Several recent studies published by Tufts nutrition researchers earned the University national recognition, as their findings relating to geriatric health received wide-spread media coverage.
The results of one of the studies by scientists at Tufts' Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) suggest that a multi-vitamin supplement may decrease the risk of heart disease and enhance the benefits of a healthy diet in older adults. The study's findings were published in the October issue of The Journal of the American College of Nutrition and captured the attention of The Washington Post, as well as health-related websites.
Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at the HNRCA, spearheaded the study. Blumberg has studied the effects of dietary supplements for the last 20 years, but he said that little research had been conducted to determine the benefits of multivitamins for older adults.
In the eight-week study, healthy adults already consuming a folate-fortified diet were given a nutritional supplement containing the complete recommended daily value of vitamins, including folate, which is typically found in fruits and vegetables. When participants took the vitamin, their folate levels increased, which caused blood homocysteine levels to drop ten percent.
Homocysteine is an amino acid that is found naturally in blood. High homocysteine levels are a major risk factor for fatal heart attacks, stroke, or circulatory system disease. Lower levels of homocysteine are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
"This study confirms the research that while older adults may be able to consume enough folate in their diet, the amount they do eat may not be well-absorbed," Blumberg said. "While the ready absorption of these micronutrients from a supplement was not unexpected, its efficacy in raising nutritional status significantly in an already healthy group was somewhat surprising."
The results suggest that the 40 to 60 percent of Americans age 50 and over who do take multivitamins are probably helping to promote their health - and "not wasting money as some people have proposed," according to Blumberg.
But he said the study was too narrow and short to conclude that all older adults should take a multivitamin supplement and that he would be conducting further research.
Similar research projects by faculty at the HNRCA made comparable discoveries about the necessity of vitamins and a good diet in old age. One study found that vitamin B may be associated with memory and other mental functions in the elderly. The results, which were published in a recent issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show a link between the development of neurologic symptoms and vitamin B deficiency in older Americans.
Dr. Irving Rosenberg, Director of the HNRCA, spoke about the implications of his research findings at the USDA Conference on Aging in Washington, DC on Sept. 28.
Another group of HNRCA scientists also recently discovered that elderly Hispanics with diabetes are more likely to lose muscle and the ability to move and take care of themselves. The findings underscore the need to better educate Hispanics on how to prevent diabetes or minimize its impact, according to a release from the Tufts School of Nutrition Science and Policy's public relations office.
These newly recognized disorders - muscle wasting and functional impairment - increase the list of known complications that may result from uncontrolled blood sugar, according to study leader Dr. Carmen Castaneda.
The HNRCA at Tufts is one of six research centers in the United States designed to study the impact of human nutrition on health. The center is operated by Tufts under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Agriculture.
