News
Vitamin B12 may prevent memory loss
3 October 2011
Vitamin B12 deficiency may be strongly associated with poor cognitive performance in the elderly, a new US study suggests.
01 February 2010
Increased intakes of beta-carotene, vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin E and iron may reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis, suggests a new study.
In the study, the diets of 180 five-year-olds with atopic dermatitis (AD), a form of eczema, and 242 five-year olds without AD were assessed and blood samples were taken after a period of fasting to determine levels of fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin A (retinol), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), beta-carotene, and vitamin C (1).
Results showed that the risk of AD was 56 percent lower in children with the highest average intakes of beta-carotene, compared to the lowest. Moreover, dietary vitamin E, vitamin B9 (folic acid), and iron were associated with 67, 63, and 61 percent reductions in AD risk. The dietary intake data was also matched by data from the blood samples, with the highest average levels of alpha-tocopherol associated with a 36 percent lower risk of AD, while retinol was associated with a 26 percent lower risk.
The researchers commented that these findings suggest a higher antioxidant nutritional status to reduce the risk of AD. Antioxidant nutrients have been proposed to counteract oxidative stress and inhibit the inflammatory response and are known to be possibly associated with the ability of the individual to restrain the inflammatory response and allergic diseases. Consequently, antioxidant micronutrients could neutralize reactive oxygen species from environmental pollution and the sun that may promote oxidative damage to proteins in the outermost layer of the skin, which would exacerbate AD.
Atopic dermatitis (AD), characterized by areas of severe itching, redness and scaling, is one of the first signs of allergy during the early days of life and is said to be due to delayed development of the immune system. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists it affects between 10 to 20 percent of all infants, but almost half of these kids will 'grow out' of eczema between the ages of five and 15.
3 October 2011
Vitamin B12 deficiency may be strongly associated with poor cognitive performance in the elderly, a new US study suggests.
15 December 2012
Recently published systematic reviews and meta-analyses reported that eating at least two servings of fatty fish a week was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events while fish oil supplements did not show the same effect.
4 June 2014
A new study from Italy reports that a supplementation with vitamin D may increase the ejection fraction of the heart in patients with severe heart failure and insufficient vitamin D levels.