Category Archives: Longevity

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity Article Reports Protandim(R) Protects Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells Against Oxidative Challenge

SALT LAKE CITY, June 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LifeVantage Corporation (LFVN), the leader in Nrf2 science and the maker of Protandim(R), the Nrf2 Synergizer(R) patented dietary supplement, announced today that a new peer-reviewed original research article involving Protandim was recently published in the scientific journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.

The study, conducted by researchers at Colorado State University, examined cells in vitro that line the vessels involved in coronary artery disease and demonstrated that Protandim induced the movement of the transcription factor Nrf2 into the nuclei of the cells. It also showed significant Protandim-dependent increases in phase II protective enzymes, including heme oxygenase-1, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione reductase, and the antioxidant enzyme NQO1. When cells were challenged with oxidative stress by a four-hour exposure to hydrogen peroxide, 35% of control cells died via apoptosis whereas cells pretreated with Protandim for 12 hours were protected seven-fold, resulting in only a 5% death rate by apoptosis. Finally, experiments using the small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique to block the cells' ability to produce Nrf2, confirmed that Protandim's mechanism of action is indeed Nrf2-dependent, in both specific enzyme induction and functional protection of the cells from oxidative stress.

"The cells studied in this project represent 'ground zero,' the epicenter for damage that results in human coronary artery disease. Much research suggests that this damage begins with oxidative stress," said Dr. Joe McCord, LifeVantage Chief Science Officer. "It is impressive that the activation of Nrf2 produces such significant resistance and protection against oxidative stress in these cells."

"This work was conceived and conducted by investigators at Colorado State University, with funding provided by CSU Proteomics and Metabolomics Facility Academic Enrichment Program and a Colorado State University CAHS mini-grant," stated Douglas Robinson, LifeVantage President and CEO. "LifeVantage greatly appreciates the remarkable academic interest in Protandim shown by researchers such as Drs. Karyn Hamilton and Ben Miller, the study's co-principal investigators, and their colleagues. This scholarly contribution underscores the potential being recognized by the biomedical research community for Protandim with regard to health conditions associated with oxidative stress."

Authored by Elise L. Donovan, Benjamin F. Miller, Joe M. McCord, Danielle J. Reuland, and Karyn L. Hamilton, the study titled, "Phytochemical Activation of Nrf2 Protects Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells against an Oxidative Challenge," is published in the open access online journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, vol. 2012, Article ID 132931, doi:10.1155/2012/132931.

The study may be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22685617.

About Protandim(R) The Nrf2 Synergizer(R)

Protandim(R), the Nrf2 Synergizer(R), is a clinically demonstrated supplement that provides substantial benefits for healthy aging by activating Nrf2. Nrf2 is a protein messenger contained in every cell of the body. When activated, Nrf2 enters the cell nucleus and turns on hundreds of survival genes, defensive, stress responsive, cytoprotective genes that enable cells to survive in the face of several different kinds of stress, particularly oxidative stress. This patented Nrf2-activating therapy works in a very different way than conventional antioxidant supplements. Unlike vitamin or carotenoid-containing products that have proven to be largely ineffective in reducing oxidative stress caused by free radicals, Protandim is an indirect antioxidant therapy, which has been demonstrated to stimulate the body's production of its own powerful antioxidant enzymes and other stress-related gene products. Protandim works at the cellular level, and has been shown to trigger cells to naturally increase production of protective antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione synthase, while decreasing production of pro-inflammatory signals.

Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, Protandim is considered a "dietary supplement". LifeVantage products are not intended to treat, cure, prevent or mitigate any disease.

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LifeVantage Announces Protandim(R) Subject of New Peer-Reviewed Article

This one is going to take some getting used to.

Matt Kenseth's first start at NASCAR's highest level was in 1998 at Dover, where he drove a No. 98 car in relief of Bill Elliott, whose father had passed away. The sixth-place effort turned in by the Wisconsin native that Sunday ranked as the best debut by a Cup newcomer since Rusty Wallace had finished second in Atlanta 18 years earlier. In every event that Kenseth has run since in what is now Sprint Cup, all 451 of them entering Saturday night's race at Kentucky Speedway, he has been behind the wheel of the No. 17.

