Even though Britain is three times richer than it was 50 years ago, the country is not as happy as it was then. In 1957, 52% of the people said they were ‘really happy’, today the figure stands at 36%, according to a poll carried out by GfK NOP, for a BBC Two TV programme called The Happiness Formula.

It seems the UK is following the USA with lower levels of happiness. A General Social Survey found that 34% of Americans were ‘very happy’ in the 1970s. By the end of the 1990s the figure dropped to 30%.

Polls over the last few decades seem to indicate that as soon as average incomes reach about ?10,000 annually ($18,000), any further income increases do not bring about more happiness.

It seems there are many countries whose levels of happiness are higher than Britain’s.

When British people were recently asked whether governments should aim more for making a country happier or wealthier, 81% opted for happiness while only 13% opted for wealth.

52% of British people polled believe schools should focus more on teaching children how to achieve happiness in their personal lives.

43% of British people think that where they live is less friendly than it used to be, 22% think it is more friendly.

Only 7.7% of 1000 people interviewed thought work fulfillment was the most important contributory factor towards happiness. Most people place relationships as the largest factor, followed by health.

Click here to see the full survey (PDF)

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Following Congress’ approval of a federal… budget resolution that calls for a $10 billion reduction in Medicaid funding over five years, “heads in Washington” are “turn[ing] in the direction of Medicare” because of the “way the budget document is structured,” CongressDaily reports. The budget resolution calls for reductions to Medicaid but states that lawmakers can enact savings in any mandatory programs under their jurisdiction to achieve their designated funding-reduction targets. A spokesperson for AARP said that $10 billion in Medicaid cuts “will be hard to find, so the tendency is to look at other programs and say, ‘Where else can we get the savings from?’”

Possible Cuts
According to CongressDaily, both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which oversee Medicare for the Senate and House and must find $10 billion and $15 billion in total savings, respectively — could look to Medicare physician fees as a source of savings. Some lawmakers would like to increase physician reimbursement payments, which are slated to decrease by 5% annually through 2012 after the current fee schedule expires in 2006, but some advocates say the new budget agreement could complicate efforts to fund the reimbursement increase. The American Medical Association said it will “continue to work to end proposed cuts to Medicare physician payments” if they become the target of committees’ funding-reduction efforts. In addition, hospitals could be targeted for Medicare cuts, although the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees Medicare hospital insurance, needs to find only $1 billion in savings. Regardless, some say that it is “premature” to incite “Medicare-cutting panic.” According to Jim Horney, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, lawmakers have indicated repeatedly that the funding reductions will come largely from Medicaid. In addition, CongressDaily reports that reducing Medicare funding would be a politically unpopular move because Medicare beneficiaries are a “major voting bloc” (Heil, CongressDaily, 5/2).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. Continue reading →

An extremely preterm baby girl survived against the odds after being kept warm in bubble wrap.

After cutting the umbilical cord, staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in the UK put the baby girl in a small plastic bag enclosed in bubble wrap and warned her
parents that her chances of survival were not good.

But Lexi Lacey, who weighed just 14 oz (397 gm) when she was born after only 26 weeks gestation, defied the odds, she is now a
healthy 11-week old baby, despite weighing just 5 lb 6 oz, two pounds lighter than the average full-term baby.

Dr Andrew Gallagher, A consultant paediatrician at the hospital told the Daily Mail that it was normal to wrap very small
newborns in plastic “to keep them warm they are placed in a plastic bag for about 30 minutes,” he said.

Parents Chelsea Rowberry, 17, and Lee Lacey, 24, said that when people see Lexi they can’t believe how premature she was.

Rowberry said she was staying at her brother’s when she started feeling contractions, late one Sunday in June. She said she rang
the maternity unit but they just told her to go to sleep.

So she rang her mother who immediately called an ambulance. She said she was frightened because she thought she was having a
miscarriage.

When she got to the hospital they told her she was 3 cm dilated and she gave birth to Lexi.

Soon afterwards, the hospital staff put Lexi in the bubble wrap plastic bag.

