Tuesday April 14, 2009

A Possible Step Toward Setting the Biological Clock
washingtonpost.com 04-13-09
Scientists have produced strong new evidence challenging one of the most fundamental assumptions in biology: that female mammals, including women, are born with all the eggs they will ever have.
In a provocative set of experiments involving mice, Chinese researchers have shown for the first time that an adult mammal can harbor primitive cells in her ovaries that can become new eggs and produce healthy offspring, they reported yesterday.
While much more research is needed to confirm and explore the findings, the work raises the tantalizing possibility that it could someday lead to new ways to fight a woman's biological clock, perhaps by stockpiling her egg-producing cells or by stimulating them to make eggs again.
The findings could also help speed stem cell research by providing scientists with a new source of eggs, which are crucial for producing embryonic stem cell lines tailored to individual patients and diseases but are difficult to obtain.
"This is a very big deal," said Roger G. Gosden, director of reproductive medicine at Cornell Weill Medical Center in New York, who was not involved in the research, published online by the journal Nature Cell Biology. "It is quite dramatic."
Some species remain fertile through their lives, and men produce sperm daily. But for at least a half century the dominant scientific tenet has been that women and all other female mammals are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and that stock is slowly depleted with age. For women, the belief has been that most of their eggs are gone by the time they reach middle age, prompting menopause and leaving them infertile.
Although several studies in recent years have raised questions about that belief, those claims remained highly controversial. The new research marks the first time scientists have obtained cells from an adult mammal that appear capable of producing new eggs and healthy offspring.
"If you are looking to disprove that females cannot make new eggs, this paper proves it. It's a really significant paper," said Jonathan L. Tilly, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School who published some of the most controversial research suggesting that women remain capable of producing new eggs. "This is the smoking gun."
Other researchers, however, remained cautious, saying the Chinese work needs to be repeated more carefully in mice and other species to validate the findings. Even then, it would remain far from clear whether there are any practical implications for women, some experts said.
"The aging process of the human egg differs fundamentally from that of the mouse egg," said David L. Keefe, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Florida. "Except at Disney World, humans are not large mice."
For the study, Ji Wu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and colleagues removed ovaries from mice and sifted through millions of cells to identify a small number that appeared to have characteristics of female "germline" stem cells, which theoretically would be able to become eggs.
After identifying those cells, the researchers reported, they coaxed them to multiply in the laboratory. Those obtained from newborn mouse ovaries continued to multiply for more than 15 months and those from adult ovaries for more than six months. A series of tests appeared to confirm that they were indeed precursor cells for eggs, the researchers reported.
They then tagged the cells with a jellyfish protein that would make them glow fluorescent green so they could be traced, and injected them into the ovaries of other mice that had been rendered mostly infertile with chemotherapy drugs.
Some of the mice were then killed so their ovaries could be examined, which revealed that at least some of the fluorescent green cells had indeed matured into eggs. Other mice that got the cells were allowed to breed naturally and produced offspring. Tests showed that many of the offspring also contained the green tag, which the researchers said demonstrated they were conceived from the transplanted egg cells. Tests found no evidence that the offspring, or the next generation, were abnormal in any way, the researchers reported.
"The results are very significant," Evelyn Telfer, who studies cell biology at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in an e-mail. "Of course there are always aspects of any work that needs clarification, but this study appears pretty solid and I am sure that several groups will be poised to try and replicate this work."
Other researchers have claimed to have identified such cells in human ovaries. If that could be confirmed, and if they behave similarly to the mouse cells, they could offer a host of new options for infertile women.
"You could gain control over how fast the clock will tick," Tilly said.
Women who need to delay childbearing might be able to bank their egg stem cells for use later in life, for example. Some are already doing that with their eggs, but that process is currently highly inefficient and unreliable.
The work would be especially helpful to women who are facing sterilization as a result of cancer treatment. Although some researchers have succeeded in preserving ovarian tissue from such women and reimplanting it to allow them to have children, that approach has had limited success.
If women who are infertile because of their age still harbor such cells, scientists may be able to find a way to activate them to produce new eggs, several experts said.
"We have lot of patients who cannot get pregnant because they have run out of eggs or their eggs are of poor quality because of their age. The only option they have is adoption, which is not so easy, or egg donation, which means their child would not be their genetic child," Cornell's Gosden said. "The research means egg donation from a fertile woman might not be necessary because she could have her own genetic child engineered from her stem cells."
But Gosden agreed caution was important.
"Although this is a dramatic study, these are huge claims. They therefore accordingly should attract the most searing scrutiny," Gosden said.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8135&Section=Aging

