Approximately 70-80% of the US population does not meet the daily-recommended intake for magnesium. A new study has found that having the correct intake of magnesium may be needed to optimize vitamin D levels.

The study included 180 participants between the ages of 40 and 85 who were taking part in the Personalized Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Trial. Half of the participants took a magnesium supplement and half took a placebo. The amount of magnesium taken was personalized based on baseline dietary intakes and their calcium-to-magnesium intake ratio. The doses were designed to decrease the calcium-to-magnesium ratio to approximately 2:3. Changes in vitamin D status were tracked throughout the study.

The researchers found that the impact of magnesium supplementation was dependent on the initial levels of vitamin D.  Participants with baseline vitamin D levels that were close to insufficient or lower (below 30 ng/ml), saw increases in vitamin D levels as a result of magnesium supplementation. However, participants with baseline vitamin D levels that were between 30 and 50 ng/ml saw decreases in vitamin D levels as a result of magnesium supplementation. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, It was published in the December 2018 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have linked changes in the gut microbiota to the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity. A new study has found that supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus caseimay help improve fasting blood sugar, insulin concentration and insulin resistance in people with diabetes.

Forty people with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. Half of them took a capsule daily containing 100 million CFU of Lactobacillus casei.  The other half took a placebo capsule containing maltodextrin. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake questionnaires, and blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study. Participants were also assessed by an endocrinologist at the beginning and end of the study.

At the end of the study period, fasting blood sugar, insulin concentration, and insulin resistance had significantly decreased in the supplement group, compared to the placebo group. Participants in the supplement group also saw decreases in their glycated hemoglobin, although not to a significantly statistical level.

In addition, participants in the supplement group saw a significant increase in serum sirtuin1, which is a protein inversely associated with insulin resistance. They also saw a significant decrease in fetuin-A levels, a blood protein directly associated with insulin resistance.

The study was conducted by researchers from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. It was published in the January 2019 issue of the Iranian Biomedical Journal.

A new analysis of fast food offerings has found that fast food has become increasingly unhealthy over the past 30 years. Fast food entrees, sides, and desserts have increased significantly in calories and sodium, and entrees and desserts in portion size.

For their analysis, researchers with the Department of Health Sciences, Boston University compiled menu item data for 1986, 1991, and 2016 for fast food entrees, sides, and dessert from 10 popular fast food restaurants. They looked at changes in calories, portion size, calorie density, sodium, iron, and calcium.

Over the course of thirty years, the total number of entrees, sides, and desserts offered increased by 226%, or 22.9 items per year. Calories increased significantly – 62 calories per decade for desserts, and 30 calories per decade for entrees. The increases were mainly due to larger portion sizes – 24 grams per decade for desserts and 13 grams per decade for entrees.

Sodium levels in entrees, sides, and desserts also increased significantly. The greatest increase was seen in entrees, with an increase of 4.6% of the daily recommended value per decade. Calcium also increased by 1.2% of the daily recommended value per decade in entrees and by 3.9% of the daily recommended value per decade in desserts. Iron increased significantly in desserts, where it rose by 1.4% of the daily recommended value per decade.

In the US, approximately 37% of adults aged over 20 years consume fast food on any given day, and that increases to 45% for adults aged 20 to 39. The average meal with an entrée and side contains 767 calories, which is close to 40% of a 2,000 calorie per day diet. When a caloric beverage is included, this increases to 45-50%. The researchers believe the unhealthy trends and popularity of fast food are contributing to obesity and related chronic conditions.

The article was published online ahead of print on February 27, 2019 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Berberine is an alkaloid that is found in several plants including European barberry, goldenseal, and tree turmeric. Silymarin is an active component of the milk thistle plant. A recent study has found that supplementation with a combination of berberine and silymarin is associated with improved blood lipid levels and fasting blood sugar levels.

Researchers from the universities of Bologna, L’Aquila, and Palermo included five studies in their review. The studies included 497 participants, with durations ranging from three to twelve months. The doses of berberine used in the studies were 500 or 1,000mg per day, and the doses of silymarin were 105 or 210mg per day. All of the studies assessed changes in plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high?density lipoprotein cholesterol, low?density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose.  

The researchers found that supplementation with a combination of berberine and silymarin was associated with a 25 mg/dl reduction in total cholesterol, a 28 mg/dl reduction in triglycerides, a 29 mg/dl reduction in LDL cholesterol, and a 6 mg/dl increase in HDL cholesterol. It was also associated with an average decrease of 7.5 mg/dl in blood glucose levels.

The study was published online ahead of print January 10, 2019 in the journal Phytotherapy Research.

Anthocyanins are a group of naturally occurring pigments that are responsible for the red-blue color of many grains, fruits and vegetables. A new study has found that the anthocyanins found in blueberries may help improve endothelial function and blood pressure.

For the study, 40 healthy volunteers were given a drink containing 200g of blueberries or a control drink containing fiber, minerals, or vitamins daily for one month. The researchers measured flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery and blood pressure at baseline and at the end of the study. Flow-mediated dilation measures how wide the artery stretches with increased blood flow.

The participants in the blueberry group had increased flow-mediated dilation at the end of the study. They also had an average 5mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure. No significant changes were seen in the placebo group.

The study was conducted by researchers from Kings College London. It was published online ahead of print February 16, 2019 in The Journals of Gerontology.