Gallagher said they put the premature babies into the bag feet first leaving just the head outside. This stops water evaporating
easily off their bodies, which would cause them to lose heat quickly in those vital first minutes of life before they get to the incubator.

The babies are then transferred to the neonatal unit where they are placed in an incubator and taken out of the bag.

He said the bags are about the same size as a sandwich bag, and they “come from NHS supplies and are on a roll”.

Although her mother was able to go home on the same day she was born, little Lexi was transferred to
Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital and then to Shrewsbury Royal Hospital to receive specialist care. She eventually returned to
Worcestershire Royal.

Lexi’s parents were very scared she would not survive. Rowberry said they would get calls from the hospital like Lexi “needed a
blood transfusion and she probably wouldn’t make it through the night”.

Although her baby has been given the all clear, Rowberry said she is still scared because Lexi is so tiny. She is the most
premature baby to survive at the hospital.

A premature baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. A baby born between 35 and 37 weeks is described as moderately
pre-term, between 29 and 34 weeks as very pre-term, and between 24 and 28 weeks, as extremely pre-term.

A low birthweight baby weighs less than 1.5 kg (5.5 lbs), while an extremely low birthweight baby weighs less than 1.0 kg (2.2
lbs). Lexi weighed less than half of this when she was born.

Because they are born too early, premature babies often have health problems because their organs are undeveloped. As a result
they can be at higher risk for a range of problems such as breathing difficulties and serious lung conditions like respiratory
distress syndrome, cerebral palsy, life-threatening infections, and learning and development disabilities.

In England and Wales nearly 8 per cent, that is 1 in 13 live births are pre-term, with 93 per cent of them occuring after 28 weeks
of pregnancy, 6 per cent between 22 and 27 weeks and just under 1 per cent before 22 weeks.

A study of babies born before 26 weeks in the UK and Ireland in the mid-1990s (the EPICure study) showed that 81 per cent of
those born at 24 weeks survived, whereas only half of those born at 22 weeks survived.

The study also found, when it re-examined the children at age 11, that those born earlier than 26 weeks of pregnancy had lower
scores for cognitive ability, reading and mathematics.

In the US, the incidence of pre-term live births appears to have increased: it was nearly 13 per cent in 2005, which is significantly
higher than the 5 to 10 per cent of other resource-rich countries.

Sources: Daily Mail, Tommy’s, Medline Plus.

: Catharine Paddock, PhD

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How much fat should be included in a healthy diet? How can one avoid trans fats? Are omega-three fats good for your heart? These are some of the questions on the minds of consumers when trying to make healthy food choices. Find the most up-to-date and trusted advice on these and other fat and health-related issues in the latest joint position paper – Dietary Fatty Acids – released by Dietitians of Canada (DC) and the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

According to Dr. Sheila Innis, DC’s co-author of the position paper and Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, “It’s the joint position of DC and ADA that the body needs fat for many important functions, so including some fat is an important part of a healthy eating pattern. About 20-30 percent of energy needs should come from fat. However, as fats and oils are high in calories, portions should be small to prevent excess weight gain,” Innis says.

“Of greatest importance is the type of fat one chooses,” adds Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, ADA’s co-author and distinguished professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. “The healthiest choices are unsaturated fats found in liquid vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, and omega -3 unsaturated fats found in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and shellfish. On the other hand, saturated and trans fats should be kept to a minimum,” Kris-Etherton says. “Saturated fats are found in tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil, fatty meats and high fat dairy products. Trans fat are often found in commercial baked goods, crackers and high fat snack foods, although government and industry are working together to reduce or eliminate trans fat in foods. Look on the Nutrition Facts panel of packaged food labels to find the amount of total fat, saturated and trans fat and try to choose those foods with the lowest amounts,” advises Dr. Kris-Etherton.

The joint ADA/DC position paper recommends people follow a food-based approach for achieving these fatty acid recommendations. This healthy eating pattern:

– is high in vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds,
– includes lean protein such as lean meats, poultry, and low-fat dairy products,
– emphasizes fish, especially fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout,
– uses non-hydrogenated margarines and oils.

