News
Adequate vitamin D levels may support heart health
17 November 2011
According to new studies, a sufficient blood vitamin D concentration may decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.
03 April 2013
According to a new German study regular supplementation with a combination of omega-3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin increases the optical density of the macular pigment, potentially preventing the progression of age-related macular degeneration in patients.
The randomized controlled trial included 145 individuals aged 50 to 93, all with dry (nonexudative) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), who received either a daily capsule containing 10 mg of lutein, 1 mg of zeaxanthin, 100 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 30 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a capsule containing twice the dose of these micronutrients or a placebo for 12 months (1). The study results showed that in the supplemented participants, the plasma concentrations of the two carotenoids increased significant-ly and these levels were maintained throughout the trial. In addition, optical density of the macular pigment increased significantly in the treated groups, but was nearly unchanged in the placebo group. The pigment's density was slightly (non-significantly) higher in participants who received double the dose of micronutrients compared to those who received a single dose.
The researchers commented that the clinical importance of these findings is unknown, since they do not prove that supplementation prevents progression and/or development of AMD. The second Age-Related Eye Diseases Study (AREDS2), a large, randomized controlled trial that is expected to report results this spring, used the same micronutrients but at different doses and in different combinations (10 mg lutein, 2 mg zeaxanthin, 650 mg EPA, and 350 mg DHA). The average follow-up in approximately 4000 participants was nearly five years, giving AREDS2 the statistical power to detect whether progression to advanced AMD was prevented.
17 November 2011
According to new studies, a sufficient blood vitamin D concentration may decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.
14 November 2013
A new US review concluded that there is only limited evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation can prevent the development of cancer or cardiovascular disease in healthy people without known nutritional deficiencies. The researchers acknowledge, however, that the data analysis has weaknesses.
15 August 2012
Vitamin D deficiency is common among patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and is associated with more severe illness, two recent studies from the US and Canada have revealed.