What's hot

News flashes are posted here frequently to keep you up-to-date with the latest advances in health and longevity. We have an unparalleled track record of breaking stories about life extension advances.

Magnesium L-threonate boosts cognitive performance in randomized trial

January 30 2026. Findings from a trial reported January 11, 2026, in Frontiers in Nutrition revealed improvement in overall cognition, brain cognitive age, working memory and reaction time among adults who used magnesium-L-threonate compared with a placebo.

Magnesium L-threonate is a form of magnesium with good bioavailability compared with other types of magnesium. It has been shown to increase brain magnesium levels and has shown positive effects on cognition.

Among other adverse effects, poor sleep is associated with cognitive impairment. However, clinical investigation of the mineral's potential sleep-enhancing effects has been limited.

The randomized, double-blind trial included 26 healthy men and women aged 18 to 45 years with over four weeks of self-reported poor sleep. Forty-eight participants received two grams magnesium-L-threonate providing 145 milligrams elemental magnesium and an equal number received a placebo daily for six weeks. National Institutes of Health Toolbox and other assessments of cognition, cognitive age, sleep and heart rate were evaluated before and after the treatment period.

At the end of the six weeks, participants who received magnesium L-threonate experienced significantly greater improvement in overall cognitive performance, episodic and working memory compared with the placebo group. Reaction time improved and estimated brain cognitive age was lower by 7.5 years compared with the placebo. Although no change in sleep disturbances, restorative sleep or wellbeing occurred, magnesium L-threonate-treated participants showed an improvement in sleep impairment. Heart rate decreased and heart rate variability increased among participants who received magnesium L-threonate, indicating reduced stress and better autonomic nervous system balance.

Authors Adrian L. Lopresti and Stephen J. Smith concluded that six weeks of magnesium L-threonate improved "overall cognition, cognitive age, working memory, reaction time, heart rate, heart rate variability, and some subjective, but not objective measures of sleep in healthy adults with self-reported dissatisfied sleep."

—D Dye

Omega-3, linoleic acid linked with healthy aging

January 28 2026. The January 2026 issue of The American Journal of Clinic Nutrition reported the finding of a correlation between a greater likelihood of healthy aging and higher levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the omega-6 PUFA linoleic acid.

The prospective study included 15,333 healthy men and women aged 64 years and older who participated in the UK Biobank, which enrolled over half a million individuals from 2006–2010 to explore the causes of various diseases. Participants in the current study were projected to reach the age of 80 years or older by the latest Biobank follow-up in 2021. Healthy aging was defined as survival to 80 without developing major chronic diseases that included cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung diseases, depression, hip fracture, type 2 diabetes, severe liver diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and end-stage kidney disease.

Healthy aging was achieved by 9,291, or 60.6% of the participants. Individuals whose plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids at enrollment were among the highest 25% of participants had an adjusted 32% greater chance of achieving healthy aging compared with participants whose levels were among the lowest 25%. The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), non-DHA omega-3 PUFAs such as EPA and the omega-6 PUFA linoleic acid were associated with an improved chance of healthy aging, while a higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a reduction in healthy aging likelihood. Analysis of additional blood biomarkers determined that aging acceleration (biologic aging) was the top mediator of the association of omega-3 PUFAs with healthy aging.

In accordance with the current study's findings, authors Jie-Qiong Lyu and colleagues noted that an analysis of a previous trial indicated that adding omega-3 fatty acids to the diet slowed biologic aging during a three-year period.

"Relatively higher levels of plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 PUFAs (both DHA and the non-DHA components) and omega PUFAs (linoleic acid but not the non-linoleic acid components), are associated with higher odds of healthy aging, potentially through retarding the biological aging processes," they concluded.

—D Dye

US vitamin D levels increasing

January 26 2026. The January 2026 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the finding of researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of a decline in the proportion of the US population who are at risk of having inadequate levels of vitamin D.

Catharine A. Couch and colleagues evaluated data from 54,585 individuals who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from its 2007–2008 cycle through the August 2021–August 2023 cycle. Blood samples collected during six NHANES cycles were analyzed for serum vitamin D levels, which were classified as at risk of deficiency at less than 12 ng/mL, at risk of inadequacy at 12– 19.6 ng/mL, sufficient at 20-50 ng/mL, and of possible concern when greater than 50 ng/mL (concerning which the potential effects were described as inconclusive).

From the 2007-2008 to 2015–2016 cycles, the percentage of participants at risk of deficiency declined from 6.2% to 4.3%. Among vitamin D users, risk of deficiency between 2007–2008 and August 2021–August 2023 was reduced from 1.8% to 1.2%.

