News
UK experts urge vitamin D supplementation for all children
30 October 2013
A new report from the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer makes a case for providing vitamin D to all children under the age of five.
05 September 2012
According to a new Canadian review, supplementation with high-dose antioxidant vitamins and trace elements may reduce mortality risk of patients with greater severity of illness, particularly those at high risk of death.
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 21 randomized controlled trials evaluating the potential effects of antioxidant vitamin and trace element therapy on the overall mortality risk of critically ill adult patients (1). The analysis showed that high-dose antioxidant supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in mortality. In addition, the data showed a trend towards a reduction in infectious complications and a significant decrease of the duration of mechanical ventilation in the patients.
The researchers concluded that antioxidant supplementation in the critically ill may be able to significantly reduce overall mortality. As critical illness is characterized by oxidative stress with antioxidant depletion, supplementation of antioxidant micronutrients, such as vitamins C and E and selenium, could restore antioxidant status, thus improving survival rate. The treatment’s effects may be greatest in patients with greater severity of illness and may depend on the type of intervention and/or the method of antioxidant administration. In the last two decades, several clinical trials have evaluated the role of antioxidant micronutrients as a monotherapy or as part of an antioxidant strategy for critically ill patients in combined therapy. According to the scientists, further researchers are warranted to define the optimal combination, optimal dose and timing of supplementing antioxidant micronutrients.
30 October 2013
A new report from the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer makes a case for providing vitamin D to all children under the age of five.
15 June 2018
This Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness month, think about how to nourish your brain by choosing a healthy lifestyle and diet.
14 December 2015
The results of the recent, comprehensive Age-Related Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) failed to support the prevailing view that marine omega-3 fatty acids could have a protective role in preventing the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Professor Eric Souied, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at both the Hôpital Intercommunal de Créteil and the Hôpital Henri Mondor in France, has carefully reviewed the study and found that the null results could be due to methodological differences between this and other recent studies. He thinks that the evidence from laboratory and other clinical studies still provides hope that omega-3 fatty acids could provide benefits in relation to ARMD.