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Healthy Thyroid Function for Calorie Restrictors

The CR Way — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

How's your thyroid doing? For most people who follow a CR Way lifestyle, the answer may be "turned down, thank you." Calorie-restricted animals have decreased T3 output and for good reason: The whole point of CR is to slow metabolic rate and thus cell proliferation. For background on CR and thyroid see

Centenarians - Low cancer: Slow cell division = Long life

The Truth About Weight Loss: High Metabolic rate = Death

Meredith and I aim for slightly low T3 and slightly high TSH.We have been strongly influenced by the work of Dr. Luigi Fontana and Dr. Martin Surks, a thyroid research specialist. Read more about Fontana and thyroid management in the new Thyroid and Aging page in Protection from Disease.

Here's an important paragraph from the Fontana study:

"Effect of long-term calorie restriction with adequate protein and micronutrients on thyroid hormones."

A paragraph from the full paper is very helpful:

"Thyroid hormones influence cell respiration, free radical production and energy homeostasis. Although thyroxine (T4) is the main product secreted by the thyroid gland, most thyroid actions are mediated by triiodothyronine (T3). Data from studies conducted in long-lived rodents have shown that CR decreases serum T3 concentrations, while serum T4 and thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations usually remain unchanged".

Another paper that looked at long lived Ashkenazi Jews was found that they have slightly elevated TSH.:

Extreme longevity is associated with increased serum thyrotropin.

Atzmon G, Barzilai N, Hollowell JG, Surks MI, Gabriely I.

Department of MedicineDivision of Endocrinology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2009 Apr;94(4):1251-4.

CONTEXT: The distribution of serum TSH shifts progressively to higher concentrations with age.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether the population shift in TSH distribution to higher concentrations with aging extends to people of exceptional longevity, namely centenarians, and to assess the relationship between concentrations of TSH and free T(4) (FT4).

DESIGN/SETTING/PATIENTS: We analyzed TSH, FT4, and TSH frequency distribution curves in thyroid disease-free Ashkenazi Jews with exceptional longevity (centenarians; median age, 98 yr), in younger Ashkenazi controls (median age, 72 yr), and in a population of thyroid disease-free individuals (median age, 68 yr) from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1998-2002 (NHANES controls).

RESULTS: Serum TSH was significantly higher in centenarians [1.97 (0.42-7.15) mIU/liter] than in Ashkenazi controls [1.55 (0.46-4.55) mIU/liter] and NHANES controls [1.61 (0.39-6.29) mIU/liter] (median, 2.5 and 97.5 centiles) (P < 0.001). The TSH frequency distribution curve of centenarians was relatively similar in shape to controls but shifted significantly to higher TSH, including TSH concentration at peak frequency. The TSH distribution curve of the NHANES control group was superimposable to and not significantly different from the Ashkenazi controls. FT4 was similar in centenarians and Ashkenazi controls, and there was a significant inverse correlation between FT4 and TSH in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The TSH population shifts to higher concentrations with age appear to be a continuum that extends even to people with exceptional longevity. The inverse correlation between TSH and FT4 in our populations suggests that changes in negative feedback may contribute to exceptional longevity.

PMID:1915819, NIH, LM, PubMed access to MEDLINE bibliographic citations

Goitrogens

Any low calorie diet will depress thyroid function, but food choices can also affect the output of thyroid hormones. Perhaps you have heard of goitrogens, built from the word goiter (a condition in which the thyroid is enlarged, possibly to compensate for the gland's inability to produce adequate amounts of thyroid hormones) and the stem -gen (producing).

Foods that contain goitrogens include soy products and some of the most healthful vegetables:

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Kale
Kohlrabi
Mustard
Rutabaga
Turnips
Spinach
Radishes
These are nutritional all-stars - loaded with nutrients, as well as phytochemicals that likely have multiple benefits

A few other foods that are high in goitrogens include:

Peaches
Peanuts
Strawberries

Some of these foods activate production of antibodies that reduce thyroid function while others depress thyroid peroxidase (TPO), an enzyme known to release iodine during production of thyroid hormones. In either case, the thyroid doesn't produce as many of the hormones needed to regulate metabolism.

This matters little for people with healthy thyroid function. In fact, it may depress metabolic rate in synergy with the beneficial reduction in metabolic rate from a low calorie diet.

Some who have compromised thyroid function may want to limit their consumption of goitrogens or at least consider cooking them, which decreases their goitrogen content. Another possibility is to supplement with the RDA of iodine.

Perhaps most important is to ask yourself if you are having symptoms of hypothyroidism. To make it easy to tell the difference between healthful low thyroid output from following the CR Way and a malfunctioning thyroid, full members may use the chart on the Healthful Hypothyroidism page under Thyroid. If you are concerned, make sure to discuss your thyroid with your doctor.

Just be cautious: It may be easier to pop a pill that to undo unintended damage from it.

Preventing Brain Decline - even when you start calorie restriction late!

The CR Way — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:08:51 GMT

Even if you get a late start on traveling the CR Way, don't worry about your brain.! A new study reports that the important longevity gene, SIRT1, which is significantly reduced with aging in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex, is prevented with late onset calorie restriction This was the outcome even in old animals, when they started moderate calorie restriction.

Age-associated decrease of SIRT1 expression in rat hippocampus Prevention by late onset caloric restriction.

Quintas A, de Sol�s AJ, D�ez-Guerra FJ, Carrascosa JM, Bog�nez E.
Exp Gerontol. 2012 Feb;47(2):198-201. Epub 2011 Nov 26.
PMID: 22143179

We have studied the effect of aging and late onset caloric restriction (CR) on the expression of SIRT1 in hippocampus and cerebral cortex of the rat.

Quantitative analysis showed that there is a significant reduction of SIRT1 protein levels in hippocampus with aging. Late onset, moderate CR prevented the deleterious effect of aging on SIRT1 content. Examination of SIRT1 immunoreactivity in coronal sections from hippocampus supported these results, and confirmed that old animals are able to respond to the beneficial effects of CR by regulating SIRT1 protein expression. .

From the full paper:

.Decrease of SIRT1 expression in the hippocampus could be a contributing factor in the pathophysiological changes that occur in the aging brain. Several studies have highlighted the role of the NF-?B system in the activation of inflammatory responses during aging (Salminen et al., 2008). SIRT1 is a potent inhibitor of NF-?kB signaling, since it deacetylates the p65 component of the NF-?B complex. The age-associated loss of SIRT1 function may hence potentiate inflammatory responses mediated by hyperactivation of the NF-?B system. Moreover, recovery of SIRT1 protein levels could be of most importance to provide the beneficial effects of dietary restriction on impaired brain function. In this context, it has been reported that SIRT1 activation could be the mechanism through which CR may influence AD amyloid neuropathology (Qin et al., 2006).

