Urine test for detecting aging

Researchers find that a substance indicating oxidative damage increases in urine as people get older. Aging Neuroscience described a way to measure levels of this marker in human urine samples. The new marker potentially provides a method to measure how much human body has aged-biological rather than chronological age.

Everyone born in the same year has the same chronological age,  the bodies of different people age at different rates. This means that the risk of many diseases increases with age, the link between age in years and our health and lifespan is relatively loose. Many people enjoy long lives, relatively free of disease, while others suffer chronic illness and premature death.

The rate of cellular damage can vary from person to person, and may be dictated by genetics, lifestyle and the environment we live in. This cellular damage may be a more accurate indication of  biological age than the number of years. Measuring biological age could predict the risk of developing age-related diseases and death.

One mechanism thought to underlie biological aging involves a molecule vital to human survival- oxygen-the free radical theory of aging. Oxygen by-products produced during normal metabolism can cause oxidative damage to biomolecules in cells, such as DNA and RNA," explains Jian-Ping Cai, a researcher involved in the study. "As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage , and so the levels of oxidative markers increase in our body."

One such marker, with the catchy name of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine-or 8-oxoGsn for short-results from oxidation of a crucial molecule in our cells called RNA. In previous studies in animals, Cai and colleagues found that 8-oxoGsn levels increase in urine with age. To see if this is true for humans as well, the researchers measured 8-oxoGsn in urine samples from 1,228 Chinese residents aged 2-90 years old, using a rapid analysis technique called ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography. Age-dependent increase in urinary 8-oxoGsn in participants 21 years old and older."

Therefore, urinary 8-oxoGsn is promising as a new marker of aging. Levels of 8-oxoGsn were roughly the same between men and women, except in post-menopausal women, who showed higher levels. This may have been caused by the decrease in estrogen levels that happens during menopause, as estrogen is known to have anti-oxidant effects. Urinary 8-oxoGsn may reflect the real condition of human body better than chronological age, and may help us to predict the risk of age-related diseases.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

How alcohol causes dementia

Alcohol use disorders are the most important preventable risk factors for the onset of all types of dementia, especially early-onset dementia. This according to a nationwide observational study of over one million adults diagnosed with dementia in France.

This study looked specifically at the effect of alcohol use disorders and included people who had been diagnosed with mental and behavioural disorders or chronic diseases that were attributable to chronic harmful use of alcohol. Of the 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia (before the age of 65), the majority (57%) were related to chronic heavy drinking.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines chronic heavy drinking as consuming more than 60 grams pure alcohol on average per day for men and 40 grams per day for women. Heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders are the most important risk factors for dementia, and especially important for those types of dementia which start before age 65, and which lead to premature deaths," says study co-author and Director of the CAMH Institute for Mental Health Policy Research Dr. Jürgen Rehm.

Alcohol-induced brain damage and dementia are preventable, and known-effective preventive and policy measures can make a dent into premature dementia deaths. Alcohol use disorders shorten life expectancy by more than 20 years, and dementia is one of the leading causes of death. For early-onset dementia, there was a significant gender split.

Alcohol use disorders were also associated with all other independent risk factors for dementia onset, such as tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, lower education, depression, and hearing loss, among modifiable risk factors. It suggests that alcohol use disorders may contribute in many ways to the risk of dementia.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Air pollution may shorten telomers in babies

A study conducted before and after the 2004 closure of a coal-burning power plant in Tongliang, China, found children born before the closure had shorter telomeres than those conceived and born after the plant stopped polluting the air. Telomeres are specialized sections of DNA that allow chromosomes to be faithfully copied during cell division. However, with each round of cell division, telomeres shorten, resulting in a gradual loss of genomic stability. Shortened telomere length has been linked with cancer and heart disease, cognitive decline, aging, and premature death.

Led by Deliang Tang and Frederica Perera at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the research team analyzed telomere length in the umbilical cord blood of 255 newborns, about half of whom were born before the plant closure and half conceived and born after. In babies born pre-closure, researchers found higher levels of PAH-DNA cord adducts, a biomarker for exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , a toxic component of air pollution from coal plants.

 Elevated levels of these adducts in cord blood were associated with shorter telomeres-the first time this relationship has been tested as well as with lower levels of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in neuronal grown. However, telomere length was not associated with developmental score in the subset of 210 children tested at age 2, although the researchers say the finding doesn't rule out telomere length-related neurodevelopmental problems at later ages.

