to spreading protein throughout meals over the day for increased muscle mass and strength benefits in active individuals and adults," she added.

However, she cautioned that eating protein alone is not an anti-aging silver bullet.

"You can't just eat a steak and suddenly have bulging biceps," she said, noting the need for some level of physical activity or resistance training as well.

The study was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

See the original post:
Protein at All 3 Meals May Help Preserve Seniors' Strength - The Sentinel

Photo ProvidedDr. Doug Brooks has joined Camden Clark Medical Center-WVU Medicine.

PARKERSBURG Dr. Doug Brooks has returned to his hometown of Parkersburg to practice family medicine.

Tuesday is Brooks first day as a physician with Camden Clark Medical Center-WVU Medicine at 2012 Garfield Ave., Suite 1 in the Garfield Medical Complex in Parkersburg.

Brooks, a 1989 graduate of Parkersburg High School, obtained a bachelors of arts in biology in 1993 from West Virginia University and a medical degree from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 1997.

For the past 17 years, Brooks has been a physician in Tampa and Charlotte.

Brooks, 46, said he is looking forward to making an impact in his hometown, something that was lacking at times while working in larger cities.

He found it not as meaningful, not as personalized working in big cities.

Brooks has friends in the Parkersburg area and his father, Dr. Paul Brooks, is a retired family doctor in Parkersburg who graduated from the WVU School of Medicine in 1966.

From 2000-2006, Brooks was a family physician with Morton Plant Mease Primary Care, the largest medical corporation in Tampa, Fla., he said. From 2007-2012, he practiced as a family physician for Carolinas Health Care system, the largest medical corporation in North Carolina.

From 2012 to early 2017, Brooks practiced with several companies in North Carolina, including a mens center, nursing homes, urgent care and occupational medical centers, and a primary care center that focused on anti-aging medicine.

Brooks considers his 17-year journey through multiple disciplines of medicine to have made him a more knowledgeable and experienced physician with expertise in many different areas.

Brooks noted he has expertise in evidence-based medicine, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, premature coronary artery disease, obesity, anxiety and depression, dermatology, and sports medicine.

Brooks said he has taken a special interest in mens health and wellness, hormone therapy, erectile dysfunction, anti-aging, and skin care.

Men, in general, often dont want to see a physician about their medical issues, Brooks said.

Men are more reluctant, embarrassed to bring up problems, Brooks said.

I want to create an environment on a personal level, where patients will feel comfortable and want to seek his medical advice and expertise, Brooks said.

Wanting to see a physician is not a sign of weakness, he said. Instead, being proactive in ones health care is a sign of strength, Brooks said.

Brooks has served as a preceptor for 17 years, teaching medical students, residents, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from the University of South Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest School of Medicine, respectively.

Brooks wants to help in the community by possibly becoming a team physician at a high school.

Brooks was a state champion wrestler (at 125 pounds) his junior year at PHS in 1988 and finished second in the state at 130 pounds his senior year in 1989.

Brooks is a WVU football fan. He has season tickets to Mountaineer football games and used to attend games in Morgantown when he lived in the South.

Besides his father, other members of his family are, or have been, involved in the medical field. His mother, Ann Brooks, who lives in Hickory, N.C., was a nurse at Camden Clark Memorial Hospital. His stepmother, Nancy Brooks, is director of organizational development at Camden Clark Medical Center and his brother, Dr. Gregory Brooks, is a physician in Hickory, N.C.

WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center is delighted to welcome Parkersburg native and WVU School of Medicine graduate Dr. Doug Brooks back home! the hospital said in a release.

Brooks plans to attend the Camden Clark Community Health and Wellness Day from 9-3 p.m. Saturday at Grand Central Mall.

He is accepting new patients at 304-865-5140.

Brooks is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has an unrestricted license with the West Virginia Board of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the West Virginia Academy of Family Physicians.

Brooks resume notes he is a 5-star physician on vitals.com and has received the Patients Choice Award, given to only 5 percent of physicians, and the Most Compassionate Doctor Award, given to only 3 percent of physicians.

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See original here:
Doug Brooks returns to Parkersburg as a physician - Parkersburg News

Good morning ... The Senate is back in Washington this week after a weeklong recess, with a new goal of trying to pass a health care bill before the next recess in August.

What to expect this week: Everything in this process in constant flux, but for now, our colleague Caitlin Owens' sources aren't expecting to see an updated bill or CBO score this week. The Congressional Budget Office is still working through some of the policy options Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent over before the break, and the two can exchange more information privately this week as long as the bill is still private, too.

The latest: CBO is taking a look at a handful of possible amendments, including Sen. Ted Cruz's proposal to let insurers sell policies that don't comply with the Affordable Care Act he's calling them "freedom plans" as long as they also sell plans that do comply with the law's coverage requirements.