It's as much a part of him as his steady driving style or his dry sense of humor, and it's going to be very odd seeing him drive anything else -- although that will be the case next season, given the news Tuesday that the 2003 champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner will part ways with Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the year. Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as much a star in the making as Kenseth was in that first race at Dover all those years ago, will step into the No. 17 next season, and his predecessor will move on to a new organization that's yet to be determined.

This isn't a total shock. For some time now, Roush Fenway has had too many good drivers and not enough cars and sponsors, and the team needed to do something to ensure that Stenhouse would stay in the fold. Kenseth is in a contract year, and even for him, he's been exceedingly tight-lipped when asked about his status. His sponsorship situation was patchwork at best, forcing Roush Fenway to occasionally fund the car on its own. There are other drivers out there in the final years of their contracts, and cars with sponsorship that would be available should teams decide to take action. Kenseth, who would be an upgrade almost anywhere he goes, wrote on Twitter that he has nothing yet to announce for 2013. But it's difficult to believe a driver as smart as he is would make such a move without a plan.

Regardless, it's going to be very strange to see Kenseth paired with another car number, given how much personal investment he's poured into the No. 17. No, he hasn't been synonymous with any certain sponsor, and he hasn't worn the same color firesuit for his entire stint with owner Jack Roush. But other than Mark Martin, who put Roush's team on the map and gave it year-in, year-out credibility, there's been no more important driver to the organization. It was Kenseth who brought Roush his first premier-series championship after years of painfully close calls, and six years later he delivered the team's first victory in the Daytona 500.

"It's the end of an incredible run between Jack and Matt, one that has spanned 15 years, which in his day and age of professional sports is much longer than you'd expect," said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. "So we're proud of everything that's been accomplished there."

But it all goes much deeper than the time span. Even after Kenseth leaves, his fingerprints will be all over his former organization. Robbie Reiser, the Roush Fenway general manager often credited with helping to build the team into the three-headed monster it is now, came up with Kenseth on the Wisconsin late-model circuit and broke through first as the driver's car owner, and later as a championship-winning crew chief. And then there's Kenseth himself, who often has been given the latitude to mold the No. 17 team as he sees fit, making crew chief changes and maintaining a degree of supervision over that program that not all elite drivers have.

Yes, it's going to be an odd transition, and not just because of the car number -- although if you remember a press release touting a new associate sponsor for this season, one that allegedly entailed a new numeral on the side of Kenseth's vehicle, it did not sit well with the masses. Yes, Tony Stewart left the No. 20. Yes, Dale Earnhardt Jr. walked away from the No. 8. But neither of those drivers were in those cars for as long as Kenseth has been in the No. 17. Stewart may have won a pair of championships in his former ride, but until he became an owner, he couldn't match Kenseth's de facto management role. Earnhardt had the level of personal investment at Dale Earnhardt Inc. but couldn't match his friend's results on the race track.

Kenseth did it all. He didn't just drive the No. 17; when times were tough, he bled over it. Roush might have owned the vehicle, but no one held more of a sense of ownership in it than Kenseth. When he faced struggles like those that followed his back-to-back wins at Daytona and Fontana to open the 2009 season, he seemed to take them personally. When it came time to shuffle personnel to try and get things back on track, Kenseth played an active role in shaping the direction of the program. Some crew chief moves -- and there were a few of them back then, until Jimmy Fennig arrived from the research and development department to straighten everything out -- were solely the driver's call.

Surely, Kenseth will bring that same level of involvement to whatever organization becomes his next home. His sudden availability only will tighten the microscope around drivers like Joey Logano and AJ Allmendinger, who are in contract years at Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing, respectively. This isn't Kurt Busch, burning bridges when no others are available. This is a championship-caliber driver with a good reputation and a strong work ethic who would fit in well at a number of places and will absolutely land on his feet.

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Caraviello: Kenseth's impact goes beyond wins, longevity

By Shelby Freedman Harris, Psy.D. for YouBeauty.com

We know about the benefits of a good nights sleep -- better memory, attention, concentration and a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Sleep improves our mood; it makes us feel like we can do more in the day and gives us a better outlook on life. But in addition to helping us live productive lives, sleep is key to feeling and looking youthful. Here are five surefire ways.

