DHA improves memory and cognitive function in older adults, study suggests

PharmaLive.com (9 November 2010) – a study published in the November edition of the disease of Alzheimer's dementia: the journal of the Alzheimer's Association suggests that taking Docosahexaenoic (ADH) may improve memory and learning among older adults with mild cognitive impairment. This is a new promising for the ageing of many Americans seeking options keep memory and support the overall cognitive health.

"Enhanced with Docosahexaenoic Acid Study memory" (MIDAS) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study to assess the effects of ADH - principle-acid Omega 3 in the brain – to improve cognitive function in older adults with cognitive decline in healthy age-related standards.the ' study revealed that DHA taken six months improved memory and learning among adults in good health, aged sweet memory complaints.

"The results of this study are very encouraging for consumers concerned about maintaining memory." "We know that levels of DHA are associated with cognitive in healthy elderly and Alzheimer's disease patients decline and highest DHA levels will help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease," said Duffy MacKay, N.D., Vice President, science & regulations, the Council for responsible nutrition (CRN). "Memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's disease development are important health problems for older people. "More learn us about the valuable role that DHA plays supporting the functioning of the brain, the more options what American aging have declining cognitive management".

These results highlight the importance of early intervention of DHA.While that study MIDAS focused on a population of adults in good health with associated with age memory impairment, a study recently published in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), conducted in a population that had previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, does not only DHA has provided significant cognitive function .the advantage ' JAMA study lead author also pointed out that their results were different DHA administered before the disease of participants grew.

"This study reinforces the principle that consumers will reap the benefit of the majority of their DHA - supplements and many supplements - when they are taken over time and before a health concern is imminent," continued Mr. MacKay."When it is included as part of a regime of proactive health includes a balanced diet, regular physical activity and systematic visits with a health care professional, dietary supplements are an important tool to help support many systems in the body, including memory and cognitive function."

MIDAS study was conducted on a total of 485 subjects aged 55 years and older with a subjective memory complaint satisfies the criteria relating to age cognitive decline (or "alteration of the memory associated with age") .sujets gived to random 900 mg/d of DHA algal orally or placebo for 24 weeks.

DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid and is available as Supplement alimentaire.De many Americans supplements each year round help manage the challenges associated with age.According to the survey on the consumption of the CNR on supplements, Americans aged 55 + taking supplements, 13% report that they are "memory" and 39 percent for "aging".

Editor's note: this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by staff at PharmaLive.com) materials provided by the Council for responsible nutrition, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal references:

Karin Yurko-Mauro, Deanna McCarthy, Dror Rom, Edward b. Nelson, Alan s. Ryan, Andrew Blackwell, Norman Salem Jr., Mary Stedman.Effects on cognition in linked to cognitive age Docosahexaenoic acid decreased .the Alzheimer's and dementia, 2010; 6 (6): 456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.01.013J.F.Quinn, r. Raman, r. g. Thomas, k. Yurko-Mauro, e. b. Nelson, v. Van Dyck, j. e. Galvin, j. Emond, c. r. Jack, Mr. Weiner, Shintoism l., P. s. Aisen.Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease: A Randomized Trial.JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2010; 304 (17): 1903 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2010.1510

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.

View the original article here

Almost 25 per cent of women obese misperceive weight

PharmaLive.com (23 November 2010) – a surprising number of women of normal weight, overweight and age of childbearing incorrectly perceive their body weight, affecting their behavior based on the weight and do much susceptible to cardiovascular disease and other related to obesity, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston.

In the issue of December, obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers report that almost 25 per cent of obesity and 16% of women age breeding weight normal misperceive corporel.Il weight is the first study to examine focused on the behaviour of women of childbearing age weight associated with the perception of the weight.

Overweight and obésitées Hispanic women and African-Americans are much more likely than to underestimate their weight, ranking as usual white women. The researchers also found that obese women perceive as a normal weight are significantly less likely to report weight of behaviors, such as dieting.

