News
Many pregnant women do not meet iodine intake requirements
10 May 2013
According to a new data analysis, the majority of pregnant women in the US may have an inadequate iodine status and insufficient intakes from dietary supplements.
19 December 2016
A new, small Japanese study (n=20) has demonstrated that a six-month supplementation of 20 mg lutein, 1 mg zeaxanthin and 200 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dramatically increased blood serum levels of both carotenoids, resulting in higher levels of the protective pigments in the fovea of the eye as measured by macular pigment optical density (MPOD).
The xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin are potent antioxidants that are found in the macular pigment of the human eye. This macular pigment is particularly concentrated in the fovea, the central area of the retina where it can protect the retinal pigment epithelium from the effects of photooxidative stress and blue light (2). The fovea is close to the optic nerve and is important for central vision and visual acuity.
In the new study (1), 20 patients in Japan aged 56 years or more (average age 66 years) were selected as they had wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in one eye but the other was healthy. ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in older people. Wet ARMD derives its name from the tiny, abnormal vessels that grow behind the retina toward the macula that seep fluid into the tissue leading to the onset of blindness. It gradually destroys the macula, the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for seeing objects clearly.
There is some evidence that lutein, zeaxanthin and DHA may prevent the progression of ARMD (3). Lutein and zeaxanthin can be obtained from the diet by consuming dark green, leafy, vegetables and egg yolks, while DHA, a marine-derived omega-3 fatty acid, can be obtained from oily fish. Alternatively, a variety of proprietary supplements contain all three. In the new study, the MPOD was determined by quantification of the fundus autofluorescence (FAF) using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope.
The blood serum levels of lutein and zeaxanthin were determined at the start of the trial and again after three and six months. The intervention dramatically increased blood serum levels of both carotenoids, which in turn resulted in higher levels of the protective pigments in the fovea of the eye as measured by MPOD. The strongest association occurred when considering the pigment levels at the periphery of the fovea. This could be advantageous because normally the concentration of the xanthophylls reduces significantly at the edges of the macula in ARMD patients (4).
10 May 2013
According to a new data analysis, the majority of pregnant women in the US may have an inadequate iodine status and insufficient intakes from dietary supplements.
23 July 2013
A new study from Denmark suggests that high doses of resveratrol supplements may counteract cardiovascular benefits of exercise in older men.
1 March 2012
The use of medication worldwide is growing continually, not least because of the rising age of the population. Today there are many people who take more than three different kinds of medication daily (1,2). In highly developed countries, it is particularly common for patients to be prescribed medication long-term, most frequently for the treatment of widespread chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. It is also a common practice in those regions to take over-the-counter medicines, including painkillers and medication for stomach ulcers (3,4). When several kinds of medication are taken concomitantly, the risks and side effects increase. In contrast to other adverse drug reactions, the inter-action between medications and micronutrients is only gradually gaining the attention of experts and the wider public. A number of medicines influence the metabolism of vitamins, minerals and trace elements in such a way that they could lead to insufficiencies or even deficiency symptoms in patients (5,6).