News
An adequate magnesium intake may reduce diabetes risk
6 November 2013
A new study from China reports that meeting the recommended intakes of magnesium may significantly decrease the chance of developing type 2 diabetes in risk groups.
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.
6 November 2013
A new study from China reports that meeting the recommended intakes of magnesium may significantly decrease the chance of developing type 2 diabetes in risk groups.
1 February 2011
The human brain monitors and regulates the body’s actions and reactions. It continuously receives sensory information, rapidly analyzes this data and then responds, controlling bodily actions and functions. While one part of the brain controls processes that are independent of conscious brain functions (e.g., breathing and heart rate), others are responsible for the coordination of movement or complex thinking processes such as learning and memory.
1 November 2012
For almost a century, the biological role of vitamin E has been a scientific puzzle. Since its discovery, vitamin E has been extensively researched by many scientists in an attempt to fully understand its role in a variety of diseases. The vast majority of published work has focused on vitamin E’s antioxidant properties, which is why it is well known as antioxidant that protects membranes from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Recent research has shown that vitamin E’s capacity to incorporate into plasma membrane and its ability to act there as antioxidant appears to be essential for the vitamin’s role in pro-moting membrane repair - the first evidence of one of vitamin E’s normal body functions.