"We discovered reflected the"magnified"America," says corresponding author d Mahbubur Rahman, Professor Deputy Department of obstetrics and Gynecology and the Centre for interdisciplinary research in women's health."As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as usual, not based on the scale, but on how they perceive.".

Perception of body mass is the degree of alignment between perceived weight and mesurées.Les National Institutes of Health defines overweight as Bodymass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 - an index as calculated by dividing the weight of the individual by the square of height (kg/m2) normal .Poids is defined as having a BMI of 18, 5-24, 9 kg / m2.

More than half of the breeding females in the United States are considered obese or according to the BMI, with minority women at risk most élevé.Actuellement, 82 percent of women and 75% of the Mexican-American women meet the criteria to be overweight or obese.

Perception of the weight and related behaviors

The study analyzed more than 2,200 women aged 18 to 25 years, based on survey questions pertaining to variables sociodemographic, height, weight, weight perceptions and behaviour based on weight.Women with a BMI less than 25 were regarded as a normal weight and those with a BMI of 25 or more were regarded as overweight.Overall, 52% of the participants in the study were considered obese or.

To aid calculated BMI and responses of the participants perceived weight issues, the researchers divided women in four categories: "overweight misperceivers"obese women describe as sub - or normal; weight"" overload accurate weight perceivers "obese women who describe as overweight." weight normal misperceivers "women of normal weight that describe as surpoids.et"normal weight perceivers, "says women of normal weight describe as normal or failure."

Evaluated weight included, diet pills powder or liquid, laxatives or diuretics; behaviours induce vomiting.jump to diet repas.un / eating less or différemment.fumer plus.et cigarettes do not consume carbohydrates.Respondents were also on the number of days in the last week that they have exercised at least 30 minutes continuously.

Significantly more Hispanic and African-American - 25 and 30 per cent, respectively - were obese misperceivers compared with white women, 15% have been included in this catégorie.Cependant significantly more white women and Hispanic were weight normal misperceivers - approximately 16% and 20% respectively.

Misperceivers one overweight were significantly more low probability to conduct focused on healthy weight or pas.Poids normal misperceivers were more than twice as likely to diet, skipping meals and smoke more; the respective odds ratio were almost four and five times higher than the use of diet pills, powder, fluids and diuretics.

These results were particularly concerning, as the lowest probability of overweight misperceivers practice of healthy weight loss behaviors has a negative impact on the prevention of obesity and the probability higher than normal weight misperceivers conduct practical unhealthy weight loss can cause medical and psychological consequences.

Weight perception: the first step for the scaling of the prevention of obesity

"Misperception of weight is a threat to the success of obesity prevention programs, says author main Dr. Abbey Berenson, Professor, Department of obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Centre for interdisciplinary research in women's health." ""Obese individuals who do not recognize that they are overweight are far less likely to eat healthily and exercer.Ces patients are at risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other serious problems.»

The researchers recommend that clinicians calculate BMI of patients the during each visit, for their vital signs, systematically screenshot misperceptions of body weight and you learn about unhealthy behaviours weight so that they can advise patients appropriately.

"This is particularly important for older women of child-bearing because they are more likely to be obese than men of even older, often because they have had at least one child and did not lose pregnancy weight and find their working hours make it difficult to exercise and eating" adds Berenson.

Editor's note: this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by staff at PharmaLive.com) materials provided by University of Texas at Galveston medical via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Reference of the review:

Rahman, Mahbubur.Berenson, Abbaye de b. perception of weight and its association with the mass breeding young women age-related behaviours. obstetrics & gynaecology, 116 (6): 1274-1280, December 2010 DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181fdfc47

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.

View the original article here

Symptoms of patients obese heart failure improved after Bariatric Surgery

PharmaLive.com (14 November 2010) - a small Mayo clinical study found that obesity morbid congestive heart failure patients undergoing Bariatric Surgery gain lasting and significant improvements in symptoms of disease and the quality of life. The results were presented on 15 November at the American Heart Association scientific sessions 2010 in Chicago.

"This tells us that Bariatric Surgery can be part of the treatment of patients with heart failure and obesity if no major contraindication to surgery - and that this could be particularly important for patients with significant obesity," says principal investigator of the study, cardiologist Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, MD

He warned, however, that because the study tested the effects of surgery Bariatric patients only 13, "should consider these preliminary results suggestive of benefits, but additional research is needed to confirm these results."

Even if one third of patients with heart failure are obese, it seems that cardiologists do not often reference obese patients suffering from heart failure for surgery Bariatric, said Mr. Jimenez Lopez.

The research team examined the results of 13 patients, 44 and 64 years who received Bariatric Surgery at the Minnesota between 1990 and 2005, Mayo Clinic as well as congestive heart failure, six patients aged 52-72, which was followed by Mayo Clinic nutrition and has not received the surgery.

In the group who received surgery mean body mass index (BMI) was 53 and in the Group of comparison, it was 42.After a four-year follow-up average BMI dropped 37 surgery group and pink group at 45.

Based on surveys of patients, the researchers found that the quality of life has been improved considerably patients who received surgery Bariatric, that heart failure patients who do not have.Researchers also found that symptoms such as swelling in the legs and labored breathing during exercise only in the surgery group.

Mr. Lopez-Jimenez says that the benefits of health observed in patients who have had bariatric surgery has produced even though most remained overweight."These patients had levels very advanced obesity before surgery, and even though they have lost large amounts of weight, most remains obèse.ainsi, these results suggest that advantage does not patients require reach a normal weight,"he said.""

Other authors of the study are William Miranda, MD;Sarr, MD; MichaelMaria Collazo-Clavell, MD;Matthew Clark, Ph. d..and Virend Somers, M.D., Dr..;all clinic Mayo and John Batsis, MD, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Editor's note: this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by PharmaLive.com staff) of materials supplied by the Mayo Clinic.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.

View the original article here

Excess fructose may play a role in diabetes, obesity and other health conditions

PharmaLive.com (23 November 2010) - more and more people have become aware of the dangers of excessive fructose diets. A new review on fructose in an upcoming issue of the journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) indicates just how dangerous this simple sugar can be.

Richard j. Johnson, MD and Takahiko Nakagawa, MD (Division of kidney disease and hypertension, University of Colorado) provide insight into concise recent experimental studies and clinical understanding how excessive fructose, present in added sugars could play a role in arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Dietary fructose is present mainly in food sugars added, honey and fruits.américains ingest more frequently sucrose, fructose syrup high fructose (HFCS), a mixture of free and glucose, fructose generally in a proportion of 55 45-corn and a disaccharide containing 50% 50% of glucose and fructose bound together.With the introduction of HFCS in the 1970s, has been an increased intake of fructose and obesity rates have increased at the same time.

"The link between excessive intake of fructose and metabolic syndrome is becoming more établi.Toutefois, in this literature review, we conclude that it also increased evidence that fructose may play a role in hypertension and renal disease.""Science shows us some there are potentially negative impact of excessive amounts of sugar and corn syrup high-fructose on cardiovascular and kidney health" explains Mr. Johnson.Il continues that "excessive intake of fructose could be seen as an increasingly risky food and beverage additive.

Concerned that physicians may be overlooking this health problem when counsel patients IRC dieting low in protein, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Nakagawa recommends that low-protein diets include an attempt to restrict the added sugars containing fructose.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Nakagawa listed as inventors on several requests for patents related to the lowering of uric for treatment or prevention of hypertension, diabetes and foie gras.

Editor's note: this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by staff at PharmaLive.com) materials provided by American Nephrology Society, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Reference of the review:

Richard j. Johnson, MD and Takahiko Nakagawa, MD.Effects of fructose kidney biology and diseases of the American Society of Nephrology, 29 November 2010 .Journal DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2010050506

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.

View the original article here