Posted by ProPortion Foods Blog on Jul 26, 2018 in Aged Care, Nutrition, Research, Supplements
Addressing claims that nutritional supplements can enhance overall health and longevity, a recent review investigated their impact on heart health, stroke and mortality. The researchers report that most supplements did not show evidence of benefit or harm.
They investigated 179 randomised controlled trials of vitamins and minerals. Folic acid and B complex vitamins reduced risk of stroke.
Multivitamins, vitamins A, 6, D and E, beta carotene, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium and selenium were not linked to heart disease or mortality. Large dose B3 and antioxidant vitamins had small links with greater risk of all-cause mortality.
Limitations of the review include exclusion of cohort studies which are conducted over longer time frames and are more characteristic of the population at large. The researchers also note that antioxidants were lumped together but in reality have different modes of action.
Available evidence suggests that B vitamins – possibly through their homocysteine-lowering properties – may be a good choice for reducing stroke risk. Other research has shown they might also help prevent dementia.
Other nutritional supplements may not impact heart health or lengthen lifespans – which is not to say they don’t have other benefits, for instance to boost immunity when stressed, avoid the flu or address nutritional deficiencies.
But the overarching take-home message – that most agree on – is that supplements do not replace a healthy diet.
First and foremost, a diet rich in plant foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and healthy fats (e.g. extra virgin olive oil) delivers a kaleidoscope of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre, with interactive health benefits that supersede supplements alone.
Basically, you may eat your cake, but taking a tablet won’t make it healthier for you.
Australians are amongst the world’s highest supplement users per capita. Older Australians – particularly females – are the cohort most likely to take nutrition supplements, according to the latest national survey.
Supplement users were also more likely to eat healthier diets, so are likely to be more health conscious. Researchers caution that this combination could result in exceeding recommended daily intakes.
In this case fat soluble vitamins like Vitamins D and E are ones to be most aware of because excesses are retained in the body. If water soluble vitamins like the Bs exceed requirements, they are safely excreted.
In aged care, a survey revealed that expenditure on nutritional supplements and food replacements had increased by 128 percent. In this scenario older adults may suffer malnutrition, in some cases requiring supplements like concentrated protein powder if appetite is low.
For instance, a study in convalescing patients with disabilities found that nutritional supplements combined with resistance training improved muscle mass and activities of daily living.
Other nutrients that may be at particular risk in aging, and therefore benefit from supplementation, include B12 and Vitamin D. It is recommended to advise your health care provider of all supplements and medications so they can be aware of potential adverse interactions.
And where possible, a healthy diet comes first. Attention to aged care menus, presentation and palatability in aged care can go a long way to support this.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180528171511.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27431367
https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/dietary-supplement-use-older-adults/
https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/147/10/1968/4728184?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12603-015-0570-4
Posted by ProPortion Foods Blog on Jul 17, 2018 in Muscle, Research, Sarcopenia
Twenty years ago, the term “sarcopenia” – Greek for “poverty of flesh” – was coined to describe the muscle wasting that occurs with aging.
Often unnoticed, this condition can dramatically impact quality of life and independent living. Experts propose that muscle mass, strength and function should be assessed to diagnose sarcopenia.
Awareness of sarcopenia – affecting at least a third of older Australians – is slowly gaining momentum. So too are its wide-ranging effects on health, including its potential to cause type 2 diabetes.
New research suggests it could impact lung function and breast cancer risk.
Poor lung function can lead to respiratory complications like pneumonia and bronchitis as well as broader problems like heart disease and death.
Lungs rely on healthy muscles in the respiratory system, particularly the diaphragm, to help breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.
Handgrip strength is an easy, quick measure of muscle strength. The test involves simply squeezing a small object as hard as possible to measure the strength of your grip.
Handgrip strength is a useful indicator of general health, and has been related to nutrition status and walking ability. Also a useful indicator of low muscle mass, hand-grip strength can be used to diagnose sarcopenia.
Weak lung function has been linked to poor handgrip strength in hospitals or nursing homes. Korean researchers wanted to test if handgrip strength could predict lung function, measured using standard pulmonary (lung) function tests, in a national population study of healthy community-dwelling women aged 65-79.
