30 January 2012
New US research shows that docosahexaenoic acid is essential to build a vital sperm-cell structure.
In the study, mice that lack a gene essential to synthesize docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) showed to be infertile due to low sperm count and motility (1). When DHA was introduced into the mice’s diet, fertility was completely restored. The researchers showed that DHA is necessary for the building blocks of the sperm’s ‘acrosome’ to fuse. The acrosome is an arc-like structure that develops over half of the sperm cell’s head that houses and organizes a variety of enzymes which sperm use to penetrate an egg.
The scientists commented that in addition to create healthy sperm, DHA further has numerous health functions. Because DHA is abundant in specific tissues, including the brain and the retina, as well as the testes, the study results could also impact research relating to brain function and vision. DHA deficiencies could play a role, for example, in the development of dementia.
11 November 2010
A new review has come to the conclusion that a sufficient intake of lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids is indispensible for the maintenance of eye health.
15 September 2012
In 1912, the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk introduced the term ‘vitamine’ for dietary factors that could prevent diseases such as beri-beri, pellagra or scurvy. Although much time has passed since the heyday of vitamin discovery and many more studies have addressed vitamin functions in human and animal nutrition, there are still uncertainties as to what quantities of vitamins should be consumed by an individual to pro-mote optimal health.
8 September 2015
According to a new study from the Netherlands, increased intakes of folic acid and vitamin B12 do not prevent cognitive decline in elderly people. Experts criticized that the participants already had a sufficient folic acid status at the beginning of the study.
