expert opinion
Perspectives in nutrition and brain aging
Epidemiological studies and basic research suggest a protective effect of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and B vitamins against brain aging.
Epidemiological studies and basic research suggest a protective effect of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and B vitamins against brain aging.
Long chain omega-3 fatty acids play important roles in growth, development, optimal functioning, and maintenance of health and well-being right across the life course.
Antioxidant research has progressed over the past decades from the initial enormous potential of antioxidants envisioned by researchers when the free radical theory of aging was proposed, through to the current reality of positive, negative, and inconsistent results from clinical trials investigating antioxidant interventions in numerous health conditions.
Menopause, a form of reproductive aging, is defined as the permanent cessation of ovarian follicular activity and eventually, the menstrual cycle.
Depending on the location of the tumor and the sex of the patient, up to 90% of cancer sufferers take dietary supplements containing antioxidant and immune-stabilizing micronutrients.
Fruit and vegetables make an important contribution to health, partly due to the phytonutrient composition, such as carotenoids and polyphenols.
Extensive research suggests that dietary lutein may be of benefit in maintaining ocular and cognitive health. Among the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, are the only two that cross the blood-retina barrier to form macular pigment in the eye.
While human milk is the preferred source of most nutrients for infants during the first year, there has been concern about the adequacy of human milk in providing vitamin D.
Maternal nutritional status, diet and exposure to environmental factors are increasingly acknowledged as potential factors affecting fetal growth, both by altering nutrient availability to the fetus and by modulating placental gene expression, thus modifying placental function.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential component of the human diet that contributes to the protection of cell constituents from oxidative damage, normal collagen formation and the normal function of bones, skin, blood vessels, the nervous and the immune system.