News
Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables may reduce stroke risk
9 May 2012
A new US review claims that a higher intake of fruit and vegetables (three to five servings per day) has been found to exert a protective effect against stroke.
01 April 2014
A new study from the UK suggests higher blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid seem to be associated with less bedtime resistance and total sleep disturbance in children.
The randomized controlled trial measured blood concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 long-chain poly- unsaturated fatty acids of 362 healthy seven to nine year old school children who received a daily 600 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or placebo for four months and whose parents were asked to rate their child’s sleep habits over a typical week (1). The study results showed that the supplementation with DHA resulted in higher blood levels of DHA, which were significantly associated with better sleep, including less bedtime resistance, parasomnias (sleep disorders that range from night terrors to sleep paralysis to bedwetting) and total sleep disturbance. Children with increased intakes of DHA had nearly one hour more sleep and seven fewer waking episodes per night compared with the children taking the placebo. Higher ratios of DHA in relation to the long-chain omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) are also associated with fewer sleep problems. A total of 40% of the children had clinical-level sleep problems, such as resistance to bedtime, anxiety about sleep and constant waking in the course of the night.
The researchers commented that various substances made within the body from omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have long been known to play key roles in the regulation of sleep. For example, lower ratios of DHA – the main omega-3 fatty acid found in the brain – have been linked with lower levels of melatonin, a hormone that is part of the human sleep-wake cycle (2). Previous studies showed that blood levels of DHA in this ge- neral population of seven to nine year olds were alarmingly low overall, and this could be directly linked to children’s behavior and learning problems probably caused by poor sleep.
9 May 2012
A new US review claims that a higher intake of fruit and vegetables (three to five servings per day) has been found to exert a protective effect against stroke.
22 July 2013
A new US study suggests that higher blood omega-3 fatty acid concentrations may reduce the risk of hip fractures in postmenopausal women.
18 May 2015
Vitamin D has a key role in calcium metabolism in humans and therefore vital for healthy bone development and maintenance in humans. Very low serum calcium levels (less than 50nmol/L) are often found in populations who live in countries with limited sunlight, but a new study by Narchi et al. show that similar problems can also exist in sun-rich countries such as the United Arab Emirates.