More recent evidence has shown that brain SIRT1 levels affect ?-amyloid plaque formation, pathology and cognitive decline in a mouse model of AD (Donmez et al., 2010). ________________

That is cause for celebration among the many who have just begun a CR Way lifestyle in middle age and beyond. We all want to preserve and improve our brain power. Getting started on the CR Way, as most who read this have done, is probably the best way to do that.

Note that the SIRT1 gene is sensitive to glucose levels,* so if you want to make sure your SIRT1 gene is active in your brain and elsewhere , keeping glucose low is advised . Some perceptive readers may ask if SIRT1 all that important in light of the failures to create drugs that activate SIRT1for disease interventions? We wrote a blog about that actually: insert the title: Will the Longevity Gene Debate affect Longevity Research?

SIRT1 seems to play an important role in the body's most energy sensitive tissues, especially the brain. When we were presenting at Harvard Medical School , we heard an excellent pre-publication presentation about how SIRT1 may reduce the beta amyloid plaques that characterize Alzheimer's Disease. Now, papers have been published about that. Full members should also read the Alzheimer's Disease section under Protection from Disease.

For more see:

Glucose Control Improves Cognitive Function

The CR Way to Great Glucose Control

*Glucose restriction inhibits skeletal myoblast differentiation by activating SIRT1 through AMPK-mediated regulation of Nampt.

Dev Cell. 2008 May;14(5):661-73.

Fulco M, Cen Y, Zhao P, Hoffman EP, McBurney MW, Sauve AA, Sartorelli V.

Source

Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 50 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Abstract

It is intuitive to speculate that nutrient availability may influence differentiation of mammalian cells. Nonetheless, a comprehensive complement of the molecular determinants involved in this process has not been elucidated yet. Here, we have investigated how nutrients (glucose) affect skeletal myogenesis. Glucose restriction (GR) impaired differentiation of skeletal myoblasts and was associated with activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Activated AMPK was required to promote GR-induced transcription of the NAD+ biosynthetic enzyme Nampt. Indeed, GR augmented the Nampt activity, which consequently modified the intracellular [NAD+]:[NADH] ratio and nicotinamide levels, and mediated inhibition of skeletal myogenesis. Skeletal myoblasts derived from SIRT1+/- heterozygous mice were resistant to the effects of either GR or AMPK activation. These experiments reveal that AMPK, Nampt, and SIRT1 are the molecular components of a functional signaling pathway that allows skeletal muscle cells to sense and react to nutrient availability.

Comment in

Dev Cell. 2008 May;14(5):642-4.

PMID: 18477450

CR-RNA: Can Calorie Restriction affect blood miRNAs and mRNAs?

The CR Way — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Here's your chance to learn more about your health through CR Science.

Participants' blood and urine will be sampled to study micro-RNAs and messenger RNAs.

Differences between these genetic components in calorie restrictors and control volunteers will be analyzed.

Eligibility Requirements:

Experienced Calorie Restrictor

Good health - no known illness

30 to 75 years of age

110 pounds in weight, minimum

Male (We'll let the men blaze the trail,

with the goal of studying women soon.)

The study involves a one-time collection of a small amount of blood and urine.

Procedure includes: venipuncture (blood draw)

All procedures will be performed under the supervision of trained professionals at the UCR campus health clinic or another accredited clinical laboratory.

Participants will be reimbursed for all travel expenses and will receive an honorarium.
If you are interested, please contact Meredith Averill at boardchair@CRSociety.org.

Researchers:

Joseph Dhahbi, MD, PhD; Stephen Spindler, PhD

Dept. of Biochemistry, Univ. of Calif., Riverside

See their bio's in CR Groundbreakers:

Dr. Spindler, Dr. Dhahbi

Can plants affect how well & how long you live?

The CR Way — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:37:18 GMT

What if you could turn off the genes that predispose you to cancer or Alzheimer's disease? And what if you could activate the genes that would allow you to live a greatly extended, healthy lifespan, just by eating certain foods?

Sound like a pipe dream?? It's not. It is already known that just by eating rice, tiny cellular switches known as micro-RNAs can worsen lipid profiles, raising the likelihood of heart attack or atherosclerosis. The flip side will also be true: certain plants may be able to activate highly beneficial pathways that can affect how well and how long you live. Consider this study:

Exogenous plant MIR168a specifically targets mammalian LDLRAP1: evidence of cross-kingdom regulation by microRNA

Cell Research (2011): 1-20

Lin Zhang, Dongxia Hou, Xi Chen, Donghai Li, Lingyun Zhu, et al.

China

Our previous studies have demonstrated that stable microRNAs (miRNAs) in mammalian serum and plasma are actively secreted from tissues and cells and can serve as a novel class of biomarkers for diseases, and act as signaling molecules in intercellular communication. Here, we report the surprising finding that exogenous plant miRNAs are present in the sera and tissues of various animals and that these exogenous plant miRNAs are primarily acquired orally, through food intake. MIR168a is abundant in rice and is one of the most highly enriched exogenous plant miRNAs in the sera of Chinese subjects.

Functional studies in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that MIR168a could bind to the human/mouse low-density lipoprotein receptor adapter protein 1 (LDLRAP1) mRNA, inhibit LDLRAP1 expression in liver, and consequently decrease LDL removal from mouse plasma. These findings demonstrate that exogenous plant miRNAs in food can regulate the expression of target genes in mammals.

Cell Research advance online publication 20 September 2011; doi: 10.1038/cr.2011.158

� 2011 IBCB, SIBS, CAS All rights reserved 1001-0602/06
PMID: 21931358,. NIH, NLM, PubMed access to Medline Bibliographic citations

This important study was part of the presentation of, Dr. Joseph Dhahbi at the 2011 CR Society conference in Las Vegas. We are proud to join Dr Dhahbi and Dr. Stephen Spindler as collaborators on a far-reaching new study that looks at the microRNAs of long-term, serious human calorie restrictors.

We will plan the diets for the study, and participants will use the NutriBase CR Way edition software to track their intake.

Details of this study will be announced soon. Meanwhile, take a look at the companion blog Introducing Dr. Joseph Dhahbi for insights into how Drs. Dhahbi and Spindler have already profoundly influenced the CR Way and most likely how you strive for optimal health.

Introducing Dr. Joseph Dhahbi

The CR Way — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:29:45 GMT

One of the great pleasures of being part of CR research is the opportunity to work with some of the world's great scientists. Recently, Meredith and I were invited to join Drs Stephen Spindler and Joseph Dhahbi in their molecular investigation of how calorie restriction calorie restriction interferes with the epigenetics that influence aging. Drs. Stephen Spindler and Joseph Dhahbi will look at microRNAs, which affect many cellular processes.