The majority of people will develop some degree of decline in cognitive capacity as they age. If left unchecked, this decline may progress to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. A new study has found that keeping mentally and physically active during middle age may help reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s later in life.

Participants in the study included 800 women with an average age of 47 at the beginning of the study. All of them were followed for 44 years. Cognitive and physical activity levels were assessed at baseline. Cognitive activities included artistic, intellectual, manual, religious, and club. The participants were given a score in each area based on how often they participated in each cognitive activity. The scores were zero for no to low activity, one for moderate activity, and two for high activity. The highest total score possible was 10.

The participants were divided into two groups based on their total cognitive activity score. 44% of the participants had scores of zero to two and were placed in the low group. 56% of the participants had a score of three or higher and were placed in the high group.

The participants were also divided by their level of physical activity, and classified as either inactive or active. 17% of the participants were classified as inactive and 83% were classified as active. Active meant they engaged in light physical activity at least 4 hours per week, performed regular intense exercise, or engaged in competitive sports.

During the study period, 194 of the participants developed Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, or mixed dementia. The researchers found that participants with a high level of cognitive activities were 46% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, and 34% less likely to develop dementia overall, compared to participants with a low level of cognitive activities. Participants who were physically active were 52% less likely to develop dementia with cerebrovascular disease, and 52% less likely to develop mixed dementia, compared to participants who were inactive.

The study was conducted by researchers from The Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University. It was published online ahead of print February 20, 2019 in the journal Neurology.

Previous research has suggested that physical activity is associated with significant reductions in colorectal cancer mortality. A new study has found that high intensity interval training may help reduce the growth of colon cancer cells.

Twenty colorectal cancer survivors participated in the study. Half of them performed acute exercise regimens and half performed chronic exercise regimens. The acute regimen consisted of 16 minutes of high intensity exercise. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 0 and 120 minutes post exercise. The chronic regimen consisted of 12 exercise sessions over 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 4 weeks.

When the researchers analyzed the blood samples, they found that samples obtained immediately following exercise showed a significant reduction in the number of colon cancer cells. No significant difference was seen 120 minutes after exercise completion. The researchers posit that these results could mean that repetitive high intensity exercise may help reduce colon cancer cells in the long term.

In addition, significant increases were seen in serum interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor- ? immediately after exercise. These are all markers of inflammation, and may be involved in reducing the number of cancer cells.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia and the University of Waterloo, Ontario. It was published online ahead of print February 27, 2019 in The Journal of Physiology.

Dietary self-monitoring has been found to be the most successful weight loss strategy, but many people have the perception that it is very time consuming and unpleasant. According to a new study though it only takes an average of 14.6 minutes per day.

Researchers looked at the dietary self-monitoring habits of 142 participants in an online behavioral weight control intervention. The participants met weekly for 24 weeks for an online session led by a trained dietician. The participants also logged their daily food intake online, creating a record of how much time they spent on the activity and how often they logged in. The total loss of baseline weight was assessed at six months.

The researchers found that the most successful participants, those who lost 10% of their body weight, spent an average of 23.2 minutes per day on self-monitoring in the first month. By the sixth month, that time had dropped to 14.6 minutes. They also found that what was most predictive of weight loss success was not the amount of time spent monitoring, but rather the frequency of log-ins. Participants who consistently self-monitored three or more times per day were the most successful.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Vermont and the University of South Caroline. It was published online ahead of print on February 25, 2019 in the journal Obesity.

Approximately 40-50% of infertility cases worldwide are due to male factor infertility. A new study has found that nutritional supplements such as CoQ10 and L-carnitine may help improve sperm quality.

The researchers included 61 studies in their review. All the studies tested a range of drugs and supplements for improving semen qualities and chances of a live birth. The researchers focused on data that related to sperm motility, sperm count, and sperm size and shape.

The researchers found that pentoxyfylline, CoQ10, L-carnitine, follicle-stimulating hormone, tamoxifen, and kallikreinCoQ10 resulted in improvements in sperm parameters. CoQ10 was found to be linked to sperm count, motility, and shape in three of the four studies that continued for three to six months. However, the researchers classified the quality of evidence as low. The researchers also found that L-carnitine seemed to improve sperm numbers and motility, while sperm size and shape remained unchanged.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen. It was published in the April, 2019 issue of European Urology.

Recent research has suggested that the bacteria in the gut affects the communication between the belly and the brain. A lack of healthy gut microbiota may increase the risk of neuropsychological disorders. Now a new study has found that Lactobacillus plantarumC29-fermented soybean (DW2009) may improve cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

One hundred people between the ages of 55 and 85 participants in the study. All the participants had been diagnosed with MCI. Half of the participants took a supplement containing 800 mg of DW2009 daily for 12 weeks, and the other half took a placebo. Neurocognitive function tests were performed at baseline and at the end of the study. The tests measured attention, working memory, and verbal memory. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were also measured.

The researchers found that participants in the supplement group showed improvements in their attention, working memory, and verbal memory scores compared to the placebo group. They also found that cognitive improvement was associated with increased serum BDNF levels.

Participants in the supplement group also had a significant increase in the lactobacilli numbers in the gut bacterial composition. No increases were seen in the placebo group.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Ewha Brain Institute and Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences and the College of Medicine at Kyung Hee University. It was published February 1, 2019 in the journal Nutrients.