They found that as handgrip strength declined, so did lung capacity – after adjusting for several other factors like age, education and physical activity levels.
The researchers suggest handgrip strength could be a useful public health tool for identifying potential impairment in lung function.
Sarcopenia and excess fat have been previously related to higher risk of mortality from metastatic (secondary) breast cancer.
Researchers from the United States and Canada recently investigated whether this was the case with nonmetastatic (primary) breast cancer. They measured muscle mass, muscle quality and fat in 3,241 women with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer, i.e. cancer that has not spread to other organs, and followed them up for at least 6 years.
A third of patients had sarcopenia, and they were 41 percent more likely to die early than those without sarcopenia. Women with highest amounts of fat were 35 percent more likely to die early than those with low fat levels.
Women who had lower muscle mass and higher levels of fat were 89 percent less likely to survive. Interestingly, body mass index (BMI; height/weight ratio) was not associated with survival.
It is possible, the researchers say, that women with more aggressive cancer may have lost more muscle mass early in their cancer as a result. Women with higher muscle mass may also have had healthier lifestyle habits more generally.
They suggest, however, that clinical measures of muscle mass and fat might help provide prognostic information to help guide treatment.
These studies build on evidence that says muscle matters – more than we might realise. Better health outcomes with aging can be achieved with simple lifestyle habits that embrace physical activity and good nutrition to prevent loss of muscle mass.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180531114604.htm
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jgs.15410
https://www.medicaldaily.com/breast-cancer-what-sarcopenia-and-how-does-it-affect-mortality-423428
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2677300
https://www.medicaldaily.com/breast-cancer-what-sarcopenia-and-how-does-it-affect-mortality-423428
Posted by ProPortion Foods Blog on Jun 26, 2018 in Cognition, Diabetes, Food Science, Research
This month saw the launch of the Healthy Ageing APAC Summit in Singapore on 12-13 June, covering a smorgasbord of topics related to nutrition and healthy ageing throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Currently more than half of the world’s over-60s live in the Asia-Pacific. And the region’s number of older adults is expected to double from 547 million in 2016 to nearly 1.3 billion by 2050.
The summit was launched to explore how the nutrition and food industry “can meet the needs of the rapidly ageing populations of today, and more crucially, tomorrow.”
Nikki attended the summit. “There was just so much information and networking, it really was a fabulous couple of days! I’m very lucky to have been able to attend and learn a lot.” Here are some highlights.
Presenter Chin Juen Seow from Euromonitor pointed out that healthy living has become a major trend – and not just in ageing.
He suggests this is driven by an array of social and cultural influences spanning economics, population change, technological advancement, concerns about the environment and sustainability, and changing values: “Health is the new wealth.”
As a result, 37 percent of packaged food sales in Asia are presented with a health focus, and this is predicted to increase.
Dr Lesley Braun from Blackmores presented new research suggesting that omega-3s may benefit sarcopenia. Bolstered by animal studies that show increased stimulation of muscle protein synthesis, human trials provide some evidence of improved muscle-related biomarkers in older adults after taking omega-3 supplements.
Dementia is now the second highest cause of Australian deaths. It is risky and expensive for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia – according to Dr Shawn Watson from Senescence Life Science, with a 99.6% failure rate of clinical trials. Their focus on amyloids could be the limiting factor.
Increasing research shows that nutrition and sleep can support healthy brain function with ageing, preventing risk of Alzheimer’s via several biological mechanisms including reduced inflammation and oxidative stress. Watson reported positive results from supplementation with turmeric and ginseng.
Alzheimer’s disease has also been nicknamed “diabetes type 3.” When people eat too much sugar, cells are bombarded with insulin, which tells them to take in the glucose for energy. Over time the cells become insulin resistant, leading to diabetes and a host of related health problems. Research has linked a lack of insulin to the formation of plaques associated with Alzheimer’s – one more reason to avoid excess sugar and refined carbohydrates.
Accordingly, the glycemic index (GI) was developed to rank foods by how quickly sugar is released into the blood stream. Kathy Usic from the Glycaemic Index Foundation told the audience about an impending global roll-out of the Low GI Symbol on food packaging to help address the soaring epidemic of chronic disease.
