In the news – health & nutrition research

In this week’s article, we provide a roundup of some of the most recent health and nutrition related articles in the news, five items comprising:

  • Sit less and move more to reduce risk of early death, study says
  • Gum disease bug could play ‘central role’ in development of Alzheimer’s, scientists say
  • How diet is changing – the good and the bad
  • Nutritional habit change urged in pregnant women as omega-3 intakes ‘very low’
  • Keeping up vit D levels a no-brainer as deficiency linked to neural fault

Sit less and move more to reduce risk of early death, study says 

Are you sitting comfortably? Then get up and move about – even if it is just a walk about the office. That is the advice from experts who say periods of sitting must be replaced with exercise in order to ward off an early death.

Previous research from the same team found people should move at least every 30 minutes to reduce the chance of premature death, but now the researchers say simply breaking up sedentary periods is not enough – overall time spent seated must be cut to lower the risk.

While heart-pumping exercise offers the greatest gains, the study suggests even short, simple periods of movement bring benefits.

Read the full article here.

Related Cytoplan blog 

Exercise – Can there be too much of a good thing?


Gum disease bug could play ‘central role’ in development of Alzheimer’s, scientists say

A common gum disease bug plays a “central role” in the development of Alzheimer’s, scientists claim.

The new evidence that infectious bacteria drive Alzheimer’s progression could potentially transform current thinking about how the disease should be tackled.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the chief causes of gum disease and tooth loss in humans, and has also been associated with artery damage.

There have been previous suggestions that it may play a role in Alzheimer’s, but the latest study by a US-led international team of scientists appears to put the link beyond question.

Read the full article here. 

Related Cytoplan blogs

Healthy mouth, healthy you: the importance of good oral health 

The impact of nutrition on dental health 


How diet is changing – the good and the bad

Children are turning their backs on sugary drinks, with the numbers drinking them falling by a third over the past nine years, a survey suggests.

About half of children do not drink them – and those that do are drinking fewer than children in 2008-09 did.

The shift has contributed to an overall reduction in sugar consumption.

However, all age groups still consumed above the recommended levels, according to the nine-year analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Read the full article here. 

Related Cytoplan blogs

Increasing the diversity of your diet 

A gluten-free diet – healthier or not?


Nutritional habit change urged in pregnant women as omega-3 intakes ‘very low’ 

Daily omega-3 fatty acid intake in pregnant women are 4 – 10 times lower than recommended levels – an observation also noted in women of childbearing age, in findings that suggest no change in nutritional habits during the period.

The findings could have adverse impact on long-chain omega-3 content in the foetal and infant brain membranes that could play a role in cognitive and visual development during the first years of life.

“Due to the specific low alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake in the French general population, this nutritional situation appears different to what is observed in other Western countries,” said the study led by Dr Jessica Tressou, researcher at the University of Paris-Saclay.

Read the full article here. 

Related Cytoplan blogs

The role of nutrition during preconception and pregnancy

Omega-3 supplements – making the appropriate choice


Keeping up vit D levels a no-brainer as deficiency linked to neural faults

Studies looking into vitamin D status in both the young and old appear to link its deficiency with schizophrenia in newborns and depression in older adults.

Findings from the two studies point towards the vitamin’s intake as a lifelong process contributing to the healthy ageing process in cognitive as well as physical function.

“This study shows that vitamin D is associated with a health condition other than bone health,” said senior study author, Dr Eamon Laird, who led a Trinity College Dublin team in showing a 75% increased depression risk in vitamin D deficient patients over a four year follow-up period.

Read the full article here.

Related Cytoplan blog

Vitamin D – functions, forms and latest research


If you have any questions regarding the topics that have been raised, or any other health matters, please do contact me (Clare) by phone or email at any time.

clare@cytoplan.co.uk, 01684 310099

Clare Daley and the Cytoplan Editorial Team

Last updated on 20th October 2022 by cytoffice


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