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LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE NOVEMBER 10 2000
IN THIS ISSUE, NOVEMBER 10 2000: LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE EXCLUSIVE:
Pesticide creates Parkinson's symptoms in animals; WHAT'S HOT: Stem cells
from cadavers; PROTOCOL: Parkinson's disease; FEATURED PRODUCTS OF THE
WEEK: Vitamin E powder, Super Coenzyme Q10 100 mg; BOOK: Deprenyl the
Antiaging Drug
LIFE EXTENSION UPDATE EXCLUSIVE
Pesticide creates Parkinson's symptoms in animals
The pesticide Rotenone, when given to rats, creates the major symptoms of
Parkinson's disease, a common neurodegenerative disease that effects 1% of
people over sixty-five. Parkinson's' symptoms of tremors and rigidity are
caused by the degeneration of neurons that contain dopamine in the
substantia nigra of the brain. The brains of patients with the disease
have been found to contain microscopic protein deposits called Lewy
bodies. In a study to be released in the December 2000 issue of the
journal Nature Neuroscience, Emory University researchers administered low
levels of Rotenone intravenously to rats for several weeks. The
researchers observed gradual degeneration of dopamine neurons as well as
structures resembling Lewy bodies.
Although some cases of Parkinson's disease are genetic, some researchers
suspect that the disease has an environmental cause. Rotenone was chosen
for the study because of its inhibition of the same mitochondrial enzyme
that is inhibited by the drug MPTP, a drug that was discovered nearly two
decades ago to cause irreversible Parkinson's disease symptoms in
intravenous drug users. Rotenone may create Parkinson's by causing the
mitochondria, the cells' energy producing organelles, to produce free
radicals, unstable molecules that have been implicated in a number of
age-related diseases.
Because the incidence of Parkinson's disease increases with age, this
lends credence to the theory that chronic exposure to environmental toxins
may be a culprit. Researchers Tim Greenamyre and colleagues stress that
the study does not prove that Rotenone is the cause of Parkinson's
disease, but feel that the findings are consistent with the idea that
cumulative damage to dopamine neurons caused by environmental toxins such
as pesticices may lead to the disease.
WHAT'S HOT
Stem cells from cadavers
At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience held this month, it
was revealed that brain stem cells can be taken from cadavers and still be
viable up to more than twenty hours after death. Stem cells are immature
cells that can grow into many different kinds of adult cells. Fred H Gage
and colleagues at the Salk Institute in LaJolla, California, used brain
tissue taken from the cadavers of children and young adults and was able
to coax some of the cells to divide and differentiate into various nerve
cells. He was also able to do the same with cells taken from the brain of
a seventy-two year old man.
In an abstract presented at the conference, the Salk Institute team
reported that under ideal conditions, tissue from cadavers could be
cultured, frozen and later recultured for up to forty population
doublings, and that cultures could be made from cryogenically preserved
cells with minimal losses in cell recovery. Because the stem cells were
still viable at such as great length of time after the death of the
donors, the researchers believe that these cells may be uniquely resistant
to postmortem ischemic and oxidative stress.
The research offers the possibility of solving the moral issue of using
human fetal tissue to supply stem cells. Current research is also showing
that stem cells can be derived from skin and bone marrow stem cells.
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PROTOCOL
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative central nervous system (CNS)
disorder characterized by uncontrolled body movements, rigidity, tremor,
and gait difficulties. The American Parkinson Disease Association
estimates that one million Americans are affected by the disease. The risk
for developing PD increases with age, and onset usually occurs at around
50 years of age or older, although the disease is not unknown in people in
their 30s and 40s. Parkinson's disease affects men and women equally.
There are two types of Parkinson's disease: idiopathic PD and secondary
PD. Idiopathic PD, also known as primary PD, has no known recognizable
cause; secondary PD may result from trauma, tumor, or cerebrovascular
disease, or may be drug induced. Patients with both types of PD are
classified into stages (early, moderate, or advanced) based on the
progression of disease. There is no known cure for the disease; rather,
the treatment goal for patients with either form of PD is to control the
symptoms and provide quality of life.