A copy of the position paper is available on the Dietitians of Canada website at dietitians/news/highlights_positions.asp. A fact sheet that puts the scientific language of the position paper into practical, consumer-friendly tips for healthy eating is available here.

For guidance on reading food labels to make healthy food choices check out healthyeatingisinstore. Individuals needing more help in meal planning to meet specialized medical needs should consult a registered dietitian. Find one in your area here.

Dietitians of Canada represents more than 5,600 dietitians across Canada and is committed to promoting the health and well-being of consumers through food and nutrition. For trusted information on nutrition and healthy eating and to register to receive DC’s regular nutrition updates, visit Dietitians of Canada award-winning website at dietitians.

With more than 67,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being.

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The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the USA has increased substantially over the past several decades. The latest National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data indicate 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older are
overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher, or obese with a BMI of 30 or higher. In addition, 16 percent of
children and adolescents ages 6-19 in the United States are overweight.

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of weight adjusted for height. Although it does not differentiate between body fat and
muscle mass, BMI is a useful tool for indicating whether a person is underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight or obese.

According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, the medical and related
costs of obesity in the United States in 2000 was more than $117 billion. Overweight and obesity have been associated with a
number of conditions. Among these are heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer (such as colon cancer, endometrial cancer, and
postmenopausal breast cancer) and osteoarthritis.

Two studies in the April 20, 2005 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provide more information on
issues related to obesity and mortality.

“Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight and Obesity”

Using data collected from the most recent NHANES, Katherine Flegal, Ph.D., CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, and
her co-authors from CDC and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, found that both obesity
and being underweight are associated with excess deaths when compared with the normal weight population.

The study found:

– There were 112,000 more deaths than expected in 2000 among obese individuals (BMI of 30 or higher).

– Underweight individuals (BMI of less than 18.5) had a higher risk of death with nearly 34,000 more deaths than expected.

– Most of the excess deaths among the underweight occurred in people age 70 or older. Among the obese, the increased risk of
death was most pronounced among people younger than 70.

– Being overweight (BMI of 25-29.9) was not associated with excess mortality. The study found that 87,000 fewer deaths than
expected were associated with being overweight.

“Secular Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors According to Body Mass Index in US Adults”

Edward Gregg, Ph.D., of CDC’s diabetes program and his CDC co-authors, analyzed NHANES data and found large decreases in many
of the cardiovascular disease risk factors known to be associated with early deaths in all U.S. adults ages 20-74, regardless
of their BMI. The exception was diabetes. The prevalence of total (diagnosed and undiagnosed) diabetes increased by 55
percent over the past 40 years, likely the result of the dramatic increase in obesity during this time period.

Other key findings:

– Prevalence of elevated cholesterol and blood pressure dropped by almost half in all U.S. adults ages 20-74, while smoking
prevalence dropped by about a third.

– Reductions in the prevalence of high cholesterol levels were most substantial among obese people compared to lean
individuals.

– Reductions in blood pressure and smoking prevalence were similar among lean and obese persons.

CDC Efforts to Reduce or Prevent Obesity

Because the current generation of children, adolescents and young adults is the most overweight in our nation’s history,
reducing obesity is one of CDC’s top health priorities. CDC is undertaking an agency-wide effort to conduct research
activities and programs to improve our understanding of all the ways that obesity can affect health, as well as identify
strategies to prevent obesity-related health problems. CDC’s efforts include surveillance, prevention research, and state,
community and school-based programs in nutrition and physical activity.

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BioMedEcon, a leading provider of health economics and outcomes research, presented findings from a landmark nine-year retrospective claims analysis that compared the median per-patient health care costs for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) versus depression. This study, supported by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc., was presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) annual meeting on May 3-7, in Toronto.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the comparative health care burden associated with OCD, a relatively rare mental disorder affecting approximately one to three percent of Americans, to that of depression, a highly prevalent mental disorder previously known to significantly increase the use of both medical and psychiatric healthcare services.

