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Over the years conflicting advice has been given concerning whether people should expose themselves to sunshine, with some advocating staying out of the sun completely, to others saying that using sun block causes cancer so they do not use it. However recently Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy has found evidence that increased risk of melanoma cancer from the sun is outweighed by the reduced risk of internal cancers as a result of increased vitamin D production.

This was identified by comparing incidence and survival rates of some cancers by latitude. For example, people residing in Australia close to the equator produced 3.4 times more vitamin D due to sun exposure than people living in the UK and even more than that with the people in Scandinavia. The author of this study advocates using a sun block which only filters out UVA, however UVA can cause sunburn and skin aging, so this does not sound like the optimal solution. Instead it may be best to supplement with vitamin D and use sunscreen or reduce exposure to the sun. When shopping for a sunscreen it is important to note that SPF (sun protection factor) is a measurement of a products ability to stop someone from getting a sunburn, not its ability to stop cancer, so even with even with a high SPF cream on there will be an increased risk of getting cancer.

I found this useful piece of information via futurepundit

As a final point I would like to mention that life is not just about living the longest you possibly can, it is about living the longest you possibly can with the best quality of life, even with sun exposure you are unlikely to die of skin cancer.

Tags: Cancer by Matias
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Another potential method to live a longer and healthier life is to get a dog. However if you are not a dog owner and acquire one merely to live longer this may not be a sensible strategy as the time spent taking care of the dog will probably be more than the extra years gained.

The British Journal of Health Psychology reviewed many papers to find out the benefits to owning a pet dog. In the report Dr. Deborah Wells, from Queen’s University in Belfast stated that owners of dogs tended to have lower cholesterol and blood pressure. To add weight to her claim, a study of over 5000 people conducted at the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne found that pet owners had significantly lower systolic blood pressure and cholesterol than non-owners.

Dr. Well postulates here of the reasons for dogs promoting well-being:

“It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress,” said Dr Wells, “The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contact, which may enhance both physiological and psychological human health in a more indirect manner.”

Dr. Wells found that pet owners tended to be healthier in general, but that dogs appeared to have a better influence on well being than cats. Reinforcing this point in the report was the point that people who took cats and dogs from animal shelters noticed a decrease in minor health complaints, but only dog owners kept these improvements after 10 months.

In a study appearing in Public Health Reports in the USA, in1980’s, demonstrated that survival rates of heart attack victims who had a pet where 28 percent higher, that patients who had no pet. Alan Beck, at Purdue University postulated that the contact with pets triggered a relaxation response in the owner and would reduce stress levels. For dogs specifically the extra exercise gained while taking the pet for walks could also account for the difference.

To counter balance this optimism, it needs to be stated that pet owners, and non pet owners tend to be two very distinct groups of people, and as such it could be another trait which pet owners share which could be causing this effect, for example pet owners may eat more healthy foods than non-pet owners.

Tags: Aging, Life expectancy by Matias
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A new study has been published which documents an impressive improvement in Alzheimer’s disease by administering the drug Etanercept (trade name Enbrel). This follows from another study conducted in 2006 mentioned below.

The study identifies the importance of cytokines in the Alzheimer’s disease. One of these cytokines called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) is implicated. It is a critical component on the brains immune system. Its standard role is to regulate the transmission of impulse in the brain. However in Alzheimer’s patients there are elevated levels of TNF, and this interferes with the regulation. The authors of the paper postulated that reducing the level of TNF would reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s patients. So they gave patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic drug called Etanercept.

The effects on the Alzheimer’s patient documented were dramatic and unprecedented; with improvements within minutes, following the injection of Etanercept to the spine. Previous to the dosage of the drug the patient could not perform simple mental addition, or recall more than 2 animals. 10 minutes after the dose of the drug, the patient was noticeably calmer, less frustrated and attentive. He knew the day of the week and month and that he was living California, he could name five animals, and his performance improved on arithmetic tests.

While the study discusses one patient, previous studies have indicated improvements also. A study done in 2006, called TNF-alpha Modulation for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A 6-Month Pilot Study showed significant improvement with treatment as measured by primary efficacy variables through the 6 months of the treatment.

However Etanercept may reduce the response of the immune system. The most common side effects of this drug are mild to moderate itching, swelling, pain and redness at the injection side. Also headache, dizziness , nasal and throat irritation may also occur. Look at the main site for Etanercept (Enbrel) for the full list.

Also one open question is what is causing the elevated levels of TNF? TNF may not be the root cause of the problem and if so the effect on the patient may only be temporary.

As Etanercept is already approved as a drug for rheumatoid arthritis it has passed through the regulatory hurdles which make the time to general availability so long. This means that this therapy could potentially be available in the very near future. Also the fact that this drug is still under patent would give Amgen and Wyetha a huge incentive to fund studies which would speed the progress of this to be an acceptable treatment for Alzheimer’s.

Tags: Alzheimer's by Matias
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