Omnivore, vegan and vegetarian diet quality associations with depressive symptoms: A comparative cross-sectional analysis of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are experienced by >350 million people globally. Research suggests that a diet rich in plant foods could be protective against depressive symptoms, but vegans and vegetarians who eat a predominant plant-based diet are known to have higher depressive symptoms than omnivores. METHODS: This study aims to explore a secondary analysis of the association between diet quality and depressive symptoms in women born between 1973 and 1978 who follow vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diets from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health at baseline (1996) and at three time points (2000, 2003 and 2009). RESULTS: After controlling for covarying factors, there was a significant association between diet quality and depressive symptoms in both the plant-based and omnivore groups at both time points F(9, 4851) = 106.90, p < .001. There was no significant difference between diet quality and depressive symptoms between diet type. CONCLUSIONS: Despite diet type (plant-based or omnivore), adhering to a high-quality diet may decrease depressive symptoms and a low-quality diet may increase depressive symptoms in Australian women. LIMITATIONS: Caution should be exercised when interpreting these results due to the small sample sizes and small resulting coefficients, there is uncertainty that coefficients this small can be associated with any meaningful change in an individual being treated for depressive symptoms in a clinical setting.

Exploring the Links between Physical Activity, Emotional Regulation, and Mental Well-Being in Jordanian University Students.

Background: University students face multiple stressors that negatively impact their mental well-being. Effective emotional regulation and physical activity are crucial for mood management and overall health. This study explored the connection between physical activity, emotional regulation, and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress) in Jordanian university students. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey involved 416 students (146 male and 270 female) from Jordanian universities. The survey covered demographics, physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), emotional regulation strategies (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), and mental health symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales). Pearson's correlations examined relationships, and ANOVA compared differences in 'low', 'medium', and 'high' physical activity groups. Results: Greater use of expressive suppression was correlated with increased anxiety symptom severity (p = 0.029). Although physical activity levels were not significantly related to emotional regulation, the 'high' physical activity group reported lower depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety symptom severity (p < 0.001) than the 'low' and 'medium' groups. Conclusions: Increased physical activity and emotional expression suppression are independently associated with improved mental well-being in Jordanian university students. This study underscores the importance of integrating physical activity and emotional expression strategies to support student well-being.

Neurocognitive effects a combined polyphenolic-rich herbal extract in healthy middle-aged adults - a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: This study assessed whether polyphenolic rich supplement containing Bacopa monnieri (BM: 300 mg), Panax quinquefolius ginseng (PQ: 100 mg) and whole coffee fruit extract (WCFE: 100 mg) could enhance cognitive performance, affect and cerebral-cortical activation over 28-days of intervention. Method: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-group study of 52 healthy adults between 35 and 65 years (M = 50.20, SD = 9.37) was conducted. Measures of cognition, affect and brain activity were measured at three time points: baseline, 28 days post intervention and 14 days post washout. At each time point, haemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results: The polyphenolic-rich supplement reliably improved positive affect and delayed recall compared to placebo following 28 days of supplementation. For the brain, those in the active condition showed greater PFC activation on performance of the 2-back tasks post supplementation compared to placebo (p < .05, d = 0.6). Discussion: This is the first report of a 28-day supplement intervention and 2-week follow-up study to assess changes in affect, cognition, cerebral haemodynamic response and BDNF in healthy middle-aged adults. The potential synergistic effects of polyphenolic compounds on neurocognitive function in middle-aged adults through emotional-cognitive processing and cognitive reserve are important for promoting brain and cognitive health.

Village doctors: a national telephone survey of Bangladesh's lay medical practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh outperforms its Least Developed Country (LDC) status on a range of health measures including life expectancy. Its frontline medical practitioners, however, are not formally trained medical professionals, but instead lightly-trained 'village doctors' able to prescribe modern pharmaceuticals. This current study represents the most complete national survey of these practitioners and their informal 'clinics'. METHODS: The study is based on a national Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) of 1,000 informal practitioners. Participants were sampled from all eight divisions and all 64 districts of Bangladesh, including 682 participants chosen from the purposively recruited Refresher Training program conducted by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), supplemented with 318 additional participants recruited through snowball sampling. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: In addition to demographics, village doctors were asked about the characteristics of their 'clinics' including their equipment, their training, income and referral practices. RESULTS: Three quarters of the wholly male sample had not completed an undergraduate program, and none of the sample had received any bachelor-level university training in medicine. Medical training was confined to a range of short-course offerings. Village doctor 'clinics' are highly dependent on the sale of pharmaceuticals, with few charging a consultation fee. Income was not related to degree of short-course uptake but was related positively to degree of formal education. Finally, practitioners showed a strong tendency to refer patients to the professional medical care system. CONCLUSIONS: Bangladesh's village doctor sector provides an important pathway to professional, trained medical care, and provides some level of care to those who cannot afford or otherwise access the nation's established healthcare system. However, the degree to which relatively untrained paramedical practitioners are prescribing conventional medicines has concerning health implications.

