kebaldwin
Fri, Oct-12-07, 18:02
October 12, 2007 - Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are polyunsaturated good fats found in oil from cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna, or in seeds from flax, walnuts, hemp and other plants. They're classified as essential because while your body needs them for complete health, it cannot produce them on its own. They therefore must be obtained through diet or supplementation. EFAs offer many health benefits. They promote sound cognitive and cardiovascular function, encourage healthy cholesterol levels, support joint health and enhance mood. Fish oil supplements are a great way to get the EFAs your body needs. When taking an EFA fish oil supplement, make sure that it is pharmaceutical grade to guarantee its potency and purity.
This week's newsletter spans the young to the old. In an article published in the October 2007 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1, researchers from Australia and Indonesia studied the effects of micro-nutrients and essential fatty acids on cognitive function in a group of almost 800 children, ages six to ten years old. The children were randomly given a drink with micro-nutrients, including iron, zinc, folic acid, multiple B vitamins, vitamins A and C, along with DHA and EPA or a placebo six days a week for one year. Cognitive functioning was measured at baseline, again at six months and finally at the twelve month completion of the study. It was found that those children who received the micro-nutrient treatment had significant increases in tests scores for verbal learning and memory. The researchers concluded that in well nourished, school-aged children, fortification with multiple micro-nutrients can result in improved verbal learning and memory. This was a very impressive study I must say, one of the best ever to prove the benefits of supplementation as it relates to the cognitive health of children.
Fish oil is well known to have many beneficial effects, but especially when it comes to cardiac function. There have been many studies in the medical literature noting that fish oil can reduce certain abnormal rhythms in the heart. In a study published in the October 2007 Journal of the American College of Cardiology2, eight dogs were given fish oil for a total of two weeks. Another eight dogs were used as controls. Cardiac arrhythmias were then induced. It was found that those dogs given the fish oil, even for a short period of time, had a 79% reduction in the development of some abnormal cardiac rhythms compared to the control group. It was found that those dogs given the fish oil had elevations in certain proteins in the heart that seemed to protect against arrhythmia. Obviously, there is no placebo effect when it comes to animals and this result has also been seen in human studies as well.
There was an epidemiologic study conducted on isoflavone intake in persons at high risk of cardiovascular events that appeared in the October 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition3. A total of 126 consecutive patients were studied with an average age of 66 years old. 94% of these patients had documented coronary artery disease or stroke with 44% having diabetes. It was found that those individuals with the highest intake of isoflavones and soy protein had significantly improved blood flow compared to the group with the lowest intake of isoflavones. The researchers concluded that a greater intake of isoflavones was associated with better vascular endothelial function and lower carotid arteriosclerotic burden.
Finally, there was another study published in the most recent edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition4 regarding the efficacy of zinc and the development of pneumonia in the nursing home elderly. Residents from 33 nursing homes in the Boston, Massachusetts area participated in a one year randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial regarding vitamin E supplementation. All of the participants were given daily doses of 50% of the recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc. It was found that those subjects who had more normal levels of serum zinc had a reduced incidence of pneumonia, an almost 50% reduction in use of antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia and fewer days of antibiotic use. The authors noted that zinc supplementation to maintain normal zinc levels in the elderly may help reduce the incidence of pneumonia and associated morbidity.
Although the media has periodically come out with negative information about the value of vitamins and minerals, many times based on poorly conducted studies, the positive medical studies are quite substantial. The importance of proper nutrition and supplementation, even in those individuals who are well nourished, cannot be over-emphasized. I am a strong believer that all children and adults should be on a good fish oil product.
1. The NEMO Study Group, Effect of a 12-mo micronutrient intervention on learning and memory in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children: 2 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in Australia and Indonesia, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1082-1093, October 2007.
2. Sarrazin J, Comeau G, Daleau P, Kingma J, Plante I, Fournier D and Molin F, Reduced Incidence of Vagally Induced Atrial Fibrillation and Expression Levels of Connexins by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Dogs, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 50, Issue 15, 9 October 2007, Pages 1505-1512.
3. Chan Y, Lau K, Yiu K, Li S, Chan H, Tam S, Shu X, Lau C and Tse H, Isoflavoneintake in persons at high risk of cardiovascular events: implications for vascular endothelial function and the carotid atherosclerotic burden, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 938-945, October 2007.
