Researchers from Taipei Medical University and Tufts University collaborated on new research presented at EB that examined the effects of almonds on risk factors for cardiovascular disease among 20 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with mildly hyperlipidemia and treated with oral hypoglycemics. (more…)
As reported in the Natural Products Insider, Vitamin D levels correlated with respiratory problems in newborns.
ANTALYA, Turkey—New Turkish research found newborns with subclinical vitamin D deficiency may have an increased risk of suffering from acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) (Eu J Clin Nutr. 2009;63:473-77).
The study group consisted of 25 newborns with ALRI who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit and their mothers. Controls were 15 healthy newborns of the same age as the study group and their mothers. The two groups were similar in gestational week, birth weight, birth height, head circumference, age and gender.
The mean of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations in the study group newborns were lower than those of the control group (9.128.88ng/ml and 16.3313.42 ng/ml, respectively) (P=0.011). Also, mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the mothers of the study group were lower than those in the mothers of the control group (13.3816.81 ng/ml and 22.7916.93 ng/ml respectively) (P=0.012). In 87.5 percent of all newborns and 67.5 percent of all mothers, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were lower than 20 ng/ml. The 25(OH)D concentrations of newborns were highly correlated with mothers’ serum 25(OH)D concentrations.
The strong positive correlation between newborns’ and mothers’ serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations shows that adequate vitamin D supplementation of mothers should be emphasized during pregnancy especially in winter months.
It appears that just like sex, the more you use it the better it gets now applies to your brain as well. A story by Kelly Greene in the Wall Street Journal reports on the growing number of online tools to help keep your synapses sharp and your mind marvelous.
Related links:
When musicians play along together it isn’t just their instruments that are in time – their brain waves are too. Research published in the online open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows how EEG readouts from pairs of guitarists become more synchronized, a finding with wider potential implications for how our brains interact when we do.
Read more here and maybe make a little music.
You can see a short video of the experiment.
Playing With Brain Harmony
Making Healthy Choices Easier Than You Think
