1.
Nutritional intervention for diabetes mellitus with Alzheimer's disease.
Li, Z, Li, S, Xiao, Y, Zhong, T, Yu, X, Wang, L
Frontiers in nutrition. 2022;9:1046726
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Diabetes Mellitus (DM) affects more than 463 million people worldwide. Similarly, the number of deaths related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has increased by 145%. There are several common risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes and AD, including obesity, insulin resistance, and ageing, as well as common pathological mechanisms, including altered insulin signalling, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, formation of glycated proteins and metabolic syndrome. This review aims to summarize the therapeutic effects of different nutritional therapy strategies on the reduction of DM and AD risk. Controlling blood sugar levels and reducing calorie intake is crucial to preventing diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, and Mediterranean diets have been found to improve glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition, MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) and a ketogenic diet may improve cognition in AD patients. Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium probiotics, and prebiotics, such as inulin, may inhibit the progression of T2D and AD diseases by suppressing inflammation and modulating gut microbes. In addition, vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, folate, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and polyphenols may improve cognitive decline, homocysteine levels, and insulin resistance in AD and T2D patients. Healthcare professionals can use the results of this review to understand the beneficial effects of dietary strategies and multi-nutrient supplementation on DM and AD. However, further robust studies are required to investigate the risk factors and underlying mechanisms behind DM-combined AD progression.
Abstract
The combined disease burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing, and the two diseases share some common pathological changes. However, the pharmacotherapeutic approach to this clinical complexity is limited to symptomatic rather than disease-arresting, with the possible exception of metformin. Whether nutritional intervention might extend or synergize with these effects of metformin is of interest. In particular, dietary patterns with an emphasis on dietary diversity shown to affect cognitive function are of growing interest in a range of food cultural settings. This paper presents the association between diabetes and AD. In addition, the cross-cultural nutritional intervention programs with the potential to mitigate both insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia, together with cognitive impairment are also reviewed. Both dietary patterns and nutritional supplementation showed the effects of improving glycemic control and reducing cognitive decline in diabetes associated with AD, but the intervention specificity remained controversial. Multi-nutrient supplements combined with diverse diets may have preventive and therapeutic potential for DM combined with AD, at least as related to the B vitamin group and folate-dependent homocysteine (Hcy). The nutritional intervention has promise in the prevention and management of DM and AD comorbidities, and more clinical studies would be of nutritional scientific merit.
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The Role of Mineral and Trace Element Supplementation in Exercise and Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review.
Heffernan, SM, Horner, K, De Vito, G, Conway, GE
Nutrients. 2019;11(3)
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Minerals and trace elements (MTEs) are involved in hundreds of biological processes, and according to available population data many recommended amounts of MTEs are not being met. While MTEs are known to impact processes that are related to athletic performance, there is no consensus as to the efficacy of MTE supplementation and improved performance. The aim of this systematic review was to critically analyse the available evidence on MTE supplementation for enhancing athletic performance. According to 128 studies that met the inclusion criteria, iron and magnesium were the only two that demonstrated benefits. Based on the existing literature, the authors conclude there is insufficient evidence to suggest guidelines of MTEs to enhance athletic performance, and encourage high quality studies to investigate this further.
Abstract
Minerals and trace elements (MTEs) are micronutrients involved in hundreds of biological processes. Deficiency in MTEs can negatively affect athletic performance. Approximately 50% of athletes have reported consuming some form of micronutrient supplement; however, there is limited data confirming their efficacy for improving performance. The aim of this study was to systematically review the role of MTEs in exercise and athletic performance. Six electronic databases and grey literature sources (MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL and SportDISCUS; Web of Science and clinicaltrials.gov) were searched, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Results: 17,433 articles were identified and 130 experiments from 128 studies were included. Retrieved articles included Iron (n = 29), Calcium (n = 11), Magnesium, (n = 22), Phosphate (n = 17), Zinc (n = 9), Sodium (n = 15), Boron (n = 4), Selenium (n = 5), Chromium (n = 12) and multi-mineral articles (n = 5). No relevant articles were identified for Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Nickel, Fluoride or Cobalt. Only Iron and Magnesium included articles of sufficient quality to be assigned as 'strong'. Currently, there is little evidence to support the use of MTE supplementation to improve physiological markers of athletic performance, with the possible exception of Iron (in particular, biological situations) and Magnesium as these currently have the strongest quality evidence. Regardless, some MTEs may possess the potential to improve athletic performance, but more high quality research is required before support for these MTEs can be given. PROSPERO preregistered (CRD42018090502).