Death is Obsolete

Eating sugar makes you look older, says study

by Cheryl Poirier

Unilever, as a company, is good for a lot of things. Keeping your self fresh. Keeping your significant other fresh. And, this time, for stating the obvious.

Like many other companies in the “clean” industry, Unilever prides itself on completing studies. Studies regarding things like, sustainable sourcing, employee wellbeing, environmental impacts and more. Click here to see for yourself.

Well, this time, in association with researchers from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the U.K., they have determined that people with higher blood sugar levels looked older.

To be specific, the study was investigating the co-relation between high glucose levels and perceived age.They found that those with higher, non-fasted glucose “scores” looked almost 2 years older than they actually were.

I’m happy they put an actual number to this hypothesis but really, with all the information we read about how bad sugar is for you, how did we not know this already?

If I had brought you to any family re-union, we could’ve figured that one out.

But all the research and development money has to be used for something.

So thanks Unilever, for getting the numbers on that one. And with the study write-up itself, only being a page, I guess you could say it was short and sweet.

More evidence that calorie restriction extends life

Eating less doesn’t only help you stay trim, it also lets you live longer. This has been known for a while, but further science — from the land of pasta — is shoring up the evidence.

Eat less, live longer, say Italian scientists

Italian researchers in Rome at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart report that a molecule called CREB1, which is activated by drastically lowering calorie intake, can activate genes linked to longevity and proper brain functioning.

Studies show that overeating and obesity are not good for the brain because they cause accelerated brain cell aging. This slow down makes it susceptible to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.   Even more studies link caloric restriction to longevity and other favorable health markers.

However, the processes behind these effects has been unknown. “A plausible conclusion could be that overeating causes brain aging and decline, while eating less may help our brain stay young,” say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the new books TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH).

“As usual, however, the researchers commented that this discovery will hopefully lead to the creation of a new drug that would activate CREB1 and provide the benefits of caloric restriction without the need for strict dieting.”

They say the key to calorie restriction and “enlightened” fasting to trigger the associated benefits is to maximize nutrition yet minimize concentrated carbohydrates and calories.

Recipient of 23rd face transplant doing well

Richard Lee Norris: Grad photo (right); after accident (centre); after face transplant surgery

A 37-year-old Virginia man, who was severely disfigured in a gun accident 15 years ago, is doing well after a face transplant.

It’s the 23rd face transplant since doctors began doing the procedure, seven years ago.

The recipient, Richard Lee Norris, was given a new face, nose, teeth and jaw in what his University of Maryland doctors say is the most extensive face transplant yet. A week after the surgery, Norris can feel his face and is already brushing his teeth and shaving. He has also regained his sense of smell, which he lost in the accident.

The donor’s family had been consulted specifically about donating the face. Although Norris now has the donor’s facial tissue, he does not resemble the donor but appears as a blend of two people.

The 36-hour operation was the most extensive of its kind because it included a transplant of the donor’s upper and lower jaw, his teeth and a portion of his tongue. It also included all his facial tissue from the scalp to the base of the neck.

The first full face transplant was performed in France in 2005 on a woman who had been mauled by her dog.

Full story here: The Guardian

See video here: UMM

 

Stanford Researchers Made Big Advancement Against Cancer

“We have made what we think is a big advancement … and we’re going to push as hard as we can and as fast we can,” said Dr. Irving Weissman,  pathology professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and director of Stanford’s Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

The researchers focused on blocking a protein, which they refer to as the “don’t eat me” molecule because it sits on tumor cells signaling the body’s immune system not to attack it. By introducing the antibody, the scientists were able to block the protective signal, otherwise known as CD47, allowing the immune system to go after the cancer cells.

Researchers say CD47 is the only target found so far on the surface of all cancer cells. That means the antibody offers hope as a weapon against a broad range of cancers – breast, ovarian, colon, bladder, brain, liver and prostate.

The research involved taking cells from Stanford cancer patients, planting them into matching locations in the bodies of mice, and then administering the antibody. The antibody completely destroyed the tumor in some cases but also prevented the cancer from spreading.

“The most common result was the tumor growth was inhibited – not fully cured – but in a few weeks dramatically decreased,” said Stephen Willingham, postdoctoral researcher and co-lead author of the study.

The study, published online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has drawn praise from other researchers.

“The data is indeed exciting, and the effects are significant,” said Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was not involved in the study.

Read more here: SFGate

Popcorn packed with antioxidants

Popcorn, already known to be a good source of fiber, has higher levels of healthy antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables, according to new research.

“Based on fiber, whole grains, and antioxidant levels, popcorn is the king of snack foods,” says Joe Vinson, PhD, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton.

But he isn’t suggesting that anyone scrap fruits and vegetables in favor of popcorn. It’s not yet clear how much of popcorn’s healthy antioxidants get absorbed by the body.

Vinson and Michael Coco, Jr., a chemistry student at the university, analyzed four commercial brands of popcorn, including two air-popped and two microwave varieties.

They evaluated antioxidants known as polyphenols. These compounds are found in a wide variety of plants. Antioxidants undo the damage that can be done by unstable molecules known as ”free radicals.”

“Everyone knows plant foods have antioxidants,” Vinson tells WebMD. “But nobody has even looked at what is in popcorn with respect to these compounds.”

Vinson and Coco ground up the hull and the ”fluffy stuff,” Vinson says, and checked the polyphenol levels.

Most of the polyphenols — about 90% — were in the hull, Vinson says.

Popcorn packed with antioxidants

Popcorn packed with antioxidants

Popcorn, already known to be a good source of fiber, has higher levels of healthy antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables, according to new research. “Based on fiber, whole grains, and antioxidant levels, popcorn is the king of snack foods,” says Joe Vinson, PhD, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton. But he isn’t suggesting …

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