Multivitamins help prevent memory loss in elderly women
Multivitamin benefits are well known. Taking multivitamin supplements can improve working memory in the elderly who experience memory loss, a new study in Psychopharmacology confirms.
The study led by Helen Macpherson of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia and colleagues found elderly women who took a multivitamin for 16 weeks significantly improved their spatial working memory.
Participated in the study were 56 community dwelling elderly women who complained of memory loss. At the baseline and 16 weeks of multivitamin supplementation, cognition was assessed and also homocysteine, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and blood safety parameters were tested as well.
It was found that the multivitamin called Swisse Women’s 50+ Ultivite ® improved speed of response on a measure of spatial working memory, but did not change other cognitive processes.
Studies Reveal Health Benefits of Vitamin D in TB and HIV
New research suggests that mega-doses of vitamin D, the so-called “sunshine vitamin,” may help fight both tuberculosis and reduce the risk of death from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
An estimated 1.5 million people die each year of tuberculosis amid concerns that the disease is rapidly becoming drug resistant. Now, a new study suggests TB treatment could be significantly enhanced with the addition of vitamin D to the regimen.
Researchers at Queen Mary University in London studied 95 tuberculosis patients. All received the standard antibiotic treatment, but some were given a supplement of a very high dose of Vitamin D, about 10 times the average dose.
High Blood Sugar Levels Linked to Brain Shrinkage
High blood sugar levels may take a toll on the brain, a new study found.
The Australian study of nearly 250 non-diabetic men and women found those with high blood sugar levels tended to have shrinking in brain areas linked to memory and emotional processing. The results held up even after controlling for lifestyle factors such as smoking and weight.
“If replicated, this finding may contribute to a reevaluation of the concept of normal blood glucose levels and the definition of diabetes,” wrote study author Dr. Nicolas Cherbuin, director of the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Previous research has linked diabetes, a disorder in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high, to age-related cognitive decline. But the new study, published Monday in the journal Neurology, suggested controlling blood sugar levels could boost cognitive health in non-diabetics.
Scientists find a new benefit of coffee: It reduces pain
Scientists in Norway have more good news for coffee drinkers. Researchers have already found evidence that the drink — or the beans it’s brewed from — can help with weight loss, reduce one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, boost muscle growth, protect against certain types of cancers, and can even reduce one’s risk of premature death, among many other benefits.
Now comes word that a cuppa joe reduces physical pain.
The surprising finding is based on a study involving 48 volunteers who agreed to spend 90 minutes performing fake computer tasks meant to mimic office work. The tasks were known to cause pain in the shoulders, neck, forearms and wrists, and the researchers wanted to compare how people with chronic pain and those who were pain-free tolerated the tasks.
Chemical in Household Products May Be Linked to Heart Disease
Exposure to a chemical used in some common household products may be associated with heart troubles and peripheral artery disease, a new study suggests.
The chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) — which is widely used to make products such as food packaging, paper and textile coatings, polishes and lubricants — is detectable in the blood of more than 98 percent of people in the United States, according to previous research.
In this study, a team at the West Virginia University School of Public Health looked at data from more than 1,200 people and found that increasing blood levels of PFOA were associated with the presence of heart and artery disease.
Health problems in teens linked with worse cognitive skills
Teens with metabolic syndrome — a set of health conditions linked with the development of heart disease and diabetes — perform worse in school than their healthier counterparts, according to a new study.
Researchers studied 111 adolescents, including 49 with metabolic syndrome and 62 without, and found that those with the condition performed 5 to 15 percent worse on tests of their academic abilities.
Additionally, brain scans showed kids with metabolic syndrome had smaller hippocampuses, the part of the brain involved inlearning and forming memories.
While much research has linked metabolic syndrome to health problems later in life, “this paper demonstrates is there is something going on in their brains today, not 20 years from now,” said study researcher Dr. Antonio Convit, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.
“They’re performing in the normal range, they’re just not performing to their full potential,” Convit said.
Green Tea Improves Memory
Having a bit of memory trouble? A cup of Green Tea could help.
While green tea has long been touted as having numerous medicinal and curative properties, now research reveals that it may have memory boosting suppliants as well.
According to research published in Molecular Nutrition and Food, China’s most famous drink affects the generation and regeneration of neural cells, providing benefits for memory and spatial learning.
Professor Yun Bai fro the Third Military Medical University of Chongqing China, writes in his notes:
“Green tea is a popular beverage across the world. There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain.”
PCs can reduce the risk of dementia
Access to a personal computer lowers the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older men by up to 40 per cent, a new study has claimed.
The study showed that the risk of dementia was about 30 to 40 per cent lower among older computer users than non-user.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia undertook an eight-year study of more than 5000 men in Perth aged between 65 to 85.
“As the world’s population ages, the number of people experiencing cognitive decline and dementia will increase to 50 million by 2025,” Professor Osvaldo Almeida, research Director at the WA-affiliate, the Centre for Health and Ageing, said.
Mercury, oils from fish at odds in heart health
Omega-3 fatty acids and mercury, both found in fish, appear to have opposite affects on heart health, according to a northern European study.
Researchers, whose conclusions were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, looked at data from more than 1,600 men from Sweden and Finland to find that men with high levels of mercury in their body had an increased risk of heart attacks, while those with a high concentration of omega-3s had a lower risk.
Fish are considered part of a healthy diet, but the balance between potential risks and benefits from the two compounds is not clear.
Researcher Maria Wennberg said that while the study can’t clarify cause and effect, there are ways to get fish oil naturally without getting a lot of mercury too.
You can be fat AND fit, researchers say
“I’m in shape,” a friend of mine repeatedly quips at the gym. “Round is a shape.”
It’s an old joke, but there may be some truth to it. A new study published this week in the European Heart Journal shows it is possible to be both obese and healthy.
“It is well known that obesity is linked to a large number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular problems and cancer,” lead study author Dr. Francisco Ortega said in a statement. “However, there appears to be a sub-set of obese people who seem to be protected from obesity-related metabolic complications.”
The study
Researchers analyzed data from 43,265 participants in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, which was done between 1979 and 2003.
The participants’ body fat percentages were determined using hydrostatic weighing (submersion in water) or skinfold measures, and their fitness levels were tested on a treadmill. Using these criteria, 29.7% of the study participants were labeled obese. Of the obese, nearly half were considered “metabolically healthy.”
All of the participants were followed until 2003; 1,779 died during that time period.
