There’s increasing evidence that caffeine can be good for you. A mild stimulant that works on the central nervous system, caffeine is something most of us use to “get going in the morning,” said Marcie Prachyl, a dietitian at Hendrick Medical Center. The popular substance — an estimated 90 percent of Americans consume it daily — has been linked to benefits such as potentially minimizing cognitive decline associated with aging, including the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Prachyl said. “It makes them more alert and improves their quality of life if they continue to drink it,” she said of older consumers […]
Two flawed studies, a rehashed review, and an editorial published in the December 17th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine have attempted to discredit the value of multivitamin supplements. Both of the studies were plagued by grievous methodological flaws. In one of the studies, subjects were given low-quality, low-potency multivitamin supplements. Treatment adherence rates and drop-out rates were horrendous in the studies. Nevertheless, mainstream sources are using these reprehensible studies to undermine dietary supplements. The first study examined the cognitive effects of low-potency multivitamin supplementation in aging male participants. Not surprisingly, the conclusions in the present analysis question the value of multivitamin benefits for cognition. In the other study, […]
Neuroscience 2013, held November 9-13, 2013 in San Diego, was the site of a presentation by Susan Farr, PhD of Saint Louis University of a benefit for extracts of rosemary and spearmint in an animal model of memory loss. The extracts contain antioxidants which help reduce aging-associated oxidative stress, which is believed to contribute to cognitive impairment that occurs among the aged.
In an article published online on December 6, 2012 in the journal Science, Eric Verdin of the University of California, san Francisco and his associates report their finding of a mechanism via which a low carbohydrate, calorie restricted diet delays the effects of aging. This pattern of eating results in the production of ketone bodies that include beta-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB) which, when present in low levels, may help protect the body from the effects of damaging oxidative stress. In experiments in human and animal cells, calorie restriction stimulated βOHB production, which blocked the activity of enzymes known as histone deacetylases (HDACs). These enzymes prevent […]
The scariest part of Alzheimer’s Disease is that doctors still don’t quite fully
If you’ve ever played the lottery you know how it feels to lose.