The percentage of participants who were at risk of inadequacy was reduced from 18.8% to 15.6% between the 2007–2008 and August 2021–August 2023 cycles while the risk among those who used vitamin D decreased from 12.8% to 5.8%. High vitamin D prevalence increased from 2% to 11.4% during this period. Trends among participants who did not use vitamin D were reported as not significant.

"The proportion of the population with inadequate vitamin D concentrations continues to decline, and the proportion of the population with high vitamin D concentrations continues to rise," Couch and her associates concluded. "These trends are especially apparent among individuals reporting use of vitamin D."

—D Dye

Methionine, SAMe protect against inflammation effects by improving kidney function

January 23 2026. On January 22, 2026, researchers from the Salk Institute reported that the amino acid methionine and its metabolite S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) enabled urinary clearance of proinflammatory proteins known as cytokines that can cause severe illness during infection. The findings were published in Cell Metabolism.

"Pro-inflammatory cytokines are ultimately what leads to sickness and death in a lot of cases," first author Katia Troha, PhD, explained. "The immune system has to balance inflammation to attack the invader without harming healthy cells in the body. Our job is to find the mechanisms it uses to do that, so that we can target them to improve patient outcomes."

Methionine is an essential amino acid that occurs in meat and other foods. A metabolite of methionine, SAMe, is an over-the-counter nutrient that is used to support mood, and liver and joint health. The body's production of SAMe declines over time.

Acting on the finding of reduced methionine levels in mice in which systemic inflammation was induced, the research team discovered that adding methionine to the diet of another group of infected mice protected the animals from cytokine-induced loss of appetite, wasting and death without affecting their ability to combat the infectious bacteria. Similar results were observed following the administration of SAMe. It was discovered that methionine reduced the systemic accumulation of cytokines by enhancing blood flow in the kidneys to improve cytokine excretion.

"Our study indicates that small biological differences, including dietary factors, can have large effects on disease outcomes," senior author Janelle Ayres, PhD, stated. "Our discovery of a kidney-driven mechanism that limits inflammation, together with the protective effects of methionine . . . points toward the potential of nutrition as a mechanistically informed medical intervention that can direct and optimize the paths people take in response to insults that cause disease."

—D Dye

Adding vitamins C plus E to diet improves cardiometabolic markers

January 19 2026. The February 1, 2026, issue of Nutrition Reviews published a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials found improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose control in men and women with diabetes who added vitamins C and E to their diet. Some effects of the vitamins, alone or combined, were similar; however, some varying effects were observed in association with different cardiometabolic factors.

Researchers in Spain identified 52 randomized, placebo-controlled trials that included a total of 1,425 participants for the meta-analysis. Trial duration was from two to 48 weeks. Analyzed cardiometabolic factors included fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Overall analysis found similar improvement in glycemic control, as evaluated by fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C and insulin levels, in association with vitamins C and E, and the combination of both vitamins. While vitamin C and the combination of vitamins C and E reduced systolic blood pressure, there was no reduction associated with vitamin E alone. The overall effect of the nutrients on diastolic blood pressure was not significant; however, the combination was associated with a reduction. When lipids were examined, the vitamin C plus E combination improved HDL, while LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides were reduced overall.

“The primary aim of this study was to conduct a subgroup meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of vitamin C, vitamin E, or their combination in managing cardiometabolic health in participants with type 2 diabetes,” Jerónimo Aragón-Vela, PhD, and colleagues concluded. “We found a synergistic effect of combining vitamins C and E, with increments in HDL levels. However, when analyzing blood pressure, we found a similar efficacy between consuming vitamin C or a combination of vitamins C and E. For the remaining cardiometabolic outcomes, no clear differences were observed between supplementation strategies.”

—D Dye

Vitamin D deficiency linked with COPD incidence and mortality

January 14 2026. Research reported January 5, 2026, in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation® found associations between deficient levels of vitamin D and a greater risk of COPD and mortality from the disease.

Ying Zhu, MD, PhD, and colleagues evaluated data from participants in the UK Biobank, which collects health and other data from more than residents of England, to conduct cross-sectional and prospective studies. The cross-sectional study included 328,855 Biobank participants who had data on their serum vitamin D levels. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels of 20 ng/mL were defined as sufficient, 12 ng/mL–20 ng/mL was classified as insufficient and levels below 12 ng/mL were categorized as deficient as per U.S. Institute of Medicine definitions. The investigators found that men and women who had deficient vitamin D levels had an adjusted 26.6% higher risk of COPD compared with those whose levels were sufficient.