Individual's telomere length at birth is known to influence their risk for disease later during adulthood, high levels of air pollution in Tongliang prompted the government to shut down the local coal-burning power plant to improve community health. This action, announced in advance, provided a unique opportunity to compare data on ambient PAH levels, biomarkers, and health outcomes in two successive cohorts of children, with and without prenatal exposure to emissions from the coal-fired power plant.

In previously published research on these cohorts, the authors reported newborns born after the plant closure had lower levels of PAH-DNA adducts, lower rates of various health outcomes, and increased levels of BDNF. The new study adds to the evidence that closing this coal-burning power plant was beneficial to the health and future well-being of newborns there, reducing exposure to air pollution is recommended for pregnant women and infants.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Diseases caused by pollution were responsible for untimely death

Diseases caused by pollution were responsible for premature deaths across the globe, three times more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined; and fifteen times more than all wars and other forms of violence. It kills more people than smoking, hunger and natural disasters.

In some countries, it accounts for one in four deaths. Pollution kills the poor and the vulnerable. Nearly 92% of pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Children face the highest risks because exposures to chemicals in utero and in early childhood can result in lifelong disease, disability, premature death, as well as reduced learning and earning potential.

Pollution is closely tied to climate change and biodiversity. Fossil fuel combustion in higher-income countries and the burning of biomass in lower-income countries accounts for 85% of airborne particulate pollution.

 Major emitters of carbon dioxide are coal-fired power plants, chemical producers, mining operations, and vehicles. Accelerating the switch to cleaner sources of energy will reduce air pollution and improve human and planetary health.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Intelligent children enjoy long lifespan

Intelligent children are likely to survive longer, children who had a high IQ at the age of 11 enjoy long lifespan because their DNA that is linked with high IQ can also make them healthier compared with the average children.

Being intelligent at tender age decreases risk of premature death because intelligent people are aware of lifestyle that is associated with longevity which they embrace as they are getting older.

Their level of understanding get better as they get older; this enables them to eat good diet, engage in regular physical activities, go for regular medical check and avoid activities that can destroy their health.

Average children can learn from the intelligent children, follow their healthy lifestyle to enjoy long lifespan.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Dangers of social isolation

Social isolation is associated with different health problems like depression, dementia, insomnia, mental challenges and it can cause premature death.

It causes sleeplessness, which can leads to cellular stress and the activation of an unfolded protein response (UPR)- a stress response.

If UPR is activated for a long period of time it can results into premature aging, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. UPR causes harmful inflammation, prevents healthy cellular activities in the body and kill healthy cells.

Associating with friends, colleagues and friends can prevent social isolation, starting a discussion with strangers when friends are not around can also help. You can seek medical help if you are not getting better after relating with people.
                haleplushearty.blogspot.com

How physical inactivity causes chronic diseases

Lack of exercise can raise the risk of chronic diseases like: type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. New research shows that the risk of such conditions could increase with as little as 2 weeks of inactivity.

In a study of young, healthy adults, researchers found that switching from moderate-to-vigorous activity to near-sedentary behavior for just 14 days led to metabolic changes that could raise the risk of chronic disease and even premature death.

Adults between 18 and 64 years must engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity every week.

Lack of regular physical activity is a key contributor to obesity. In turn, this can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes , heart disease , heart failure, and even some types of cancer. Inadeguate exercise can also hinder bone and muscle development.

The researchers enrolled 28 healthy adults with a mean age of 25 years. The adults had a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25, and they were all physically active.

For 14 days, subjects were required to participate in a step-reduction protocol, whereby they reduced their daily steps by 80 percent, to around 1,500. All participants underwent extensive health checks before and after the study, and activity trackers were worn throughout.

The 14-day step-reduction protocol led to a 125-minute reduction in daily physical activity, from 161 minutes per day to just 36 minutes. Concurrently, participants' sedentary time increased by an average of 129 minutes per day.

Reduced activity led to loss of muscle mass, increased body fat and loss of skeletal muscle mass. Total lean mass reduced by an average of 0.36 kilograms, while an average 0.21-kilogram loss was observed for leg lean mass.

Additionally, the 14-day step-reduction protocol led to an increase in total body fat. Notably, body fat was most likely to accumulate centrally, which the team notes is a significant risk factor for chronic disease.

The researchers also identified a reduction in cardiorespiratory fitness and the function of mitochondria. Lack of regular physical activity can cause obesity, heart failure and cancer.

haleplushearty.blogspot.com