Dr. Spindler and the extraordinary advances made by his lab are well known to many calorie restrictors. Dr. Spindler wrote the forward to the CR Way and was one of the scientists who reviewed the science sections before the book was published. We have profiled Dr. Spindler here in CR Groundbreakers, scientists who have made a major contribution the was live a CR lifestyle.

We are pleased to add Dr. Joseph Dhahbi, who has been the principal investigator of many CR studies that have profoundly influenced CR Way lifestyle recommendations.

Dr. Dhahbi first came to our attention when we sought to find more about how calorie restriction affects cellular energy production. We wanted to know what happens in the cell when energy availability is low and how we could tell when age-slowing genes are activated. That led us to this study ( definitions and our comments are highlighted in yellow.)

Calories and aging alter gene expression for gluconeogenic, glycolytic, and nitrogen-metabolizing enzymes.

Am J Physiol 1999 Aug;277(2 Pt 1):E352-60

Dhahbi JM, Mote PL, Wingo J, Tillman JB, Walford RL, Spindler SR.

Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside 92521, California, USA.

We characterized the effects of calorie restriction (CR) on the expression of key glycolytic (breaks down glucose to pyruvate), gluconeogenic (conversion of nonglucose molecules to glucose), and nitrogen-metabolizing enzymes in mice. Of the gluconeogenic enzymes investigated, liver glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA (this is the key enzyme in liver and kidney that is converted to glucose to raise glucose levels in the blood stream) is increased 1.7- and 2. 3-fold in young and old CR mice.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA and activity increased 2.5- and 1.7-fold in old CR mice. Of the key glycolytic enzymes, pyruvate kinase mRNA and activity decreased approximately 60% in CR mice. Hepatic phosphofructokinase-1 and pyruvate dehydrogenase mRNA decreased 10-20% in CR mice.

Of the genes that detoxify ammonia generated from protein catabolism, hepatic glutaminase, carbamyl phosphate synthase I, and tyrosine aminotransferase mRNAs increased 2.4-, 1.8-, and 1.8-fold with CR, respectively. (which may be a good reason why it is not a good idea to eat high protein meals for calorie restriction since protein byproducts will be high anyway because of gluconeogenesis. Making them too high could damage the kidneys) Muscle glutamine synthetase mRNA increased 1.3- and 2. 1-fold in young and old CR mice. Hepatic glutamine synthetase mRNA and activity each decreased 38% in CR mice.

These CR-induced changes are consistent with other studies suggesting that CR may decrease enzymatic capacity for glycolysis (which may be one way CR protects against cancer). and increase the enzymatic capacity for hepatic gluconeogenesis and the disposal of byproducts of muscle protein catabolism.

PMID: 10444432

Now look at a related study. Here we see clearly how Drs. Dhahbi and Spindler influenced the CR Way. This study reinforces the idea that reduced glucose and insulin are important to the cell signaling patterns seen in calorie restriction. Thus reducing glucose and insulin became woven into the CR Way lifestyle and food choices and recipes reflect that.

Caloric restriction alters the feeding response of key metabolic enzyme genes.
Mech Ageing Dev 2001 Jul 31;122(10):1033-48
Dhahbi JM, Mote PL, Wingo J, Rowley BC, Cao SX, Walford RL, Spindler SR.

Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.

Differential 'fuel usage' has been proposed as a mechanism for life-span extension by caloric restriction (CR). Here, we report the effects of CR, initiated after weaning, on metabolic enzyme gene expression 0, 1.5, 5, and 12 h after feeding of 24-month-old mice. Plasma glucose and insulin were reduced by approximately 20 and 80%. Therefore, apparent insulin sensitivity, as judged by the glucose to insulin ratio, increased 3.3-fold in CR mice. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA and activity were transiently reduced 1.5 h after feeding, but were 20-100% higher in CR mice at other times.

Glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA was induced in CR mice and repressed in control mice before, and for 5 h following feeding. Feeding transiently induced glucokinase mRNA fourfold in control mice, but only slightly in CR mice.

Pyruvate kinase and pyruvate dehydrogenase activities were reduced approximately 50% in CR mice at most times. Feeding induced glutaminase mRNA, and carbamyl phosphate synthetase I and glutamine synthase activity (and mRNA). They were each approximately twofold or higher in CR mice. These results indicate that in mice, CR maintains higher rates of gluconeogenesis and protein catabolism, even in the hours after feeding. The data are consistent with the idea that CR continuously promotes the turnover and replacement of extrahepatic proteins.

We are confident that the new project with Drs Spindler and Dhahbi, will provide a new level of understanding about the best ways to apply calorie restriction science to human life.

What happens when a calorie restrictor falls?

The CR Way — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:14:03 GMT

When a calorie restrictor falls, it could be a non-event or the beginning of the end. A lot depends on your strategy for protecting your bones and muscles from injury. Our mentor, Ralph Cornell, began to fall in his late nineties. He survived many of them, but the last fall caused a broken hip. Three years later he died. The wonderfully functional life he led was impossible to continue after he broke his hip.

The same was true for Eva, Ralph's girlfriend, who sailed to 95 without any problems, except that she began to fall. After falling several times, she broke her hip and was dead within less than a year.

The mortality statistics after a hip break are grim:

The Probability of Death Following a Fracture of the Hip

Peter C. Gordon

Can Med Assoc J. 1971 July 10; 105(1): 47-51, 62.

Abstract

All patients 45 years of age and over admitted with fractures of the hip to hospitals in the Atlantic Health Region of Nova Scotia were followed up over a two-year period. Actuarial methods were used to estimate survivorship from the date of fracture in 202 patients.

Over-all, it was estimated that only 63.8% would be alive by one year post-fracture. This is 70% of the survival rate expected in the general population of corresponding age and sex. The period of greatest mortality was within the first 12 weeks. Patients surviving to one year could be considered "cured", for after that their survivorship was at least as favorable as that of the "normal" population.

Mortality was greatest in males in those 75 years of age and over and especially in patients who were relatively immobilized prior to their fracture. In this "dependent" group the relative survival ratio at one year was only 38%.

PMCID: PMC1931080

Many members of LivingTheCRWay know that we have a well worked out strategy for protecting muscles and bones against injury. Full members can find out more about that by utilizing the osteoporosis prevention and treatment section under Protection from Disease as well as the healthful exercise section under Long, Healthy Life. The osteoporosis prevention and treatment section includes a recorded teleconference on the subject that provides a helpful guide that to listen to

All members can participate in the dialogue about preventing falls and treating injuries by utilizing the blog posts and forums:

Osteoporosis and Low Weight

Osteoporosis Protection through Vigorous Physical Activity

Bone Health

Exercise

Last night, we had an opportunity to test our injury strategy. We went out after dark, while it was snowing lightly. The snow covered up the icy parts of our walkway, but everything seemed fine. Most of the road wasn't slippery at all That is, until we were almost home and Paul stepped on some snow that had a sheet of ice under it. Within a millisecond, Paul's feet flew out from under him and he crashed to the ground, falling hard on his hip and elbow. The fall was intense enough to cause some bruising and bleeding, but no damage at all was done to his hip and while his elbow was quite sore, it was not broken.

