Modest-protein supplementation leads to short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 and 24 months of age

A recent study found that supplementation with a modest amount of protein and multiple micronutrients from two milk-cereal mixes may lead to short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants aged 12 and 24 months. The results of this study were published in The British Journal of Nutrition.

This randomized controlled trial divided infants into three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio i.e. modest-protein group, high-protein group, and no-supplementation group. 1134 and 1214 children were available at 12 and 24 months, respectively.

It was observed that at 12 months of age, an increase in the motor scores and a decrease in the infant temperament scores was seen in the modest-protein group. Those infants who were in the high-protein group had lower socio-emotional scores and higher scores on the Infant Temperament Scale.

Based on the above results, it can be concluded that supplementation with a modest amount of protein and multiple micronutrients may lead to short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes such as small improvements in motor function and infant temperament.

Vitamin B12 supplementation improves frontal function in elderly patients with cognitive decline

According to a recent study conducted in middle aged and elderly patients with cognitive impairment, vitamin B12 supplementation can improve the effect of neuropsychological function. This study was published in the journal, Nutricion hospitalaria.

In this trial, a total of 115 patients with cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to vitamin B12 treatment group (n=58), with vitamin B12 500 mg/d administered intramuscularly for 7 days, and later by cobamamide 0.25 mg/d, and methylcobalamin 0.50 mg/d and the control group (n=57). Cognitive performance at baseline and after 6 months was assessed with the help of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

It was found that patients who were given vitamin B12 supplementation showed significant improvement in attention, visual-constructional ability, and neuropsychological function compared to their matched group. This showed that vitamin B12 supplementation may improve frontal function in patients with cognitive decline.

Vitamin B lowers mortality risk linked with Calcium Channel Blockers in Suspected Stable Angina Pectoris

A recent study suggests that calcium channel blockers (CCB), when used along with vitamin B for the treatment of suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP), can lower the mortality risk among such patients. This study’s findings were published in the American journal of clinical nutrition.

The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, B-vitamin interventional trial that included 3,991 patients, out of which 907 were prescribed CCBs post-discharge. Baseline characteristics were measured using linear regression while hazard ratio was examined using Cox regression analysis. It was found that patients treated with CCB had elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) which acts as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and fibrinogen levels. Furthermore, CCB use associated with vitamin B use was strongly linked to low mortality.

The hazard ratio (HR) for total, CVD, and non-CVD deaths were 1.54, 1.69, and 1.41, respectively, in patients not treated with vitamin B; whereas 1.15, 1.09, and 1.20, respectively in patients treated with B-vitamin. Thus, patients with suspected SAP had a higher mortality risk when CCB treatment was given without B-vitamins.

Multivitamin supplements improve memory in the elderly

A recent study found that daily multivitamin supplementation improves memory compared to placebo in older adults. This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study Web (COSMOS-Web) enrolled 3,562 older adults. Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups; one to receive a daily multivitamin (Centrum Silver) and another on placebo. They were assessed annually over 3 years using internet-based neuropsychological tests. Primary outcome measure included immediate recall performance on the ModRey test after 1 year.

Participants on multivitamin supplementation had significantly better immediate ModRey recall after 1 year and throughout the 3-year follow-up period compared to those on placebo. Based on cross-sectional analysis of age-performance associations in ModRey, it was estimated that the effect of the multivitamin intervention improved memory above placebo by 3.1 years of age-related memory change. Based on the above results, this study showed that multivitamin supplementation improves memory in the older adults compared to placebo.