The team subsequently conducted a prospective study to examine the relationship between vitamin D levels and the development of COPD during a 15-year follow-up period. The study included 327,871 men and women and did not include 984 participants who were diagnosed with COPD prior to enrollment. In a fully adjusted analysis, being deficient in vitamin D was associated with an 87.4% higher risk of being diagnosed with COPD during follow-up and a 59.8% greater risk of mortality from COPD compared with individuals who were sufficient.

Having deficient levels of vitamin D was more strongly associated with COPD in smokers, men and people who did not use vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency's association with an increased risk of mortality from COPD was stronger among depressed individuals.

"Our study suggests that 25(OH)D deficiency is associated with COPD incidence and survival, providing a basis for preventive strategies and interventions," Dr Zhu and colleagues concluded.

—D Dye

Metabolic syndrome sustained remission likelier with lifestyle improvements

January 12 2026. The January 1, 2026, issue of JAMA Internal Medicine reported a higher likelihood of achieving sustained remission of metabolic syndrome among individuals who engaged in a behavior-based lifestyle program.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that include high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high fasting glucose and central obesity. The presence of three out of the five factors are needed to diagnose metabolic syndrome, which is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

"The Enhanced Lifestyles for Metabolic Syndrome (ELM) multisite efficacy trial tested the hypothesis that motivated participants with metabolic syndrome receiving a 6-month habit-based lifestyle intervention in addition to education and activity monitoring would achieve a higher proportion of sustained 24-month metabolic syndrome remission than those receiving education and activity monitoring alone," authors Lynda H. Powell and colleagues wrote.

The trial included 237 men and women assigned to a lifestyle intervention and 265 assigned to a comparator group. Both groups received activity monitoring and education. The intervention group additionally took part in group meetings for six months to establish four habits as part of a daily routine. These included consuming vegetables at meals, taking daily brisk walks, developing sensory awareness of colors, tastes and aromas, and emotion regulation by pausing before opportunistic eating or reacting to stress.

After six months, remission of metabolic syndrome had occurred in 24.8% of participants who practiced the four habits and 17.9% of the comparator group. Among the 255 lifestyle intervention participants who completed 24 months, 27.8% experienced sustained metabolic syndrome remission, compared with 21.2% of 262 comparator group participants.

"This randomized clinical trial found that sustained metabolic syndrome remission after treatment may be possible by promoting simple habits through a behavior-based lifestyle program focused on immediate benefits," Dr Powell and associates concluded.

—D Dye

Creatine benefits more than muscle

January 09 2026. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial involving physically active men found that a week of creatine monohydrate resulted in improvements in physical output during high-intensity intermittent exercise and less muscle soreness, in addition to improving subjective sleep quality and cognitive performance compared with a placebo. The findings were reported December 7, 2025, in Nutrients.

"Creatine monohydrate supplementation is well-established for enhancing physical performance and accelerating recovery in several sporting contexts," Khouloud Ben Maaoui of the University of Sfax and colleagues noted. "However, beyond these traditional performance benefits, its effects on sleep metrics and cognitive function have not been thoroughly investigated."

The trial included seven men who received 20 grams creatine and seven men who received a placebo daily for one week. This was followed by a two-week period during which neither treatment was given. Participants who had received creatine during the first phase of the trial were subsequently given a placebo and those who received a placebo received creatine for an additional seven-day period. Physical performance (as assessed by a five-meter shuttle run test), recovery, sleep metrics, subjective sleep assessment and psycho-cognitive responses were evaluated at different time points in each phase.

The researchers determined that creatine improved sleep quality and was associated with an earlier bedtime compared with the placebo. Total distance and best distance in the shuttle run performance test significantly increased following the creatine treatment phase, and muscle soreness was significantly lower. Cognitive performance also significantly improved in association with creatine.

"Given its potential to enhance not only physical performance but also sleep quality and cognitive function, short-term creatine monohydrate loading may be a valuable strategy for individuals seeking to optimize recovery and readiness during periods of intense training or competition," the authors concluded. "Clinicians and sports nutritionists could consider incorporating creatine monohydrate supplementation into recovery strategies for athletes facing sleep disturbances and cognitive performance challenges."

—D Dye

Kidney disease patients need more vitamin C

January 07 2026. The November 2025 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported an association between chronic kidney disease and inadequate or deficient levels of vitamin C.