We can only speculate as to why such a hard fall did not cause a disastrous break. But it probably has to do with regular exercise of every joint likely to break in a fall. This is the method we follow that is well explained in the healthful exercise section, available to full members.

As soon as we got into the house, we began to put other aspects of our healing program into effect:

First make sure you haven't broken anything - you will know if there is swelling, numbness, redness or deformity in the area. Of course if you hear a snap or see a protruding bone, it only underscores that you must get to the nearest emergency room immediately.
If you are certain you have strained or slightly injured muscle, avoid taking aspirin or other anti inflammatory medications that cover up the pain. If you are following a serious CR Way regimen, your lifestyle is the equivalent of taking an anti inflammatory medication (as evidenced in very low high sensitivity C-reactive protein scores - please check The CR Way book or the NutriBase CR Way Edition software for reference ranges). The pain plays an essential role in marshalling tissue healing substances to the injured area. Masking the pain with a medication risks further injury and slowed recovery rate.
Do not immobilize the injury. Try as best you can to use your injured limb or back using pain as a guide to tell you how much is too much. Last night after the injury, Paul used his injured arm to wash dishes and do normal activities to get ready for bed.
Avoid putting pressure on an injured area while sleeping. If you sleep on your side, sleep on the opposite side of the injury, which will help reduce any swelling. If you have injured your back, put a pillow under your knees to relieve pressure or sleep on your side
Resume normal movement ASAP. The morning after his injury, Paul continued with his regular exercise routine including 15 minutes on the UBE (upper body exerciser), which is the equivalent of a bicycle on the arms. And arm curls (with reduced weight for the injured arm).

The strategy worked! In less than eight hours after what could have been a debilitating fall, only a slight soreness remains. The arm is almost completely back to normal.

One of the CR Way healthful exercise strategies includes endurance exercises that build micro capillaries in arms, legs, abdominal, neck and back areas. Over time the increased capillaries in these areas may make muscle and joint healing more rapid.

Balance

Preventing falls is not only about building strength. One of our member's goals for 2012 is to improve balance, which we will work on together by utilizing the balance building exercises in the osteoporosis prevention and treatment section where we have just added a highly effective way of improving balance while increasing bone density. We also recommend serious implementation of the CR Way to Great Glucose Control strategies, which may heal inner ear damage. Similar strategies may work for preventing tinnitus.

Preventing falls and serious injury when you do fall will be one of the subjects of the next full member teleconference scheduled for Saturday, January 28 at 4:00 PM. ET. For the regular schedule of teleconferences visit the Teleconference Schedule forum.

Glucose Control Improves Cognitive Function

The CR Way — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Another study has come to our attention that reinforces the importance of keeping glucose low for improved cognitive function.

The brain in the age of old: The hippocampal formation is targeted differentially by diseases of late life

Annals of Neurology 2008; 64: 698-707. Wu W, Brickman AM, Luchsinger J, Ferrazzano P, Pichiule P, et al.

Methods

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to document brain infarcts (areas of tissue that undergo necrosis as a result of local blood supply obstruction) and to generate high-resolution functional maps of the hippocampal formation in 240 community-based nondemented elders (mean age, 79.7 years) who received a comprehensive medical evaluation. Sixty participants had type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas 74 had MRI-documented brain infarcts, and the first analysis was designed to pinpoint hippocampal subregions differentially linked to each disorder. Then, guided by the results, additional functional MRI studies in aging rhesus monkeys and mice were used to test proposed mechanisms of dysfunction.

Interpretation

Taken together with previous findings, these results clarify how diseases of late life differentially target the hippocampal formation, identify elevations in blood glucose as a contributing cause of age-related memory decline, and suggest specific interventions that can preserve cognitive health.

(Actually when the researchers went on to suggest specific interventions, the paper was a bit anti-climatic. The only suggested intervention was exercise, something CR Way members understand quite well).

As many know, maintaining low glucose levels is an integral part of the Brain Booster program. In fact, The CR Way to Great Glucose Control, the groundbreaking course in controlling glucose levels, has just been added as a benefit of the Brain Booster membership.

In this study, the researchers looked at whether lowering glucose levels would contribute to improved formation of new memories as well as improved function in the hippocampus such as better control of information flow.

The cohort of senior citizens, without dementia, who underwent MRI scans showed higher levels of blood glucose were related to dysfunction in the dentate gyrus, an area of the hippocampus that, when compromised, has been shown to cause cognitive decline.

The results were confirmed by imaging aging Rhesus monkeys and a mouse model of hyperglycemia.

In the full paper the investigators wrote,

Our results suggest that improving glucose metabolism is a clinically tractable approach for ameliorating the cognitive slide that occurs in all of us as we age.

From PMID:19107993, U.S.NIH, U.S.NLM, PubMed access to literature biomedical citations in Medline

Type 2 diabetes can be cured by CR - Confirmed!!

The CR Way — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:22:04 GMT

Another study confirms that type 2 diabetes may be cured by following a calorie restricted diet.

When we started writing The CR Way to Great Glucose Control, we did not know that studies were about to be released that support our low-calorie approach to keeping glucose down, especially for those with type 2 diabetes. Take a look at the introduction from this study. It starts by describing what many believe:

Reversal of type 2 diabetes - not possible many say:

Type 2 diabetes has long been regarded as a chronic progressive condition, capable of amelioration but not cure. A steady rise in plasma glucose occurs irrespective of the degree of control or type of treatment. Beta cell function declines linearly with time, and after 10 years, more than 50% of individuals require insulin therapy. The underlying changes in beta cell function have been well described and beta-cell mass decreases steadily during the course of type 2 diabetes. Overall, there is strong evidence that type 2 diabetes is inexorably progressive, with a high likelihood of insulin therapy being eventually required to maintain good glycemic control. *

Now look at the finding that the study revealed. It is appropriately titled:

Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalization of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol.

This study demonstrates that the twin defects of beta cell failure and insulin resistance that underlie type 2 diabetes can be reversed by acute negative energy balance alone. A hierarchy of response was observed, with a very early change in hepatic insulin sensitivity and a slower change in beta cell function. In the first 7 days of the reduced energy intake, fasting blood glucose and hepatic insulin sensitivity fell to normal, and intrahepatic lipid decreased by 30%. Over the 8 weeks of dietary energy restriction, beta cell function increased towards normal and pancreatic fat decreased.*

* Lim EL, Hollingsworth KG, Aribisala BS, Chen MJ, Mathers JC, Taylor R.
     Magnetic Resonance Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Campus for Ageing &
     Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK.
Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalization of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver   triacylglycerol. Diabetologia. 2011 Oct;54(10):2506-14. PMID: 21656330

The study we reported on in our earlier blog: Reversing Diabetes Type 2 and Prediabetes - An open letter to President Obama - indicated a similar biological theme: A very low calorie diet helps burn away fat that often accumulates in internal organs when type 2 diabetes is present.

