New studies / Press releases.
I still can't post direct links right now (still 10 posts threshold rules for posting links in here).
For more source search the titels on Google (or BrainUpdates.com)
AJCN May 2013: Omega3 DHA supplementation boosts memory and reaction time in healthy young adults (2 studies)
(In Highlights of Recent Research, Press OD: may.2013) Background: We are constantly urged to eat a low-fat diet, but we must remember that not all fats are bad. In fact, consuming insufficient amounts of a handful of fatty acids can lead to poor health. Among these required fats are the omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is most commonly found in fatty fish. DHA is also found in high amounts in the human brain. In fact, some studies suggest that people who eat more DHA perform better on various cognitive tests. However, most of these studies have been conducted in children and older individuals and have not always considered the possible confounding effect of gender. To help fill these scientific knowledge gaps, a research team led by Welma Stonehouse (Massey University, New Zealand) undertook a rigorously controlled dietary intervention trial in healthy young adults. Their finding that DHA supplementation may improve some aspects of memory, along with a related editorial by Alan Dangour and Elizabeth Allen (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom), are described in more detail in the May 2013 issue ofThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Study Design: A total of 176 healthy young adults with low intake of oily fish were randomly assigned to consume 1.16 g DHA/day (the amount in 1 serving of salmon) or a placebo for 6 months. At the beginning and end of the study, the volunteers underwent a battery of tests related to memory, attention, and reaction time.
Results: Compared with the placebo group, those taking DHA had improved memory and reaction time at the completion of the study: episodic memory (recollection of specific events in the past, such as a list of words shown on the computer screen) improved in women, whereas reaction time of working memory (ability to simultaneously store and use new information, such as a phone number, to perform complex tasks) improved in men. However, there were no differences between intervention and placebo groups in any of the other tests of cognitive function that were assessed.
Conclusions: The authors concluded that healthy young adults who consume little oily fish might benefit from additional DHA. In their accompanying editorial, Dangour and Allen commend the researchers for the careful conduct of the trial. However, they strongly urge researchers conducting such research to publish detailed protocols specifying the procedures and primary outcome variables of their study and to report their results according to internationally agreed-upon guidelines. Finally, they recognize a “collective need for investigators working in the area of cognitive function to think more clearly about the tests used to assess cognitive function in adults. ”
AJCN May 2013: Vitamin D supplementation ameliorates Parkinson disease decline in some (2 studie
Background: Vitamin D, a somewhat unique nutrient, not only comes from foods but is also made within our bodies in response to sunshine. Long known for its role in maintaining bones, vitamin D may also be linked to brain function. In particular, some studies suggest that risk of Parkinson disease increases with poor vitamin D status. However, just because vitamin D is correlated with Parkinson disease does not necessarily mean that low vitamin D causes it. To help assess the relation between vitamin D and Parkinson disease, researchers at the Jikei University School of Medicine (Japan) conducted a randomized trial in 114 Parkinson patients. Their results, published in the May 2013 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and accompanied by an editorial penned by John McGrath and colleagues from the Queensland Brain Institute (Australia), suggest that vitamin D supplementation may indeed help stabilize Parkinson disease in patients with particular genetic dispositions.
Study Design: Patients (mean age: 72 years) were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo (control group) or 1200 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily for 1 year. As a point of reference, the Institute of Medicine recommends that older individuals consume 800 IU vitamin D each day, an amount one would get by eating a serving each of catfish and salmon along with 1 cup of vitamin D-fortified milk. At the beginning and end of the study, subjects were assessed to determine severity of symptoms common in Parkinson disease. Blood samples were also taken to assess vitamin D status and genetic make-up.
Results: As expected, vitamin D (but not placebo) supplementation improved the subjects’ vitamin D status. In addition, compared with individuals in the control group who experienced Parkinson-related mental and physical declines during the study, patients taking the vitamin D supplements did not. This was especially true in individuals with a particular variant of the gene encoding for the vitamin D receptor, which plays a role in modulating the nutrient’s functions in the body. Importantly, there were no negative effects of vitamin D noted (such as elevated concentrations of calcium in the blood).
Conclusions: The authors concluded that some patients with Parkinson disease might benefit from vitamin D supplementation, at least over the 1 year as monitored in this study. In their accompanying editorial, McGrath and colleagues applaud this study for its rigorous design and carefully assessed outcomes. They also put forth the hypothesis that, whereas vitamin D deficiency in early life might cause certain neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, adult vitamin D deficiency might hasten the progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson disease.
