In a recent study of seniors ages 65-99, only 35 percent had sufficient vitamin D blood levels. Those with higher levels of Vitamin D had better cognitive performance on the tests than those in the deficient and insufficient categories, particularly on measures of “executive performance,” such as cognitive flexibility, perceptual complexity, and reasoning.

Metabolic pathways for vitamin D have been found in the hippocampus and cerebellum areas of the brain involved in planning, processing, and forming new memories. This suggests that vitamin D may be implicated in cognitive processes

The 2009 study appears in the Journals of Gerontology, Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

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New study published online and in the August print issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, found that smoking and cholesterol levels affect the risk for early-stage age related macular degeneration (AMD).

Editor’s Note: For information on nutrition, diet and macular degeneration, Click Here

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New study found that women who eat foods that contain high levels of a variety of vitamins and minerals may be less likely to develop nuclear cataract, which is the most common type of age-related cataract in the United States.

This study indicates that healthy diets, which reflect adherence to the U.S. dietary guidelines, are more strongly related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of women

The study is published in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology

Editor’s Note: For more information on diet and nutrition related to cataracts Click Here

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A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.

People who ate at least five servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed less than one serving per month, Harvard School of Public Health scientists found.

“These findings could have even greater implications for Asian and other populations in which rice is a staple food.”

Editor’s Note:  For more information on diabetes/diabetic retinopathy, Click Here

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Scientists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have discovered capillaries have a unique method of expelling debris, such as blood clots, cholesterol or calcium plaque, that blocks the flow of essential nutrients to brain cells. The capillaries spit out the blockage by growing a membrane that envelopes the obstruction and then shoves it out of the blood vessel.

Scientists also found this critical process is 30 to 50 percent slower in an aging brain and likely results in the death of more capillaries.

“The slowdown may be a factor in age-related cognitive decline and may also explain why elderly patients who get strokes do not recover as well as younger patients,” said Jaime Grutzendler, senior author and principal investigator of the study and assistant professor of neurology and of physiology at Feinberg. “Their recovery is much slower.”

The study with mice, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), will be published May 27 in the journal Nature.

Editor’s Note: For more information on nutrition and dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease, Click Here

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New study shows low skeletal muscle mass and strength often found in those who are older or obese may put individuals at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and that a good diet may not be enough to prevent type 2 diabetes.

These associations were stronger in people age 60 and under, in whom sarcopenia (the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength associated with aging) was associated with high levels of blood sugar in both obese and thin people, and with diabetes in obese individuals.

The findings are published in the journal Plos One.

Editor’s Note: For information related to nutrition and diabetes, Click Here

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Laser therapy, also called laser photocoagulation, is more effective and produces fewer side effects than corticosteroids injected into the eye for the treatment of diabetic macular edema according to a large, two-year multicenter study reported in the journal Ophthalmology (Volume 115, page 1447).

For more details, Click Here

Editor’s Note: For more information in nutrition and diabetes/diabetic retinopathy, Click Here

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Controlled trials have shown that extracts of Ginkgo Biloba can significantly improve visual acuity in Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) patients within six months of use. Both animal and human studies have revealed that Ginkgo extract can help to prevent retinal detachment, while increasing antioxidant activity in patients’ blood, tears and plasma*.

Editor’s Note: Gingko biloba has many potential benefits as a powerful antioxidant, and its effects on improving circulation and even brain function.

*For the gingko biloba study references and for more related studies on nutrition and macular degeneration, Click Here

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Osteoporosis (loss of calcium in bones) affects 44 million men and women in the United States today, resulting in 1.5 million fractures each year. Approximately one-quarter of those people who have hip fractures due to the disorder die within a year after the break due to complications, including not being able to move around very well.

The causes of osteoporosis for women is often due to estrogen deficiency during and after menopause. Caucasians and Asians also are at higher risk for the disorders than African-Americans. Other risk factors include low body weight, previous fractures and taking high-risk medications such as chemotherapy or steroid treatments which can deteriorate bone.

Things that can be done to help prevent bone loss include:

1) Daily weight bearing exercise

2) Eat a healthy diet (avoid carbonated drinks which can reduce calcium in the body).

3) Avoid bad habits such as smoking or excessive drinking

4) Supplement with a good calcium supplement which includes cofactors such as vitamin D3, Boron, Vitamin K1, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.

4) Supplement with at least 1,000 mg per day of Vitamin D3.

For more information on diet, nutrition and lifestyle related to Osteoporosis, Click Here

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New study shows that the progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration my be connected to ongoing damage to mitochondia in the retinal cells.

Ref:  www.iovs.org/cgi/content/abstract/iovs.10-5429v1

Editor’s Note: Mitochondria are often called the “powerhouse of the cell” because they produce ATP (energy) from sugar and other organic molecules. Without this energy production within our cells, they (and we) would perish.

This study further underscores the importance of having a healthy diet, exercising and taking targeted supplements that nourish the retinal cells. Nutrients such as CoQ10 may help as well as it helps increase mitochondrial activity (energy production) in the cells. Supporting nutrients for CoQ10 include n-acetyl-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid.

For more information in nutrition and macular degeneration, Click Here

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