GoldenHealth4Seniors

Today in the field of oncology one of the latest key words used in regard to the treatment of cancer is chemoprevention. It means using natural or synthetic chemical compounds as a cancer-preventing strategy. These compounds can delay the onset of cancer, inhibit its spread or best of all reverse carcinogenesis. Researchers have known for some time that the cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower are loaded with chemopreventive agents. More recently new chemopreventive compounds have been discovered in celery, artichokes, and parsley, but in small amounts. Studies performed on large populations have provided evidence that the folks whose consumption of larger amounts of these vegetables have lower rates of a number of cancers. Those cancers include breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancers.
The good news is that some of the newly discovered vegetable compounds may have even more potent chemopreventative effects. For example one of these compounds called apigenin has shown multiple chemopreventative means to protect us against cancer. It can kill cancer cells by starving them, by preventing them from spreading, and by preventing inflammation that can allow a cancer to spread. Another compound benzl isothiocyanate (BITC) gives cancer cells the signal to shut down and die. BITC messes with the cancer cells life cycle to prevent them from growing and replicating so they die. These newly discovered chemopreventative compounds have been combined with the established ones into a combined formulation of vegetable extracts that are now available as supplements for seniors.

The leading cause of blindness for seniors is age-related macular degeneration. Based on recent research there appears to be a strong correlation between age-related macular degeneration and chronic vascular disease. Macular degeneration seems to be tied to the gradual degradation of blood vessels in the eye. A number of researchers investigated patients for any common risk factors for vascular disease and macular degeneration. They discovered that patients already suffering from macular degeneration had elevated levels of homocysteine. Elevated levels of homocysteine are known to be a marker for for cardiovasular risk. Additional studies verified that the higher homocysteine levels were a marker for increased risk of macular degeneration in seniors. In parallel studies researchers found that C-reactive protein inflamatory marker for cardiovascular diseasewas equally predictive as a marker for increased risk for macular degreneration in seniors.
The researchers next investigated the possible causes of the elevated homocysteine levels. They focused on the possible vitamin deficiences that might be contributing to the elevated homocysteine levels. They discovered that the seniors suffering from macular degeneration were deficient in levels of vitamin B6, B12, and B9 (folic acid). In a study of over 5,000 women over the age of 40 who were known to be a risk for cardiovascular disease, those who supplemented with the three members of the vitamin B family had their risk of macular degeneration reduced by over 40%. This is good news for seniors, because supplementing with the three B vitamins and eating foods rich in those vitamins will promote healthy eyes that are necessary for senior health.

We have been reading the health news that has been full of reports about the benefits of resveratrol for extending life similar to benefits demonstrated for caloric restriction for senior health. Both caloric restriction and resveratrol work to promote longevity, because they change the way our genes are expressed. Both turn off the senescence genes and turn on the youth genes that promote cellular vitality. Recent research has shown that pomegranate protects against age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and type 2 diabetes by altering gene expression in a way similar to the action of resveratrol. Pomegranate extracts work in a multifold manner to prevent atherosclerosis and to undue the effects of atherosclerosis that has already attacked the arteries. In addition pomegranate juice has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels which effectively reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Due in large measure to pomegranate’s broad spectrum antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it has shown excellent results in preventing certain cancers and reversing the progress of already existing cancers. Treating folks with pomegranate extracts, juice and oils have been shown excellent results for mitigating breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
Finally pomegranate juice and extracts have demonstrated powerful preventative effects at multiple levels for folks who are pre-diabetic and those who suffer from type 2 diabetes. In lab tests the juice lowered blood sugar and in human trials it improved the lipid profiles in diabetics. The juice reduced the markers of tissue oxidation in diabetics by more than 50% which reduces the amount of atherosclerosis.

As seniors we need all the health allies we can gather together to ensure that our senior living is golden. Recent research reports list a compound with a double barreled name, coenzyme Q10, as a really effective ally in our search for good senior health. Just what is this compound called coenzyme Q10? There are numerous articles and reports about it in the health literature often abbreviating it to CoQ10. CoQ10 is a compound that is made by our own bodies. Our bodies use coenzyme Q10 to produce the energy that our cells need to grow. This function illustrates the first way that CoQ10 is an ally of our bodies. Besides helping our cells grow, CoQ10 enables our cells to stay healthy after they grow. CoQ10 performs a second function as an antioxidant, which is another way that it is an ally of our bodies. As we age the amount of CoQ10 in our bodies decreases. Many cancers make their appearance in our bodies as we age due to a weakened immune system. Interest in CoQ10 as a treatment for cancer started back in the 1960’s, because folks with low levels of it were afflicted with breast, prostate, pancreatic cancer, etc.

Current studies suggest that CoQ10 may work in treating cancer, because it boosts the immune system. It may also be the case that CoQ10’s antioxidant activity may prevent cancer from developing. At this time research is ongoing to understand how CoQ10 might work with conventional cancer therapies. The National Cancer Institute has reported both on the theoretical basis for using CoQ10 to treat cancer and on some preclinical studies and some small clinical studies that have been performed. The preclinical studies found that CoQ10 boosted the immune system, fought certain types of cancer, and its analogs may prevent the growth of cancer cells. At this time only limited clinical trials of CoQ10 have been performed. On a randomized trial on a small sample number of cancer patients CoQ10 provided some protection for the hearts of the patients who were given the anthracycline drug doxorubicin that causes damage to the heart. Some limited studies have been performed using CoQ10 as an adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. Based on those studies the National Cancer Institute concluded that CoQ10 helps in the treatment of cancer in the following ways. As an antioxidant it may prevent cancer from starting and CoQ10 analogs may block the growth of cancer cells that are already present.