4. Meydani S, Barnett JB, Dallal GE, Fine BC, Jacques PF, Leka LS, and Hamer DH, Serum zinc and pneumonia in nursing home elderly, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2007; 86: 1167 - 1173.
http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=350&csrc=EM-FYH20071012:main
This week's newsletter spans the young to the old. In an article published in the October 2007 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition1, researchers from Australia and Indonesia studied the effects of micro-nutrients and essential fatty acids on cognitive function in a group of almost 800 children, ages six to ten years old. The children were randomly given a drink with micro-nutrients, including iron, zinc, folic acid, multiple B vitamins, vitamins A and C, along with DHA and EPA or a placebo six days a week for one year. Cognitive functioning was measured at baseline, again at six months and finally at the twelve month completion of the study. It was found that those children who received the micro-nutrient treatment had significant increases in tests scores for verbal learning and memory. The researchers concluded that in well nourished, school-aged children, fortification with multiple micro-nutrients can result in improved verbal learning and memory. This was a very impressive study I must say, one of the best ever to prove the benefits of supplementation as it relates to the cognitive health of children.
Fish oil is well known to have many beneficial effects, but especially when it comes to cardiac function. There have been many studies in the medical literature noting that fish oil can reduce certain abnormal rhythms in the heart. In a study published in the October 2007 Journal of the American College of Cardiology2, eight dogs were given fish oil for a total of two weeks. Another eight dogs were used as controls. Cardiac arrhythmias were then induced. It was found that those dogs given the fish oil, even for a short period of time, had a 79% reduction in the development of some abnormal cardiac rhythms compared to the control group. It was found that those dogs given the fish oil had elevations in certain proteins in the heart that seemed to protect against arrhythmia. Obviously, there is no placebo effect when it comes to animals and this result has also been seen in human studies as well.
There was an epidemiologic study conducted on isoflavone intake in persons at high risk of cardiovascular events that appeared in the October 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition3. A total of 126 consecutive patients were studied with an average age of 66 years old. 94% of these patients had documented coronary artery disease or stroke with 44% having diabetes. It was found that those individuals with the highest intake of isoflavones and soy protein had significantly improved blood flow compared to the group with the lowest intake of isoflavones. The researchers concluded that a greater intake of isoflavones was associated with better vascular endothelial function and lower carotid arteriosclerotic burden.
Finally, there was another study published in the most recent edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition4 regarding the efficacy of zinc and the development of pneumonia in the nursing home elderly. Residents from 33 nursing homes in the Boston, Massachusetts area participated in a one year randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial regarding vitamin E supplementation. All of the participants were given daily doses of 50% of the recommended daily allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc. It was found that those subjects who had more normal levels of serum zinc had a reduced incidence of pneumonia, an almost 50% reduction in use of antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia and fewer days of antibiotic use. The authors noted that zinc supplementation to maintain normal zinc levels in the elderly may help reduce the incidence of pneumonia and associated morbidity.
Although the media has periodically come out with negative information about the value of vitamins and minerals, many times based on poorly conducted studies, the positive medical studies are quite substantial. The importance of proper nutrition and supplementation, even in those individuals who are well nourished, cannot be over-emphasized. I am a strong believer that all children and adults should be on a good fish oil product.
1. The NEMO Study Group, Effect of a 12-mo micronutrient intervention on learning and memory in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children: 2 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in Australia and Indonesia, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1082-1093, October 2007.
2. Sarrazin J, Comeau G, Daleau P, Kingma J, Plante I, Fournier D and Molin F, Reduced Incidence of Vagally Induced Atrial Fibrillation and Expression Levels of Connexins by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Dogs, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 50, Issue 15, 9 October 2007, Pages 1505-1512.
3. Chan Y, Lau K, Yiu K, Li S, Chan H, Tam S, Shu X, Lau C and Tse H, Isoflavoneintake in persons at high risk of cardiovascular events: implications for vascular endothelial function and the carotid atherosclerotic burden, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 938-945, October 2007.
4. Meydani S, Barnett JB, Dallal GE, Fine BC, Jacques PF, Leka LS, and Hamer DH, Serum zinc and pneumonia in nursing home elderly, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2007; 86: 1167 - 1173.
http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=350&csrc=EM-FYH20071012:main