From Science News Online - Antioxidants and aging

[Guest guest]

Note SAMe is included in the list.

Arne

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Science News Online

Week of May 12, 2007; Vol. 171, No. 19

A smart pill for seniors?

Janet Raloff

From Washington, D.C., at the Experimental Biology 2007 Conference

Many people approaching retirement age find that memories fade and

quick-wittedness flags. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts

in Lowell have formulated what they call a " smart pill " to optimize

brain health in such people. In pilot trials, its combination of

dietary supplements boosted performance on simple mental tests by

middle-aged and elderly adults.

Throughout life, the brain and other tissues are assaulted by

biologically damaging oxidative chemical reactions triggered by

pollutants, disease, and more. Although the body makes protective

antioxidants, its capacity to do so wanes with age.

Shea and his colleagues recruited 100 healthy men and women

for their smart-pill trial. Half received a placebo. The rest got the

patent-pending supplement combination, which included the antioxidant

vitamins folic acid, B12, and vitamin E. The pills also contained a

building block for glutathione, an antioxidant made by the body;

acetyl-L-carnitine; and S-adenosyl methionine. The dose of each

ingredient was typical of that in existing off-the-shelf products,

Shea says.

Prior to the trial and then at 3-month intervals, participants

performed a pair of connect-the-dots tests that indicated their

decision-processing speeds.

Test times for those getting the smart pill " improved by an average

of 10 percent in 3 months, and 20 percent in 6 months, " Shea told

Science News. People given the sham pills showed no improvements.

Such supplements might help aging adults stay sharp and fight the

ravages of oxidants, Shea concludes.

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References:

Lepore, A.... and T. Shea. 2007. Cognitive performance in normal

seniors is enhanced by a nutraceutical formulation (Abstract 837.7).

Experimental Biology 2007 meeting. April 28-May 3. Washington, D.C.

Further Readings:

Harder, B. 2004. Delaying dementia. Science News 165(May 8):296.

Available to subscribers at

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040508/bob8.asp.

Raloff, J. 2003. A forget-me-not dietary supplement? Science News

Online (Nov. 22). Available at

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20031122/food.asp.

______. 2003. Selenium's value to prostate health. Science News

Online (May 3). Available at

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030503/food.asp.

______. 2001. Brain food. Science News 160(Nov. 3):282-283. Available

at http://www.sciencenews.org/20011103/bob13.asp.

______. 1999. Berry good protection for aging brains. Science News

156(Sept. 18):180. Available at

http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/9_18_99/fob2.htm.

______. 1997. Alzheimer's: E-longating survival and function. Science

News Online (April 26). Available at

http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc97/4_26_97/food.asp.

______. 1997. Novel antioxidants may slow brain's aging. Science News

Online (Jan. 25).

______. 1997. Quite literally, some food for thought. Science News

Online (Jan. 11). Available at

http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc97/1_11_97/food.htm.

Sources:

Shea

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Room 605 Olsen Hallriverside Street

Lowell, MA 01854

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070512/note13.asp

From Science News, Vol. 171, No. 19, May 12, 2007, p. 301.

Copyright © 2007 Science Service. All rights reserved.

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