Walnuts and Fish Protect Against Heart Disease in Different Ways, According to Newly Published Loma Linda University Research

PR Newswire 04-13-09
LOMA LINDA, Calif., April 13, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Loma Linda University research just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compares the effects of walnuts and fatty fish in the fight against heart disease, demonstrating that in healthy individuals, walnuts lower cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish lower triglycerides. Both can reduce the overall risk of coronary heart disease.
"The practical significance of the study is that eating an easy-to-incorporate amount of walnuts and fatty fish can cause meaningful decreases in blood cholesterol and triglycerides even in healthy individuals," says lead author Sujatha Rajaram, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.
Following the qualified health claim issued by the Food and Drug Administration, researchers found that incorporating approximately 1.5 ounces of walnuts (42 grams, a handful of whole nuts or about three tablespoons of chopped nuts) into the daily diet lowered serum total cholesterol by 5.4 percent and LDL (bad) cholesterol by 9.3 percent compared to a control diet based on USDA recommendations.
Using American Heart Association guidelines, the researchers also found that a diet including two servings of fatty fish per week (roughly four ounces each as recommended by the AHA for individuals without heart disease) decreased triglyceride levels by 11.4 percent. Additionally, it increased HDL (good) cholesterol by 4 percent, but also slightly increased LDL (bad) cholesterol compared to the control diet. The fish used in this study was salmon.
"Both plant- and marine-derived omega-3 fats are cardioprotective, and since they seem to be effective for lowering different risk factors, it would be prudent to include both in the diet," says Joan Sabate, M.D., DrPH, one of the authors of the study and chair of the department of nutrition.
Dr. Rajaram adds, "Individuals should strive to include a plant source of omega-3 fat in their diet, like walnuts, and also a marine source of omega-3 fat. If fatty fish is not a preferred option for marine-derived omega-3 fat, other options include microalgae oil or DHA-enriched eggs."
The department of nutrition has significant experience conducting tightly controlled feeding studies among varying populations. This one, conducted with a healthy population, is the fifth study testing the health and nutrition properties of walnuts. This study differs from the previous studies in that it compared a plant source of the omega-3 fatty acid with a marine source, the first study to make this comparison. Subjects were randomly assigned to each of the three diets for eight weeks over a 24-week feeding schedule. This gave the researchers a chance to compare the effect of each diet on each participant.
Loma Linda University is a health-science university in Southern California known for its nutrition and lifestyle research in relation to chronic diseases. For more information about the University please visit the website www.llu.edu. To access the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition manuscript reference doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.26736S on the Internet.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8132&Section=Nutrition

Soy isoflavones improve menopausal syndromes in animal model
LIFE EXTENSIONS April 10, 2009
An article published online on April 9, 2009 in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism reported the finding of researchers at National Chiayi University in Taiwan that soy aglycons of isoflavone (SAI) help improve some of the syndromes associated with menopause in a rat model. According to background information provided in the article, “Among the molecules of soy isoflavones, aglycon forms of genistein and daidzein are absorbed faster by humans and in higher amounts than their glucosides.” The researchers hope that soy supplementation could provide an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
Robin Chiou and colleagues tested the effects of the compounds on rats whose ovaries had been removed in order to imitate the process that occurs during menopause in humans when estrogen production drops. Ten rats received diets enhanced with a low amount of SAI, 10 received a high amount, and 10 received control diets for three months. Ten rats that were given sham operations were additionally provided with control diets.
While ovariectomized rats had higher cholesterol levels than those that received sham surgeries, rats received the high SAI diet experienced a reduction in total and LDL cholesterol and an increase in HDL cholesterol to levels that exceeded those of the animals with intact ovaries. The antioxidant enzyme catalase was higher in the livers of animals that received the SAI compared to the controls, and oxidative stress was reduced. The degeneration of the vaginal lining that occurred in the ovariectomized rats was improved among animals that received SAI.
"These ovariectomized animals are a good model for study of the menopause as the loss of estrogen from the ovaries mimics the natural reduction in estrogen seen in menopausal women,” commented Dr Chiou. “SAI itself has weak estrogenic properties and we've shown here that menopause-related syndromes can be prevented or improved by dietary supplementation with the compounds it contains.”
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/
2009_04.htm#Soy-isoflavones-improve-menopausal-syndromes-animal-model

