Sunshine alone not enough for vitamin D during pregnancy

Date: May 18, 2015

Source: European Society of Endocrinology

Summary:

Despite high levels of sunshine, low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are common in Mediterranean women according to a new study. This finding should help lower the prevalence of early childhood diseases associated with Vitamin D deficiency such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, disorders in bone formation, higher risk of emergency caesarean delivery and premature birth.

Despite high levels of sunshine, low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are common in Mediterranean women according to a study presented today at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin. This finding should help lower the prevalence of early childhood diseases associated with Vitamin D deficiency such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, disorders in bone formation, higher risk of emergency caesarean delivery and premature birth.

It's commonly believed that sun exposure is key to maintaining normal levels of vitamin D and therefore assumed that Mediterranean women are at lower risk of hypovitaminosis than those from Northern Europe. However in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey, Vitamin D deficiency occurs in up to 90 % of pregnant populations.

This study shows that racial, social and cultural habits counteract the benefits of sun exposure on Vitamin D levels. Dr Karras Spiros and colleagues at the Aristotle University of Thesaloniki, Greece carried out a systematic review of vitamin D levels in 2,649 pregnant women and 1,802 newborn babies. They studied the effect of a number of different factors including, age, body mass index, race, socioeconomic status, skin types, period of gestation, sun exposure, calcium and vitamin D intake, smoking status, time of year of birth and pregnancy complications. They found that the best predictors of maternal vitamin D deficiency were dark skin, race and dress habits.

Dr Karras said, ―Pregnant women with vitamin D deficiencies may be at greater risk of various problems and complications, both for themselves and their babies. It's imperative for pregnant women and the medical community at large, to recognise the importance of vitamin D in overall health.

Ideally, the next stage of the research is to implement systematic screening for maternal hypovitaminosis and supplementation in a large scale European project. ―We are excited about the potential of integrating testing and supplementation into medical practice, making it a standard of care across Europe‖ said Dr Karras. ―Keeping future mothers healthy and giving babies the best start at life, may help EU health programmes for Southern European Countries to achieve their mission to reduce infant mortality and the number of low birth weight babies.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by European Society of Endocrinology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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European Society of Endocrinology. "Sunshine alone not enough for vitamin D during pregnancy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150518191606.htm>.

Omega-3 fatty acids enhance cognitive flexibility in at-risk older adults

Date: May 19, 2015

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summary:

A study of older adults at risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease found that those who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids did better than their peers on tests of cognitive flexibility -- the ability to efficiently switch between tasks -- and had a bigger anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region known to contribute to cognitive flexibility.

A study of older adults at risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease found that those who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids did better than their peers on tests of cognitive flexibility -- the ability to efficiently switch between tasks -- and had a bigger anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region known to contribute to cognitive flexibility.

The analysis suggests, but does not prove, that consuming DHA and EPA, two omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, enhanced cognitive flexibility in these adults in part by beefing up the anterior cingulate cortex, the researchers report in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

"Recent research suggests that there is a critical link between nutritional deficiencies and the incidence of both cognitive impairment and degenerative neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease," said University of Illinois neuroscience, psychology, and speech and hearing science professor Aron Barbey, who led the study with M.D./Ph.D. student Marta Zamroziewicz. "Our findings add to the evidence that optimal nutrition helps preserve cognitive function, slow the progression of aging and reduce the incidence of debilitating diseases in healthy aging populations."

The researchers focused on aspects of brain function that are sometimes overlooked in research on aging, Zamroziewicz said. "A lot of work in cognitive aging focuses on memory, but in fact cognitive flexibility and other executive functions have been shown to better predict daily functioning than memory does," she said.

"Executive function" describes processes like planning, reasoning, paying attention, problem solving, impulse control and task switching.

"These functions tend to decline earlier than other cognitive functions in aging," Zamroziewicz said.

The new research built on previous studies that found associations between omega-3 fatty acid consumption, cognitive flexibility and the size of the anterior cingulate cortex.

"There's been some work to show that omega-3 fatty acids benefit cognitive flexibility, and there's also been work showing that cognitive flexibility is linked to this specific brain region, the anterior cingulate. But there's been very little work actually connecting these pieces," Zamroziewicz said.

The new study focused on 40 cognitively healthy older adults between the ages of 65 and 75 who are carriers of a gene variant (APOE e4) that is known to contribute to the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers tested participants' cognitive flexibility, measured levels of the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in their blood, and imaged their brains using MRI. Statistical analyses teased out the relationships between these factors.

"We wanted to confirm that higher omega-3 fatty acids related to better cognitive flexibility, and we did in fact see that," Zamroziewicz said. "We also wanted to confirm that higher omega-3 fatty acids related to higher volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and we saw that. Finally, we were able to show that higher volume in the anterior cingulate cortex was an intermediary in the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and cognitive flexibility."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Aron Barbey et al. Anterior cingulate cortex mediates the relationship between O3PUFAs and executive functions in APOE e4 carriers. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, May 2015 DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2015.00087

Cite This Page:

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Omega-3 fatty acids enhance cognitive flexibility in at-risk older adults." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150519084322.htm>.