Essentially, the researchers examined the effect of knocking out the Angiotensin (Ang) II type 1 receptor in a bunch of mice and compared them in various ways to a wild-type control group. The knockout mice lived significantly longer than the controls, and when they looked at the internal organs, they saw that the knockout mice exhibited somewhat less deterioration of their organs and cardiovascular systems.

So marked was the effect on lifespan, that even when all of the wild type mice had died, 17 of the 20 knockout mice remained alive.

The exact reasons for why this mutation caused an increase in lifespan are interesting and discussed in the article, but what interests me is that angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists (drugs that interfere with its function) are presently available and in use. AT1 antagonists have been proven to be safe and well-tolerated for chronic use and are used as a key component of modern therapy for hypertension and cardiac failure.

One drug in this category is Losartan, also known as Cozaar. The question is – can angiotensin II type 1 antagonists like Losartan be integrated into a supplementation program for human life extension? What I mean is, should I add this to my ’stack’?

It seems that the most useful drug in this family is Telmisartan, also known as Micardis, due to its much longer half life. Micardis appears to be readily available from your average online pharmacy.

I’ll certainly be looking further into this in the near future.

Their research showed that mice fed a high fat diet that was also high in fish oil accumulated much less fat in their aortas, the main artery leaving the heart, than controls not given the fish oil. They suggest that the fish oil markedly inhibited the entry of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs, ‘bad cholesterol’) into the arteries by decreasing the amount of lipoprotein lipase, a protein that traps LDLs in the arterial wall.

This is a new explanation of the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids (the fats found in fish oil) have a beneficial effect on heart health.

Fish oil, as you are no doubt well aware, is available practically everywhere in supplement form. Personally, I take 6g/day.

Reference: Columbia research shows novel benefits of fatty acids in arteries

In their study, those with the highest sodium levels in their urine were 20 percent more likely to suffer strokes, heart attacks, or other forms of cardiovascular disease compared with their counterparts with the lowest sodium levels; however, this link was not strong enough to be considered statistically significant.

By contrast, participants with the highest sodium-to-potassium ratios in their urine were 50 percent more likely to experience cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest sodium-to-potassium ratios.

The researchers said that healthy 19-to-50 year-old adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day – equivalent to one teaspoon of table salt. More than 95 percent of American men and 75 percent of American women in this age range exceed this amount.

To lower blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt, adults should consume 4.7 grams of potassium per day unless they have a clinical condition or medication need that is a contraindication to increased potassium intake. Most American adults aged 31-to-50 consume only about half as much as recommended in the Institute of Medicine report. Changes in diet and physical activity should be under the supervision of a health care professional.

Good potassium sources include fruits, vegetables, dairy foods and fish. Foods that are especially rich in potassium include potatoes and sweet potatoes, fat-free milk and yogurt, tuna, lima beans, bananas, tomato sauce and orange juice. Potassium also is available in supplements.

Ref: Press release from Loyola University Health System

Levels of LDL in the blood depend on a baffling variety of factors; however, a key mechanism involves the LDLR receptor, which controls the elimination of LDLs. These receptors are degraded by what is called ‘PCSK9 proprotein convertase’. So, it stands to reason that the more PCSK9 you have, the fewer LDLR receptors you have, and the more LDL will be floating around causing havoc.

The discovery of the team of Dr. Nabil G. Seidah was that annexin A2 binds strongly to PCSK9, inhibiting its function. This might pave the way to a drug that can lower ‘bad cholesterol’ levels in the same way.

People with naturally inactive PCSK9 have have been shown to have an 88% diminished chance of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Currently, statins are the go-to drug when it comes to lowering LDL levels; however, they are of limited use because they increase the production of PCSK9, thereby creating a tolerance effect. A new drug based on this research could therefore even work in conjunction with statins to improve their effectiveness.

Background

First of all, let me point out that there is no such thing as ‘bad cholesterol’ – there is only one kind of cholesterol, and whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends on how and where it is being transported in the body. Cholesterol is vital to life, being necessary to help emulsify fats so they can be transported in the blood. In fact, the concentration of cholesterol stays relatively constant in your body – if you don’t have enough, you body will synthesize more.

Among the various cholesterol packaging and transport modalities, LDL is considered to be ‘bad’ because it is able to transport fat and cholesterol to the arteries, which can lead to atherosclerosis. ‘Good’ cholesterol refers to High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs), and it is believed that HDLs actually do the exact opposite – remove fat and cholesterol deposits from the arteries.

Fortunately, you can increase you HDL levels through lifestyle changes, in particular:

• Performing aerobic exercise
• Losing weight
• Stopping smoking
• Minimizing the amount of trans-fatty acids in the diet (margarine, shortening)
• Consuming alcohol in moderation (1-2 drinks/day)
• Increasing dietary monounsaturated fat intake (canola oil, avocado oil, olive oil, peanut oil)
• Increasing dietary soluble fibre intake (your typical list of healthy food – cereals, legumes, veges, etc.)
• Supplementing with omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil)
• Supplementing with carnitine

The interesting point of this study is that high phosphate levels are often a result of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sufferers of this disease are often given phosphate-lowering drugs to reduce cardiovascular risk. This research suggests that levels currently considered on the high side of normal might also do well to be reduced.

Press release from Eurekalert!