31 July 2013
According to new research from the Netherlands vitamin D deficiency may increase the likelihood of having trouble performing daily activities for people who are 55 and older.
The observational study analyzed blood vitamin D concentrations of 725 participants with a mean age of 60 years as well as 1,237 participants with a mean age of 75 (1). Over a 6-year period, limitations in performing basic activities of daily living were documented (such as walking up and down stairs without resting, dressing and undressing, sitting and standing from chair, walking outside for 5 minutes without a break, and using personal or public transportation). The study results showed that the average vitamin D status was 21 ng/ml, with deficiency (below 20 ng/ml) seen in about 50% of older individuals. The average level was 23 ng/ml in the younger group with 41% deficient. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk of develo-ping at least one functional limitation.
The researchers commented that the known presence of vitamin D receptors on muscle cells and the positive effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle function indicate that there is a potential positive effect of vitamin D on functional performance. With increasing age, factors additional to vitamin D status would be most likely effecting activity decline. Past studies reported that sufficient vitamin D levels may be associated with increased muscle mass, strength and physical performance.
30 March 2016
Increasing evidence demonstrates that risk factors for chronic diseases are established during childhood and adolescence, but the relationship between the development of diseases and adolescent development is poorly understood. Adolescence is a crucial period in life and involves multiple physiological and psychological changes that affect nutritional needs and habits.
21 November 2018
A landmark Cochrane Review was recently published showing the correlation between long-chain omega-3 (DHA and EPA) intake during pregnancy and the baby’s length of gestation. As a “gold standard” of scientific evidence analysis, the authors of the Cochrane Review suggest 500 mg – 1,000 mg of long-chain omega-3s, which includes a minimum of 500 mg of DHA may lower the risk of premature birth, including early preterm birth (ePTB less than 34 weeks of gestation).
14 December 2015
The results of the recent, comprehensive Age-Related Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) failed to support the prevailing view that marine omega-3 fatty acids could have a protective role in preventing the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Professor Eric Souied, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at both the Hôpital Intercommunal de Créteil and the Hôpital Henri Mondor in France, has carefully reviewed the study and found that the null results could be due to methodological differences between this and other recent studies. He thinks that the evidence from laboratory and other clinical studies still provides hope that omega-3 fatty acids could provide benefits in relation to ARMD.