Plums as good as fiber supplements for constipation: study

Nutraingredients.com, 10-Apr-2009

Plum juice is as effective in boosting digestive health as fiber supplements among those with chronic constipation, according to a peer-reviewed study partly funded by leading North American plum juice maker, SunSweet Growers.
The six-week study gave 36 subjects either given an eight ounce glass of PlumSmart per day for two weeks of 100 per cent plum juice, a psyllium fiber supplement or a fiber-free apple juice placebo.
Of female participants, 72 percent said they felt regularity benefits within 24 hours when drinking PlumSmart, compared to 29 percent with the placebo and 50 percent with the fiber supplement.
Plum juice has quietly been gathering sales as a lower profile superjuice than cranberry and pomegranate and this study will add to its salability – helped by a price of $3.49 for a 48 ounce bottle which is less than some other super fruit juices such as goji.
"Digestive health issues are a common issue with both women and men, affecting nearly a quarter of adults," said Carolyn O'Neil, MS, RD and member of Sunsweet's Nutrition Advisory Council.
PlumSmart, a Californian co-operative says its juice is made from a breed of plums that has enhanced levels of fiber, which function in a prebiotic manner to feed gut flora.
The beverage provides 3g of fiber per eight ounce serving and 120 percent RDA of vitamin C and is also fortified with ginger and chamomile. The company has a light version with 60 calories.
The study, conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers and published in The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness, additionally found plum juice had satiety benefits.
The study found that those drinking plum juice had softer stools than those on either the fiber supplement or the apple juice and that those on plum juice felt relief more quickly than the other nutrients.
It also found participants preferred the taste of plum juice over apple juice psyllium and liked it as much as apple juice alone.
“This study provides preliminary evidence to support the daily use of natural product, plum juice, as an accepted and effective treatment for stool softening and immediate relief of constipation symptoms,” the researchers concluded.
They did note study limitations such as the small sample size as well as some of the retrospective data but added the fact both men and women, in a broad range of body mass indexes (BMIs) and across demographic groups were included, strengthened its findings. A low drop-out rate showed allowed for “less complicated interpretation of the results”.
Source: The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness “A Naturalistic, Controlled, Crossover Trial of Plum Juice versus Psyllium versus Control for Improving Bowel Function” 2009 Volume 7, Number 2 Authors: L. H. Cheskin, A. H. Mitola, M. Ridoré, S. Kolge, K. Hwang & B. Clark
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/
Plums-as-good-as-fiber-supplements-for-constipation-study

DuPont Magically Granted Three-Year Extension on Safety Testing of PFOA (Teflon)

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) The Environmental Appeals Board of the U.S. federal government has granted the DuPont corporation a three-year extension on its obligation to conduct a comprehensive assessment of a widely used chemical believed to expose consumers to the toxic substance perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

A number of studies have linked PFOA to health problems, with one more recent study linking it for the first time to infertility. The chemical, used to manufacture nonstick surfaces such as Teflon, has been found in the blood of people around the world. Under a voluntary EPA initiative, DuPont and a number of other companies have agreed to phase out all use of PFOA by 2015.

Under the terms of an agreement it signed in 2005, DuPont was required to comprehensively test another group of its chemicals, fluorotelomers, to see if PFOA is produced as a byproduct of the chemicals' manufacture or decomposition. The agreement was part of DuPont's commitments in settling a lawsuit filed against it by workers and residents who claimed that the company had concealed evidence of PFOA contamination at and near a DuPont factory in West Virginia.

Fluorotelomers are used in the production of stain-resistant carpets and textiles, fire-fighting foams, leather protectants and grease-resistant food packaging.

DuPont claims that it needs more time to analyze its nine fluorotelomer products, because it needs to develop a method to purify them first. The Environmental Appeals Board agreed to give the company three more years to fulfill that obligation from its lawsuit settlement.