This illustrates the dangerous cycle overweight produces: When the body wraps internal organs in adipose tissue, they cease to function properly. This is why, for example, excess weight is so often associated with insulin resistance and poor glucose management: The pancreas simply cannot efficiently produce B-cells when it is caked in fat. So these studies have produced a great conceptual advance.

Congratulations the researchers for this perceptive, important work that can help millions of people! Note, however, that in neither study was the obese diabetic cohort able to sustain the 500- or 600-alorie regimens that the studies used. Further, neither study provided guidance on or support for making a smooth transition to a more sustainable diet that the participants could maintain for life.

The special edition of The CR Way to Great Glucose Control - Professional Practice is designed for use with patients that need to lose significant weight, who have glucose control issues and quite often have type 2 diabetes. This edition is sold only to doctors, clinical nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants, and similar medical professionals since ongoing medical supervision is required for the initial stages of the diet.

This special The CR Way to Great Control - Professional Practice edition features a delicious very low calorie meal plan that is sustainable for a short six- to eight-week period until the patient has lost enough weight that the metabolism can handle a higher calorie intake. Patients also receive all the benefits of the CR Way to Healthful Weight Loss program - supportive teleconferences, NutriBase CR Way edition software, and the CR Way to Happy Dieting - the multimedia program that helps them manage the emotional challenges of dieting, so losing weight is easy and fun!

Throughout the initial weight-loss period the medical professionals are advised to monitor their patients and to continue to work with us to support their safe, healthful transition to a meal plan that can be enjoyed for life.

Very often after the initial 6- to 8-week period, the patients will no longer need to take diabetes medications. Other medications for related conditions like high blood pressure may also be able to be discontinued.

If you need to lose substantial weight and have type 2 diabetes, ask your doctor to contact us for more details. It could be the beginning of a new way of living for you - without diabetes!

Bisphenol A Negates CR Way Pathways

The CR Way — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:08:31 GMT

We've frequently cautioned people about substances that could negate some or all of the benefits of calorie restriction. One such substance may be bisphenol A., a chemical used in some plastics that we wrote about earlier this week. in our quest to find a blender that is not made from polycarbonate.

You can find more about that in this forum post: Please Help Find a Good Blender.

Here is what the government says about Bisphenol A , commonly referred to as BPA

"Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a chemical that has been used for more than 40 years in the manufacture of many hard plastic food containers such as baby bottles and reusable cups and the lining of metal food and beverage cans, including canned liquid infant formula. Trace amounts of BPA can be found in some foods packaged in these containers.

In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration conducted a review of toxicology research and information on BPA, and, at that time, judged food-related materials containing BPA on the market to be safe.

But recent studies have reported subtle effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals. While BPA is not proven to harm children or adults, these newer studies have led federal health officials to express some concern about the safety of BPA.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MINIMIZE YOUR INFANT'S EXPOSURE TO BPA?

In the meantime, while scientists are gathering more data, there are some simple, reasonable steps families and parents can take to minimize exposure to BPA.

#1 FOLLOW RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES TO FEED YOUR INFANT.

HHS supports the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations for infant feeding and supports breastfeeding for at least 12 months whenever possible, as breast milk is the optimal source of nutrition for infants.

If breastfeeding is not an option, iron-fortified infant formula is the safest and most nutritious alternative. The benefit of a stable source of good nutrition from infant formula and food outweighs the potential risk of BPA exposure.(how could they make a statement like that?)

#2 DISCARD SCRATCHED BABY BOTTLES AND INFANT FEEDING CUPS.

Worn baby bottles and cups are likely to have scratches that harbor germs and - if they contain BPA - may release small amounts of the chemical.

#3 TEMPERATURE MATTERS.

Be careful how you heat up your child's breast milk or formula. Studies have found there is a very small amount of BPA in plastics and other packaging materials that can transfer to food and liquids. Additional traces of BPA levels are transferred when hot or boiling liquids or foods come in contact with packaging made of BPA.

Do not put boiling or very hot water, infant formula, or other liquids into BPA-containing bottles while preparing them for your child.
Before mixing water with powdered infant formula, the water should be boiled in a BPA-free container and allowed to cool to lukewarm.
Ready-to-feed liquid formula can be served at room temperature or gently warmed up by running warm water over the outside of the bottle.
Always remember: Do not heat baby bottles of any kind in the microwave - the liquid may heat unevenly and burn your infant
Sterilize and clean bottles according to instructions on infant formula labels. They should be left to cool to room temperature before adding infant formula.

#4 CHECK THE LABELS ON YOUR BOTTLES AND FOOD PREPARATION CONTAINERS.

As a good household practice, only use containers marked "dishwasher safe" in the dishwasher and only use "microwave safe" marked containers in the microwave.
As a good household practice, discard all food containers with scratches, as they may harbor germs and may lead to greater release of BPA.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT BPA IN FEEDING PRODUCTS FOR INFANTS?

Liquid Infant Formula. There are small amounts of BPA in liquid infant formulas sold in cans. Infant formula in this packaging can offer important health advantages for some infants, and the proven benefit of good nutrition outweighs the potential risk of BPA exposure.

If you are using liquid infant formula in cans:

Do not heat cans of infant formula on the stove or in boiling water. Ready-to-feed liquid formula can be served at room temperature or gently warmed in a nursing bottle by running warm water over the outside of the bottle.

Powdered Infant Formula. FDA has found that powdered infant formula mix typically has no detectable level of BPA.

Infant Bottles Made with BPA. The six major U.S. manufacturers of baby bottles and infant feeding cups have confirmed to FDA that as of January 2009, they have not manufactured these products using BPA for the U.S. market. These manufacturers represent more than 90% of the U.S. market. These manufacturers produce brands that include Avent, Doctor Brown's Natural Flow, Evenflow, First Essentials, Gerber, Munchkin, Nuk, and Playtex.

Plastic Containers made with BPA Used in Food Preparation. Plastic containers have recycle codes on the bottom. Plastic containers have recycle codes on the bottom. In general, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are very unlikely to contain BPA. Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA.

Do not put very hot or boiling liquid that you intend to consume in plastic containers made with BPA. BPA levels rise in food when containers/products made with the chemical are heated and come in contact with the food.
Discard all bottles with scratches, as these may harbor bacteria and, if BPA-containing, lead to greater release of BPA.

How will bisphenol A affect CR Way practitioners? Unfortunately quite a bit if you get a lot of it. So we have featured Bisphenol A and how it affects CR pathways in the new Carcinogens section under cancer.

