In the News: Delayed Brain Aging Linked with Higher Nutrient Blood Levels

A recent study revealed an association between blood nutrient biomarkers and differences in indicators of brain aging.*

In people with delayed brain aging, compared to those with accelerated brain aging, blood nutrient biomarker assessment revealed higher levels of omega-3 and other fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, and choline.

Women and men with delayed brain aging performed better in tests of intelligence, executive function, and memory.

Individuals with accelerated brain aging had an average brain age of 65.1 years compared to people with delayed brain aging who had an average brain age of about 59.7 years.

Editor’s Note: Participants included 100 older men and women who also received magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to measure structure, metabolism, and functional connectivity. A total of 139 brain health variables were measured.

* npj Aging 10, 27 (2024).

Always Adding Salt to Food? You Could be Adding Risk of Gastric Cancer

Individuals who always add salt to their food at the table have an increased risk of gastric cancer, according to a study published in the journal Gastric Cancer.* 

Using data collected from the UK Biobank, which included 471,144 people, researchers obtained information on the frequency of adding salt to food. They compared these findings to cancer incidence from national cancer registries. 

Over an average follow-up of 10.9 years, people who reported “always” adding salt to their food had a 41% higher risk of gastric cancer, compared to people who reported “never or rarely” adding salt to their food. 

Editor’s Note: The American Heart Association recommends limiting daily sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg but ideally it should be no more than 1,500 mg for most adults.** However, since numbers like these can be difficult to assess, the researchers concluded that using terms like “always adding salt to food” could be a useful indicator of salt intake, as well as a risk assessment of gastric cancer.

* Gastric Cancer. 2024 Apr 17.

** Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/ sodium/how-much-sodium-should-i-eat-per-day. Accessed September 6, 2024.

Female Military Recruits Who Take Multivitamins have Fewer Injuries

Female military recruits undergoing basic training who received in-person education about multivitamins and had better compliance with a multivitamin regimen were found to have significantly fewer overuse musculoskeletal injuries and bone stress injuries compared to those with less knowledge and poorer compliance.*

The study included 159 recruits in the seven-and-a-half-week initial entry training for all enlisting U.S. Air Force and Space Force recruits. They all received multivitamins. Seventy-nine trainees viewed an educational video created by dieticians concerning the subject of multivitamins and also received an in-person briefing by a group of experts. The remaining 80 women were only shown the video.

Women who received the in-person briefing concerning multivitamins reported greater compliance with multivitamin use.

In the group that received the briefing, musculoskeletal injuries were diagnosed among 17.72% of the recruits and bone stress injuries among 5.06%. In participants who viewed the video only, 31.25% were diagnosed with musculoskeletal injuries and 15% with bone stress injuries.

This study demonstrates the benefits of in-person learning as opposed to watching videos.

Editor’s Note: The multivitamin formula provided to the recruits included vitamins A, B complex, C, D, and E, calcium, iron and zinc.

* Mil Med. 2024 Aug 19;189(Supplement_3): 93-98.

High Intake of Flavonoid-Rich Foods Reduces Dementia Risk

A flavonoid-rich diet has been associated with a lower risk of dementia—especially among those with a high genetic risk or depressive symptoms—according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.*

Flavonoids are beneficial plant compounds found in common foods such as tea, red wine, and berries.

Compared to those in the lowest quintile of flavonoid intake, those in the highest quintile (which was defined as six additional servings of flavonoids per day) had a 28% lower risk of dementia. The highest intake of flavonoids was associated with a 43% lower risk among those with a high genetic risk of dementia, and a 48% lower risk among those with depressive symptoms.

Consuming at least two of the following per day was connected to the greatest risk reduction: five servings of tea, one serving of red wine, or half a serving of berries.

Editor’s note: This cohort study included 121,986 participants from the UK Biobank aged 40-70. Data were collected from 2006 to 2010, with an average follow-up of 9.2 years.

* JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2434136.