24 May 2015
A new study in vitamin E deprived rats appears to have revealed the mechanism behind the beneficial effects of vitamin E on muscle health. Vitamin E deficiency is known to cause serious muscle weakness in humans, but until now the reasons were unknown. Labazi et al. found the anti-oxidant activity of vitamin E and probably Glutathione 4 peroxidase (Gpx4) are an essential component of the membrane repair mechanism in skeletal muscle.
In previous cell culture experiments, Labazi et al. had shown oxidants inhibit the repair of muscle cells, but that vitamin E, a potent anti-oxidant, promoted membrane repair. In the current study, Labazi et al. found that specially bred rats with severe vitamin E deficiency suffered catastrophic damage to their skeletal muscle, but the effects could be reversed with vitamin E supplementation.
They also found that absence of another anti-oxidant, glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) had similar effects – and again vitamin E supplementation was necessary to restore homeostasis. The study provides a convincing explanation why vitamin E is essential to muscle health and identifies its key role as in the plasma membrane repair mechanism.
10 September 2015
A new study has shown that, after a four-week daily high dose intervention, fish oils, fish oil ethyl esters and krill oil have almost the same bioavailability in red blood cells and plasma when levels of EPA and DHA are matched. There was no evidence that the high phospholipid content or antioxidant content of krill oil improved the bioavailability of EPA and DHA.
14 April 2014
According to a new UK study, eating seven or more portions of vitamin- and carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetables a day reduces the mortality risk at any point in time by 42% compared to eating less than one portion.
6 March 2013
A new US study suggests that diets high in beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of developing colorectal adenomas.