Parkinson's disease is actually a group of related CNS disorders caused by
the destruction of the substantia nigra (pigmented brain cells), which
produce dopamine (a neurotransmitter). The deficiency of dopamine results
in the loss of muscle tone and voluntary muscle control seen in PD. Recent
studies indicate that dopamine deficiencies in other areas of the brain
and abnormalities of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and
serotonin, may also contribute to the disease.
For every decade we live past age 40, we lose an average of about 10% of
our dopamine-producing brain cells. Once 80% of these brain cells have
died, Parkinson's disease is often diagnosed. Studies have shown that if
healthy people take antioxidants throughout most of their lives, their
risk of acquiring Parkinson's disease is reduced considerably. When
Parkinson's patients are given vitamin E by itself, however, there is no
slowdown in disease progression. Since Parkinson's patients have already
sustained massive damage to crucial brain cells, aggressive multiple
therapies are required to have a chance of significantly slowing the
natural progression of the disease.
Coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring substance, may help to curb the
oxidative stress common in Parkinsonism. Other therapies that may provide
some protection from the loss of cognitive function in certain PD patients
include the chemical carnitine, Hydergine (a European medication), and
phosphatidylserine (a phospholipid). Additional therapies that may be
beneficial in treating the symptoms of PD include DHEA and NADH
(hormones), and melatonin.
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FEATURED PRODUCTS OF THE WEEK
Vitamin E Powder
Vitamin E Powder is a good tasting form of vitamin E that can be eaten
right off the spoon. Contains 50% gelatin. Each teaspoon equals 1,150 IU
of vitamin E.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant which can help keep you looking younger by
retarding cellular aging due to oxidation. It supplies oxygen to the body
to promote endurance, works with Vitamin-A to protect the lungs from
pollution, prevents and dissolves blood clots, accelerates healing, helps
to prevent scar tissue, and lowers the risk of ischemic heart disease.
Vitamin E capsules are the dry, powder form which does not have the
potential of turning rancid that vitamin E oil capsules have.
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Super Coenzyme Q10 with tocotrienols
When CoQ10 is orally administered, it is absorbed through the lymphatic
canals and distributed throughout the body. Coenzyme Q10 should be taken
with some form of fat, since absorption through the lymphatic canals is
greatly enhanced in the presence of dietary fat.
The new CoQ10 oil capsules contain a standardized tocotrienol extract that
provides a potent form of vitamin E. Published studies show that
tocotrienols may be a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of
disease, but their high cost has kept many consumers from being able to
afford them. The Life Extension Buyers' Club has identified a potent
tocotrienol product made by Carotech that extracts the full rang of
tocotrienols from palm oil without the use of solvents.
Unlike rice bran oil tocotrienols, palm oil yields a full spectrum
tocotrienol complex. Palm oil tocotrienols offer much higher levels of the
delta and alpha fractions, while providing the same high level of gamma
tocotrienols as the rice bran derived product. Studies suggest that
different fractions of tocotrienols combine to provide a variety of health
benefits and that palm oil tocotrienols are better balanced than rice bran
oil.
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BOOK
Deprenyl the Antiaging Drug, by Alistair Dow
This book is about the discovery and benefits of deprenyl. Research
indicates that deprenyl is probably even more effective in preventing
Parkinson's disease than in treating it, and suggests several mechanisms
of action by which deprenyl can rescue dying neurons.
There is now evidence that deprenyl may be effective in the treatment of
many other neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis. The fact
that deprenyl, which is an FDA approved drug, is a safe and effective
therapy for Alzheimer's disease is one of the best kept secrets in
America.
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If you have any questions about this ezine, past issues, or other life
extension topics, please email me at ddye@lifeextension.com or call 954
327 0893.
For longer life,
Dayna Dye
Editor, Life Extension Update
ddye@lifeextension.com
Life Extension Foundation
www.lef.org
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