Articles related to VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS

This summary of a January 2023 JACC article highlights the study finding that rosuvastatin was “vastly superior to… any of the six supplements studied in the trial.” The study compared rosuvastatin to cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, red yeast rice, fish oil, and plant sterols. Rosuvastatin yielded a reduction in cholesterol of nearly 38 percent in just 28 days. The supplements had little to no effect but were significantly more costly than the statin.

If eponyms are avoided, Wernicke encephalopathy, commonly known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or alcoholic encephalopathy, is a kind of thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency that is frequently observed in alcoholics. Imaging typically reveals mamillary bodies, dorsomedial thalami, tectal plate, periaqueductal area, and/or the area around the third ventricle as areas of symmetrical enhanced T2/FLAIR signal.

The only effective ways to treat TEC are to stop, delay, or modify your patients’ chemotherapy dose. Supportive medications, such as topical keratolytics, wound care, and high-potency topical corticosteroids, respond differently. These medications cause a 2- to 4-week recovery period following the interruption of chemotherapy, which is a somewhat gradual improvement.

The presence of vitamin D in the brain and its link to improved cognitive performance in aged subjects was originally discovered by a Tufts University study. Higher vitamin D concentrations were linked to a 25% to 33% decreased risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment in four different brain areas. Authors did note, however, that the observational nature of the study and the lack of a diverse subject population were two of its drawbacks, and there may be further explanations for the results.

The statin group experienced an average LDL-C reduction of 37.9%, according to the results of the single-center, prospective, randomized, single-blind SPORT study (Supplements, Placebo, or Rosuvastatin), while those who took dietary supplements experienced LDL-C changes similar to those in the placebo group. Additionally, rosuvastatin-treated patients experienced average decreases in triglycerides of 19% and total cholesterol of 24%. For any of the supplements, there were no differences in either total cholesterol or triglycerides when compared to placebo.

Although results of meta-analyses on the link between vitamin D and depression have historically been mixed, emerging research suggests vitamin D supplementation may help with depression in certain populations. For example, revisiting prior meta analyses, investigators have found that vitamin D supplementation decreased depressive symptoms in MDD patients, as well as in women with perinatal depressive symptoms.