Ginkgo biloba = plasebo ?

Penelitian randomized double blind ini menilai efek ginkgo biloba dalam mencegah penurunan fungsi kognitif pada orang tua, ternyata efek ginkgo biloba sama dengan plasebo.

 

Ginkgo biloba for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

A Randomized Trial

Beth E. Snitz, PhD; Ellen S. O'Meara, PhD; Michelle C. Carlson, PhD; Alice M. Arnold, PhD; Diane G. Ives, MPH;Stephen R. Rapp, PhD; Judith Saxton, PhD; Oscar L. Lopez, MD; Leslie O. Dunn, MPH; Kaycee M. Sink, MD;Steven T. DeKosky, MD; for the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study Investigators 

JAMA. 2009;302(24):2663-2670.

Context  The herbal product Ginkgo biloba is taken frequently with the intention of improving cognitive health in aging. However, evidence from adequately powered clinical trials is lacking regarding its effect on long-term cognitive functioning.

Objective  To determine whether G biloba slows the rates of global or domain-specific cognitive decline in older adults.

Design, Setting, and Participants  The Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 3069 community-dwelling participants aged 72 to 96 years, conducted in 6 academic medical centers in the United States between 2000 and 2008, with a median follow-up of 6.1 years.

Intervention  Twice-daily dose of 120-mg extract of G biloba (n = 1545) or identical-appearing placebo (n = 1524).

Main Outcome Measures  Rates of change over time in the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE), in the cognitivesubscale of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), and in neuropsychological domains of memory, attention, visual-spatial construction, language, and executive functions, based on sums of z scores of individual tests.

Results  Annual rates of decline in z scores did not differ between G biloba and placebo groups in any domains, includingmemory (0.043; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.034-0.051 vs 0.041; 95% CI, 0.032-0.050), attention (0.043; 95% CI, 0.037-0.050 vs 0.048; 95% CI, 0.041-0.054), visuospatial abilities (0.107; 95% CI, 0.097-0.117 vs 0.118; 95% CI, 0.108-0.128), language (0.045; 95% CI, 0.037-0.054 vs 0.041; 95% CI, 0.033-0.048), and executive functions (0.092; 95% CI, 0.086-0.099 vs 0.089; 95% CI, 0.082-0.096). For the 3MSE and ADAS-Cog, rates of change varied by baseline cognitive status (mild cognitive impairment), but there were no differences in rates of change between treatment groups (for 3MSE,P = .71; for ADAS-Cog, P = .97). There was no significant effect modification of treatment on rate of decline by age, sex, race, education, APOE*E4 allele, or baseline mild cognitive impairment (P > .05).

Conclusion  Compared with placebo, the use of G biloba, 120 mg twice daily, did not result in less cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or with mild cognitive impairment.

Diet sehat itu lebih mahal

Penelitian di Australia ini mendapatkan bahwa kebiasaan makan yang sehat lebih mahal sehingga membebani untuk keluarga yang welfare-dependent.

 

A healthy diet consistent with Australian health recommendations is too expensive for welfare-dependent families

Christine Kettings ¹ and Andrew J. Sinclair ¹ Melanie Voevodin ²

¹ School of Exercise and Nutrition Science, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria ² Nestlé Healthcare Nutrition, Melbourne, Victoria

Correspondence to: 
Melanie Voevodin, Nestlé Healthcare Nutrition, 20-24 Howleys Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia. Fax: (03) 8588 0599; e-mail:melanie.voevodin@au.nestle.com

KEYWORDS

food cost • food security • Australian Dietary Guidelines • low-income family

ABSTRACT

Objective: Examine the cost of healthy food habits for welfare-dependent families in Australia.

Method: A seven-day meal plan was developed, based on Australian public health recommendations, for two typical welfare-dependent families: a couple-family (two adults, two children) and a one-parent family (one adult, two children). The cost of the meal plan was calculated using market brand and generic brand grocery items, and total cost compared to income.

Results: In Australia, the cost of healthy food habits uses about 40% of the disposable income of welfare-dependent families. Families earning an average income would spend only 20% of their disposable income to buy the same healthy food. Substituting generic brands for market brands reduced the weekly food cost by about 13%. This is one of few economic models to include generic brands.

Conclusion: Compared with average-income Australian families, healthy food habits are a fiscal challenge to welfare-dependent families.

Implications: These results provide a benchmark for economic and social policy analysis, and the influence disposable income has on prioritising healthy food habits.

Sleep Duration and Hyperglycemia Among Obese and Nonobese Children Aged 3 to 6 Years

Penelitian cross-sectional ini mencari hubungan antara durasi tidur dan hiperglikemia pada anak prasekolah. Ternyata kurang tidur berhubungan dengan hiperglikemia. Namun untuk menemukan hubungan kausal perlu penelitian lebih mendalam.

 

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Sleep Duration and Hyperglycemia Among Obese and Nonobese Children Aged 3 to 6 Years

Zhen Tian, MD; Tao Ye, MD; Xiaoyan Zhang, MD; Enqing Liu, MD; Wei Wang, MD; Ping Wang, MD; Gongshu Liu, MD;Xilin Yang, PhD; Gang Hu, MD, PhD, MPH; Zhijie Yu, MD, PhD, MPH 

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(1):46-52.

Objective  To investigate the association between sleep duration and risk of hyperglycemia among preschool Chinese children.

Design  A population-based cross-sectional study.

Setting  Seventy-one randomly selected kindergartens in Tianjin, China.

Participants  Six hundred nineteen obese (body mass index z score >1.65) and 617 nonobese (body mass index z score <1.65) children aged 3 to 6 years were recruited and matched by age.

Main Exposure  Sleep duration.

Main Outcome Measures  Hyperglycemia, defined as a fasting glucose level of 100 mg/dL or higher.

Results  Obese children were more likely to have shorter sleep duration (<8 hours) compared with their nonobese counterparts (P < .001). Compared with those who slept for 9 or 10 hours per night, those who slept for 8 hours or less hada significantly higher likelihood of having hyperglycemia, controlling for age and sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.45). After further adjustment for other potential confounders, the association still remained statistically significant (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.09-2.46). In the stratified multivariable analyses, those who were obese and slept for 8 hours or less had an increased risk of having hyperglycemia (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.06-4.21) compared with those who were nonobese and slept for 9 hours or more.

Conclusions  Shorter sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of having hyperglycemia among preschool Chinese children. Whether adequate sleep may help maintain euglycemia among children, especially for those who are overweight or obese, warrants further investigation.