15 February 2012
Insufficient dietary folate intake may be causally related to depressive symptoms in younger women, a new Japanese study suggests.
In the observational study, depressive symptoms and folate intakes were investigated in 141 women aged 18 to 28 years (1). Folate intake was calculated based on a diet questionnaire and the measurement of blood folate and homocysteine concentrations. The study results showed that the proportion of women with lower folate intake (less than 240 micrograms per day) was significantly higher in the women with depressive symptoms. Folate intakes of more than the recommended dietary allowance ( RDA) level of 240 micrograms per day were independently related to a decreased risk of depression.
The researchers concluded that this finding suggests that dietary folate intake may be causally related to depressive symptoms in women of reproductive age. If studies focused on investigating these causal relationships also turned out to have similar results, folate supplementation could reduce the incidence of depression.
19 March 2014
According to a new study increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may improve attention, processing speed, executive function and hand-to-eye coordination in malnourished children.
21 October 2015
Only a few studies have been carried out to assess the effect of blood serum levels of antioxidant vitamins and the risk of cervical cancer. The findings from these studies were inconsistent. However, a new study conducted with 1,200 participants from the city of Harbin, in Northern China, has yielded promising results, indicating that alpha carotene, beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C could be beneficial in reducing the risk of cervical cancer in Chinese women. The effect was particularly noticeable in women who suffered from the effects of passive smoking.
9 September 2015
A retrospective study of data generated from a large American cohort has demonstrated that the beneficial consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids only becomes apparent in the absence of statin therapy.
