In the News: Omega-3 & Arteries, Vitamin D & Diabetes, Multis & ‘Premies’

Keeping Arteries Pliable and Elastic

While the major function of blood vessels is to deliver blood to the tissues and return it to the heart, vessels serve a variety of functions. For example, the arteries, or vessels that lead away from the heart, can expand or contract to help regulate blood pressure.

Healthy arteries are soft, pliable and elastic. This allows them to expand easily so blood can flow without much resistance. However, as we age, arteries often become stiffer and don’t open as readily. Arteries can stiffen as a consequence of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and when the elastic fibers within the artery wall begin to fray due to mechanical stress with time. Stiff arteries can increase the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Omega-3s Reduce Vessel Stiffness

Fish oils support heart health in a number of ways. They’ve been found to lower high triglycerides and to mildly reduce elevated blood pressure. They may also help by lowering heart rate and promoting a normal heart beat rhythm.

Recently, a team of researchers from Melbourne, Australia conducted the first review of studies designed to examine whether fish oils can also be of help in arterial stiffness (1). Analyzing data from 10 clinical trials revealed that the omega-3s effectively improved measures of arterial stiffness. According to the authors, promoting vessel flexibility is one more way that omega-3s can contribute to cardio-protection.

Multis May Cut the Risk of Premature Births

Meeting vitamin and mineral needs around the time of conception is important to promote healthy pregnancy outcomes. Getting adequate folic acid, for example, can greatly reduce the chance for neural tube defects in babies. Zinc, and vitamins C and E have also been linked to lower risk of having a pre-term birth, possibly by reducing the impact of oxidative stress on the placenta.

Investigators now report that women who began using multivitamin supplements around the time of conception had a lower their risk of giving birth prematurely (2).

The researchers followed over 35,000 women participating in the Danish National Birth Cohort, recording multivitamin use during a 12 week period around the time they became pregnant. Regular multi use was associated with a 16% reduction in risk of pre-term birth, and a 20% reduction in risk of pre-term labor. There was also a 17% lower risk for giving birth to underweight babies, relative to length of gestation. The authors conclude that taking a multivitamin supplement around the time of conception may be a safe and simple strategy to improve pregnancy outcomes, similar to folic acid supplementation.

Vitamin D Shows Anti-Diabetes Potential

Beta cells in the pancreas produce insulin, and decreased functioning of these cells can predict the risk of diabetes. Because inadequate levels of vitamin D have been linked to impaired insulin secretion, researchers at Tufts University decided to study the effect of this nutrient in people at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes (3).

Ninety-two participants were assigned to receive 2,000 IU vitamin D daily with or without calcium (800 mg of calcium carbonate), or the calcium alone for 4 months. At the end of the study, a marker of beta-cell function improved by 26% in those receiving vitamin D, compared to a 14% decline in the no-vitamin D group. While further study is needed, the results could be promising for people with pre-diabetes.

References

1. Pase M, et al. Review Article. Do long-chain n-3 fatty acids reduce arterial stiffness? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Nutrition, Epub July 6, 2011.
2. Catov JM, et al. Periconceptional multivitamin use and risk of preterm or small-for-gestational-age births in the Danish National Birth Cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94:906-12, 2011.
3. Mitri J, et al. Effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on pancreatic B cell function, insulin sensitivity, and glycemia in adults at high risk of diabetes: The calcium and vitamin D for Diabetes Mellitus (CaDDM) randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94:486-94, 2011.