News
Coenzyme Q10 may benefit heart health of patients with heart failure
14 December 2012
According to a new data analysis from the US, increased intakes of coenzyme Q10 may improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure.
25 March 2013
According to a new US study, an insufficient iron status of the body can impair cognitive functions, such as planning ability, in college women.
In the observational study, 42 healthy, non-anemic undergraduate women at auniversity provided a blood sample for measuring iron status (serum ferritin concentration) and completed a standardized cognitive test consisting of one manual task (a measure of central executive function) and five computerized tasks (a test of mental rotation, simple reaction time, immediate word recall and two-finger tapping) (1). Women’s body iron status ranged from 4.2 to 8.1 mg/kg. The study results showed that participants with higher iron levels showed a better performance on central executive function (higher planning speed) while the computerized cognitive tasks was not affected by body iron level.
The researchers commented that these findings contribute new information on the degree of iron deficiency associated with negative neuropsychological effects in non- anemic women of reproductive age. College women experience iron depletion at a higher rate than the general population of pre-menopausal women; therefore, it is important to investigate the impact of low iron status on cognitive function in this subgroup in whom optimal cognition is critical to academic success. Evidence of the relationship between iron status and neuropsychological function in young women is beginning to accumulate (2, 3). However, studies to date in women have found significant relationships only when iron-deficiency anemia was present.
Iron deficiency affects individuals of all ages and socio-economic classes but to a larger extent infants, children and women of reproductive age. The WHO estimates that anemia, the most severe form of iron deficiency, affects 30% of women of reproductive age. Iron-deficiency anemia has been observed in 16–18% of female university undergraduate students (4, 5). This population is of particular concern considering the cognitive demands of higher education. Iron deficiency manifests as alterations in cognitive function, behavior and mood (6).
14 December 2012
According to a new data analysis from the US, increased intakes of coenzyme Q10 may improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure.
23 July 2015
Pre-eclampsia is a fairly common condition in pregnant women (affecting around three million women globally per year) resulting in highly elevated blood pressure, which threatens the lives of both the mother and the unborn child. High-dose vitamin D supplementation has been shown to be effective in preventing the onset of the condition as well as ameliorating the symptoms in patients who have already presented with the condition. A new paper provides a plausible metabolic mechanism for the beneficial effect of vitamin D.
27 March 2012
According to a new literature review, supplements containing antioxidants have no significant effect in reducing mortality of healthy individuals and patients.