Consulting patients and providers of assisted reproductive technologies to inform the development of a group psychological intervention for women with infertility.

Objective: To consult providers and women patients of Assisted Reproductive Technologies regarding their preferences for the format, duration and content in the development of a group psychological intervention. Methods: Providers and current and past women patients of Assisted Reproductive Technologies completed an online cross-sectional survey comprising items about session content, number, frequency, timing, format, delivery mode and inclusion of experiential practice of psychological strategies to promote well-being. Results: Eight providers, 51 current women patients and 51 women who previously underwent Assisted Reproductive Technologies participated. Sixty-two percent of participants indicated a group psychological program would be helpful; and 34% thought it may be helpful. Face-to-face was the preferred delivery mode (42%). Seventy-one percent preferred 60-min sessions held fortnightly (64%), with six sessions most acceptable (24%). Most respondents (74%) felt group participants would likely complete at-home practice. Detailed thematic content from participants highlighted a complex range of consumer challenges. Relevant behaviour change techniques were verified, with those to be included identified as: feedback and monitoring, regulation, self belief, reward and threat, natural consequences, identity, support, shaping knowledge, and comparison of outcomes. Conclusion: Providers and patients were supportive of the development of a group psychological intervention to provide support for women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Innovation: The results of this study provide insight informing the co-design of a group psychological program for women with infertility.

A preliminary study investigating the neglected domain of mental health in Australian lifesavers and lifeguards.

BACKGROUND: Surf lifesavers and lifeguards have provided essential education, preventative, and rescue services to the Australian community for over 110 years. In this first responder role, surf lifesavers and lifeguards are inadvertently exposed to high risk and trauma related experiences, which may negatively impact mental well-being. To date however, there has been limited research into the mental health of surf lifesavers and lifeguards, and no studies at all on the mental health of adolescent surf lifesavers. The preliminary study aimed to measure the exposure of potentially traumatic events (PTEs), post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), self-efficacy, social support, and attitudes towards mental health problems in Surf Life Saving (SLS) members. METHODS: An anonymous, online survey was developed (adolescent and adult versions) and created to measure the domain of mental health in surf lifesavers and lifeguards. Pearson's correlations investigated relationships between PTEs, PTSS, self-efficacy, social support, attitudes towards mental health problems, age, years as a SLS member, and years patrolling. Spearman's Rank was used for violations of normality. RESULTS: A total of 57 surf lifesavers/lifeguards aged 13-59 years were included in the final analysis. There was a significant positive relationship between exposure to direct trauma and PTSS, which in turn, were associated with greater negative attitudes towards mental health problems towards the mental health of others, and lower levels of self-efficacy. Male and female adults with PTSS reported lower social support, whereas for adolescent males, a positive relationship between direct trauma and PTSS was observed. CONCLUSION: This research is the first to explore the mental health of Australian surf lifesavers and lifeguards. The results highlight the potential risks to mental health and well-being associated with this first responder role. More research to protect the vulnerability of this population is warranted.

The Association between Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivore Diet Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dietary patterns and depressive symptoms are associated in cross-sectional and prospective-designed research. However, limited research has considered depression risk related to meat-based and plant-based dietary patterns. This study explores the association between diet quality and depressive symptoms across omnivore, vegan, and vegetarian dietary patterns. A cross-sectional online survey utilised the Dietary Screening Tool (DST) and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CESD-20) to measure diet quality and depressive symptoms, respectively. A total of 496 participants identified as either omnivores (n = 129), vegetarians (n = 151), or vegans (n = 216). ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc corrections indicates that dietary quality was significantly different between groups F(2, 493) = 23.61, p < 0.001 for omnivores and vegetarians and omnivores and vegans. Diet quality was highest in the vegan sample, followed by vegetarian and omnivore patterns. The results show a significant, moderately negative relationship between higher diet quality and lower depressive symptoms (r = -0.385, p < 0.001) across groups. Hierarchical regression showed that diet quality accounted for 13% of the variability in depressive symptoms for the omnivore sample, 6% for vegetarians, and 8% for vegans. This study suggests that diet quality in a meat-based or plant-based diet could be a modifiable lifestyle factor with the potential to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. The study indicates a greater protective role of a high-quality plant-based diet and lower depressive symptoms. Further intervention research is needed to understand the bi-directional relationship between diet quality and depressive symptoms across dietary patterns.

