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 | | BRAIN BENEFITS OF BETA-CAROTENE | | | International Food Ingredients | | 30/09/2008 | | | The results of two studies initiated in the 1980s indicate that beta-carotene provides long-term benefits to memory and may significantly help to preserve mental fitness when taken as a supplement over many years.
The Physicians Health Study I, which commenced in 1982 and involved over 22,000 volunteers, gave participants aspirin, beta-carotene or a placebo for a period of several years. Following this study, a second one, The Physicians Health Study II, was initiated with 6,000 participants, 4,100 of whom had taken part in the first study. The aim of this sub-study was to understand the effect of beta-carotene on a different range of cognitive performance indicators. Participants who had taken part in the first study scored significantly better in two out of three cognition tests than did the newly recruited volunteers and the placebo group.
Manfred Eggersdorfer, senior vice president research & development, DSM nutritional products, said, “Even small improvements in cognitive performance, especially in the area of verbal memory, reduce the risk of the occurrence of dementia. These studies suggest that an adequate intake of beta-carotene over a long period of time can measurably improve brain health and memory. The implication is that beta-carotene could be proactively applied in the prevention and treatment of dementia illnesses.”
The potential health benefits of beta-carotene may in fact be much more wide-ranging than was previously acknowledged. While the beneficial effects of beta-carotene as provitamin A on maintaining vision and skin photoprotection have long been known, a recent study suggests that beta-carotene can additionally help to prevent sunburn. “Clearly the potential of the naturally occurring antioxidant beta-carotene has not yet been fully explored,” said Krijn Rietveld, senior vice president of DSM nutritional products’ Nutrition Innovation Group.
www.dsm.com | |
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