Expert opinion
Perspectives in nutrition and brain aging
15 December 2014
Epidemiological studies and basic research suggest a protective effect of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and B vitamins against brain aging.
10 February 2013
By blocking a metabolic pathway that allows tumor cells to grow unchecked, vitamin D may play a role in providing a safe and cost-effective strategy to fight certain types of breast cancer with the poorest prognosis, new research from Spain suggests.
The in vitro study investigated molecular pathways that contribute to the growth of human breast tumor cells of the triple-negative type, a treatment-resistant form of cancer, which often proves fatal, that tends to strike younger women (1). The research identified a novel pathway that not only allows tumor cells to grow un-checked, but also explains the reduced sensitivity of these types of tumors to current therapeutic strategies. Vitamin D was found to play a role in turning off this pathway, providing the potential for a new therapy.
The researchers commented that in the future, women with triple-negative breast cancer may benefit from a treatment that includes vitamin D and some protease inhibitors. Although chemotherapy is the most effective treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, it has profound side-effects. In a further step, vitamin D therapy will have to be studied in clinical trials for its efficacy.
15 December 2014
Epidemiological studies and basic research suggest a protective effect of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and B vitamins against brain aging.
1 January 2014
Cell aging is a complex process in which numerous factors can be involved. Telomeres located at the ends of chromosomes play an important role here – they consist of repetitive DNA sequences and associated proteins (histones) that stabilize the DNA by forming a kind of protective cap. When DNA is copied during cell division, some of the DNA building blocks (nucleotides) at the ends of the chromosomes are not copied, with the result that the telomeres on the newly formed DNA strands get shorter with each cell division. With increasing telomere shortening the cell changes its pattern of gene activation, slows its rate of division, then halts division completely (senescence), and eventually dies (apoptosis). Telomerase, an enz- yme that forms telomeres, counteracts this cell aging process by adding nucleotides that would otherwise be lost to the ends of the new DNA strand. Cell aging and death are thus delayed. Both telomere length and the amount and activity of telomerase, along with other factors, determine how many times cells can divide. Studies have shown that these factors can be positively influenced by micronutrients.
28 July 2014
A new study from Italy reports that a daily supplementation with magnesium may prevent or delay the age-related decline in physical performance of healthy elderly women.