1. You Look More Attractive To Others In a 2010 study published in the British Medical Journal, a group of Swedish investigators looked at whether sleep-deprived people were perceived as less healthy, less attractive and more tired than after a normal nights sleep. Twenty-three healthy adults were photographed after a normal nights sleep (about eight hours) and again after a night of sleep deprivation (31 hours of wakefulness!). The photos were presented to 65 untrained observers who rated them. Results indicated that sleep-deprived people appear less healthy, less attractive and more tired when compared to photographs taken after a full night's sleep.

More from YouBeauty.com: Sleep And Your Skin Tricks to Get a Good Night's Sleep QUIZ: Are You Getting Beauty Sleep?

The authors proposed that humans may be sensitive to sleep-related facial cues, and that these cues may affect your social life in big ways. For example, if someone is well-qualified for a job but hadnt slept well for a few nights, employers might perceive the candidate as being less healthy and more tired -- putting the candidate at risk of not getting hired.

What exactly is going on during those precious sleep-filled hours at night thats keeping us looking and feeling young? A lot.

2. You Stay Fitter As we wrote in Sleep More and Fit Into Your Skinny Jeans, sleep helps you manage your weight. Consistently getting less sleep than you actually need per night leads to slow and steady weight gain. This weight gain can impact how others view you (unhealthy, tired) and how you may view yourself (tired, unmotivated). If you sleep more, youll find it easier to lose weight and will even have more energy to exercise. It is also commonly accepted now that exercise helps us feel younger both physically and mentally.

3. Your Skin Glows Skin grows a lot in our sleep. We develop nearly 30 times more skin while asleep than when awake. Notice those dark circles and bags under your eyes after a poor nights sleep? The skin of a healthy sleeper is more elastic, supple and taut. The more you get a full nights sleep, the more youll have that youthful glow.

4. You're Quicker To Move, And Learn Our mind and bodies learn new things while we sleep. Studying the night before a big test and then getting a full nights sleep can solidify the material in your brain. Pulling an all-nighter without sleep can actually make it more difficult to learn new material. But more than just brain cells learn and grow throughout the night! Our muscles, ligaments and tissues all learn new routines to help us physically maneuver throughout the world --whether it is to help with balance, new dance moves or picking up a new sport.

5. You Boost Your "Youth" Hormones Finally, human growth hormone (HGH) has its highest production during slow-wave sleep. HGH is a key player in keeping us looking young even after weve finished growing. HGH is produced by the pituitary gland and is in high levels during childhood and adolescence. After weve grown, HGH levels drop off and stay at low, steady levels during adulthood. Deficiencies in HGH can lead to reduced muscle mass, slower metabolism, more belly fat and sagging skin. Sleep more, and youll likely increase your HGH levels.

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Sleep And Longevity: 5 Ways Sleep Keeps You Young

BOULDER, CO--(Marketwire -06/20/12)- As people continue to live longer and retire earlier, the term "Third-Stage Adulthood" has more relevance than ever before. Referring to people 62-85 years old, this stage of life is chock-full of senior workers who are qualified and ready to continue working after the traditional retirement age of 65 or sooner. This means that there is a large and growing talent pool with experience, expertise, seasoned judgment, and proven performance (referred to by CPL as EESP), to meet the workforce needs of the 21st century.

The concept of "Third-Stage Adulthood" was first conceived in a paper, "The Evolution of Adulthood: A New Stage" co-authored in 2000 by Dr. Elliott Jaques, who conceived the mid-life crisis in 1965, and CPL Founder and CEO William Zinke. Zinke created CPL, which is based in Boulder, Colorado, to stimulate the substantially increased engagement of people 55 and older in productive activities, paid and volunteer, where they are qualified and ready to continue adding value.

Now in 2012, the concept of Third-Stage Adulthood is even more important than when the term was coined. CPL urges everyone to recalibrate their thinking for this new reality because the results could be dire if action isn't taken. If Baby Boomers are pushed to the sidelines, the nation's entitlement programs (e.g. Social Security and Medicare) will become unsustainable even sooner than projected. To prevent this crisis, the country should tap the talent pool of retired workers in Third-Stage Adulthood and put their knowledge, skills and abilities to use.

"Embracing 'Third-Stage Adulthood' can be a positive life-changer as people enter this next phase," says William Zinke, 85. "The concept urges society to recognize that older people can continue to add value for significantly longer periods of time and that they should be viewed as individuals, instead of all being lumped under the clichs of being 'over the hill' and 'out of the game.' The result will be that millions of older people with EESP can continue contributing to, instead of drawing from, the national economy and society."