Richard Wiles, executive director of the Environmental Working Group, blasted the decision, saying that any promises to phase out PFOA are meaningless if exposure to the chemical might still be coming from other sources.

"As long as they can delay development of this data, that basically means that they don't have to comply with the phase-out agreement," Wiles said.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026033.html

Women in Unhappy Marriages Hit by Physical Health Problems

by Reuben Chow, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) Natural healers and even segments of the conventional medical community recognize the crucial role which emotional wellbeing and positive inter-personal relationships play in the balance between good health and disease. In fact, some even believe that toxic relationships and emotional patterns could sometimes or often be the main cause of ill-health. Along these lines, a recent study which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Chicago has found that while an unhappy marriage can make both husband and wife depressed, the women were more likely to also suffer from physical health issues arising from their depression - what they suffered was a number of symptoms clustered under a condition called "metabolic syndrome".

Previous studies have already drawn a link between distressed marriages and poorer health. For example, a recent US study had found that marriage problems were linked to poorer breast cancer recovery outcomes for women (Read more at http://www.naturalnews.com/025410.html). This latest study, though, went a little deeper, investigating the possible role of depression in the disease process.

Details and Findings of Study

The study team had communicated with 276 couples via questionnaires on various aspects of their marriages, including positive ones such as mutual support and sharing, as well as negative ones such as arguments, hostile feelings and disagreements. The study subjects, who were aged 32 to 76 (median age 54), were also asked about symptoms of depression. On average, the couples had been married for more than 27 years, and most were in their first marriage.

According to the study team, which was led by Nancy Henry, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Utah, the negativity of the unhappy marriages contributed to depression, which was then linked with the physical symptoms that were part of metabolic syndrome. These include high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, unhealthy cholesterol profiles, belly fat, and high levels of blood sugar, which are risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Interestingly, though, while men in unhappy marriages were as likely as their female counterparts to be hit by depression, the link with physical health issues only applied to the women in the study. Although the exact reason was not clear, according to Henry, this could be because women may be more affected by the marriage problems than men.

One thing to note about the study is that most of the subjects may be Mormons, and would thus be less likely than persons practicing other religions to get a divorce. This means they are more likely to stick through unhappy unions.

Another researcher looking into similar areas, Debra Umberson, a professor of sociology at the University of Texas in Austin, found similar negative effects of unhappy marriages on health. The difference between men and women, however, was not evident in her research. "Basically, we find that marital strain undermines the health of men and women," she said. According to her, it was possible that the men in the Utah study may have encountered health problems in other areas.

Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and the medical director of New York University's Women's Heart Program, summed up the importance of the Utah study's findings when she said: "I think we've got to get used to the fact that a toxic relationship is toxic to your whole health."

Improving Marriage Health and Emotional Wellbeing

What, then, should those in unhappy marriages do? Each of the experts had something useful to offer.

Firstly, Umberson pointed out the importance of finding the right partner. "Choose your partner carefully. A strained marriage is bad for your health," she said. And she added that those who were already in problematic marriages should focus on confliction reduction.

Henry also said that divorce was not necessarily the answer. "We can't really say 'Dump your spouse, and you'll be fine,'" she said. She added that there were many other factors which played a part in health, and that the more pertinent question was whether we wanted to treat physical symptoms, or look at the patient as a whole person.

Regarding looking at patients holistically, Goldberg concurred. A couple of tips she gave to improve emotional health were being in supportive environments and undertaking delegation. "You can't have a to-do list with 20 things on it if you can only do five," she said. Exercise also helps for stress reduction, while those who need help should seek counseling. "Talk to someone," she said.

These are simple pieces of advice which could go a long way.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026030.html

Common Table Grapes Reduce Blood Pressure, Repair Heart Damage

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) The consumption of regular table grapes may lower blood pressure and improve heart health better than drugs, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor, and published in the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.

Researchers fed a powdered combination of green, red and black table grapes to lab rats there were consuming either a high- or low-salt diet. After 18 weeks, the cardiovascular health of these rats was compared to rats that had eaten either an equivalent diet supplemented with the blood pressure medication hydrazine rather than powdered grapes, or rats that had eaten the diet without any additions. All rats in the study were genetically predisposed to develop high blood pressure when fed a high-salt diet.

