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News Bites: Meditating to Fight Fatigue, Meeting Folic Acid Goals, and B-Vitamins for Quality of Life

Meditation Helps Mental Alertness

Many people experience a mid-afternoon slump in energy levels. Results from a University of Kentucky study suggest that meditation is a great antidote to those afternoon doldrums (1). Better, even, than napping, exercising or grabbing a cup of coffee.

After teaching college students meditation basics in two short sessions, the students then took a test that measures alertness and skills like reaction time over the next few weeks. They were tested in mid- to late afternoon, before and after 40 minutes of meditating, napping, exercising or taking caffeine.

Napping produced poor results, presumably because of "sleep inertia" - that feeling of grogginess after awakening that typically lasts 15-30 minutes. Caffeine helped, exercise was unpredictable and meditation proved most effective.

Studies have found that meditating produces brain patterns similar to those that occur during sleep. When some of the students were asked to skip a night's sleep and then take the test, meditation was even more helpful in impacting alertness. Many community colleges offer classes in meditation, and learning the techniques may help people be more energetic and focused.

Folic Acid Intakes Still Short of Target Goal

Research in the early 1990's established that increasing prenatal intake of the B-vitamin folic acid reduces the risk of one of the most common birth defects - called neural tube defects - in newborns. That led the FDA to implement the most significant food fortification policy since the 1940's, which mandated that all enriched grain products be fortified with folic acid. The fortification program began in 1998.

Recently, Harvard researchers analyzed folate intake levels from two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to assess the impact of the grain-fortified program. The initial goal of the program was to increase the percentage of women of childbearing age who consumed at least 400 micrograms (mcg) folic acid daily from 29% to 50%. The new study found that while the percentage of women aged 15-44 years who consume more than 400 mcg daily has risen some, it hasn't reached the FDA's 50% target (2). About 1/3 of women in that age bracket meet the goal, but intake varies by age and race/ethnicity. It appears that women need to increase their intake of grain products or take supplements containing folic acid. In addition to reducing the risk of neural tube defects, folic acid has the potential to decrease the risks of colon cancer and possibly heart disease.

Low Selenium, Vitamins B6 & B12 Linked to Daily Living Difficulties

Cornell University researchers tracking participants in the Women's Health and Aging Study report that low blood levels of the trace mineral selenium and vitamins B6 and B12 predict age-related difficulties in conducting daily activities among the elderly (3).

The study, which involved over 600 women 65 years or older, assessed the participants at 6 month intervals over three years for disabilities in essential activities of living. Disability was defined as difficulty in performing two or more activities such as bathing, dressing, eating and toileting. Of the women who did not already have disability when the study started, 32% developed these problems over the three-year period.

Women with the lowest blood levels of selenium and vitamins B6 and B12 were significantly more likely to develop these problems. Selenium prevents cellular damage by its antioxidant action, while deficits of these vitamins leads to high levels of homocysteine - a compound linked to decline in mental sharpness with age. The study's authors concluded that nutritional status is a key factor in helping people live an active life as they grow older and live longer.

References

1. Kaul P, et al. Psychomotor vigilance changes following meditation, nap, caffeine, or exercise. Abstract 361, Society for Neurosciences Conference, October, 2005.
2. Bentley TGK, et al. Population-level changes in folate intake by age, gender, and race/ethnicity after folic acid fortification. Am J Pub Hlth 96:2040-47, 2006.
3. Bartali B, et al. Low micronutrient levels as a predictor of incident disability in older women. Archives of Int Med 66:2335-2340, 2006.