You will find a roulette wheel here with the names of certain carcinogens on it. We think that few CR Way travelers want to play Russian roulette with cancer causing substances in their diet. So this section has been expanded to include a 500 page toxicology report including many substances and environmental hazards that are known carcinogens.

Centenarians - Low cancer: Slow cell division = Long life

The CR Way — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:10:20 GMT

When you make it to 100 or beyond, you should get a graduate degree. What in you may ask? : Slowing Cell Proliferation!

We have frequently discussed how calorie restriction slows aging: by slowing the rate of cell proliferation. That is supported by a recent study, showing that cancer incidence drops dramatically among centenarians:

Cancer prevalence and mortality in centenarians: A systematic review.

Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology. 2011 Oct 22.

Pavlidis N, Stanta G, Audisio RA.

Source

Department of Medical Oncology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece.

Abstract

Life expectancy has dramatically expanded, the global population has aged unprecedentedly, and the number of centenarians has significantly increased. The analysis of autopsy series, cancer registries data, vital statistics, and surveys specific to this age group allows unique observations with respect to incidence and prevalence, cause of death by cancer, frequency of primary tumors, metastatic patterns, occurrence of incidental cancers and of multiple primary tumors.

Data analysis demonstrates how cancer incidence and cause of death present a threefold decrease after age 90 and reach 0-4% above age 100.

In addition, the number of metastatic sites are remarkably less and incidental malignant tumors or multiple primary cancers are more frequent, indicating that cancer in centenarians carries a more indolent behavior . The unique features of malignant tumors in this population is hereby presented and discussed following a systematic review of the available literature. Cancer in the very elderly is relatively uncommon as a disease and as a cause of death. It is characterized by a slow growth and a modest life-threatening potential.

The last statement in this study makes the point: Cancer in the very elderly is relatively uncommon as a disease and as a cause of death. It is characterized by a slow growth and a modest life-threatening potential.

Slowing the rate of cell division makes cell mutations less likely. The body's defense systems are more able to manage and kill mutant cells when they have fewer of them to deal with, thus cancer risk plunges.

Other comments from the full paper reinforce the CR Way approach at the molecular level:

"P53, IGF-1 and mTOR pathways have an impact upon longevity and protection from late onset diseases such as cancer and diabetes and recently, the discovery of particular polymorphisms in these pathways were associated with increased longevity in both experimental animals and human populations, i.e. Arg72Pro polymorphism of p53 pathway or SNPs in the human Forkhead box O3A gene (F0X03A) of IGF-1 pathway. "

[all of these polymorphisms would result in decreased cell proliferation and metastasis]

"Also, inflammatory cytokines gene polymorphisms of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 (IL-6-174GG) and of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (IL-10-082CC) were detected in centenarians, indicating the protective effect towards chronic inflammation process in oldest people."

[This is also emphasized in the CR Way lifestyle, which lowers inflammation markers like hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), included in the biomarkers in the NutriBase CR Way Edition Software]

The idea of slowing cell proliferation also is reinforced by the idea of turning down metabolic rate as demonstrated by keeping thyroid hormones low as discussed in this forum post:

Thyroid Meds.

Slowing cell proliferation is fundamental to our hunter gather approach to exercise, which moderates aerobic exercise in favor of exercise to maximize function and protect against osteoporosis and sarcopenia. For more see the Exercise forum. Full members can utilize the Healthful Exercise section in Long Healthy Life on the left navigation bar.

Reversing Aging in 2012

The CR Way — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:16:00 GMT

It's the time of year when many people make New Year's resolutions. But we bet that for many of you, the time of year really doesn't matter. You probably became a member because you resolved to do all you can to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. LivingTheCRWay will help you apply proven science to make that dream come true.

Some of you may wish to reverse and possibly cure chronic diseases. The Protection From Disease pages are designed to help you do that:

Alzheimer's Disease
Arthritis
Cancer
Diabetes
Eye Health
Hearing Loss
Heart Disease
Immune System
Kidneys
Migraine Headaches
Muscle Weakness (Sarcopenia)
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Parkinson's Disease
Disease Prevention

In some cases, like Osteoporosis Prevention and Intervention and Optimal Heart Health, you will find special results ranges to aim for in your testing at local labs. These will help you in your quest to reverse disease and achieve optimal health.

In 2012 the forums will continue to expand, so you will have even more opportunity to ask questions and engage in dialogue that interests you. Gastrointestinal health is so important to being truly healthy and is so often neglected in longevity discussions that even before the New Year has arrived, the Gastrointestinal Health Forum sneaked under the wire and is available.

Reversing age-related decline will be a major focus for LivingTheCRWay in 2012. This is one of the reasons for the new CR Way to Great Glucose Control e-Book and teleconferences - an adult education class for understanding how best to keep glucose levels low. Keeping blood glucose levels low is a key to increasing CR benefits and possibly rejuvenating tissues by activating adult stem cells.For more see:� Stem Cells for Biological Rejuvenation.

Reversing age-related decline is also why we are pleased to announce another CR study, this one with Drs. Stephen Spindler and Joseph Dhahbi. This will help us understand what foods may slow and possibly reverse aging. More coming in future weeks!

�

The CR Way is here to help you maintain your good function as you get older. You don't want to play less because of chronic muscle aches and pains nor to stop work or your favorite hobbies that need you to think clearly. You want to keep all the abilities you enjoy, that contribute to your good quality of life: Let's work together to maintain them.

�

Getting personal

We also understand that no matter what health interventions you make - Love, support, and relationships play a major role in your longevity and happiness. You can't do this alone and you shouldn't have to.� The CR Way supports you: You will always be able to call and speak to us if you encounter a problem.

We remain committed to increasing your happiness and quality of life. Towards that end, we continue to plan the Web site to help people meet others and make friends, e.g. the Finding Friends Forum.�

Someone on another site that's devoted to longevity bemoaned, "I am so lonely - Is this what immortality is like?" We say no. The desire for longer healthier life has brought us together. It can also enrich us with relationships that make our lives more meaningful. As LivingTheCRWay continues to develop its own character, facilitating meaningful friendships is an ongoing goal in serving the needs of special people like you.

Wishing you a Happy Healthful New Year!

�

Paul & Meredith

Boosting Your Brain Power!

The CR Way — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:35:52 GMT

The CR Way approach to "Getting Smarter " is a new, more effective way to boost brain power. The idea is to take CR and ketogenic biochemistry, proven to improve cognitive capabilities, and integrate them with brain training so that improvement happens more rapidly.

A goal of the Brain Booster program is to make it easier for you to make gains in fluid intelligence - the ability to make decisions independent of previously learned knowledge. Improved I.Q. scores can be seen in as little as three weeks.