The researchers found that among the rats who were fed a high-salt diet, blood pressure was significantly lower among those whose diet had been supplemented with either hydrazine or grape powder.

"The inevitable downhill sequence to hypertension and heart failure was changed by the addition of grape powder to a high-salt diet," said researcher Steven Bolling. "Although there are many natural compounds in the grape powder itself that may have an effect, the things that we think are having an effect against the hypertension may be the flavonoids, either by direct antioxidant effects, by indirect effects on cell function, or both."

In addition, the rats that had eaten the grape powder had significantly less inflammation, better heart function and fewer indicators of damage to heart muscle than rats in either the control or hydrazine groups.

"These findings support our theory that something within the grapes themselves has a direct impact on cardiovascular risk, beyond the simple blood-pressure-lowering impact that we already know can come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables," said researcher Mitchell Seymour of the University of Michigan Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026029.html

Cognitive Decline Associated with Fat Intake
(from email sent to me from Physicians for Responsible Medicine)
Fatty foods eaten during midlife may hasten cognitive decline in later life. Researchers from Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study evaluated cognitive function of almost 1,500 women with type 2 diabetes. Increased intake of saturated and trans fats during midlife was associated with worse cognitive decline. The study also showed that a higher polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat ratio was beneficial for cognitive function. Researchers administered multiple cognitive tests over several years to assess cognitive status.
Devore EE, Stampfer MJ, Breteler MMB, et al. Dietary fat intake and cognitive decline in women with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:635-640.

Fat-derived Inflammatory Factor May Explain Diseases That Come With Obesity

ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 2009) — An inflammatory factor already linked to several diseases, including pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and arthritis, may also be responsible for the insulin resistance that comes with obesity, according to a new study published in the April issue of Cell Metabolism.
Researchers have found that the inflammatory chemokine known as CXCL5 rises and falls with obesity and subsequent weight loss in humans. (Chemokines are structurally related signaling proteins that are secreted by cells.) They found further evidence tying the inflammatory factor, which is produced and secreted at high levels by fat tissue, to insulin resistance in mice. What's more, they show that treatments designed to block its action improves the animals' sensitivity to insulin.
"Clearly, this finding could be a big development for understanding the side effects of obesity," said Lluis Fajas of INSERM in France. "It offers a new target for therapy and new hope for subjects to improve their pathology."
Fat tissue known as white adipose tissue (WAT) is primarily involved in energy storage in the form of triglycerides and energy release in the form of free fatty acids, Fajas' team explained. However, WAT is more than a fat storage organ; it also secretes numerous other factors with roles in both health and disease.
In the new study, the researchers show that CXCL5 is one of those factors. The chemokine is expressed at high levels in WAT, particularly in immune cells known as macrophages. Moreover, they report that CXCL5 is dramatically increased in the blood of people who are obese compared to those who are lean. Those CXCL5 levels drop when obese people lose weight and are also lower in obese individuals that continue to respond to insulin than in those who are insulin resistant.
They further found that treatment with recombinant CXCL5 blocks insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the muscles of mice. What's more, treatment of obese, insulin-resistant mice with either anti-CXCL5 neutralizing antibodies or drugs that block the receptor it triggers (known as CXCR2) reverses those symptoms. Mice lacking the CXCL5 receptor are also protected against obesity-induced insulin resistance. Overall, the findings show that CXCL5 produced by fat tissue "represents a link between obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance."
Interestingly, they added, the CXCR2 receptor is active outside of muscle, in cells that line blood vessel walls and in the lung and intestine, for example. Therefore, increased CXCL5 circulating levels as observed in obesity could lead to other problems, including atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases.
"Studies aiming to elucidate the role of WAT-secreted CXCL5 in all these obesity-related pathologies are likely to be forthcoming in the near future," they wrote. "Inhibiting CXCL5 secretion or function in obese individuals may not only ameliorate their insulin sensitivity, but could also decrease the risk of developing other major obesity-related pathologies."
The researchers include Carine Chavey,INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Gwendal Lazennec, INSERM U844, Montpellier, France; Sylviane Lagarrigue, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Cyrielle Clape´ , INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Irena Iankova, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Jacques Teyssier, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Jean-Sebastien Annicotte, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Julien Schmidt, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Chikage Mataki, Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, Illkirch, France; Hiroyasu Yamamoto, Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, Illkirch, France; Rosario Sanches, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Anna Guma, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Vladimir Stich, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Michaela Vitkova, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Benedicte Jardin-Watelet, CNRS/Bio-Rad FRE3009, Cap Delta, Montpellier, France; Eric Renard, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Robert Strieter, University of Virginia Department of Medecine, Charlottesville, VA; Antoinette Tuthill, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; Gokhan S. Hotamisligil; Antonio Vidal-Puig, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; Antonio Zorzano, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Dominique Langin, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, Inserm, U858, Obesity Research Laboratory, Toulouse, France, Paul Sabatier University, Louis Bugnard Institute, Toulouse, France, Biology Institute of Purpan, Toulouse, France; and Lluis Fajas, INSERM U834, U896, U834, CRLC Val d'Aurelle, Univ Montpellier, France, IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancerologie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407130901.htm