BioMedEcon examined data from more than 2.9 million Florida Medicaid enrollees from 1997-2006 and compared newly diagnosed patients with OCD who did not have comorbid bipolar disorder, psychoses or depression (“pure OCD”) to newly-diagnosed depressed patients who did not have comorbid bipolar disorder, psychoses or OCD (“pure depression”). Patients in the two groups were matched on sex, race/ethnicity, medical illness severity (Charlson Comorbidity Index), as well as age and year at index diagnosis. Investigators compared the two groups’ overall health care, inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy costs during the two years following patients’ initial OCD or depression diagnosis.

When matched on sex, race/ethnicity and medical illness comorbidity, two-year median per-patient costs for outpatient medical services were approximately 200 percent greater among patients with pure OCD compared to matched patients with pure depression ($4,820 versus $2,525, p Continue reading →

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease that damages key neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The disease causes progressive paralysis of voluntary muscles and often death within five years of symptoms. Although ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) was discovered over a century ago, neither the cause nor a cure have been found, but several mechanisms seem to play a role in its development, including oxidative stress.

Coffee, Caffeine and ALS

Researchers agree that ALS is a multifactorial disease that involves a complex interplay between a genetic predisposition and environmental factors. One environmental factor is diet. With oxidative stress (which damages the cells) a common concern in ALS pathology, it is worth examining what role antioxidants (which confer benefits to the cells) might play.

Antioxidants (the vitamins and nutrients that protect the cells from damage) are found in commonly consumed beverages and foods. Coffee in particular has received attention as a potent dietary antioxidant. It is worth noting that coffee has significantly more antioxidant capacity than cocoa and green, black or herbal teas. However, coffee contains several components, the largest of which are caffeine and chlorogenic acid, a dietary polyphenol that is beneficial to the immune system.

Previous studies have shown positive effects with coffee, caffeine, or chlorogenic acid supplementation in improving oxidative stress and its associated cell death mechanisms.

A New Study

A new study investigates the role of dietary intervention focused on an antioxidant popular in diets worldwide–coffee. The researchers examined the effect of coffee, caffeine and chlorogenic acid supplementation on markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant enzyme protein content and cell death in male and female mice models of ALS.

The study, entitled Caffeine Reduces Motor Performance and Antioxidant Enzyme Capacity in the Brain of Female G93A Mice, An Animal Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) was conducted by Rajini Seevaratnam1 supervised by Mazen J. Hamadeh1,2 , and co-authored by Sandeep Raha2 and Mark A. Tarnopolsky2 (1School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, McMaster University Hamilton, ON, Canada). The researchers will present their findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS; www.the-aps/press), which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference. The meeting will be held April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.

Study Design

Fifty-one G93A mice were randomly divided into eight groups: control (6 males, 8 females), coffee (5 males, 7 females), caffeine (5 males, 8 females), chlrogenic acid (5 males, 7 females). The control groups were fed a standard rodent diet and were not given any additional supplements. The intervention groups were provided with coffee, caffeine, and chlorogenic acid extracts, respectively, in amounts found in 5-10 cups of coffee per day, controlled for body weight.

Clinical measures: Food intake, body weight, body condition, ability to move, clinical score, and motor performance were all assessed for the effect of diet and time prior to animal sacrifice.

Molecular measures: Markers of oxidative stress (4-HNE; 3-NY), antioxidant enzyme protein content (MnSOD; CAT; GPx1; GR; GPx1 to GR ratio), and cell death (Bax; Bcl-2) were analyzed using the brains of these mice at age 108 days.

Statistical analysis was conducted for males and females separately.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that:

In males:

Coffee: increased food intake by 21%, decreased markers of oxidative stress by 39-65%, increased markers of antioxidant enzyme protein content by 46-139%, and decreased markers of cell death by 34-36%.

Caffeine: increased food intake by 22%, decreased markers of oxidative stress by 45-81%, increased markers of antioxidant enzyme protein content by 21-99%, and decreased markers of cell death by 17-22%.

Chlorogenic acid: increased food intake by 12%, decreased markers of oxidative stress by 25-35%, increased markers of antioxidant enzyme proteins by 23-44%, and decreased cell death by 41-44%.

In females:

Coffee: increased food intake by 30%, decreased markers of oxidative stress by 64%, but did not increase markers of antioxidant enzymes or decrease markers of cell death.