Some of you who have asked about how to use the CR Way to protect against Alzheimer's Disease. Like exercising a muscle to prevent age-related loss of strength, the beneficial physiological changes that enhance thinking power and may produce stronger more disease resistant neural pathways have been shown to decrease risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Many activities, especially new ones, will train your brain - things like playing bridge or chess or a musical instrument or the games in the Brain Training Program

Central to an effective brain training program is the improvement of working memory. This is described as the system that actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension. The following introduction to a review paper on working memory describes it this way:

Working Memory.

Baddeley A.

Department of Psychology, University of Bristol, UK.

C R Acad Sci III. 1998 Feb-Mar;321(2-3):167-73.

Abstract

It is suggested that working memory comprises a system for the temporary storage and manipulation of information, forming an important link between perception and controlled action. Evidence is presented for a three-component model, comprising an attentional control system, the central executive, and two subsidiary slave systems. One of these, the visuo-spatial sketch pad holds and manipulates spatial information, while the other, the phonological loop performs a similar function for auditory and speech-based information. Evidence is presented for the view that the phonological loop has evolved as a mechanism to facilitate the acquisition of language.

PMID:9759336, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, PubMed access to the biomedical citations of Medline.

Growing New neurons

For a long time it was thought that the brain could not initiate new cellular growth. Dramatic experiments have shown that not to be true. Significant physiological changes can take place with brain training. Consider this inspiring paper, showing how remodeling of the brain takes place with training:

Dynamic Remodeling of Dendritic Arbors in GABAergic interneurons of Adult Visual Cortex

Wei-Chung Allen Lee, Hayden Huang, Guoping Feng, Joshua R Sanes, Emery N Brown, Peter T So, and Elly Nedivi

PLoS Biology. 2006 Feb;4(2):e29. Epub 2005 Dec 27.

Despite decades of evidence for functional plasticity in the adult brain, the role of structural plasticity in its manifestation remains unclear. To examine the extent of neuronal remodeling that occurs in the brain on a day-to-day basis, we used a multiphoton-based microscopy system for chronic in vivo imaging and reconstruction of entire neurons in the superficial layers of the rodent cerebral cortex.

Here we show the first unambiguous evidence (to our knowledge) of dendrite growth and remodeling in adult neurons. Over a period of months, neurons could be seen extending and retracting existing branches, and in rare cases adding new branch tips. Neurons exhibiting dynamic arbor rearrangements were GABA-positive non-pyramidal interneurons, while pyramidal cells remained stable. These results are consistent with the idea that dendritic structural remodeling is a substrate for adult plasticity and they suggest that circuit rearrangement in the adult cortex is restricted by cell type-specific rules.

PMID: 16366735, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, PubMed access to the biomedical citations of Medline.

Take a moment to click on the title of the abstract and you can access the whole paper, including photos of the physiological changes that took place in adult neurons.

The Brain Booster program emphasizes glucose control, which can increase CR's ability to generate noticeable cognitive improvement. This is the reason that The CR Way to Great Glucose Control is now provided as a benefit of the program. To see more on how low glucose can improve brain power see Ketosis Improves Cognition.

For more on Brain Health and improving cognition:

Also make sure to use the new search function, which reveals quite a few resources for brain improvement.

Multitasking Reduces Your Ability to Concentrate

The CR Way — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:45:10 GMT

E-mails, faxes, Facebook, YouTube - everybody wants your attention and some people adapt to our over-messaged environment by rapidly switching from task to task - Multitasking as some call it.

Actually diluted tasking is really more like it because some studies show that "multitasking" lowers working memory capabilities - reducing the ability to concentrate on one task.

Here's a frightening study that shows what happens to media multitaskers. Apparently many capabilities that are vital to cognition simply erode

Cognitive control in media multitaskers.
Ophir E, Nass C, Wagner AD.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 2009 Sep 15;106(37):15583-7.

Abstract

Chronic media multitasking is quickly becoming ubiquitous, although processing multiple incoming streams of information is considered a challenge for human cognition. A series of experiments addressed whether there are systematic differences in information processing styles between chronically heavy and light media multitaskers. A trait media multitasking index was developed to identify groups of heavy and light media multitaskers. These two groups were then compared along established cognitive control dimensions.

Results showed that heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli and from irrelevant representations in memory. This led to the surprising result that heavy media multitaskers performed worse on a test of task-switching ability, likely due to reduced ability to filter out interference from the irrelevant task set.

? These results demonstrate that media multitasking, a rapidly growing societal trend, is associated with a distinct approach to fundamental information - processing.

The following well-written Stanford University press release provides an excellent interpretation of the study: Multitasking simply makes you lose your ability to concentrate.

Stanford Report, August 24, 2009

Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows

Think you can talk on the phone, send an instant message and read your e-mail all at once? Stanford researchers say even trying may impair your cognitive control.

BY ADAM GORLICK

Attention, multitaskers (if you can pay attention, that is): Your brain may be in trouble.

People who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time, a group of Stanford researchers has found.

High-tech jugglers are everywhere - keeping up several e-mail and instant message conversations at once, text messaging while watching television and jumping from one website to another while plowing through homework assignments.

But after putting about 100 students through a series of three tests, the researchers realized those heavy media multitaskers are paying a big mental price.

"They're suckers for irrelevancy," said communication Professor Clifford Nass, one of the researchers whose findings are published in the Aug. 24, 2009, edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Everything distracts them."

Social scientists have long assumed that it's impossible to process more than one string of information at a time. The brain just can't do it. But many researchers have guessed that people who appear to multitask must have superb control over what they think about and what they pay attention to.

Is there a gift?

So Nass and his colleagues, Eyal Ophir and Anthony Wagner, set out to learn what gives multitaskers their edge. What is their gift?

"We kept looking for what they're better at, and we didn't find it," said Ophir, the study's lead author and a researcher in Stanford's Communication Between Humans and Interactive Media Lab.

In each of their tests, the researchers split their subjects into two groups: those who regularly do a lot of media multitasking and those who don't.

In one experiment, the groups were shown sets of two red rectangles alone or surrounded by two, four or six blue rectangles. Each configuration was flashed twice, and the participants had to determine whether the two red rectangles in the second frame were in a different position than in the first frame.

They were told to ignore the blue rectangles, and the low multitaskers had no problem doing that. But the high multitaskers were constantly distracted by the irrelevant blue images. Their performance was horrible.

Because the high multitaskers showed they couldn't ignore things, the researchers figured they were better at storing and organizing information. Maybe they had better memories.

The second test proved that theory wrong. After being shown sequences of alphabetical letters, the high multitaskers did a lousy job at remembering when a letter was making a repeat appearance.

"The low multitaskers did great," Ophir said. "The high multitaskers were doing worse and worse the further they went along because they kept seeing more letters and had difficulty keeping them sorted in their brains."

