PQQ is an antioxidant found in cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, apples, bananas, green tea and other foods. PQQ supports the growth of new mitochondria, which are the cells’ energy-producing power plants. PQQ also protects nerve cells by increasing the expression of nerve growth factor and its receptors, as well as by suppressing the aggregation of amyloid beta.
The trial included 58 participants between the ages of 40 and 80 years with aging-associated cognitive impairment who received 12 weeks of 21.5 milligrams PQQ per day or a placebo. Cognitive performance was evaluated before the treatment period and at 6 and 12 weeks. A questionnaire that obtained information concerning subjective forgetfulness was also administered at these time points.
At the end of the trial, significant improvement was observed among the group that received PQQ in areas of cognitive function that included composite memory, verbal memory, reaction time, complex attention, cognitive flexibility, and executive function (judgement) compared to the placebo. Motor speed was also better in the PQQ group after 12 weeks. Subjective forgetfulness was improved at 6 and 12 weeks in PQQ treated participants in comparison with the placebo. Reported adverse effects were mild in both groups.
Authors Yoshiaki Shiojima and colleagues cited several mechanisms that contribute to PQQ’s observed benefits. They concluded that the “study demonstrates that supplementation of PQQ disodium salt is useful in improving memory, attention, judgment, and cognitive function, in middle-aged to elderly population, who feel they have become more forgetful because of aging.”
University of Miami, 28 Aug 2021
People who live in green neighbourhoods are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1,2
“Higher levels of greenness were associated with lower rates of heart conditions and stroke over time, both when an area maintained high greenness and when greenness increased,” said study author Dr. William Aitken of the University of Miami, US. “It was remarkable that these relationships appeared in just five years, a relatively short amount of time for a positive environmental impact.”
Making streets and neighbourhoods greener has many benefits and this study investigated whether it had any relationship with rates of heart disease. The researchers also examined whether planting more vegetation in a locality would be accompanied by reductions in heart disease over time.
The study included 243,558 US Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who lived in the same area of Miami during 2011 to 2016.3 Medicare records were used to obtain the incidence of new cardiovascular conditions during the five-year study including heart attack, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, and stroke/transient ischaemic attack.
Satellite images were used to assess the amount of visible and near-infrared (i.e. invisible) sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface. Chlorophyll from plants typically absorbs visible light and reflects near-infrared light, so measuring both indicates the amount of vegetation. The greenness of city blocks was then classified as low, medium or high.
Participants were categorised based on whether they lived in low, medium or high greenness blocks in 2011. The process was repeated for those same residents and the greenness of their blocks in 2016. During that period of time Miami-Dade County Parks conducted tree planting programmes so, for example, there was the possibility that someone in a low greenness block in 2011 could be living in a high greenness block in 2016.
The researchers analysed the odds of developing any new cardiovascular disease, and the number of new cardiovascular conditions, based on block-level greenness. The analyses were adjusted for other factors that could be related to new-onset heart disease: age, sex, race/ethnicity, number of baseline cardiovascular conditions, and neighbourhood characteristics including median household income and walkability.
The researchers first compared heart health among those continually living in high versus low greenness areas during the five-year study. Residents of high greenness blocks throughout the study had a 16% lower odds of developing any new cardiovascular conditions compared to those in low greenness blocks (odds ratio [OR]=0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79–0.90; p
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