Exercise Prevents Brain Shrinkage Associated With Alzheimer’s

Moderate physical activity seems to protect people genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease from shrinkage of the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for memory and spatial orientation, a U.S. study has found. The researchers tracked four groups of healthy older adults ages 65-89 who had normal cognitive abilities but were genetically at risk for Alzheimer’s. Using magnetic resonance imaging, they measured the volume of the hippocampus at the start and at the end of the 18-month study.  Of all four groups studied, only those at high genetic risk for Alzheimer's who did not exercise experienced a decrease in hippocampal volume (three percent).

"Physical activity reduces hippocampal atrophy in elders at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. ", Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, April 23, 2014

Meta-Study Finds No Evidence That Vitamin D Prevents Falls Among Seniors

Previous studies have reported evidence of a correlation between vitamin D supplements and a reduced risk of falls among older people. But a new meta-study of 20 clinical trials involving 29,535 people found no evidence at all that vitamin D reduced falls. But because most clinical trials report on only the total number of falls, not the number of falls per person, it cannot be established whether vitamin D might reduce falls in particularly vulnerable older people – i.e., those who fall often. The researchers acknowledged they are not sure whether a large clinical trial “in this vulnerable population” would be feasible.

"Vitamin D supplementation and falls: a trial sequential meta-analysis. ", The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, April 23, 2014

Vitamin D Deficiency Among Seniors Linked To Cognitive Decline

A U.S. study adds to the mounting evidence that vitamin D deficiency in seniors is associated with cognitive decline over time. The researchers looked at 2,777 well-functioning adults aged 70 to 79 whose cognitive performance was measured at the start of the study and again four years later. Vitamin D levels were measured at the 12-month follow-up visit. Low vitamin D was associated with worse cognitive performance on one of the two cognitive tests used. The researchers were careful to point out they could not determine a direct cause-and-effect relationship, but there was enough associative data to support a campaign to increase vitamin D supplementation among the elderly.

"Relationship Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. ", Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, April 22, 2014

Preliminary Tests Show Potential Of Ginseng In Preventing, Treating The Flu

A U.S. study of the herbal medicine ginseng finds that it could be effective in treating and preventing influenza and a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. The researchers first tested the effect of red ginseng extract on human lung epithelial cells infected with influenza A virus, finding that it improves improved the survival of the cells and reduced the expression of genes that cause inflammation. They then tested orally administered ginseng on mice with influenza A, finding that it stimulated antiviral production of proteins important in immune response and fewer inflammatory cells in their bronchial walls.

"Immunomodulatory Activity of Red Ginseng against Influenza A Virus Infection. ", Nutrients, April 21, 2014

Drug Plus Chinese Remedy Reduces Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Combining a Chinese herbal remedy with the current drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis is more effective than either treatment alone at easing the symptoms of the disease, Chinese researchers report. Triptergium wilfordii Hook F (or TwHF) has been used traditionally in China to treat joint pain, swelling, and inflammation; it is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in China. In a clinical trial with 207 patients divided into three groups, the group given methotrexate and TwHF daily for six months showed a 50 percent improvement in the number of tender or swollen joints and other criteria including pain, disability, and doctors’ assessment of disease severity.

" Comparison of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F with methotrexate in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis (TRIFRA): a randomized, controlled clinical trial. ", Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, April 21, 2014

Advisories To Pregnant Women About Persistent Contaminants Are Mostly Ineffective

Canadian and Swedish researchers have found that advising pregnant women about the potential dangers to infants of exposure to quickly eliminated contaminants in fish – e.g., mercury – are generally effective. But advisories don’t work well when it comes to “persistent organic pollutants”: chemicals such as DDT and PCBs banned long ago but still in the environment and the food chain. Persistent pollutants can remain in the body for years, even decades because the human body has a difficult time eliminating them. Women who stop eating fish shortly before or during their pregnancy may only lower their child's exposure to persistent pollutants by 10 to 15 percent.

"Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Consumption Advisories: Modeling Prenatal, Postnatal, and Childhood Exposures to Persistent Organic Pollutants. ", Environmental Health Perspectives, April 17, 2014

Data Confirm That Iron Supplements Improve Exercise Performance In Women

An Australian study that examined data collected and merged from 22 small clinical trials confirmed that women who take iron supplements improved their exercise performance and efficiency at all levels of exertion. The researchers saw the effect mainly among women who had been iron deficient or anemic at the start of studies, and in female athletes who were in training. The study also confirmed that iron deficiency impairs exercise performance in women. Iron deficiency also produces fatigue and lethargy,  and often results in iron deficiency anemia.

"Iron Supplementation Benefits Physical Performance in Women of Reproductive Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. ", Journal of Nutrition, April 16, 2014

Compound In Green Tomatoes Strengthens Muscles, Prevents Atrophy

A Harvard University researcher has determined that a compound found in green tomatoes helps build muscle and protect against muscle atrophy caused by cancer, heart failure and orthopedic injuries. Using a systems biology tool called the Connectivity Map, the researcher discovered that tomatidine changes gene expression in ways opposite to changes that occur in muscle cells affected by atrophy. They found that tomatidine stimulates growth of cultured muscle cells from humans, and that healthy mice supplemented with tomatidine grew bigger muscles, became stronger, exercised longer, and avoided muscle atrophy. The compound may also have potential for treating obesity.

"Systems-Based Discovery of Tomatidine as a Natural Small Molecule Inhibitor of Skeletal Muscle Atrophy. ", Journal of Biological Chemistry, April 16, 2014

Chromium Supplements Do Not Improve Fasting Blood Sugar

A U.S. researcher who analyzed 30 years of data on chromium supplementation has concluded that chromium has no effect on the fasting blood sugar levels of either healthy or diabetic individuals. It has been suggested that chromium might help the 26 percent of Americans whose fasting glucose is impaired, a precursor of type 2 diabetes. But after combing through 16 studies published from 1985 to 2012, involving 809 adults of all ages (to 67 years), the researchers found no positive effect from chromium chloride, chromium picolinate, chromium nicotinate, chromium dinicocysteinate or chromium yeast at doses ranging from 200 to 1,000 μg a day.

"Improved Meta-Analytic Methods Show No Effect of Chromium Supplements on Fasting Glucose. ", Biological Trace Element Research, April 16, 2014

Eating More Slowly Helps You Lose Weight, Study Suggests

A Swiss study comparing satiety between normal weight and obese people found that the obese tend to eat faster, take less time to feel full, spend less time eating and yet consume more calories. For the study, obese and normal weight people consumed as many nutritional drinks as they wanted, as fast as they wanted, in the morning on an empty stomach. They then reported when they felt full. On average, the obese people reported feeling sated after just ten minutes, four minutes earlier than those of normal weight. But during those ten minutes they consumed about 85 cal a minute, compared with 50 cal a minute by normal weight participants. The solution? "Eating slowly is not only healthy, but it should also help you lose weight," one researcher said.

"Gastric and intestinal satiation in obese and normal weight healthy people. ", Physiology & Behavior, April 15, 2014

New Research Contradicts Report That Said U.S. Children Are Less Obese

All classes of obesity in American children have crept upward over the last 14 years, according to national survey data collected on 26,690 children (ages 2 to 19) between 1999 and 2012.  Applying several definitions of obesity based on height and weight measurements (the body mass index), the researchers found that 17.3 percent of U.S. children ages 2-19 were obese in 2011-2012. At the same time, eight percent met criteria for the two most severe forms of obesity (Class 2 and Class 3). The findings contradict a recent report showing a drop in obesity among young children in the last decade.

"Prevalence and Trends in Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Children in the United States, 1999-2012. ", JAMA Pediatrics, April 14, 2014