Still puzzled

Puzzled but not yet stumped on why the heavy multitaskers weren't performing well, the researchers conducted a third test. If the heavy multitaskers couldn't filter out irrelevant information or organize their memories, perhaps they excelled at switching from one thing to another faster and better than anyone else.

Wrong again, the study found.

The test subjects were shown images of letters and numbers at the same time and instructed what to focus on. When they were told to pay attention to numbers, they had to determine if the digits were even or odd. When told to concentrate on letters, they had to say whether they were vowels or consonants.

Again, the heavy multitaskers underperformed the light multitaskers.

"They couldn't help thinking about the task they weren't doing," Ophir said. "The high multitaskers are always drawing from all the information in front of them. They can't keep things separate in their minds."

The researchers are still studying whether chronic media multitaskers are born with an inability to concentrate or are damaging their cognitive control by willingly taking in so much at once. But they're convinced the minds of multitaskers are not working as well as they could.

"When they're in situations where there are multiple sources of information coming from the external world or emerging out of memory, they're not able to filter out what's not relevant to their current goal," said Wagner, an associate professor of psychology. "That failure to filter means they're slowed down by that irrelevant information."

So maybe it's time to stop e-mailing if you're following the game on TV, and rethink singing along with the radio if you're reading the latest news online. By doing less, you might accomplish more.

# # #

Media Contact

Adam Gorlick, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, agorlick@stanford.edu

The Dual-N-Back task in the Brain Booster Membership is likely to counteract some of negative effects of multitasking. The user must learn to focus on the task otherwise the training can't be done. The CR Way takes you a step further by creating an internal biological environment that enhances concentration.

Will Glucose Levels Determine How Long You Live?

The CR Way — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:07:20 GMT

Did you know that blood sugar also known as blood glucose has a major influence on your life? The level of glucose circulating in your bloodstream can determine whether you get heart disease, cancer, or Alzheimer's disease, as well as type 2 diabetes. And if you need to lose weight, high glucose levels will make it more difficult. In fact your blood sugar level will likely play an important role in how long you live and your quality of life, especially as you get older. For it is now known that low glucose levels activate beneficial cell signals, associated with longer disease-free life in every living species - from worms to humans.

When most people think of their blood glucose levels, they hearken back to their annual physical results. This is usually fasting glucose, taken after fasting for eight hours or more. Fasting glucose levels over 99 mg/dL (that's approximately 5.5 mmol) are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). If your glucose level is significantly higher than that, ask your doctor to test you for T2DM and pancreatic cancer, for it is known that likelihood of pancreatic cancer increases when fasting glucose soars upward, approaching 200 mg/dl.

Post-meal glucose: also a risk

Even if you do have healthy fasting glucose levels, according to the International Diabetes Federation: Post-meal (postprandial) glucose levels above 144 increase risk significantly - not just of the diseases mentioned above, but also obesity, dementia, macular degeneration and many other problems.

Regrettably, many with high glucose levels, immediately begin taking a medication for the problem. How sad to think of the money wasted, when a low calorie healthful diet and lifestyle can produce phenomenal glucose control in most people.

Swing Foods

Healthy readers may proudly say to themselves that "sugar and simple starches that send glucose upward are not part of my diet." But don't take your seemingly healthful diet for granted. In the new eBook, The CR Way to Great Glucose Control, favorites like blueberries or sweet potatoes are no longer considered healthy in every form. Rather, they are classified as "Swing Foods:" Depending on how they are prepared, they swing from helping keep blood glucose low to sending glucose to levels so high that your doctor may send you home with a diagnosis of diabetes. Most likely everyone who reads this has these or other "Swing Foods" in their diet.

While most health experts acknowledge that keeping blood glucose low is important, people need a guide to help them prepare swing foods healthfully and manage all the other everyday challenges they face to maintain glucose at healthful levels.

This prompted the creation of The CR Way to Glucose Control, which introduces people to a whole new world of healthful living. Benefiting from thousands of glucose tests of recipes and foods, the e-Book provides lifestyle guides that take people through the day - from when they wake up to when they get ready for bed - complete with suggested glucose goals for each meal.

Everyone can benefit from keeping glucose levels low, even if your health is already excellent. Separate lifestyle plans are provided for people with prediabetes or without diabetes and for people with type 2 diabetes - so people can choose a plan that fits their needs.

CR Way Singles

The CR Way — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:51:47 GMT

The CR Way attracts extraordinary people. Some are married and many are single. Our members often have much in common. They are usually highly intelligent, well educated, and cultured - enjoying art and music. And of course they are interested in optimal health and long life. Many are extraordinarily healthy, and all are getting that way if they aren't already. Some are religious while others are atheists or agnostic. Some would like to eliminate death altogether and reach escape velocity where science advances fast enough so that it can extend your life faster than the rate at which you are aging.

Politics vary too - we have an almost equal mix of conservatives and liberals and a high percentage of libertarian-leaning folk. Many are straight and others are gay or bisexual. All are welcome and welcoming.

Another essential aspect of being part of this community is sensitivity to others and supportiveness. Did you notice that the angry attacks and moronic insults so often seen on the Web are absent from CR Way forums? Angry insults have no place in a site that's oriented toward longevity. This is a huge advantage of a members-only site. You can choose to be a free Healthy Start member or a full member, but you can't come here totally anonymously. Indeed, it is well known that forming a supportive network of friends is an essential aspect of becoming a centenarian. So it is no accident that we planned the LivingTheCRWay environment to be conducive to helping you build your own supportive network.

Now that you are here, reading this, you may realize that this is a perfect place to meet people - strike up a friendship and, who knows, maybe find the love of your life -- It could happen. Worst case: You make some friends. So we invite all who want to find friends to take advantage of the Finding Friends Forum.

If you want to find a potential partner, make sure to include your age, sex, sexual orientation, and the things that interest you. Please make no mistake: The Finding Friends Forum is for everyone who wants to make CR Way friends, whether you are seeking a partner or not. Lots of people post in this Forum because they want to find others close to home to share their CR Way experience. All are welcome and welcoming.

Almost twenty years ago, we met each other in the Open Center - a NYC haven for yoga, meditation, and holistic living. In this over-populated, sometimes socially cold, metro area of 18+ million people, our mutual interests brought us together. By virtue of being a member of the CR Way, you have come to a similar place. You are surrounded by folks with things in common with you.

Expensive dating services would be hard pressed to do what you have already done by being here. Please, take advantage of it.

Another beneficial aspect of the CR Way is the live teleconferences. Nothing beats discussing the science and practice - hearing other' applications. Then there's the 800 number too - 877-481-4841 - that people can call if something doesn't work or they need help. This is all part of the CR Way to help nurture you so that you enjoy your life more now and live longer and happier.

Wishing you extraordinary health and happiness,

Paul and Meredith