News
Omega-3 fatty acids are safe at high doses
5 July 2011
According to a new Norwegian review, eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanoic acid show no negative health effects up to a dosage of 6.9 g/day.
16 October 2013
According to a new Canadian study, increased vitamin K1 blood concentrations seem to be linked to better verbal episodic memory performances in seniors.
The observational study measured serum vitamin K1 concentrations and cognitive functions of 320 men and women aged between 70 to 85 years who were free of cognitive impairment (1). The study results showed that participants with higher vitamin K concentrations showed better verbal episodic memory performances based on recall tasks, compared to participants with lower blood levels. No associations were found with non-verbal episodic memory, executive functions (e.g., planning, working memory, attention and problem solving) and speed of processing.
The researchers commented that these findings add evidence to the possible role of vitamin K in cognition during aging, specifically in the consolidation of the memory trace. They emphasized the need to consider vitamin K as a nutritional factor of cognitive health in the aging population. Vitamin K1 is the main vitamin K form in the diet and available data indicates that other forms such as K2 would not significantly contribute to the vitamin K status. Experimental studies have shown that vitamin K is involved in the production of proteins of the central nervous system which are known to possess neuroprotective effects and regulate nerve cell growth (2). In addition, vitamin K participates in the metabolism of sphingolipids; a major constituent of the isolating myelin sheath and neuronal membranes, which are also involved in cell signaling processes.
5 July 2011
According to a new Norwegian review, eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanoic acid show no negative health effects up to a dosage of 6.9 g/day.
5 August 2013
The link between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of heart disease seems to vary depending on race and ethnicity, with a higher risk for white and Chinese people, reports a new US study.
11 January 2016
A new paper has re-examined data from the large Australian DOMInO (DHA to Optimize Mother and Infant Outcome) study which looked at the effects of an intervention with a supplement containing the marine omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the birth outcomes of 2,399 pregnant women. The intervention enabled cost savings for the hospitals – particularly in terms of shorter hospital stays – equivalent to an average of 92 AUD per singleton pregnancy (equivalent to 60 EUR or 66 USD), which equates on an annual basis to potential annual savings of between 15 to 51 million AUD (10 to 33 million EUR) for the Australian public hospital system.