DHA Supplementation Improves Memory in Healthy Adults w/Age-related Cognitive Decline

Recent research published online in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association illustrates a benefit for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in a clinical trial of individuals with age-related cognitive decline (ARC). DHA is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found most prominently in algae, fatty fish and fish oil supplements.

Participants included 485 individuals aged 55 and older with complaints of mild memory loss. The subjects were given a daily dosage of 900 milligrams of DHA or a placebo for 6 months. Memory and learning tests were given at the beginning of the study and at 12 and 24 weeks.

At the end of the study period, the group receiving the DHA supplement had improved test scores that correlated with an increase in plasma DHA levels. At 12 weeks there were no significant differences in the test scores of the two groups. However, at 24 weeks the group taking the DHA had a 2-fold reduction in the number of learning and memory errors tested compared to the placebo group.

The results of this study are the first to clinically confirm that DHA meaningfully improves memory and learning functions in healthy adults with age-related cognitive decline. Since it is estimated that up to one-third of the aging population in the U.S. will experience a decline in cognitive function with age, the benefits of a daily DHA supplement can have a significant impact on public health.

Beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Yurko-Mauro K, et al. Alzheimers Dement 2010 Apr 29.

Post from USANA Essentials of Health.

Multivitamin Supplements Unrelated to Breast Cancer Risk in Large U.S. Study

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently evaluated possible associations between multivitamin supplements and risk of breast cancer. At the beginning of the study, 37,920 cancer-free U.S. women aged 45 and older provided detailed information on multivitamin supplement use. Throughout an average of 10 years of follow-up, 1,171 cases of breast cancer were documented.

The use of multivitamin supplements was not associated with an overall risk of breast cancer in this large study group. High frequency of use (at least 6 times per week) and duration of supplementation (current use for at least 20 years) were not associated with an increase in risk compared to non-users. A small reduction in breast cancer risk was seen in multivitamin users who consumed 10 grams/day of alcohol or more. There was also a slight decrease in risk of estrogen receptor negative-progesterone receptor negative breast cancer among multivitamin users.

The researchers stated that although there was no overall statistically significant association between multivitamin use and breast cancer, multivitamins may reduce the risk for women consuming alcohol and in certain estrogen receptor negative cancers.

Ishitani K, Lin J, Mason JE, Buring JE, Zhang SM. A Prospective Study of Multivitamin Supplement Use and Risk of Breast Cancer. 2008. Am J Epidemiol 167(10):1197-206.

Soy Food & Isoflavone Intakes Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Research seeking to find a connection between soy food consumption and breast cancer risk has produced conflicting results.

A recent case-control study was conducted to assess the relationship between soy food intake and breast cancer risk according to the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) status of breast cancer. Participants included 438 Chinese women with primary breast cancer that were matched by age and residence (rural/urban) with 438 women free of cancer. Dietary intake was assessed by face-to-face interviews using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Researchers observed a statistically significant inverse association between soy isoflavone and soy protein intake with breast cancer risk. The women in the group with the highest soy isoflavone intake had a 46% decreased cancer risk compared to the group with the lowest intake. Women in the group with the highest soy protein had a 38% reduced cancer risk compared to the lowest intake group. A preventive effect of soy food was found for all subtypes of ER and/or PR status of breast cancer. The inverse association was more evident among premenopausal women.

This study suggests that consumption of soy foods and soy isoflavones may reduce the risk of breast cancer, and that the protective effects of soy do not seem to differ by ER and PR breast cancer status.

Soy product and isoflavone intake and breast cancer risk defined by hormone receptor status. Zhang C et al. Cancer Sci. 2010 Feb;101(2):501-7

Original post in USANA Essentials of Health

Diets High in B-vitamins Reduce Risk of Death From Cardiovascular Disease

Begun in 1988, the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study (JCCS) examined the dietary patterns of 130,000 Japanese adults over nearly ten years. Analyses continue to be performed on the enormous dataset generated by this long-term, large-scale study.

In the latest JCSS analysis (published in the journal Stroke in April 2010), researchers compiled information on dietary levels of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 as reported in JCSS food frequency questionnaires. They then examined possible correlations between dietary intake of these nutrients and risk of death from common cardiovascular diseases. Data from 23,119 men and 35,611 women (age 40-79 years) met the study criteria, making this one of the largest sample sizes to date for this type of analysis.

Based on the available data, dietary folate and vitamin B6 intakes were inversely associated with mortality from heart failure for men. (Inverse association means that higher dietary levels of folate and vitamin B6 are connected with lower risk of disease.) For women, folate and vitamin B6 intakes were inversely associated with mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease, as well as total cardiovascular disease incidence. Interestingly, these associations remained statistically significant even after adjusting for common cardiovascular disease factors. A statistically significant association could not be determined for vitamin B12 intake and risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

This large-scale collaborative study from Japanese researchers correlates with similar results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) performed in the United States, further confirming the benefits of a diet high in certain B-vitamins

Cui R, Iso H, Date C, Kikuchi S, Tamakoshi A, the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study Group. Dietary Folate and Vitamin B6 and B12 Intake in Relation to Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases - Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. 2010. Stroke, ePub ahead of print, doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.578906.

post from USANA Essentials of Health