dietary antioxidants including phenolic compounds are believed to be effective nutrients in the prevention of oxidative stress related disease. pomegranate has been used for centuries in ancient cultures for its medicinal purpose and is widely acknowledged for antioxidant properties. the present study was designed to assess the effect of pomegranate fresh fruit consumption on the plasma antioxi...

A considerable number of studies have examined vitamin D status during pregnancy. Although data from observational studies denote vitamin D hypovitaminosis (deficiency or insufficiency) during pregnancy is associated with a plethora of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, data from interventional (supplementation) trials fail to reveal a significant impact on maternal and offspring health. T...

BACKGROUND Research indicates that vitamin D supplementation may decrease depressive symptoms during the winter months. METHOD In this study, nine women with serum vitamin D levels <40 ng/ml were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II. After vitamin D3 supplementation, six of these women completed the BDI-II and had their serum vitamin D levels reassessed. RESULTS Vitamin D sup...

BACKGROUND The role of nutrients and dietary factors in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains unclear. OBJECTIVES The primary objective was to evaluate the serum vitamin D level in children with a diagnosis of ADHD. The secondary objective was to detect the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive function in those with vitamin D deficiency. METHODS A total of 50 c...

Field trials are the cornerstone in the evaluation of new public health interventions in the developing world. There is a tendency to base the introduction of new public health measures on very few trials. This is understandable given the expense in terms of money and time in mounting these trials and the enthusiasm to do something about the persistently high mortality in many parts of the worl...

BACKGROUND Randomized controlled trials have shown inconsistent responses of childhood pneumonia to the use of vitamin A as an adjunct to the standard treatment of pneumonia. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the effect of a moderate dose of vitamin A as an adjunct to standard antimicrobial treatment on the duration of respiratory signs in children with pneumonia. DESIGN Children, aged 2-59 mo, with p...

Mason et al. provide an overview of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) programmes globally and conclude that the current strategy for biannual supplementation with vitamin A between 6 and 59 months of age has outlived its utility. They base their conclusions on the following main arguments. First, despite VAS programmes, global prevalence of vitamin A deficiency has not changed; second, the eviden...

Under high altitude conditions, the effects of vitamin E (α-tocopherol) on growth performance, intestinal morphology (villus size and type), and absorptive surface area of broiler chickens were evaluated. Chickens were fed diets supplemented with 0, 100, 200 or 400 IU/kg vitamin E for 42 days. On days 14, 28 and 42, birds were sacrificed and three segments of small intestine were dissected. The...

The idea that dietary supplements can improve athletic performance is popular among athletes. The use of antioxidant supplements is widespread among endurance athletes because of evidence that free radicals contribute to muscle fatigue during prolonged exercise. Furthermore, interest in vitamin D supplementation is increasing in response to studies indicating that vitamin D deficiency exists in...