News
B vitamins may help reduce the risk of PMS
7 March 2011
A new US study suggests that higher dietary intakes of the vitamins B1 and B2 may reduce the incidence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by about 35 percent.
16 July 2014
A new US study reports that low concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in the central nervous system seem to be linked to reduced cognitive ability especially in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
The observational study measured the lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in the retina (macular pigment optical density) – correlating with the concentrations of the carotenoids in the brain – and cognitive functions of 24 patients with mild cognitive impairment and 24 healthy participants, aged between 65 and 83 years (1). The study results showed that the patients with the lowest lutein and zeaxanthin levels had the most signi- ficant cognitive impairment (including reduced language ability and attention) while corresponding healthy participants showed less effected functions (reduced visual-spatial and constructional abilities).
The researchers commented that it is possible that the lutein and zeaxanthin status may be more strongly related to cognition when individuals are considered with established onset of cognitive decline. Thus, in- creased intakes of the carotenoids potentially should be part of a lifestyle intervention to both improve cent- ral neural function and reduce the probability of progression through the various stages of dementia. This conclusion, however, needs to be verified by a randomized controlled trial.
A growing body of empirical data suggests that lutein and zeaxanthin are directly related to many of the symptoms displayed by patients with mild cognitive impairment (2). Evidence indicates that these pigments also treat many aspects of the underlying pathology such as inflammation, oxidative stress and vascular damage, supporting their role in cognitive function and the possible delay of degenerative brain disease (3).
7 March 2011
A new US study suggests that higher dietary intakes of the vitamins B1 and B2 may reduce the incidence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by about 35 percent.
22 January 2014
A new international study reports that a moderate fish intake during pregnancy seems to be associated with a lower risk of preterm birth and a small increase in birth weight.
1 May 2011
What are scientists, physicians and the general public to make of the many null findings from randomized controlled trials of vitamin supplements?