Evaluating group psychological interventions for mental health in women with infertility undertaking fertility treatment: A systematic review and meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACTWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature concerning the effectiveness of group psychological interventions in improving anxiety, depression, marital dissatisfaction, fertility quality of life and stress, and pregnancy outcomes of women with infertility, participating in fertility treatment. A search of five databases yielded 1603 studies; 30 articles met inclusion criteria, and computations of effect sizes ensued (Hedges' g and Odds Ratios (OR)). The total sample comprised 2752 participants, with 1279 participants receiving group intervention and 1473 participants in the comparison group. Group psychological interventions reduced depression (Hgw = -1.277; 95% CI = [-1.739- -0.815]; p = 0.000), anxiety (Hgw = -1.136, 95% CI [-1.527- -0.744]; p = 0.000), fertility stress (Hgw = -0.250, 95% CI [-0.388- -0.122]; p = 0.000), and marital dissatisfaction (Hgw = -0.938; 95% [CI -1.455- -0.421]; p = 0.000), and pregnancy rates improved (OR = 2.422 95% CI [2.037-2.879]; p = 0.000). No improvement was observed regarding fertility quality of life (Hgw = 0. 144; 95% CI [-0.176- 0.463]; p = 0.379). Our findings highlight that participation in group psychological intervention improved the mental health, fertility stress and pregnancy rates of women with infertility.

Stages of lipoedema: experiences of physical and mental health and health care.

PURPOSE: Lipoedema is a progressive adipose (fat) disorder, and little is known about its psychological effect. This study aimed to determine the experiences of physical and mental health and health care across stages of lipoedema. METHODS: Cross-sectional, secondary data from an anonymous survey (conducted 2014-2015) in Dutch and English in those with self-reported lipoedema were used (N = 1,362, Mdnage = 41-50 years old, 80.2% diagnosed). χ2 analyses of categorical data assessed lipoedema stage groups 'Stage 1-2' (N = 423), 'Stages 3-4' (N = 474) and 'Stage Unknown' (N = 406) experiences of health (physical and psychological), and health care. RESULTS: Compared to 'Stage 1-2', 'Stage 3-4' reported more loss of mobility (p = < .001), pain (p = < .001), fatigue (p = .002), problems at work (p = < .001) and were seeking treatment to improve physical functioning (p = < .001) more frequently. 'Stage 3-4' were more likely to report their GP did not have knowledge of lipoedema, did not take them seriously, gave them diet and lifestyle advice, dismissed lipoedema, and treated them 'badly' due to overweight/lipoedema compared to 'Stage 1-2' (p = < .001). 'Stage 3-4' were more likely to report depression (p = < .001), emotional lability (p = .033) eating disorders (p = .018) and feeling lonelier, more fearful, and stayed at home more (p = < .001) and less likely to have visited a psychologist (p = < .001) compared to 'Stage 1-2'. CONCLUSIONS: A divergent pattern of physical and psychological experiences between lipoedema stages reflects physical symptom differences and differences in psychological symptoms and health care experiences. These findings increase the understanding of lipoedema symptoms to inform psychological supports for women with lipoedema in navigating chronic health care management.

The Difficulties in Emotional Regulation among a Cohort of Females with Lipedema.

BACKGROUND: Lipedema is a chronic and progressive adipose tissue disorder that causes significant morbidity and negatively influences mental health and quality of life, and increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. One construct of relevance to better understanding psychological disorders is emotion regulation (ER). Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the difficulties in ER among lipedema patients compared to healthy people without lipedema. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed differences in ER and anxiety between two groups: 26 female patients with lipedema and 26 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) assessed emotional regulation across six dimensions: Impulse control, goal-directed behavior, awareness, clarity, non-acceptance, and strategies. Anxiety was assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A). ANOVA assessed differences in measures between lipedema and healthy control groups. RESULTS: Lipedema patients presented with significantly more difficulties in ER and a higher level of anxiety than those without lipedema. Specifically, the lipedema group showed higher and significant differences in total DERS and anxiety scores and all DERS subscales scores compared to those without lipedema. CONCLUSIONS: Lipedema patients showed significant difficulties with ER, and were associated with anxiety symptoms, indicating that ER difficulties may play a role in developing emotional disorders, such as anxiety, for patients with lipedema. The health care provider should pay more attention to ER difficulties and psychological status among lipedema patients.

Associations between health behaviors and mental health in Australian nursing students.