Caecilia S. E. Doorenbos of University Medical Center Groningen and colleagues in the Netherlands compared plasma vitamin C levels of 62 men and women with chronic kidney disease receiving kidney dialysis, 41 individuals with chronic kidney disease stage 4/5, 42 kidney transplant recipients, 447 living kidney donors and 385 healthy control participants who did not have kidney disease. Vitamin C intake among participants with chronic kidney disease was ascertained by dietician-administered 24-hour dietary recall interviews.

Median plasma vitamin C levels were highest among the healthy control group. Fourteen percent of this group had inadequate or deficient levels of vitamin C, while kidney donors had an incidence of inadequacy or deficiency of 24%. The incidence of inadequacy of deficiency was 48% among kidney transplant recipients, 58% among dialysis patients and 80% among individuals with stage 4/5 chronic kidney disease.

"Worse kidney function is associated with lower plasma vitamin C concentrations, even in healthy individuals," Doorenbos and her associates concluded. "This novel finding is underscored by decreasing vitamin C concentrations following kidney donation."

They remarked that a causal role for vitamin C inadequacy in kidney disease could not be proven; however, the study's findings emphasize the need for research to explore potential mechanisms.

"Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring vitamin C status in individuals with impaired kidney function and suggest opportunities for targeted interventions to improve vitamin C status," they concluded. Routinely adding vitamin C to the diets of stage 4/5 chronic kidney disease patients and kidney transplant recipients, as well as increasing the dose of the vitamin prescribed to patients receiving dialysis could be considered as strategies to improve vitamin C intake.

—D Dye

Meta-analysis concludes CoQ10 effective against depression

January 05 2026. A systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials published in the January/February 2026 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology concluded that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) consumed by individuals with depression was associated with improvement of depressive symptoms.

Authors Pedro Lucas Machado Magalhães, MS, and colleagues observed that CoQ10 has antioxidant properties and supports a healthy inflammatory response, which may help lower oxidative stress and inflammation related to depression. They noted that the addition of antioxidants to the diet has been associated with improvements in depressive symptoms and that antioxidants may be helpful when combined with antidepressant drug treatment. Study findings indicate that CoQ10 may decrease alpha-synuclein aggregation, which has been implicated in dysfunction of cellular power plants known as mitochondria that occurs with mood disorders.

For their review, Magalhães and his associates selected five randomized, controlled trials that included a total of 474 depressed adult participants. Three of the trials included participants whose depression was associated with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and the remainder involved individuals with primary depressive disorders that included bipolar disorder and major depression.

Analysis of pooled trial outcomes found that participants treated with CoQ10 experienced greater improvements in depressive symptoms in comparison with the control groups. No significant effect for CoQ10 was found against fatigue in the two trials that evaluated this depression-associated symptom.

"The antidepressant effect observed with coenzyme Q10 supplementation, with a moderate effect size and consistent results across validated scales, suggests a potential role for CoQ10 as an adjunctive intervention in patients with depressive disorders, particularly those with metabolic or inflammatory comorbidities," Magalhães and colleagues wrote. "Given its favorable safety profile, CoQ10 may be a viable option in populations where conventional pharmacotherapy is limited by adverse effects or treatment resistance."

—D Dye

Multivitamin/mineral users report vitality, well-being

January 02 2026. Findings from a study appearing December 23, 2025, in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition revealed self-reported aspects of youthful vitality among individuals who used multivitamin/minerals.

Four hundred men and women of an average age of 46.72 years completed questionnaires concerning six measures of youthful vitality that included energy and performance, metabolism, sleep, mental alertness, skin health and complexion, and spirit. Other questionnaires completed by the participants evaluated immunity status, vitality and well-being.

Daily use of multivitamin/minerals was reported by 59.25% of the respondents, while the remainder were occasional users. An equal percentage recognized multivitamin/mineral use as a contributor to youthful vitality.

Ninety-three percent of respondents agreed that multivitamin/mineral use supported at least one of the six youthful vitality benefits. Fifty-nine percent reported energy support, 59.75% reported better metabolism and 53.25% reported an improved complexion. Normal immune function was reported by 66.25% and general health maintenance was reported by 63.25%.

Three-quarters of the participants expressed product satisfaction. Daily users, men and individuals aged 50 years and older reported more favorable outcomes than occasional users, women and people who were under the age of 50. "Overall, users’ perception was positive, with over 70% expressing satisfaction, trust, and a willingness to repurchase," authors Vandana Garg and colleagues wrote.

"These user-reported outcomes complement existing clinical research by highlighting benefits experienced in everyday settings, especially among daily users and those aged 50 and above," they concluded. "By bridging the gap between controlled trials and consumer experience, this study adds valuable context to the science and recommendation of micronutrient[s]."

—D Dye

What's Hot Archive