Caffeine: increased food intake by 28%, decreased motor performance by 20%, decreased markers of oxidative stress by 58%, decreased markers of antioxidant enzyme protein content by 11-48%, and increased cell death by 23-74%.

Chlorogenic acid: increased markers of oxidative stress by 178%, had equivocal effects on markers of antioxidant enzyme protein content, and decreased cell death 33-39%.

Conclusion

According to Ms. Seevaratnam, “If we were to extrapolate these results to human patients with ALS, then coffee appears to be beneficial for men, both reducing oxidative stress and cell death, and increasing antioxidants. But for women, caffeine appears to be harmful. Women with the disorder may want to restrict caffeine consumption, or switch to decaffeinated products which contain the antioxidants, but with little caffeine.”

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society has been an integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887.

Source: American Physiological Society (APS) Continue reading →

This new guide on food composition data explains the issues and pitfalls in sourcing and using data on food. Information on the composition of foods is vital for a wide range of people, including health professionals, regulators, caterers and those working in the food industry. For example, you can see this in the nutrition information provided on food packaging, and it is important in determining the recommendations about what we eat and drink given by government bodies.

‘Food composition explained’ which is published in the September issue of the journal Nutrition Bulletin is intended to help those new to the field to navigate the complexity surrounding data on our food. This guide was completed on behalf of the EC funded Network of Excellence EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource), and is the seventh in a series of Synthesis Reports from the project, including others on ethnic foods, plant bioactives and health claims.

Susan Church, an independent public health nutritionist with nearly 20 years experience in working with food composition data, who wrote the guide said “Getting accurate data on our food is increasingly important in many different fields. However, it is a complex area and there are many issues to consider when working with information on the composition of foods. This guide aims to help new users of food composition data understand the important areas to be aware of when sourcing and using these data”.

The report begins by outlining the importance of food composition databases, and goes on to describe how they are produced, outlining the issues with each method of getting information on food composition. The considerations when using food composition data are then described, including dealing with missing values, different sources of data and calculating the nutrient content of composite dishes. Throughout the guide, practical examples and problems are highlighted to bring the subject to life.

Dr Peter Hollman, from the RIKILT Institute of Food Safety in the Netherlands, who runs training courses and e-learning modules on food composition, said “The area of food composition can be a daunting one for those new to the field. This is a very useful and practical guide for those just embarking on a career in nutrition or food science”

Source: British Nutrition Foundation Continue reading →

RRY Publications LLC announced that several renowned stem cell experts will head the panel discussion on spinal cord injuries at the 6th Annual New York Stem Cell Summit on March 1 at the Bridgewaters. The speakers, including Wise Young, Ph.D., M.D., a founding director of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and a professor at Rutgers; Stephen Huhn, M.D., vice president and head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc.; and James D. Guest, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Neurological Surgery at The Miami Project, will each give an update on their research during the summit.

The one-day conference will feature more than 30 companies who will each present their current research on stem cells. Industry analyst Robin Young, president of RRY Publications LLC and the organizer of the annual Stem Cell Summit, will also provide a 10-year market forecast for the stem cell industry.

“Sales of stem cell therapies continue to grow rapidly throughout the world. We now estimate that revenues from stem cell therapies will surpass the billion dollar milestone by 2015 and that the industry will support a $10 billion valuation,” stated Robin Young. “Sales of stem cell therapies continue to grow rapidly throughout the world. We now estimate that revenues from stem cell therapies will surpass the billion dollar milestone by 2015 and that the industry will support a $10 billion valuation.”

Source: RRY Publications LLC Continue reading →

Nutrition 21, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXI), a leading developer and marketer of chromium-based and omega-3 fish oil-based nutritional supplements, has announced the results of a clinical study that showed daily supplementation with 1000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate improved cognitive function in older adults experiencing early memory decline. The results of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study were presented to the medical community at a neurological meeting.

Blood circulation and nutrient flow to the brain decrease as a result of aging, which can affect cognition. Previous studies have shown that chromium picolinate improves insulin sensitivity, which allows glucose, the brain’s main “fuel”, to be processed more efficiently.

