Science shorts: Novel botanical blend for fatty liver, COVID-19 adjuvant, mother-and-baby health

Essential amino acid supplementation did not improve symptoms of dementia – Ajinomoto-funded RCT ​​

The supplementation of nine essential amino acids has not shown to improve symptoms of dementia, said a RCT funded by Ajinomoto.

No significant differences were seen between the intervention and placebo group in terms of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia during the midpoint and by the end of the trial.

Involving 36 patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, the 28-day double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted by researchers from Ajinomoto, Mishima Hospital, and Niigata University’s Brain Research Institute.   

Beyond milk thistle: Gencor novel botanical blend improves fatty liver index in 12-week RCT​

The supplementation of a novel botanical blend has been shown to improve fatty liver index in non-alcoholic and overweight adults in a 12-week RCT.

In this trial, the botanical blend studied consist of Sphaeranthus Indicus Flower Head and Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extracts. It was formulated by Gencor Pacific and Indian OEM and research firm Laila Pharmaceuticals.

Fatty liver index of the group taking the blend was significantly reduced by 13.81 per cent from the baseline and down by 16.08 per cent when compared to the placebo.

Potential COVID-19 adjuvant: Vitamin C, D supplementation could support COVID-19 treatment – Review​

The consumption of vitamin C and D supplements, in addition to a healthy diet, could be promoted as a co-adjuvant therapy for COVID-19, according to a team of international researchers.

Writing in the journal Preventive Nutrition and Food Science,​ the researchers said the most robust results from human studies involved vitamin C, which could decrease inflammatory markers and suppress cytokine storm.

Meanwhile, there is evidence that vitamin D could significantly reduce the need for intensive care if hospitalised for COVID-19.

Fermentation for ‘hibernation’: Infants more likely to sleep 10+ hours if mothers eat fermented foods during pregnancy​ 

Infants and toddlers are more likely to sleep 10 hours or more if their mothers consume fermented food when pregnant, according to a Japanese study on 64,200 pairs of mothers and children.

Writing in the journal BMC Public Health​, researchers from Japan found out that cheese intake during pregnancy was associated with a significantly lower risk of sleep deprivation in children at more than 10 hours.

In contrast, miso was linked to sleep duration among one-year-olds but not three-year-olds. Therefore, it could be concluded that the mothers’ consumption of fermented food during pregnancy could impact their children’s sleep until at least three years of age.

Shucks: Fermented oyster supplement unlikely to improve muscle function in adults – Korean RCT​ 

A study from South Korea found that the supplementation of fermented oysters did not improve muscle function in adults with relatively low muscle mass.

There was no difference between the control and intervention groups in terms of muscle strength after 12 weeks. There was also no increase in knee and grip strength between them.

In fact, the findings, published in Frontiers in Nutrition,​ were in contrary to three existing studies.