Republished with permission from SpectraCell Laboratories
New theory on how vitamins work gains attention
A group of researchers in Europe proposed a new theory on how vitamins work in the body, displacing the former accepted view that vitamin molecules work directly on cells in the body. Their research, which used radiation and electron pulse technology, led them to conclude that antioxidant vitamins emit dissolved electrons that quench free radicals. They concluded that the well-known vitamin effects are attributed to “vitamin free radicals rather than the vitamin molecules per se, as generally accepted.”(Nutrition, January 2013)
Link to Abstract Vitamin-induced intracellular electrons are the mechanism for their well-known beneficial effects: A review.
Treatment resistant depression responds to folate therapy
Two randomized, double-blind trials were conducted in which depression patients who had a partial or no response to a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) were given l-methylfolate for 60 days. In the first trial, the dosage of folate was 7.5mg/day for 30 days, then 15mg/day for 30 days. In the second trial, the dosage of folate was 15mg/day for 60 days. Patients in the second trial showed significantly greater efficacy of SSRI drugs (lower depression scores and significantly decreased symptom severity) compared to the first trial (where the dosage of folate was lower) and compared to placebo. (American Journal of Psychiatry, December 2012)
LINK to ABSTRACT (L)-methylfolate as adjunctive therapy for SSRI-resistant major depression: results of two randomized, double-blind, parallel-sequential trial.
LINK to FLYER on NUTRIENT INTERACTIONS IN DEPRESSION
Antioxidant therapy benefits both anxiety and depression
Blood levels of the antioxidant (specifically, vitamins A, C and E) were measured in eighty patients of
a psychiatric hospital that were diagnosed with stress-induced generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Supplements of each vitamin were given for six weeks and blood levels of each vitamin were measured again. After six weeks, blood levels of vitamin A and C had increased and there was a “significant reduction in anxiety and depression scores of patients.”(Indian Journal of Psychiatry, July2012)
LINK to ABSTRACT Role of antioxidants in generalised anxiety disorder and depression.
LINK to FREE FULL TEXT
LINK to FLYER on NUTRIENT INTERACTIONS IN ANXIETY
LINK to FLYER on NUTRIENT INTERACTIONS IN DEPRESSION
Is B12 the magic bullet for hepatitis?
This paper concludes that B12 is particularly beneficial for hepatitis C viral therapy. Specifically, adding vitamin B12 (5mg given intramuscularly every 4 weeks) to the conventional therapy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin improved treatment response after 3 months. This confirms earlier research that shows vitamin B12 ca inhibit the hepatitis C virus in vitro.(Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, November 2012)
LINK to ABSTRACT Vitamins? The magic bullet against hepatitis C.
LINK to FREE FULL TEXT
Vitamin D amplifies progesterone’s neuroprotective effect after traumatic brain injury
Both progesterone and vitamin D have demonstrated neuroprotective effects on the brain after a
traumatic injury in past studies, so a group of researchers sought to evaluate the effect of combining them. This randomized clinical trial compared progesterone treatment alone and combined with vitamin D to a placebo group and found that the “recovery rate of patients with severe brain trauma in the group receiving progesterone and vitamin D together was significantly higher than that of progesterone [only] group, which was in turn higher than that of placebo group.”(Advanced Biomedical Research, 2012)
LINK to ABSTRACT Comparison of the administration of progesterone versus progesterone and vitamin D in improvement of outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury: A randomized clinical trial with placebo group.
Vitamin C help patients recover from hearing loss
72 patients with sudden hearing loss of unknown cause participated in this study. 36 patients served as a control group that received steroid treatment for 15 days and 36 patients received the same steroid treatment plus high dose vitamin C intravenously daily for 10 days. Auditory evaluations were administered and the recovery rate of the group receiving vitamin C was more than twice that of the control group. (European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology, December 2012)
LINK to ABSTRACT Effect of high dose intravenous vitamin C on idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a prospective single-blind randomized controlled trial.
Mechanism behind serine’s role for proper brain function is uncovered
Serine is a crucial amino acid needed to form proper synapses in the brain. It acts as a neurotransmitter and regulates NMDA(N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain, which regulate mood and sleep, explaining its role in psychiatric and neurological disease. A recent study showed that serine supplementation could reverse oxidative stress-induced deficits in cognitive function.(Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metbolic Care, January 2013), (Aging Cell, April 2012), (Journal of Biological Chemistry, June 2012), (Biochemical Journal, 2003)
LINK to ABSTRACT D-Serine: physiology and pathology.
LINK to ABSTRACT Reversal of age-related oxidative stress prevents hippocampal synaptic plasticity deficits by protecting D-serine-dependent NMDA receptor activation.
LINK to ABSTRACT Resurgence of serine: an often neglected but indispensable amino acid.
LINK to ABSTRACT L-serine in disease and development.
LINK to FREE FULL TEXT
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