“Impaired glucose metabolism and insulin resistance have been linked to age-related cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These findings suggest that improving glucose metabolism with chromium picolinate supplementation may enhance cognition,” said Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., lead investigator and associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “These results are encouraging and indicate that further study of this intervention is warranted. Ultimately, we may find that chromium supplementation offers benefit to patients, given the prevalence of metabolic disorders and associated cognitive decline in the aging population.”

In this study, investigators used Nutrition 21′s proprietary chromium picolinate found in Core4Life™ Advanced Memory Formula™, a nutritional supplement specifically formulated to improve brain health. Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula contains a unique combination of chromium picolinate, phosphatidylserine (PS) and DHA. These ingredients all play an important role in helping improve memory and maintain brain health. PS and DHA are major components of healthy brain cell membranes and increase communication between brain cells while chromium picolinate increases glucose metabolism.

“The results of this clinical study support emerging research that shows chromium has direct effects on cognitive function,” said James Komorowski, M.S., Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Nutrition 21. “PS and DHA already have established associations with improved cognitive function and we are pleased to see the current findings substantiate the inclusion of chromium picolinate as a key ingredient in Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula.”

About the Study

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study measured whether supplementation with chromium picolinate over a 12-week period might improve cognitive function in 21 adults aged 65 years and older with early memory decline. Study participants were asked to learn a list of words presented over several learning trials and, after a delay, were asked to remember the words. Those receiving the chromium picolinate supplement showed a trend for reduced interference from irrelevant words on the memory task (p = 0.12). In addition, on another task assessing fine motor control and speed, the subjects receiving chromium picolinate exhibited enhanced motor speed relative to those receiving placebo (p = 0.16).

Another component of the study measured brain activity. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were performed while subjects were working on a demanding cognitive task that involved holding in mind and manipulating information. Preliminary results from the fMRI scans of individuals from the chromium picolinate group and from the placebo group showed that the subjects receiving the active supplement exhibited greater activity in left frontal and left parietal cortices, areas of the brain associated with working memory. The subjects receiving placebo showed no such change.

At the completion of the study, chromium to creatinine ratios were significantly elevated in the chromium picolinate group (p = .008) indicating increased levels of chromium in the blood. The groups did not differ significantly with respect to age (73 versus 69 years), educational level (15.7 versus 15 years), stage and extent of memory impairment (Clinical Dementia Rating sum boxes score, 1.0 versus 0.85) or level of mood disturbance (Profile of Mood States total score, 18.4 versus 16.9).

About Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula

Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula, available in soft gel form, contains a proprietary blend of chromium picolinate, PS and DHA. These ingredients have been scientifically tested for their ability to improve cognitive function:

* Chromium picolinate is an essential trace mineral that promotes healthy blood sugar, which is important because glucose helps fuel the brain.

* PS is a naturally occurring phospholipid nutrient essential to the functioning of all cells of the body, but is most concentrated in the brain. PS supports communication between brain cells and promotes improved memory.

* DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, most commonly found in fish oil, which maintains brain fluidity and may help in the maintenance of cognitive function.

Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula is manufactured according to strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. This product can be taken safely alone or with medication, with optimal results seen in 30 to 90 days. Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula is available at major retailers nationwide in the vitamin section. For more information visit wwwre4life-amf.

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About Nutrition 21

Nutrition 21, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXI), headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a nutritional bioscience company and the maker of chromium picolinate-based and omega-3 fish oil-based supplements with health benefits substantiated by clinical research. Nutrition 21 holds more than 30 patents for nutrition products and uses. Nutrition 21′s portfolio of health and wellness brands include: Chromax®, Core4Life™ Advanced Memory Formula™, Diabetes Essentials™, Iceland Health® Maximum Strength Omega-3 and Iceland Health® Joint Relief. The company also manufactures private label supplements and ingredients for third parties. Nutrition 21 distributes its products nationally through more than 29,000 major food, drug and super center retailers as well as internationally. For more information please visit nutrition21/.

Source: Maryrose Lombardo

Nutrition 21 Continue reading →