News
Adequate vitamin D levels may reduce frailty risk
17 December 2010
Maintaining defined vitamin D blood levels can reduce the incidence of frailty in older women, suggests a new US study.
07 November 2014
Researchers in Canada have developed a novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency with a single drop of blood.
94 healthy young women were tested for vitamin B12 deficiency based on a single drop of blood collected from a finger prick, which was blotted and dried overnight on a card consisting of filter paper (1). The new dried blood spot card analysis, measuring the amount of methylmalonic acid (MMA), an indicator of a person’s vitamin B12 level, showed to be very sensitive. The method could also have a significant clinical application. The test is sensitive enough to measure the vitamin B12 status of anyone, including newborn babies and large swaths of the general population. It has the potential to be added to newborn screening programs. Vitamin B12 deficiency, if not detected and treated early, can cause delayed brain development, slow learning and digestion problems in babies.
The researchers commented that this minimally invasive approach helps to measure deficiency in an easier and more convenient way, especially in large samples of people. The method simplifies blood sample collection for researchers in rural or remote areas where sophisticated lab equipment is unavailable. Found in meat and dairy products, vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient and is vital for a healthy nervous system. In developing countries, deficiency is as high as 50 or 80% of the population. Treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency includes injections, dietary supplements or dietary change.
17 December 2010
Maintaining defined vitamin D blood levels can reduce the incidence of frailty in older women, suggests a new US study.
1 September 2015
A new pilot study treated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with high doses of the water-soluble vitamin biotin. Improvements were noted in vision and degree of paralysis. The results were encouraging enough to initiate new randomised controlled trials.
2 August 2010
Regularly taking calcium supplements might increase the risk of cardiovascular events, a study from New Zealand suggests.