Seattle (June 27, 2008)- Using a high-output camera to film the back of
the human eye, for the first time researchers have shown that a
nutraceutical matrix can effectively remove cellular debris from the human
eye that accumulates with advancing age and correlated this with significant
improvement in visual acuity and night vision in an 80-year old man.
The accumulation of cellular debris in the retina is believed to be the
first sign of age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that robs
senior adults of their central vision used for reading or driving, for which
there is no cure.
Dr. Stuart Richer OD, PhD, Chief, Optometry Section at the Veterans
Medical Center in North Chicago, speaking at the 111th annual American
Academy of Optometry meeting in Seattle, says this may be the first time an
intervention has been shown to reverse aging changes in the retina.
The patient, an 80-year-old male, came to the eye clinic complaining of
loss of night vision. Commonly prescribed nutriceuticals, such as lutein,
vitamin E and fish oil were employed with no positive result.
After 5 months on the dietary supplement regimen, five measurable
parameters of vision improved to varying but significant degrees including
night (contrast) vision, visual acuity, color and side vision. Upon testing,
it was also found the patient's mental capacity had improved. The patient
said, "My night vision and thinking have gotten much better."
The underlying cause
A broad body of evidence exists to assert the claim that the human eye
and all other organs "rust and calcify" with advancing age. Dr.
Richer prescribed a nutraceutical matrix (Longevinex® -pronounced long-jev-in-ex)
designed to remove excess minerals by a process called chelation
(key-lay-shun), particularly calcium, iron and copper, that build up in
retinal tissues over time.
About lipofuscin
Dr. Richer explains that the retina of the eye begins to show signs of
retinal aging, usually beginning in the third decade of life, with the
progressive accumulation of lipofuscin, the medical term for cellular
"garbage" that pollutes cells as they age. Researchers believe
lipofuscin is not an innocent bystander – that it generates free radicals,
gene mutations and even cell death.
Molecular medicine
The use of natural iron-chelating polyphenolic molecules, such as
resveratrol, quercetin and rice bran employed in this case, has been
proposed as an intervention that addresses a wide range of age-related
diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cardiovascular and immune
compromised disease. These molecules work by their mineral chelating
(key-lay-ting) properties.
Older patients can't wait for a cure
Dr. Richer says this case may serve as an early example of the potential
for molecular medicine to make an impact in eye care. "While only one
case, these patients do not have time to wait for controlled long-term
studies and 'best available evidence' needs to be employed, given there are
no foreseeable side effects or undue cost."
While Dr. Richer says this is not a proven cure yet, he thinks modern
medicine may soon be able to prevent the onset of age-related retinal
disease decades before vision is lost.
Macular degeneration: the numbers
Macular degeneration of the human eye is prevalent among senior
Americans. About two-thirds of the 37 million senior adults in the U.S.
exhibit signs of the retinal disease and about 9% of these subjects (~2.5
million) will eventually lose some central vision. Patients with macular
degeneration do not go completely blind as they generally retain their side
vision. Only their central vision for reading and driving is impaired.
The future
If this paper foretells what is to come, at-risk adults may soon be able
to obtain a non-invasive retinal/lipofuscin assessment many decades prior to
the development of macular degeneration and even determine which therapies
may exert a preventive or reversing effect.
Furthermore, it becomes evident that by measuring lipofuscin deposits,
that not only the biological age of the human eye can be assessed apart from
its chronological (calendar) age, but that such measurement may serve to
help determine the biological age and the "speed of aging" of an
individual. Lipofuscin accumulates in all tissues of the body with advancing
age. System-wide age-reversing effects could also be estimated in this
non-invasive manner. With this discovery optometry offices may soon become
anti-aging centers.
This case presentation is scheduled to be published later in the year
(2008) in Optometry-Journal of the American Optometric Association. Dr.
Richer has no financial interest in the product. Resveratrol Partners LLC,
makers of patent-pending Longevinex®, provided the nutriceuticals for this
patient.
www.longevinex.com
Story #2:
BREAKING NEWS
June 4/2008:
Resveratrol:
Thousands of Bottles of Wine,
High-Dose Pills Not Required;
Mega-doses May Induce Side Effects
Dynamic Dosing Of
Resveratrol Recommended For Optimal Health
San Dimas, CA (June 4, 2008)- While an
earlier published rodent study showed that ultra-high doses of resveratrol
(1565 milligram human dose), equivalent to 1500 bottles of wine or many
dietary supplement capsules, successfully overcame the adverse effects of a
high-fat diet, the lowest dose that genetically mimics a calorie restricted
diet went undetermined, till now.
Now an authoritative gene array study,
conducted by researchers at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans
Hospital and Lifegen Technologies in Madison, Wisconsin, shows that a dose
of resveratrol (rez-vair-aw-trawl) ~343 milligrams per day (4.9 mg per
kilogram of body weight) produces a gene activation profile similar to a
calorie restricted diet. Supra-high doses (greater than 500 milligrams) are
not required and may produce side effects. [PLOS1, June 2008 available
online
http://www.plosone.org/home.action
]
Both calorie restriction and
resveratrol have been shown to prolong the life of all life forms, ranging
from single-cell organisms (yeast cells) to more complex forms of life
(fruit flies, roundworms) and warm-blooded mammals (laboratory rats).
