Japanese, Mediterranean and Argentinean diets and their potential roles in neurodegenerative diseases.

Environmental factors are responsible of cellular senescence and processes found in the development of cognitive disorders. The aim of this paper is to compare benefits of the Japanese, Mediterranean, and Argentinian Diet on the onset or prevention of senile dementia (SD) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Special focus was on the effects of specific compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), antioxidants, and saturated and trans fatty acids. A high adherence to diets rich in PUFAs, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and antioxidants may decrease the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases; while the predominance of saturated and trans fatty acids possibly rises it.

Nutritional risk in outpatients of a geriatric neuropsychiatry clinic

BACKGROUND: There are few published studies investigating the nutritional status of elderly individuals with psychiatric disorders. This study aims to describe the nutritional status of elderly patients from a neuropsychiatry outpatient clinic, investigating their nutritional status according to the type of psychiatric diagnostic, specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD), depression (DEP), and other types of dementia (OTD).METHODS: Elderly individuals from two outpatient clinics (n= 217) were evaluated for nutritional risk (using a validated tool) and for some anthropometric and biochemical measurements. RESULTS: We found a high prevalence of nutritional risk in the sample (about 60%). The major dietary problems found were low daily meal frequency and the low daily intake of water. Biochemical analyses indicated blood glucose and total cholesterol to be above the reference values, while hemoglobin and vitamin D were below the reference values. Anthropometric measurements did not differ between the groups with different psychiatric diagnostics, except for calf circumference, which showed to be lower in the OTD group (p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Although we found a high prevalence of nutritional risk, the differences between the diagnostic groups were very subtle. The nutritional risk is certainly associated with inadequate eating habits. It is necessary to seek strategies to improve the diet and other lifestyle factors in geriatric neuropsychiatry, in order to mitigate the negative outcomes brought about by the diseases.

Age at onset of caloric restriction and its effects on the redox profile of the rat hippocampus

BACKGROUND: The benefits of caloric restriction (CR) on the protection against age-related neurodegenerative diseases have been the subject of several studies. However, the effects of CR on the central nervous system are still poorl y understood since most studies were carried out in mature animals. The present study aimed to investigate whether the age at onset of CR could differently affect the redox status of the rat hippocampus. METHODS: Thirty-two male Wistar rats at 35 days old (35d;n= 16) and 65 days old (65d;n= 16) were fed ad libitum or subjected to 30 % CR (n= 8 group/age) for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the rats were euthanized, blood was collected, and the hippocampus was dissected for measuring the redox status. RESULTS: CR in 35d and 65d rats induced a 16 and 21% reduction in body weight gain, respectively, compared to controls (p< 0.05). Urea, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol concentrations were lower in CR 35d rats than in 35d controls (p< 0.05). No differences were detected between the CR groups and controls in the object recognition test (p> 0.05) and in superoxide dismutase activity, nitric oxide content, and lipid peroxidation levels(p> 0.05). However, glutathione peroxidase activity was higher (p< 0.0001) in 65d rats compared to that in 35d rats, and GSH content was higher (p< 0.05) in CR-fed rats compared to that in controls at both ages. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, CR increased GSH content when started at both ages but did not affect the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the level of ROS in the hippocampus. In addition, CR did not induce any detrimental effects on memory and nutritional status when started in both 35d and 65d rats