Bioethanol's Impact On Water Supply 3 Times Higher Than Once Thought

ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 2009) — At a time when water supplies are scarce in many areas of the United States, scientists in Minnesota are reporting that production of bioethanol — often regarded as the clean-burning energy source of the future — may consume up to three times more water than previously thought.
Sangwon Suh and colleagues point out in the new study that annual bioethanol production in the U.S. is currently about 9 billion gallons and note that experts expect it to increase in the near future. The growing demand for bioethanol, particularly corn-based ethanol, has sparked significant concerns among researchers about its impact on water availability. Previous studies estimated that a gallon of corn-based bioethanol requires the use of 263 to 784 gallons of water from the farm to the fuel pump. But these estimates failed to account for widely varied regional irrigation practices, the scientists say.
The scientists made a new estimate of bioethanol's impact on the water supply using detailed irrigation data from 41 states. They found that bioethanol's water requirements can be as high as 861 billion gallons of water from the corn field to the fuel pump in 2007. And a gallon of ethanol may require up to over 2,100 gallons of water from farm to fuel pump, depending on the regional irrigation practice in growing corn. However, a dozen states in the Corn Belt consume less than 100 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol, making them better suited for ethanol production.
"The results highlight the need to take regional specifics into account when implementing biofuel mandates," the article notes.
Chiu et al. Water Embodied in Bioethanol in the United States. Environmental Science & Technology, 2009; 43 (8): 2688 DOI: 10.1021/es8031067
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413102225.htm

Dance Your Way To Successful Aging

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2009) — Older people can dance their way towards improved health and happiness, according to a report from the Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP).
The research, by Dr Jonathan Skinner from Queen’s University Belfast, reveals the social, mental and physical benefits of social dancing for older people. It suggests that dancing staves of illness, and even counteracts decline in ageing.
Recommendations include the expansion of social dance provision for older people in order to aid successful ageing and help older people enjoy longer and healthier lives.
Jonathan Skinner, Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the School of History and Anthropology at Queen’s, studied the effects of social dancing amongst older people in Northern Ireland, Blackpool and Sacramento, USA.
Dr Skinner said: "I have found that social dancing leads to a continued engagement with life - past, present, and future - and holds the promise for successful ageing. It contributes to the longevity of the dancers, giving them something to enjoy and focus upon - to live for. It alleviates social isolation and quite literally helps take away the aches and pains associated with older age.
“In addition to this, and especially in Northern Ireland, dancing brings people together across communities, creating solidarity, tolerance and understanding."
Sarah, a 70-year-old from Bangor and a regular ice-dancer, took part in the study. Sarah said: "My daughters brought me down to the ice rink. I have to say, after years of dancing on a Ballroom floor, I was very impressed and skating has great flow and speed. I’ve been doing it for twelve years now. We do the rumba, quickstep, foxtrot and tango. My instructor even wanted me to compete. My friends have commented that my energy is overwhelming, ‘what’s the secret?’ they ask, and I just say ‘keep dancing’.”
Dr Una Lynch, CAP Research Manager at Queen’s said: "Dr Skinner's study is the seventh piece of CAP research to be completed and we are delighted to be involved in a study that challenges stereotypical images of ageing and highlights the fact that healthy ageing can be fun."
The researcher, Jonathan Skinner, will present further findings and recommendations of the research at a research launch at the Institute of Governance at Queen’s University Belfast on Wednesday 1 April.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401103127.htm