Longevity science

Regular use of glucosamine, chondroitin, or fish oil supplements reduces high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) by 16% to 22%, a marker of inflammation, according to a new study. Inflammation is now recognized as a factor in cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as many rheumatoid diseases. A number of over-the-counter dietary supplements are being marketed for the purpose of reducing inflammation, but data supporting the claims are limited.

To address this situation, Elizabeth D. Kantor, from the Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, and colleagues analyzed data on dietary supplements and hs-CRP in 9947 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In their article, published online November 8 in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers report that regular use of glucosamine, chondroitin, or fish oil significantly reduced serum hs-CRP.

How does fish oil protect the heart? The answer to this question has been elusive so far. Scientists know that omega-3 fatty acids exert an anti-inflammatory effect, but the mechanism had not been clearly followed.

A new study has now mapped the cellular process occurring after EPA supplementation and found that the nutrient blocks the cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX), which is a precursor to inflammation. COX produces hormones called prostaglandins, which cause inflammation in the body.

This is similar to the mechanism of aspirin, which blocks COX-2 signaling, thereby reducing inflammation and pain.

Ref: Norris PC, Dennis EA. “Omega-3 fatty acids cause dramatic changes in TLR4 and purinergic eicosanoid signaling.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 May 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22586114

Just over one in 12 U.S. service members who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars had plaque buildup in the arteries around their hearts - an early sign of heart disease, according to a new study.

None of them had been diagnosed with heart disease before deployment, researchers said.

"This is a young, healthy, fit group," said the study's lead author, Dr. Bryant Webber, from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland

A new device has been tested to clean blood of bacteria.

In blood samples tested so far, the scientists have successfully removed 80 and 90 percent of the bacteria Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively. They have also been able to remove over 80 percent of the blood’s inflammatory...