The outlook: It certainly didn't get any sunnier over the recess.

Data: Kaiser Family Foundation; Graphic: Lazaro Gamio / Axios

Every time you hear the Trump administration or Congress fight about rising ACA premiums, or what will happen to people with pre-existing conditions, just remember we're talking about issues that affect 7% of the population. That's how many people are in the individual health insurance market, or the "non-group" market.

The graph above, put together by Axios' Lazaro Gamio with data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, shows what the rest of the population looks like including the much larger employer health insurance marketplace, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Why it matters: This shows how much time we're spending on a relatively small portion of the market. The ACA was supposed to fix the problems of the individual market, which was dysfunctional for anyone with the slightest health problem. In doing so, it created other problems, including rising premiums. But when you hear about those sky-high rate hikes because of "Obamacare," chances are, they're not your sky-high rate hikes unless you happen to be in that market.

Yes, but: The spending limits that have been proposed for Medicaid really do matter, and they affect a larger group 20% of the population. So every minute Washington spends on the smaller group is time that could have been spent talking about Medicaid changes that will affect more people.

There's another piece of Cruz's proposed change to the Senate health care bill that may be accepted more easily than his ideas on insurance deregulation. He wants to let people use health savings accounts to pay for their health insurance premiums. Conservatives have been pushing to expand HSAs, which allows people to set aside tax-free money to spend on certain health expenses.

Yes, but: Not all conservative health care wonks are impressed. Tom Miller of the American Enterprise Institute calls it a "symbolic move," and not the best way to achieve the conservative goal of equalizing the tax treatment between the individual market and employer-sponsored insurance. But Arnold said it would be more powerful in combination with other changes already in the bill, like increasing the annual contribution limits for HSAs.

Bob Herman has a deep look this morning at "upcoding" the practice where doctors and hospitals bill for more expensive services than they actually provide. The payment system gives them lots of incentives to do that, and numerous settlements between health care companies and the Department of Justice indicate it's a widespread problem.

Why it matters: Upcoding affects everyone it saps money from the taxpayer-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs and could lead to higher premiums for people with commercial insurance. But there's no evidence the health care system is fighting upcoding effectively, or that the problem will go away. More here.

Fun fact: No one forced Bob to include the name of one coding webinar: "Keeping up with the Code-ashians." He did that on his own. Send your complaints to him.

Cerner, one of the nation's leading providers of electronic health records, lost its CEO to cancer yesterday. The company announced that Neal Patterson, who co-founded the company, died from complications from a recurrence of the disease (the Kansas City Star identified it as a soft-tissue cancer). Cliff Illig, vice chairman of the board and another co-founder of the company, has been named chairman and interim CEO.

What we're watching this week: Are we really going to have to start hitting "refresh" on the CBO website again? Also, House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing on medical product manufacturer communications, Wednesday; Employee Benefit Research Institute health policy forum, focusing on health savings accounts, Wednesday.

What else are you watching? Let us know: david@axios.com, baker@axios.com.

Excerpt from:
Vitals - Axios

Brenda Fitzgerald. Photo: Branden Camp/AP

On first glance, the most startling thing about Donald Trumps pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention was its propriety: Brenda Fitzgerald is a trained obstetrician-gynecologist who worked for three decades in private practice before becoming Georgias public health commissioner in 2011. In her time in the post, Fitzgerald won the respect of her peers in other states, and they recently elected her president of the nonprofit group that represents Americas state and territorial public-health agencies. Her appointment was praised by Barack Obamas former CDC director Tom Frieden.

Fizgerald is a staunch believer in the mission of her agency, and has said that the private sector is incapable of performing its core functions. While she has longstanding ties to the Republican Party having twice run unsuccessfully for Congress she has proven willing to subordinate conservative orthodoxy to her convictions as a medical professional: In her first House run, Fitzgerald argued that decisions about abortion should be left to women and their doctors.

Finally, as the first female OB/GYN ever tapped to run the CDC, Fitzgerald brings a unique (and historically marginalized) perspective with her to the federal government.

All this makes her a bizarre addition to the Trump cabinet. Thus far, the president has evinced a deep commitment to stocking his administrations domestic agencies with appointees who are eithercomically unqualified for their assignments (Ben Carson), hostile to the very purpose of the department theyre meant to direct (Scott Pruitt, Betsy DeVos), or rich, white men who bring ethical baggage and/or flagrant conflicts of interest to their posts (Tom Price, Rex Tillerson, Wilbur Ross, Gary Cohn, etc.).

But fear not the fundamental laws of our political universe have not been rewritten. Once you read this dispatch from Forbess Rita Rubin, everything will fall back into place:

Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, appointed Friday as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who saw patients for 30 years in private practice.