AIM: Nursing students experience high levels of stress, anxiety and depression. This study examined associations between health behaviors and stress, anxiety and depression in Australian nursing students. DESIGN: this was a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Participants completed an online survey providing demographic information and responses to the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, short Food Frequency Questionnaire, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Workforce Sitting Questionnaire. Associations were evaluated using multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Mild to extremely severe stress (46.6%), anxiety (52.8%) and depression (42.2%) were prevalent. Intake of snack-foods was associated with higher depression (ß = 8.66, p < 0.05) and stress (ß = 3.92, p = 0.055) scores. More time spent sitting was associated with higher depression (ß = 0.48, p < 0.001) and stress (ß = 0.28, p < 0.05) scores. Skipping meals correlated with higher stress, anxiety and depression scores. CONCLUSION: More support must be provided to nursing students to manage psychological distress and mental health during university study.

Forgotten first responders: Australian surf lifesavers and lifeguards.

First responders often face traumatic and emotionally-taxing incidents in their role. Understanding their mental health and coping capacity is important for wellbeing and continued service delivery. Surf lifesavers and lifeguards are an under researched yet a vital part of the first responder workforce. The recent Senate Report on first responders explored mental health in the leading emergency services personnel in Australia and found a high incidence of mental health difficulties in those who worked or volunteered as emergency responders. However, a significant literature gap exists regarding mental health of surf lifesavers and lifeguards in both the international and Australian context. Here we propose a strategy to address this gap, at the individual, organisational and community level.

Plant-based dietary quality and depressive symptoms in Australian vegans and vegetarians: a cross-sectional study.

Plant-based dietary patterns (vegan and vegetarian) are often considered 'healthy' and have been associated with broad health benefits, including decreased risk of obesity and ill health (cardiovascular disease, blood glucose and type II diabetes). However, the association between plant-based diets and mood disorders such as depression remains largely equivocal. This cross-sectional study of 219 adults aged 18-44 (M=31.22, SD=7.40) explored the associations between an estimate of overall plant-based diet quality and depression in vegans (n=165) and vegetarians (n=54). Overall plant-based diet quality was associated with depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians F(1, 215)=13.71, p<0.001 accounting for 6% of the variation in depressive symptoms. For those without depression, higher diet quality was protective against depressive symptoms F(1, 125)=6.49, p=0.012. Conversely, for those with depression no association with diet quality was found F(1, 89)=0.01, p=0.963. These findings suggest that a high-quality plant-based diet may be protective against depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians. In line with emerging research between food and mental health, higher-quality dietary patterns are associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms. Given the rapidly increasing rate of vegan and vegetarian food products within Australia, understanding the potential mechanisms of effects through which a plant-based diet may influence depressive symptoms is required.

Acute effects of combined Bacopa, American ginseng and whole coffee fruit on working memory and cerebral haemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: This study assessed whether a multi-ingredient herbal supplement containing Bacopa monniera (BM), Panax quinquefolius ginseng (PQ) and whole coffee fruit extract (WCFE) could enhance cognitive performance and cerebral-cortical activation during tasks of working memory and attention.Method: In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-group study, 40 healthy adults between 18-60 years (M = 34.46 SD = 12.95) completed tasks of working memory and attention at baseline and 45 min post active or placebo supplement consumption. During the cognitive testing, changes in hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were continuously measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).Results: Working memory task performance on the N-back task was significantly improved following active supplement consumption compared to placebo in terms of accuracy (p < .01) and response time (p < .05). Improved performance was associated with a reduction of PFC activation (p < .001) related to effortful mental demand, reflecting increased neural efficiency concomitant with improved cognitive performance. The effects were independent of background demographics variables and changes in blood glucose response and mood.Discussion: This is the first report of acute effects on cognitive performance in healthy adults following intake of a combined, multi-ingredient herbal supplement with concomitant changes in cerebral haemodynamic response. The potential synergistic effects of polyphenolic compounds on neurocognitive function and fNIRS use in nutritional intervention studies, poses a significant increase in the capacity to understand the effects of dietary compounds on the brain.

Neural and Self-Report Markers of Reassurance: A Generalized Additive Modelling Approach.

