Nutritional, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies for Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65 particularly in those who are smokers, obese, White race, genetically predisposed and environmentally exposed. The root cause is thought to be photochemical damage causing oxidative stress to the macula coupled with low grade inflammation over many years which also contributes to the progression of the disease. The hallmark studies Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2 found a formulation consisting of 500 mg vitamin C, 400 IU vitamin E, 25 mg zinc, 2 mg copper, 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin effective for slowing the progression AMD.

Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Managing Parkinson's Disease: A Narrative Review.

The etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is not fully understood, but environmental toxin overexposure, increased intestinal permeability, and dysbiosis related to nutrition and lifestyle habits are thought to be contributors. Considering these nutrition and lifestyle implications, there is a lack of practice-based programs utilizing interventions for managing symptoms or slowing the progression of the disease. The purpose of this narrative review was to identify relevant research related to nutrition and lifestyle interventions for PD, evaluate the research utilizing the evidence analysis process of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to assess the quality of each research article, and group the research into categories.

Nutrient deficiencies associated with nutrition-focused physical findings of the oral cavity.

Conducting nutrition-focused physical examinations and reporting the findings from the perspective of nutrition status strengthen the practitioner's assessments, interventions, and monitoring. The nutrition-focused physical examination of the oral cavity is particularly useful to identify nutrient deficiencies early and with accuracy as the tissues in the oral mucosa have a turnover rate of <1 week. As biomarkers may not always be reliable for identifying micronutrient deficiencies, these physical examinations are important for providing comprehensive nutrition care.

Should long-term care residents be supplemented with vitamin D?

The Health Canada recommendation of 600 IU of vitamin D daily for those over age 70 may be inadequate to prevent deficiencies. A literature search was conducted to examine whether older people living in long-term care (LTC) facilities are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency and therefore should receive a minimum daily supplement of 800 IU. The search included the major databases; the search terms "elderly" and "vitamin D" were used.