News & Notes: Foods That Starve Cancer; Flexibility Helps Longevity; Acetaminophen Can Inhibit Masculinity in Fetus

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Can Flexibility Help People Live Longer?

Flexibility exercises are often included in the exercise regimens of athletes and exercisers. New research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports suggests that levels of flexibility may affect survival in middle-aged individuals.

After analyzing data on 3,139 people (66% men) aged 46 to 65 years, investigators obtained a body flexibility score, termed Flexindex. This score was derived from a combination of the passive range of motion in 20 movements involving 7 different joints, resulting in a score range of 0 to 80.

Flexindex was 35% higher in women compared with men. During an average follow-up of 12.9 years, 302 individuals (9.6%) comprising 224 men and 78 women died. Flexindex exhibited an inverse relationship with mortality risk and was nearly 10% higher for survivors compared with non-survivors in both men and women.
After taking age, body mass index, and health status into account, men and women with a low Flexindex had a 1.87- and 4.78-times higher risk of dying, respectively, than those with a high Flexindex.

“Being aerobically fit and strong and having good balance have been previously associated with low mortality. We were able to show that reduced body flexibility is also related to poor survival in middle-aged men and women,” said corresponding author Claudio Gil S. Araújo, MD, PhD, of the Exercise Medicine Clinic – CLINIMEX, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He added that as flexibility tends to decrease with aging, it may be worth paying more attention to flexibility exercises and routinely including assessments of body flexibility as part of all health-related physical fitness evaluations.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.14708

Turmeric, Apple Peel, Red Grapes Starve Cancer Cells

Research has identified several natural compounds found in certain foods as having the potential to starve prostate cancer cells and inhibit the growth of prostate cancer.
Scientists first tested 142 natural compounds on mouse and human cell lines to see which inhibited prostate cancer cell growth when administered alone or in combination with another nutrient.

The most promising active ingredients were then further tested: ursolic acid, a waxy natural chemical found in apple peels and rosemary; curcumin, the bright yellow plant compound in turmeric; and resveratrol, a natural compound common to red grapes or berries. These nutrients proved to have anti-cancer properties, notably against prostate cancer cells.

The study author said that we only need to increase concentrations of these compounds beyond levels found in a healthy diet for an effect on prostate cancer cells. The paper also demonstrated how these plant-based chemicals work together: combining ursolic acid with either curcumin or resveratrol prevents cancer cells from gobbling up something that they need to grow, glutamine. So the uptake of a nutrient needed by prostate cancer cells is blocked by nutrients that are found in these foods.

This study was posted online in npj Precision Oncology. The report is available at https://tinyurl.com/y9btsg4u

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy Can Inhibit Masculinity in Fetus

Researchers have found that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy can inhibit the development of the male sex hormone testosterone in the male fetus. It also increases the risk of malformation of the testicles in infants, and affects future male behaviour. (Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, is a popular pain-relieving substance sold under brand names such as Tylenol, Triaminic, or Acet. Testosterone is a male sex hormone that helps develop the male body and male programming of the brain.)

A mouse study demonstrated that a reduced level of testosterone means that male characteristics do not develop as they should, which also affects sex drive. Mice exposed to paracetamol at the fetal stage were simply unable to copulate in the same way as control animals. Male programming was not properly established during their fetal development, and this could be seen long afterwards in adult life.

Further, the treated males did not attack other males, were unable to copulate, and behaved more like female mice when it came to urinary territorial marking. Because the trials were restricted to mice, the results cannot be transferred directly to humans; but the harmful effects suggested in this research would make it improper to undertake the same trials on humans.

This study was published in the August 2017 issue of the journal Reproduction. A link to similar research is at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150520151626.htm

Heartburn and Ulcer Medications Linked to 50% Increased Mortality

Scientists have concluded that long-term use of popular heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is associated with an increased risk of death. (Previous studies had linked PPIs to other health issues, including serious kidney damage, bone fractures, and dementia. This is the first study to link these drugs with greater mortality risk. Millions of people take PPIs, which are widely prescribed to treat heartburn, ulcers, and other gastrointestinal problems. Some are available over-the-counter such as Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium.)

The researchers examined medical records of about 275,000 PPI users along with those of nearly 75,000 people who took a different class of drugs, known as H2 blockers, to reduce stomach acid.

Those on PPIs for one to two years had a 50% increased risk of dying over the next five years. Both PPIs and H2 blockers are prescribed for serious medical conditions such as upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and esophageal cancer, but over-the-counter PPIs are most often used for simple heartburn and indigestion and are one of the most commonly used classes of drugs in the U.S. For every 500 people taking PPIs for a year, there is one extra death that would not have otherwise occurred, translating into thousands of needless deaths every year.

This study was published online July 4, 2017 by the journal BMJ Open. A link to similar research can be found at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325372

Sugar Intake During Pregnancy Linked to Allergies, Asthma in Children

A study suggests that a high sugar intake by mothers during pregnancy may increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in their children. The research involved almost 9,000 mothers who were pregnant in the early 1990s. The study assessed maternal intake of free sugars during pregnancy along with allergies and asthma in their children at seven years, as defined by positive skin tests to common allergens, namely dust mite, cat, and grass. (Until now, the link between sugar intake during pregnancy and allergy and asthma in offspring has received little attention.)

Comparing the 20% of mothers with the highest sugar intake versus the 20% of mothers with the lowest sugar intake, there was a 38% increased risk of allergy in the offspring and a 101% higher risk of allergic asthma. The study team found no association with eczema or hay fever. They speculated that the associations may be explained by a high maternal intake of fructose, causing a persistent postnatal allergic immune response, which in turn may be leading to allergic inflammation in the developing lung. This type of study cannot prove cause-and-effect. The sugar intake of the children themselves during early childhood was found to have no link to the risk of allergies or asthma, only the maternal intake of free sugar.

This study was published July 6, 2017 by the European Respiratory Journal, and is available at https://tinyurl.com/y82cck27 free of charge.