Consumers never heard that a far lower
human equivalent dose than 1565 milligrams (~360 milligrams) was employed
with undisclosed success in a landmark rodent study published in 2006. The
lower-dose data were never published. [Resveratrol improves health and
survival of mice on a high-calorie diet. Nature 2006 Nov 16;
444: 337-42]
Drawbacks of supra-high doses
Once mega-doses of resveratrol (more
than 500 mg) began to be employed, side effects like anemia, Achilles heel
tendonitis, anxiety reactions, numbness in the fingers, began to be
reported,” says Bill Sardi, spokesperson for Longevinex® (long-jev-in-ex), a
leading brand resveratrol dietary supplement. “This is probably because
resveratrol is a copper chelator and excessive chelation will impair the
availability of copper which is needed for collagen formation and nerve
regeneration,” he says. “Resveratrol is relatively safe, but not
absolutely safe at any dosage. There are drawbacks,” he adds.
Some online suppliers of resveratrol
pills, who have no medical training, irresponsibly recommend up to 7000
milligrams of resveratrol a day. There is also evidence that supra-high
dose resveratrol inhibits the absorption of folic acid (vitamin B9), an
essential nutrient needed for DNA repair. [European Journal Nutrition 46:
329-36, 2007] High doses have not been tested in humans for long-term use.
Advertising claims by resveratrol supplement makers that their pills exert
greater stimulation of the Sirtuin 1 DNA-repair gene should also be regarded
with caution since an animal study shows over-stimulation (greater than 7.5
fold) of this gene induces heart failure in animals. [Circulation
Research 2007; 100: 1512-21]
Not just resveratrol
The health and longevity benefits of
red wine are not easily explained by the low dose of resveratrol provided in
a glass of wine, but are more easily explained by the total milligrams of
polyphenolic molecules (resveratrol, quercetin, catechin, kaempferol,
ferulic acid), about 60 milligrams per glass of aged red wine, says Sardi.
The healthy range for red wine drinking is 3 to 5 glasses, or about 180 to
300 milligrams of polyphenols. Dietary supplements should provide about the
same dosage range. Mega-doses are not required and may be problematic.
Red wine is a fermented concentrate of
grape skin which provides an array of beneficial molecules which magnify its
effect, says Sardi. A resveratrol-based nutraceutical matrix that closely
mimics the effect of red wine without the alcohol, calories and
preservatives is what Longevinex® is.
Factors that determine safe dosage
Age, gender, diet and iron stores
determine the resveratrol dosage required for optimal health. Red wine
resveratrol pills are not appropriate for growing children or menstruating
females, who have higher demand for minerals. However, Sardi explains that
some consumers may benefit from a higher loading dose and a lower long-term
maintenance dose.
Consumers need to recognize the health
benefits of resveratrol and related molecules emanate from their mineral
chelating (removal) properties, which then influence the genome, says
Sardi. [BMC Genomics 8: 379, 2007; Biochmica Biophysica Acta 1619: 113-24,
2003] Middle-aged males and postmenopausal females have accumulated stores
of excess iron and calcium which can be removed by natural mineral chelators,
like those provided in Longevinex®.
“A middle-aged male will typically
have a higher load of stored iron and calcium and may benefit from a higher
loading dose of mineral chelators, to speed along their removal, followed by
a lower dose for long-term maintenance,” says Sardi. He also suggests a
relatively low iron and calcium diet to accompany a dietary supplement
regimen intended to produce longevity. Humans live longer in countries
where calcium and iron intake are low, such as Japan, he says.
When does aging begin?
Sardi explains a theory of why
molecules like resveratrol slow the aging process. He says human aging
begins only after full childhood growth is achieved. Until then, there are
no observable aging changes in living cells. But once childhood growth
ceases, iron, copper and calcium, which were directed towards building new
bone and red blood cells, now begin to slowly accumulate, progressively
“rusting and calcifying” cells and tissues.
Sardi says males universally age
faster and have shorter life spans because they do not have inborn
mechanisms to control the accumulation of iron and calcium as do
menstruating females. By age 40 a male will have twice the iron and calcium
load as an equally-aged female and experience double the rate of diabetes,
cancer and heart disease.
Longevinex® uniquely provides a unique
matrix of nutraceuticals which both directly and indirectly control iron and
calcium utilization in the human body.
Longevinex’
applied-for-patent (file # United States Patent Office 20050158376,
filed Oct. 25, 2004) describes a nutraceutical
matrix designed to enhance the absorption, bioavailability, and molecular
stability of resveratrol in a manner similar to a proprietary resveratrol
drug now undergoing human clinical investigation.
=end=
Professor John Pezzuto ,
(right) (University of Illinois), reported resveratrol inhibited the onset
and progression of cancer in mice like no other molecule. Comparing resveratrol to 19,0000 other substances, 