Unlike any OB/GYN I know, Fitzgerald treated men as well as women. Thats because besides being board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, she is a fellow in anti-aging medicine.

Among her credentialslisted on [her gynecological practices] website: board certification in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine by theAmerican Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. However, the American Board of Medical Specialties, made up of the specialty boards that certify physicians,doesnt recognize the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine(A4M), which promotes the use of intravenous nutritional therapy, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and pellet therapy, in which tiny pellets that contain hormones are placed under the skin.

[B]ioridiculous is how Dr. Nanette Santoro, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, described the use of bio-identical hormones in a recent guest post on the North American Menopause Societys MenoPause blog. Santoro described a patient whose hair had fallen out because she had been rubbing testosterone cream into her skin every day and overdosed. Another patient, age 52, had estrogen levels higher than when she was pregnant, due to estrogen pellets that had been inserted under her skin months earlier.

Now, a snake-oil saleswoman fits perfectly into the Trump cabinet. The president and secretary of Housing and Urban Development have both dabbled in peddling scientifically dubious supplements, while the secretary of Education owes her fortune to one of the most successful pyramid schemes in world history.

Fitzgerald wasnt shy about her antiaging expertise, touting that rsum item in her bio on the Georgia Department of Public Health website. Further, her private practices old homepage included the following frequently asked questions.

What is anti-aging medicine?

It is a new specialty of medicine that studies the changes that occur in all of us as we age. It is dedicated to treating the cause of problems, not just the symptoms.

How do I know I am taking the right supplements?

We can now measure the vitamins, antioxidants, necessary fats and proteins in your cells with a simple blood test. If you like the supplements you are taking (Juice Plus, for example), we can tell you what you need to add.

Can you treat my husband?

I have taken additional training in male hormones so that I may treat male hormone deficiencies as well as female deficiencies.

Why did you become interested in anti-aging medicine?

I got older! The life expectancy for women in 1900 was 48. The majority of women never reached the hormone depleted state of menopause just 100 years ago. Now most of us can expect to live half of our lives without natural optimal hormone production.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned that it has no evidence that the bio-identical hormones central to anti-aging medicine are safer or more effective than other hormone products.

All that said, even with her scientifically dubious side-hustle, Fitzgerald is still among the most defensible appointments Trump has made. Whatever her unorthodox views on the virtues of antiaging hormone therapy, she does have a significant body of experience in managing public health. It seems likely that the former will have more bearing on her capacity to combat the threat that Ebola, Zika, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and other infectious diseases pose to the country and globe.

Which is to say: At least we arent relying on Ben Carson to coordinate the federal governments response to the next pandemic.

More concerning than Trumps appointment of Fitzgerald is his administrations proposal to cut the CDCs budget by $1.2 billion.

Heres hoping that bubonic plague doesnt emerge from melting Siberian ice anytime soon.

Sources say before meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer, he was told the dirt she had on Hillary Clinton was part of a larger Russian effort.

The pro-Trump local-news giant has tripled the number of Boris Epshteyn segments that all its affiliates must air each week.

He could tap McConnells favorite Luther Strange or Hannitys favorite Mo Brooks. Theocrat Roy Moores in the mix, too.

Alan Futerfas is a criminal attorney whos worked with some high-profile defendants.

The rookie right-fielder doesnt just hit a lot of home runs, he hits them a long way.

Go ahead and put this on loop.

After that deal fell through, the presidents son-in-law pushed for the U.S. to support the Saudis blockade of Qatar.

Maybe its not a coincidence that he was chosen by the party that almost put Sarah Palin in the White House.

Were going to have to do something that we probably never dreamed wed do.

The brutal, months-long offensive has finally liberated Iraqs second-largest city after three years of ISIS control.

Before going into public health, Brenda Fitzgerald sold (scientifically dubious) anti-aging hormone treatments to patients.

Lots of crowds and some new routes for regional commuters but things have been worse.

So long as CBO gives the revised bill a better score, one last chance to repeal Obamacare could be appealing to all of the GOPs factions.

In his morning tweetstorm, the president also suggested that the media would never be as hard on Chelsea Clinton as it is on Ivanka.

Hes been holding dinners for donors and other influential GOP figures at his home on the grounds of the Naval Observatory.

The president reversed himself after the idea was panned by both Democrats and Republicans.

The presidents son says he was lured into the June 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer under false pretenses.

Plague, famine, heat no human can survive. This is not science fiction but what scientists, when theyre not being cautious, fear could be our future.

Why does the president double-down every time it seems like he should retreat? Because Bannon is still his chief tactician.

See the article here:
Trump's CDC Pick Peddled 'Anti-Aging' Medicine to Her Gynecologic Patients - New York Magazine