CPL subscribes to a concept of adulthood that falls into three stages, described as follows:

First stage of early adulthood (18-40) - the time to build experience and expertise; to decide whether to work in the private, public, or non-profit sectors and perhaps even gain some cross-sector experience; to decide whether to develop a career in a company or to become an entrepreneur; to focus on the development of particular skills and abilities; to build a solid foundation for the next two adult stages.

Second stage of mid-adulthood (40-62) - the time when experience and expertise produce problem-solving capabilities and sound judgment (CPL likes the saying that good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment) and perhaps even the beginnings of wisdom. Any mid-life crises have been traversed and assurance and self-confidence have become more firmly established as a result of learning how to function more effectively. There is also continuing growth and development during this stage.

New-stage of mature adulthood (62-85) - the time when many individuals, although not all (e.g. people who have been engaged primarily in physical labor, who have not maintained a commitment to physical fitness, or who have debilities or disabilities), can continue to be significant contributors. They have had about 40 years to gain experience and expertise, to develop seasoned judgment and proven records of performance and to build their intellectual and social capital. While documented research indicates that cognitive capability may have plateaued for some, the intellectual growth curve continues to move upward for people who have continued to remain productively engaged.

CPL launched the Later-Life Story Contest on June 1 to solicit empowering stories from people 55 and older. The competition has two separate categories: Entrepreneur Success Stories and Inspirational Later-Life Stories. A panel of three independent judges will select one winner from each category who will receive $1,000 and a specially designed trophy. CPL will post the best stories on its website (ctrpl.org) throughout the contest under "Success Stories." The contest runs through August 31, and winners will be announced on October 1, 2012.

To submit a story, visit http://www.ctrpl.org/laterlifestorycontest and complete a submission form. Entrants must be at least 55, have a compelling story to share, and be willing to have it posted on the CPL website for viewing and for possible publication. Stories may also be emailed to James Hooks, CPL's Director of Marketing and Technology, at jhooks@ctrpl.org.

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Center for Productive Longevity Urges People to Shed Negative Stereotypes About Older Age

Copyright 2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

When her doctor told her she couldn't live alone anymore, Thelma E. Burton didn't listen.

It wasn't up to the doctor, as she saw it, and Thelma, now 91, isn't a woman who lets other people make decisions for her.

Thelma Burton, 91, volunteers at the Metropolitan Better Living Center on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Burton won a Salute to Senior Service award this year for her volunteerism. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

A year passed. The doctor offered the same grim advice, but Thelma still wasn't ready to yield. She waited one year more before deciding he was right. Then she left everything and everyone she knew in California and moved into her granddaughter's Edmond home in 2007.

I've got four daughters and one son, Thelma said, and they're fine people. But I didn't want to live with them because they're too bossy. I'm independent. I like to take care of myself.

She takes care of others, too. Despite her age, she is vibrant, hardworking and relentlessly positive. Those same qualities earned her recognition earlier this year as Oklahoma's winner of the Home Instead Senior Care network's Salute to Senior Service Award.

Thelma volunteers at the Metropolitan Better Living Center, 702 NE 37, five days a week. She cooks meals at the center on special occasions, makes homemade bread rolls and encourages other seniors to stay involved in life and exercise.

I like to be active. I think that's why I'm still living. I don't like to do like most old people, she said, laughing, and I even try to help old people stay alive.

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Nonagenarian credits volunteer work for her longevity

June 19, 2012: 5:00 AM ET

By Jennifer Abbasi, contributor

FORTUNE -- The key to living longer after retirement may simply be getting to retirement in the first place. Our average age at death soars in the last third of life. In other words: The longer you live, the longer you're likely to live. "As you work your way through the age range, you're essentially weeding out the frail from the population," explains Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "When you get to the older ages, you're left with the more robust in the population. And that continues as you move up."

The first deadly hurdles occur in year one, when around 30,000 babies succumb to the likes of congenital defects and prematurity. In the teens and twenties, accidents and violence peak. For men, these are especially risky years -- ages 20 to 24 are known as the "accident hump" (and may be a reason women live longer).

Longevity in a large, aging population has a price, of course -- more elderly retirees must be supported by fewer young workers.

This story is from the July 12, 2012 issue of Fortune.

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The longevity sweepstakes