An 18-mo randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of DHA-rich fish oil to prevent age-related cognitive decline in cognitively normal older adults.

Background: Fish oil trials in cognitively healthy older adults have yielded inconsistent results. Supplementation may differentially affect the domains that underpin cognitive performance, and effects may differ across sex or genotype.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich fish oil slows 18-mo cognitive decline in cognitively healthy elders.

Cognitive performance in older adults is inversely associated with fish consumption but not erythrocyte membrane n-3 fatty acids.

Higher n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and fish intake may help maintain cognitive function in older age. However, evidence is inconsistent; few studies have examined the relation in cognitively healthy individuals across numerous cognitive domains, and none to our knowledge have considered lifetime fish intake. We examined associations between multiple domains of cognition and erythrocyte membrane n-3 PUFA proportions and historical and contemporary fish intake in 390 normal older adults, analyzing baseline data from the Older People, Omega-3, and Cognitive Health trial.

Effect of a 12-mo micronutrient intervention on learning and memory in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children: 2 parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in Australia and Indonesia.

Background: Little is known about the combined effect of micronutrients and essential fatty acids on cognitive function in school-aged children.

Objective: We assessed the effect of micronutrients, long-chain n-3 fatty acids, or both on indicators of cognitive performance in well-nourished and marginally nourished school-aged children.

Design: Two 2-by-2 factorial randomized controlled double-blind trials were performed home-based in Adelaide, South Australia, and at 6 primary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Nutrients for cognitive development in school-aged children.

This review considers the research to date on the role of nutrition in cognitive development in children, with a particular emphasis on the relatively neglected post-infancy period. Undernutrition and deficiencies of iodine, iron, and folate are all important for the development of the brain and the emergent cognitive functions, and there is some evidence to suggest that zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may also be important. Considerations for future research include a focus on the interactions between micronutrients and macronutrients that might be influential in the optimization of cognitive development; investigation of the impact of nutritional factors in children after infancy, with particular emphasis on effects on the developing executive functions; and selection of populations that might benefit from nutritional interventions, for example, children with nutrient deficiencies or those suffering from attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

Symptom experience in Australian men and women in midlife.

Objective: To compare the experience of vasomotor, psychological and somatic symptoms in Australian men and women in midlife, to investigate whether symptoms often attributed to endocrine changes in midlife are associated with health and psychological well-being, and to evaluate their relationship to menopausal status in women.

Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational, population-based study based on self-report questionnaires. Participants comprised 451 men and 766 women, aged between 39 and 65, from urban and rural South Australia, who responded to invitations to participate, or who volunteered to participate following media releases.

Short-term folate, vitamin B-12 or vitamin B-6 supplementation slightly affects memory performance but not mood in women of various ages.

Based on research demonstrating associations between folate, B-12 and B-6 vitamins and cognition and mood, we investigated the effects of short-term supplementation in 211 healthy younger, middle-aged and older women who took either 750 microg of folate, 15 microg of vitamin B-12, 75 mg of vitamin B-6 or a placebo daily for 35 d. In addition, we examined associations between dietary intake of these vitamins and cognition and mood. Usual dietary intake status was estimated using a retrospective, self-report, quantified food frequency questionnaire.