Amidst a wave of related research on low carbohydrate/high protein diets, a study is currently underway to investigate the effects of a low-GI high-protein diet on pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes prevention. Watch this space!
https://labiotech.eu/alzheimers-disease-clinical-trials/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2781139/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26268331
https://www.dementia.org.au/statistics
https://newatlas.com/sleep-deprivation-amyloid-alzheimers-dementia/54119/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443916302150
https://www.gisymbol.com/why-follow-a-low-gi-diet/
https://www.healthyageingsummit-asiapacific.com/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796167/
https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/fish-oil-help-fight-sarcopenia/
Posted by ProPortion Foods Blog on Jun 4, 2018 in Aged Care, Hemp, Nutrition, Research
Cannabis is popularly known for its mind-altering properties. But this controversial plant boasts abundant secret delights that are now (re)emerging following its prohibition.
The Australia China Nutrition and Health Association recently showcased medicinal cannabis and hemp products in a forum with professional guest speakers at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne.
Attendee Nikki was impressed that cannabis had so many different uses, including clothing, textiles, construction and a “myriad of health benefits.”
Presenter John Easterling, founder and president of Amazon Herb Company USA (and husband to Olivia Newton-John), says cannabis has been used for food, medicine and shelter for at least 10,000 years.
Easterling forecasts that after 17 years of battling to legalise hemp in food products, we are facing a “tsunami of change in the world of cannabis and hemp.”
Oil derived from the nutritious hemp seed is rich in healthy fats including omega-3. The trichomes (oils) at the end of the cannabis flowers contain the plant’s active properties: at least 113 cannabinoids – compounds that have receptors in the body and brain.
Two primary cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is responsible for the ‘high’ and other side effects that are induced by smoking or ingesting marijuana cooked in foods.
Marijuana is grown to produce high quantities of THC. But industrial hemp varieties of cannabis contain CBD and very little, if any, of the psychoactive THC.
Importantly, CBD does not produce a high – in fact it dampens it. In 2017 the World Health Organisation announced that CBD is safe for humans, with no adverse health effects.
There are reports of CBD’s anticonvulsive, anti-epileptic and antimicrobial properties.
While THC has been associated with anxiety and risk of schizophrenia in susceptible individuals, CBD could help reduce anxiety and symptoms associated with neuropsychiatric disorders like epilepsy and schizophrenia.
It has even been studied for potential applications in cancer, type 1 diabetes, acne and Alzheimer’s disease.
Speaker Professor Ian Brighthope referred to a case in which a NSW father, out of desperation, treated his two daughters’ Crohn’s disease with juice from the hemp plant. Despite their vastly improved symptoms, he is currently facing imprisonment.
One of Brighthope’s friends tried cannabis for Parkinson’s. He reported that after four days she regained her sense of smell. Travelling overseas, she forgot her medication and used medicinal cannabis. Over nine days she noticed reduced tremors.
In January 2017, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a review of the evidence for cannabis’s health benefits. The report concluded that “There is conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective:
They reported moderate evidence for its ability to improve short-term sleep in people with sleep disturbance related to chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. More evidence is needed to support other medical applications.
An estimated five million Australians suffer chronic pain. And older adults are most afflicted.
Estimates of chronic pain prevalence in community-dwelling older adults are 25-50%, and up to 70% for nursing home residents. It is typically managed using opiates and other painkillers, all of which can have serious side effects and adverse interactions with other medications.
Dementia and aged care consultant Leah Bisiani says 73% of people in aged care facilities are not having their pain managed effectively, and will continue to deteriorate on opioids. Baby boomers are demanding alternative approaches like medical cannabis with less unwanted side effects.
Bisiani contends that we “need to look at medicinal cannabis as a humane philosophy of care.” She argued that access to effective pain relief is “a basic human right” that “cannot be ignored.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol
https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/bnp4bv/how-and-why-your-brian-makes-its-own-cannabinoids
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367326X09002780
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J133v02n04_04
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/epi.12631
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2546472/
https://www.nap.edu/resource/24625/Cannabis-conclusions.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hempcrete
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jppr.1419
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317221.php
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits