News
Omega-3 and vitamin E mix shows potential for autistic speech
10 August 2009
A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E may lead to speech improvements in autistic children with verbal disorders.
08 September 2015
A new study from Singapore suggests that increased maternal folate concentrations during late pregnancy seem to be associated with longer gestational age and a lower risk of preterm birth.
The observational study measured the blood concentrations of folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 in 999 women in the 26th–28th weeks of gestation as well as birth weight and gestational age of their babies (1). The study results showed that higher plasma folate concentrations were associated with a longer gestational age and tended to be associated with lower risk of all preterm birth (delivery earlier than 37 weeks gestation) and spontaneous preterm birth. Little or no benefit was measured of higher vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 concentrations for reducing the risk of preterm birth.
The researchers commented that several recent cohort studies in Western countries also suggested that higher maternal folate concentrations (mainly measured during early pregnancy) were associated with longer gestational age or lower preterm birth risk (2, 3). A review of 3 clinical trials concluded that folic acid supplementation starting at mid- or late pregnancy through delivery had no effect on preterm birth risk (4). Nonetheless, the authors of the review commented that their findings were likely to have been influenced by bias and confounding due to methodological limitations of the original studies. There is an increased requirement for folate intake and folate-containing supplement use during pregnancy due to rapid maternal and fetal cellular growth and development. Folate plays critical roles in nucleotide (purine and thymidine) synthesis, which can subsequently affect DNA synthesis and mitotic cell division.
10 August 2009
A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E may lead to speech improvements in autistic children with verbal disorders.
1 May 2014
According to a new analysis of an earlier study, vitamin E may not increase the risk of prostate cancer among men with high selenium status but may elevate the risk in men with low levels. On the contrary, other studies have shown that increased intakes of vitamin E may prevent prostate cancer.
1 September 2013
Skin possesses the lifelong ability to renew itself, but as we age this process takes longer. Between the ages of 20 and 50 the rate of skin cell renewal gradually slows, and after the age of 50 it slows ever faster. The surface layer of the skin, the epidermis, becomes thinner and can store less water. In the dermis, or true skin, production of the collagen that supports and firms the skin declines. Menopause in women, during which the body reduces estrogen production, causes a further loss of firmness and elasticity. Environmental factors like UV radiation have a major impact, accelerating the decomposition of collagen and encouraging the formation of aggressive oxygen compounds that can damage skin cells from the membrane to the DNA. The subcutaneous layer of fat and loose connective tissue becomes thinner. At the same time, the supply of nutrients and energy to the skin deteriorates. It is therefore important to support the health of aging skin with a sufficient supply of micronutrients.