Recently when I was researching the latest findings on senior health topics I came across information on a vegetable that appears to have very beneficial effects on senior health. The vegetable is broccoli, the same vegetable our mothers always told us to eat when we were children. It turns out that broccoli is really very good for seniors, too. Eating broccoli raw, steamed, or micro waved are the recommended ways of preparing the green champion, because all three ways appear to provide the maximum health benefits. The recent research was conducted on senior men, but some of the results of eating a broccoli rich diet might apply to senior women as well. Broccoli is known to contain several nutrients that have strong anti-cancer properties. One of the better known anti-cancer nutrients is diindolylmethane (DIM).

In the tests broccoli was found to interrupt the pathways associated with inflammation and carcinogenesis in the prostate. By blocking the initiation of carcinogenesis and inflammation broccoli protected the test patients from
prostate cancer. The men chosen for the controlled tests were over 55 years of age and had been diagnosed with a pre-invasive stage of prostate cancer. Half the group was fed a broccoli rich diet and the other half was fed a control diet for a period of a full year. Prostate tissue samples were taken before and after the test period were analyzed. Analysis of the results showed that the men on the broccoli diet showed that they experienced genetic changes. The genes that promoted prostate cancer were turned off and the genes that blocked the initiation of cancer were turned on. It appears that broccoli’s vegetable chemicals called isothiocyanates react with the protein fragments in the bloodstream to signal the respective genes in order to turn on the ones that block cancer and to turn off the ones that initiate it. In conclusion in addition to adding broccoli to their diet folks who want to promote golden health in their senior years can access supplements that contain broccoli extract and DIM.

When I was reading articles on health topics related to health for seniors, I found a very relevant article that linked the “sunshine vitamin”, D, to improved survival rates for men with prostate cancer Basically the folks who published the report concluded that men whose serum levels of vitamin D fell in the range of medium to high had a better chance of surviving prostate cancer versus those men with the lowest level of vitamin D. The article* was recently published in the ‘British Journal of Cancer’.

The article was based on a study that was conducted for about four years on 160 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the conclusion of the study, the results of the
statistical analysis confirmed that the men with the higher serum levels of
25-hydroxyvitamin D had a reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer. Specifically, the men with medium levels of vitamin D (20-32ng/ml) had their risk of dying from prostate cancer reduced by two-thirds compared with those with the lowest levels. The men with the highest levels of vitamin D (>32ng/ml) had their risk reduced by more than 80%. .

This article represents an initial study that needs to be validated by further research. In the event that additional research confirms these initial findings about the role of serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in reducing the risk of dying from prostate cancer, then raising low serum levels of vitamin D could become an important addition to the treatment of prostate cancer.

*Br J Cancer. 209 Feb 10;100(3):450-4.

I have tried to practice healthy living all my life. Lately it has become more urgent that I practice what I am preaching about health for seniors. The processes that brought changes to my body actually started long before I graduated tohealthy living. The processes that changed my body were hidden from me until I experienced the consequences. Today, we know a lot more about steps that seniors can take to balance our bodies against the unbalancing processes that accompany aging. We have a better chance to achieve golden health in our senior years.

Men over forty years of age typically experience problems with their urinary system due to one of the unbalancing processes.  The usual culprit is a prostate gland that starts growing and interfering with the free flow of urine. The problem can start when a man is still in his forties or it can show up later in his fifties. The prostate gland can become enlarged due to either a benign process or cancer of the prostate.
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In my last post, I reported on a reference that emphasized prevention of prostate cancer, because it is a major senior health issue for older men. For today’s post the topic is what can a man do who is diagnosed with that cancer. In addition to all the standard medical treatments, alternative treatments can be found on the web. For a prostate cancer tumor that is slow growing, one medical treatment is watchful waiting. The rationale for this treatment is based on the probability that old age will probably catch up with this man before the cancer does. If the tumor is not slow growing, then the treatments vary depending on the whole set of conditions of the individual. Unless the cancer is detected and treated very early, the standard medical prognosis is generally not good. For a man whose prognosis is not good, it turns out that some alternative treatments for prostate cancer have been shown to be effective in turning back the cancer. This post reports on one such treatment that gave a man a new life. Continue Reading »

The other day when I searched the web looking for sites that focused on fostering Prostate health, I found a multitude of sites that address the problems that typically afflict men over forty years of age.  Prostate problems can begin in men in their forties, but can appear later in their fifties and sixties when they become a senior health issue. The prostate health sites started with the annoying problems caused by an enlarged prostate and progressed to the potentially deadly trouble caused by cancer of the prostate. If either condition progresses, surgery may be required as a last resort.  It occurred to me that I should look for sites that report remedies that preempt the enlargement of the prostate and others that prevent the cancer from getting started in the first place.  I found some sites that addressed preventing the enlargement, others that focused on preventing the onset of cancer of the prostate and one particular site addressed both problems simultaneously.
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The other day when I was browsing the health section of the internet, specifically searching out information on testosterone replacement I found information that was surprising to me.  This information appeared to contradict the standard medical wisdom in regard to testosterone replacement in older men.  I had always heard that testosterone somehow fed the prostate cancer that typically affected older men.   The standard understanding went something like this; older men who start to suffer from prostate cancer should beware of testosterone feeding their cancers and making them worse.  According to this understanding the last thing that anyone who had ever suffered from prostate cancer should do would be to initiate a regime of testosterone replacement therapy.  Imagine my surprise when the information reported that this was not the case.
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