Photo: Thomas Hassel via Flickr
How much can vitamin D supplementation boost memory, learning and decision-making in older adults – and how much can be too much?
That’s what Rutgers University-led research team set to find out in a recent study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
They examined the effects of three different doses of vitamin D on the cognition of older women. Continue reading
Photo: Dean Shareski via Flickr
Anyone who has covered medical research for a while knows how fraught it can be to report on vitamin supplements and “wonder” foods with antioxidants and other substances aside from FDA-regulated drugs.
Since the FDA does not regulate these products with the same guidelines and stringency as it does pharmaceuticals and medical devices, it can be harder to find solid data about them. Further, studies on them are frequently funded by supplement companies or food organizations with a vested interest in their effectiveness or benefits. In an additional complication, there’s a mythology surrounding vitamins that promotes two main ideas: the supplements almost always are beneficial, and even if they aren’t, can’t hurt anyway. Continue reading