News

29 Oct 2012 - D is for Dementia - Vitamin D and Brain Health

Think of the health benefits of vitamin D, and you’ll probably think of bone strength. For decades, diseases like osteoporosis, osteopenia, and osteomalacia have been prevented and treated with adequate vitamin D intake, among other interventions. In recent years, the evidence that vitamin D affects more than just bones has mounted; cardiovascular disease, cancers, stroke, depression, and metabolic disorders have all been linked to low vitamin D levels. A new review adds cognitive decline and dementia to that list.

25 Oct 2012 - MedicalXpress - Omega-3 intake heightens working memory in healthy young adults

18 Oct 2012 - American Psychological Association - That gut feeling

With a sophisticated neural network transmitting messages from trillions of bacteria, the brain in your gut exerts a powerful influence over the one in your head, new research suggests.

17 Oct 2012 - BBC News - Skipping breakfast primes the brain to seek out fat

Brain scans show that skipping breakfast makes fatty, high calorie foods appear far more attractive later in the day, according to researchers.

10 Oct 2012 - Medical Xpress - Vitamin B crucial to children's mental health, study finds

New study has uncovered a significant link between vitamin B levels and the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

9 Oct 2012 - ScienceDaily - Fruits and vegetables: Seven-a-day for Happiness and Mental Health

Happiness and mental health are highest among people who eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day, according to a new report.

Study to examine if fatty acids lower veterans' suicide risk

21 Sept 2012 - MNT - Chocolate Gorging Linked to Opium Chemical in Brain

A new brain study suggests an opium-like chemical may drive the urge to gorge on chocolate candy and similar fatty and sweet treats.

18 Sept 2012 - NutraIngredients - Maternal vitamin D backed to help build better baby brain

Mothers with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have children with slower brain development and lower mental and motor skills, warn researchers

10 Sep 2012 - NHS Choices - 'Fish oil can make children less naughty'

7 Sept 2012 - TIME - Omega-3s as Study Aid? DHA May Help Lowest-Scoring Readers Improve

In a four-month trial of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, some improvement was seen in children's reading scores and behavior, but only in the lowest performing students

7 Sept 2012 - Nutraingredients - Amino Acid Supplements may offer autism promise

Intake of common nutritional supplements containing amino acids could help to combat a unique form of autism, according to new research published in the journal Science.

6 Sept 2012 - Nutraingredients - Researchers uncover how green tea compound boosts brain power

The green tea compound epigallocatechin-3 (EGCG) provides benefits to memory and special learning by boosting the production of important neural cells, say researchers from China.

6 Sept 2012 - The Guardian - Omega-3 may help struggling children to read, says study

Children whose reading skills were in the lowest fifth of the normal range improved over the four months of the study

6 Sept 2012 - Increased intake of Omega-3 fatty acids improves children's reading and behaviour

A new study by the University of Oxford has shown that daily supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) improved the reading and behaviour of underperforming children in mainstream primary schools. The researchers worked with children aged between seven and nine who had underperformed in standardised reading tests.

3 Sept 2012 - New Scientist - Food for thought: Eat your way to dementia - sugar and carbs cause Alzheimer's Disease

Sugar junkies take note: a calorific diet isn't just bad for your body, it may also trigger Alzheimer's disease

21 Aug 2012 - Obesity bad for the brain by hastening cognitive decline

Being overweight is not just bad for waistlines but for brains too, say researchers who have linked obesity to declining mental performance.

18 Aug 2012 - Cereal bars: Healthy image a myth - Which?

The image of cereal bars as a healthy snack is a 'myth' according to a study by Which

17 Aug 2012 - Pregnant women ignoring vitamin D advice

Too many pregnant women in Scotland are not following advice to take vitamin D supplements, a study has said.

13 Aug 2012 - How improving children's diets can aid development

Early malnutrition can blight a child's development - and also that of their community and nation, say Anthony Lake. director of Unicef and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.