Monthly Archives: March 2010

Niacin or niacinamide supplementation – good or bad idea?

It was disturbing to some readers when I characterized niacinamide as a pro-aging substance in the March 24 blog post  SIRT1, mTOR, NF-kappaB and resveratrol, as it was disturbing to me when I first came to that realization years ago.  … Continue reading

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SIRT1, the hypoxic response, autophagy and hormesis

In the recent blog entry SIRT1, mTOR, NF-kappaB and resveratrol, I pointed out how “three different theories of longevity seem to be collapsing into one: 1. suppression of mTOR signaling, 2. activation of SIRT1, and 3. inhibition of expression of … Continue reading

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Visit with Leonard Guarante

A few days ago I visited Leonard Guarante, Director of the Glenn Laboratory for the Science of Aging at MIT and pioneer in the investigation of sirtuins and their longevity properties.  The lead line of the Laboratory’s web site is … Continue reading

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SIRT1, mTOR, NF-kappaB and resveratrol

Among the few interventions that demonstrably extend lifespans across multiple species besides calorie restriction are 1. inhibition of the mTOR pathway, 2. the activation of sirtuins such as via calorie restriction or substances such as resveratrol, and 3. Inhibition of … Continue reading

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Cell import and export traffic control signaling

Mechanisms for getting stuff into and out of cells are of great importance.  A new item of research came to my attention related to substance-trafficking that goes on within cells and across cell membrane barriers.  It has relevancy in terms … Continue reading

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Telomeres and telomerase in Induced Pluripotent stem cells – not what we thought

An important new research article appeared yesterday, in the online edition of Future Medicine: Spontaneous reversal of the developmental aging of normal human cells following transcriptional reprogramming. The study is important because it contradicts an important earlier assumption about induced … Continue reading

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Recent diabetes-related clinical trials

This blog entry reviews five very-recent clinical trials related to diabetes treatments, three that have failed and two that have succeeded.  I conclude by commenting on what I think are some underlying messages.  FAILED DIABETES-RELATED CLINICAL TRIALS I picked these … Continue reading

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Fucoidan

Every once in a while I review a natural substance supplement.  This time its fucoidan, a complex sulfated polysaccharide (multi-sugar substance) found mainly in various species of brown seaweed.  Known for about 40 years for multiple health-giving biological activities, fucoidan … Continue reading

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The social cost of Alzheimer’s disease and late-life dementia

My recent blog posting New views of Alzheimer’s disease and new approaches to treating it describes recent research relating to the disease and new understanding of what creates it.  This week the Alzheimer’s Association has released a new report that … Continue reading

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Vitamin D3 and the immune response

Vitamin D is much in the news nowadays.  Over the last 10 years it has become increasingly clear that vitamin D plays several important roles beyond those involved in bone health.  Vitamin D presence or absence is implicated in several … Continue reading

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