25 August 2011
A daily dose of niacin may help men with high cholesterol and erectile dysfunction, a new Chinese study suggests.
In the randomized controlled trial, 160 men with high cholesterol and moderate to severe erectile dysfunction (ED) were randomly assigned to receive up to 1,500 mg oral niacin daily or placebo for 12 weeks (1). The study results showed that the men who took niacin reported an improvement in their ability to maintain an erection. In addition, their lipid levels improved. The placebo group did not have a change in symptoms.
The researchers commented that the study only included men who had high lipid levels as well as ED, so it would be not clear whether niacin has an effect in patients who have only ED. In patients with atheroscle-rosis, which is the accumulation of fats along blood vessel walls, niacin is known to improve both cholesterol and lipid levels. So it would be no surprise that niacin also helps ED, because atherosclerosis and ED have similar causes: both can be caused by inflammation of blood vessels, the scientists said.
27 February 2013
A new study from Norway indicates that maternal use of folic acid supplements from four weeks before to eight weeks after the start of pregnancy may be associated with a lower risk of autistic disorder in children.
8 April 2010
Daily supplements of zinc may help reduce measures of anger and depression in young women, according to a new study.
1 December 2014
Optimizing vision throughout the lifespan is a public health priority worldwide, not only because of its central importance to quality of life, but also because of the health care costs associated with the loss of vision in an aging population. Oxidative stress is thought to be a key pathogenic mechanism of compromised vision, and the antioxidant properties of some nutrients show the capacity to modulate disease conditions linked to oxidative stress. Considerable evidence has accumulated showing that vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene and zinc help support vision and may be protective against the development or progression of some common – especially age-related – eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. In addition, increased intakes of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – all concentrated in the eye – have been associated consistently with lower likelihood of sight-threatening conditions. There has also been some promising research with B vitamins in age-related eye diseases and with vitamin A and DHA in the rare disease retinitis pigmentosa (see also Key nutrients for healthy vision).
