December 2010 - Selling the Fountain of Youth Selling the Fountain of Youth
RSS
 

Archive for December, 2010

New on HuffPo: Study Suggests HGH is NOT the Fountain of Youth

29 Dec

In 1990, a scientist at the Medical College of Wisconsin named Daniel Rudman published a study that gave birth to the modern anti-aging movement. Rudman’s paper, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 12 men who were given injections of human growth hormone (HGH) lost 14 percent of their body fat and increased their lean body mass — including muscle — by 9 percent. HGH, which is mostly used to help short children grow, became the go-to drug for perfectly healthy, aging people who were in search of the fountain of youth.

Now, one of Rudman’s closest friends is throwing cold water on the theory that HGH should be embraced as an anti-aging elixir. Read more here.

 
Comments Off on New on HuffPo: Study Suggests HGH is NOT the Fountain of Youth

Posted in HGH

 

Selling the Fountain of Youth Featured on Web Radio Show

28 Dec

I participated in an hour-long discussion about my book on the Internet radio show Your Health Rocks. My interviewer was Dr. Mache Seibel, professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Director of the Complicated Menopause Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Listen here.

 
Comments Off on Selling the Fountain of Youth Featured on Web Radio Show

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

A Year-End Cartoon That Says it All About Aging

23 Dec

It’s been a year of scandals and breakthroughs in the world of anti-aging medicine, as I documented in a slide show for Huffington Post.

This cartoon says it all when it comes to fending off the aging process. Forgo the hormones and steroids. Eat right and exercise. You’ll be sure to stay young!

 
Comments Off on A Year-End Cartoon That Says it All About Aging

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

New on HuffPo: Could Thalidomide be Resurrected as the Fountain of Youth?

20 Dec

On December 13, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco said they had identified a derivative of thalidomide that seems to rejuvenate the immune systems of aging people. When they tested the drug in small doses on cell cultures taken from 13 patients, it stimulated the production of proteins called “cytokines.” That may, in turn, reduce the age-related inflammation that causes overall health to deteriorate.

Read more here.

 
Comments Off on New on HuffPo: Could Thalidomide be Resurrected as the Fountain of Youth?

Posted in Science of Aging

 

Times of London Features Selling the Fountain of Youth

16 Dec

In a December 16 story, The Times of London is featuring my book as a way to spotlight what they call “elixirs of youth: the top five myths.” The online version of the Times is a subscription-only site, so I will list the myths here:

1. Human Growth Hormone: “…its benefits have not been proved, and there have been no long-term studies of its side-effects in healthy users.”

2. Acai berry: “This is the best example of an anti-aging elixir gone completely out out control.”

3. Resveratrol: “…doses in the animal studies were far higher than people could tolerate–the equivalent of drinking 750 to 1,500 bottles of red wine.”

4. Antioxidants: “…the jury is out over whether this is any benefit from applying them to the skin….”

5. Alpha hydroxy acids: “Don’t expect over-the-counter products to make any difference.”

Interestingly, the hook for this story is a study out this week on lenalidomide from the Universith of California at San Francisco. A scientist there discovered that taking small amounts of this pill, which is related to thalidomide, boosts immunity. The Times calls this “an elixir of youth.” The UCSF scientists don’t go quite so far. More to come on this topic….

For those with a subscription, here’s a link to the Times of London story on Selling the Fountain of Youth.

 
Comments Off on Times of London Features Selling the Fountain of Youth

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

HuffPo: Drug Trial Raises Doubts About Resveratrol’s Anti-Aging Powers

08 Dec

On December 2, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline quietly halted a clinical trial of SRT501, a concentrated form of resveratrol, which is the much-hyped substance found in red wine grapes.

The reason this matters is that SRT501 had been one of the most closely watched molecules in the Big Pharma pipeline ever since 2008, when GlaxoSmithKline snapped it up in a $720 million acquisition of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals — the company that first suggested resveratrol might be useful for treating age-related diseases.

Read more here.

 
Comments Off on HuffPo: Drug Trial Raises Doubts About Resveratrol’s Anti-Aging Powers

Posted in Resveratrol

 

Red Hot Mamas Call My Book HOT!

06 Dec

Red Hot Mamas, a Web site for women undergoing menopause, has added Selling the Fountain of Youth to its bookshelf of suggested reading. “It includes detailed and crucial information, the latest research, and is written in a clear, concise manner,” the review says.

Read more here.

 
Comments Off on Red Hot Mamas Call My Book HOT!

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

Can Society Encourage Exercise?

05 Dec

When I speak about Selling the Fountain of Youth, I’m often asked why it’s so hard for people to exercise when staying active clearly guards against age-related conditions. I don’t know the answer, but I often wonder if there’s anything society a whole could do to encourage exercise?

I found one great idea yesterday, in this video of an experiment performed in Sweden. Making one small but creative change to a staircase prompted a 66% increase in people choosing the stairs over the escalator. I love it. And I especially love that this was sponsored by Volkswagon, a company that you would think would want to encourage people to spend more time in their cars–not on their feet.

I only hope this inspires more ideas for building exercise into everyday life.

 
Comments Off on Can Society Encourage Exercise?

Posted in Lifestyle

 

Technology Review: Predicting How Long You’ll Live

03 Dec

For most of the past century, the financial-services industry has used actuarial tables to design life-insurance policies, pensions, and other products based on predictions of human lifespan. These “life tables” rely on historical death rates to predict the future longevity of broadly defined population groups. But human life expectancy has increased dramatically—from 47 years in 1900 to 77 today in the United States, with similar surges around the world, leading to skyrocking pension and healthcare costs. What’s more, sizable variations in longevity have emerged among different subgroups. Thus the financial-services industry no longer considers life tables adequate, as they leave too much room for companies to lose money.

A growing number of corporations and governments are turning to an emerging group of lifespan modelers. These experts are studying the living in an attempt to predict who will make it well into old age—and who won’t.

Read more about lifespan modeling at Technology Review.

 
Comments Off on Technology Review: Predicting How Long You’ll Live

Posted in Science of Aging

 

Southern California Public Radio Features Selling the Fountain of Youth

03 Dec

I was interviewed by Patt Morrison on KPCC, Southern California Public Radio. It was a lively interview that included some very intelligent questions from callers. Among the highlights: A discussion of male menopause and testosterone replacement.

Listen here.

 
Comments Off on Southern California Public Radio Features Selling the Fountain of Youth

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 
« Older Entries