News
New breath test to detect vitamin B12 deficiency
28 June 2011
US research team has developed a simple, non-invasive, low-cost breath test which can more accurately measure vitamin B12 status.
28 July 2014
A new study from Italy reports that a daily supplementation with magnesium may prevent or delay the age-related decline in physical performance of healthy elderly women.
In the randomized controlled trial, the physical performance of 124 healthy women (mean age 71.5 years) who attended a mild fitness program was measured before and after a 12-week-treatment with a daily
300 mg magnesium oxide or placebo (1). The study results showed that participants who received magnesium had a significantly better (twice as high) physical fitness (e.g., chair stand times and 4-m walking speeds) than the placebo group. The effects of magnesium supplementation were more evident in participants with a dietary magnesium intake below the recommended daily amounts at the beginning of the study. Magnesium supplementation did not improve the strength of the lower limbs and the handgrip.
The researchers commented that studies on the efficacy of magnesium supplementation in young people have generated contrasting results. The reason for these different findings may be differences in the participants’ magnesium supply status and the fact that many studies did not assess magnesium status before providing supplementation. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to magnesium deficiency for several reasons, including an inadequate dietary intake, a less efficient magnesium absorption, and greater losses in stools and urine (2). A large cross-sectional study on older people showed a strong association between serum magnesium and several muscle performance tests (3). Magnesium plays a fundamental role in muscle function and is essential to energy metabolism, transmembrane transport, and muscle relaxation and contraction. The scientists said that further research is needed to understand the influence of magnesium supplementation on physical performance in elderly people with different magnesium concentrations.
28 June 2011
US research team has developed a simple, non-invasive, low-cost breath test which can more accurately measure vitamin B12 status.
12 October 2011
Unlike other studies, a new US trial claims that daily supplementation with high doses of vitamin E over years may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.
19 January 2015
According to a new US study, an adequate supply of B vitamins in women seems to increase their chances of becoming and staying pregnant even when they have high blood concentrations of a common pesticide.