Nutrition
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent, severe, and disabling cause of dementia worldwide. To date, AD therapy is primarily targeted toward palliative treatment of symptoms rather than prevention of disease progression. So far, no pharmacologic interventions have changed the onset or progression of AD and their use is accompanied by side effects. ⋯ Mechanistic studies, epidemiologic analyses, and randomized controlled intervention trials provide insight to the positive effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and micronutrients such as the vitamin B family, and vitamins E, C, and D, in helping neurons to cope with aging. These nutrients are inexpensive in use, have virtually no side effects when used at recommended doses, are essential for life, have established modes of action, and are broadly accepted by the general public. This review provides some evidence that the use of vitamins and DHA for the aging population in general, and for individuals at risk in particular, is a viable alternative approach to delaying brain aging and for protecting against the onset of AD pathology.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of post-exercise caffeine and green coffee bean extract consumption on blood glucose and insulin concentrations.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ingesting caffeine and green coffee bean extract on blood glucose and insulin concentrations during a post-exercise oral glucose tolerance test. ⋯ Caffeine and green coffee bean extract did not significantly alter postexercise blood glucose and insulin concentrations when compared with a placebo. More human research is needed to determine the impact of these combined nutritional treatments and exercise on changes in blood glucose and insulin.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparative effectiveness of plant-based diets for weight loss: a randomized controlled trial of five different diets.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of plant-based diets on weight loss. ⋯ Vegan diets may result in greater weight loss than more modest recommendations.
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Curcumin is the major polyphenolic constituent of an indigenous herb, Curcuma longa, found to have a wide range of applications right from its kitchen use as a spicy ingredient to therapeutic and medicinal applications in various diseases. Curcumin has been identified to have a plethora of biologic and pharmacologic properties owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. ⋯ This review summarizes various in vitro, in vivo studies done on curcumin and its therapeutic utility in diabetic micro-vascular complications. This review also emphasizes the importance of curcumin in addition to the existing therapeutic modalities in diabetic complications.
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Telomeres are long hexamer (TTAGGG) repeats at the ends of chromosomes, and contribute to maintenance of chromosomal stability. Telomere shortening has been linked to cancers and other chronic diseases in adults, although evidence for causal associations is limited. The aim of this study was to determine whether nutritional factors are associated with telomere length (TL) in children. ⋯ To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the association between telomere length and micronutrients in healthy children. The reason for the inverse relationship of TL with zinc is unknown but could be the result of an increase in telomere sequence deletions caused by labile zinc induction of oxidative stress. These findings should be corroborated in other studies before nutritional recommendations might be considered.