Higher CoQ10 levels linked with improved physical capacity, reduced cardiovascular risk among older individuals

Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain) March 23 2022. 

A study published on January 29, 2022 in Antioxidantsfound lower levels of blood factors related to cardiovascular disease and greater physical capacity and among participants with higher plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a factor in the production of energy within the mitochondria of the cells.

Higher CoQ10 levels were significantly associated with lower total and non-HDL cholesterol among women (who comprised the majority of participants), indicating lower cardiovascular disease risk. Higher CoQ10 levels were correlated with less sitting time and, among women, were moderately or strongly correlated with better physical activity test scores. “In general, it is clear that higher activity and performance is associated with higher levels of CoQ10 in plasma,” authors Rocío de la Bella-Garzó and colleagues wrote. 

CoQ10 levels were higher among participants whose physical assessments indicated low or no frailty risk. When participants were evaluated according to whether their plasma CoQ10 concentrations were below or above average, higher levels were associated with better physical test scores in general, which reached significance in a measurement of balance while moving. “Combination of CoQ10 with physical activity could be an important therapy for avoiding sarcopenia and maintaining higher capacity during aging,” de la Bella-Garzó and associates concluded. 

Study: Zinc deficiency linked to immune system response, particularly in older adults

Oregon State University, March 23, 2022

Zinc, an important mineral in human health, appears to affect how the immune system responds to stimulation, especially inflammation, new research from Oregon State University shows.

Zinc deficiency could play a role in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes that involve inflammation. Such diseases often show up in older adults, who are more at risk for zinc deficiency. When you take away zinc, the cells that control inflammation appear to activate and respond differently; this causes the cells to promote more inflammation.

In the study, researchers set out to better understand the relationship between zinc deficiency and inflammation. They conducted experiments that indicated zinc deficiency induced an increase in inflammatory response in cells. The researchers were able to show, for the first time, that reducing zinc caused improper immune cell activation and dysregulation of a cytokine IL-6, a protein that affects inflammation in the cell, Ho said.

Researchers also compared zinc levels in living mice, young and old. The older mice had low zinc levels that corresponded with increased chronic inflammation and decreased IL-6 methylation, which is an epigenetic mechanism that cells use to control gene expression. Decreased IL-6 methylation also was found in human immune cells from elderly people, Ho said.

Together, the studies suggest a potential link between zinc deficiency and increased inflammation that can occur with age. Zinc deficiency is probably a bigger problem than most people realize,” she said. “Preventing that deficiency is important.”

Lipid and glucose levels at age 35 associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Boston University School of Medicine, March 23, 2022

Living your best life at 35, ignoring cholesterol and glucose levels, may impact your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) later in life. According to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), lower HDL (high-density cholesterol) and high triglyceride levels measured in blood as early as age 35 are associated with a higher incidence of AD several decades later in life. They also found that high blood glucose measured between ages 51-60 is associated with risk of AD in the future.

“While our findings confirm other studies that linked cholesterol and glucose levelsmeasured in blood with future risk of Alzheimer’s disease, we have shown for the first time that these associations extend much earlier in life than previously thought,” explains senior author Lindsay A. Farrer, Ph.D., chief of biomedical genetics at BUSM.

The researchers found that lower HDL (the good cholesterol) is predictive of AD in early (35-50 years) and middle (51-60 years) adulthood and that high glucose in the blood (a precursor of diabetes) during mid-adulthood is also predictive of AD “These findings show for the first time that cardiovascular risk factors, including HDL which has not been consistently reported as a strong risk factor for AD, contribute to future risk of AD starting as early as age 35,” says first and corresponding author Xiaoling Zhang, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at BUSM.

Exercise holds even more heart health benefits for people with stress-related conditions

Massachusetts General Hospital, March 24, 2022

Regular physical activity had nearly doubled the cardiovascular benefit in individuals with depression or anxiety, compared with individuals without these diagnoses, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session.

The research findings add to mounting evidence that exercise improves cardiovascular health by helping to activate parts of the brain that counteract stress. Overall, the study found that people who achieved the recommended amount of physical activity per week were 17% less likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event than those who exercised less. These benefits were significantly greater in those with anxiety or depression, who had a 22% risk reduction vs. a 10% risk reduction in those without either condition.

For the study, researchers analyzed health records of more than 50,000 patients in the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank database. Just over 4,000 of the patients had suffered a major adverse cardiovascular event, which included experiencing a heart attack, having chest pain caused by a blocked artery or undergoing a procedure to open a blocked artery in the heart.

Vitamin B3 to stay younger? A global increase in antioxidant defenses of the body may delay aging and its diseases

Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (Spain), March 15, 2022

The gradual accumulation of cell damage plays a very important role in the origin of ageing. There are many sources of cellular damage, however, which ones are really responsible for ageing and which ones are inconsequential for ageing is a question that still lacks an answer.

A group of scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have tried to increase the global antioxidant capacity of the cells, rather than just one or a few antioxidant enzymes. To achieve this global improvement in the total antioxidant capacity, researches have focused on increasing the levels of NADPH, a relatively simple molecule that is of key importance in antioxidant reactions and that, however, had not been studied to date in relation to ageing.

The results, published today in the journal Nature Communications, indicate that an increase in G6PD and, therefore, in NADPH, increases the natural antioxidant defences of the organism, protecting it from oxidative damage, reducing ageing-related processes, such as insulin resistance, and increasing longevity.

“As anticipated, the cells in these transgenic animals are more resistant to highly toxic artificial oxidative treatments, thus proving that an increase in G6PD really improves antioxidant defences,” explains Sandrina Nóbrega-Pereira, first author of the study.

Furthermore, when researchers analysed long-lived transgenic animals, they noted that their levels of oxidative damage were lower than in non-transgenic animals of the same age.  The greatest surprise for the team was when they measured the ageing process in the transgenic mice: the animals with a high G6PD expression and, therefore, high levels of NADPH, delayed their ageing, metabolised sugar better and presented better movement coordination as they aged. In addition, transgenic females lived 14% longer than non-transgenic mice, while no significant effect on the longevity of males was observed.

Artificial sweeteners may not be safe sugar alternatives: study

French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and Sorbonne Paris University, March 24, 2022

Artificial sweeteners reduce added sugar content and corresponding calories while maintaining sweetness. A study publishing March 24th in PLOS Medicine suggests that some artificial sweeteners are associated with increased cancer risk.

Many food products and beverages containing artificial sweeteners are consumed by millions of people daily. However, the safety of these additives has been a subject of debate.

The researchers found that enrollees consuming larger quantities of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, had higher risk of overall cancer compared to non-consumers (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.25). Higher risks were observed for breast cancer and obesity-related cancers.

Results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort (n=102,865) suggest that artificial sweeteners found in many food and beverage brands worldwide may be associated with increased cancer risk, in line with several experimental in vivo / in vitro studies. These findings provide novel information for the re-evaluation of these food additives by health agencies.”

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