Research has shown that engaging in self-reassurance, a compassionately motivated cognitive relating style, can down-regulate neural markers of threat and pain. Whilst important, the relationship between neural and self-report markers of reassurance are largely unknown. Here we analyzed previously published fMRI data which measured neural responses when participants engaged in self-reassurance toward a mistake, setback, or failure. Within the present paper, we identified correlations between regions of interest extracted during self-reassurance with fMRI and self-report data. Using generalized additive modelling, we show that participants with greater inadequate forms of self-criticism exhibited greater neural activation within the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and anterior insula (AI). Furthermore, a relationship between greater fears of expressing compassion to the self and neural activation within the MPFC returned non-significant after correction for multiple comparisons. No significant relationships were observed between brain activation and hated and reassuring forms of self-criticism. Our results identify preliminary evidence for neural activity during self-reassurance as correlated with self-report markers, and we outline a method for modelling neural and self-report data which can be applied to future studies in compassion science, particularly with a clinical sample.

Food choice motivations: Profiling low-carbohydrate, high-fat dieters.

We sought to determine the motivational profile of low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) dieters compared to other-dieter and non-dieter groups, in terms of both absolute food choice motivations (FCMs) and relative FCMs (how one motivation is prioritised against others). Participants (N = 330, 287 female, 43 male) completed a 12-scale food choice questionnaire online. Results showed that all three groups prioritised the FCM of health highly. Differences between the dietary groups (adjusting for age) showed that the "LCHF diet" and "other-diet" group rated FCM's weight control and natural content (absolute and relative motivation scores) significantly higher than those in the "no-diet" group. Whereas, FCM's price and convenience (absolute and relative motivation scores) were rated significantly lower than the "no-diet" group. Importantly, FCM Natural content was the top priority for the "LCHF diet" group, and its level of importance significantly differed from the "other-diet" group, who scored natural content significantly lower in both absolute and relative terms. In contrast, the "LCHF diet" group scored significantly lower on relative animal welfare as compared to both other groups. The pattern of both absolute and relative food choice motivation scores between each group is discussed. These results show a novel profile of differences for absolute and relative FCMs between LCHF dieters, other-dieters and non-dieters.

Acute effects of a dietary non-starch polysaccharide supplement on cognitive performance in healthy middle-aged adults.

OBJECTIVE: Certain plant polysaccharides may provide psychological health benefits. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether they can acutely improve mood and cognitive function. METHOD: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between subjects design trial, 73 middle-aged adults consumed 4 g of a proprietary mixture of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) (Ambrotose® complex), a rice flour placebo, or a sucrose control. Participants completed testing at baseline and 30 minutes post-consumption. Acute effects of consumption on mood, cognition, and blood glucose were evaluated during mental tests designed to induce mental fatigue. RESULTS: Significant improvement in recognition and working memory performance was observed in the group that consumed NSP compared with placebo or sucrose. Improvements in memory performance following NSP intake were independent of changes in blood glucose. DISCUSSION: This is the first report of acute behavioural improvement following plant polysaccharide intake in healthy middle-aged adults under conditions of mental fatigue. The findings suggest that certain NSP may enhance memory performance through mechanisms other than elevated blood glucose.

Neurologic effects of exogenous saccharides: a review of controlled human, animal, and in vitro studies.

OBJECTIVES: Current research efforts are centered on delineating the novel health benefits of naturally derived saccharides, including growing interest in their abilities to influence neurologic health. We performed a comprehensive review of the literature to consolidate all controlled studies assessing various roles of exogenous saccharide compounds and polysaccharide-rich extracts from plants, fungi, and other natural sources on brain function, with a significant focus on benefits derived from oral intake. METHODS: Studies were identified by conducting electronic searches on PubMed and Google Scholar. Reference lists of articles were also reviewed for additional relevant studies. Only articles published in English were included in this review. RESULTS: Six randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies were identified in which consumption of a blend of plant-derived polysaccharides showed positive effects on cognitive function and mood in healthy adults. A separate controlled clinical study observed improvements in well-being with ingestion of a yeast beta-glucan. Numerous animal and in vitro studies have demonstrated the ability of individual saccharide compounds and polysaccharide-rich extracts to modify behavior, enhance synaptic plasticity, and provide neuroprotective effects. DISCUSSION: Although the mechanisms by which exogenous saccharides can influence brain function are not well understood at this time, the literature suggests that certain naturally occurring compounds and polysaccharide-rich extracts show promise, when taken orally, in supporting neurologic health and function. Additional well-controlled clinical studies on larger populations are necessary, however, before specific recommendations can be made.

The effect of dietary supplements on the quality of life of retired professional football players.

Professional football players may experience negative health consequences when they retire such as chronic pain, cognitive problems as well as other consequences of sports-related injuries. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with multiple nutrients on the quality of life of retired football players. Fifteen retired players received daily supplementation of fish oil with cholecalciferol, antioxidants, natural vitamins and minerals, polysaccharides and phytosterol-amino acid complex for 6 months. Using an open-labeled repeated measures design, volunteers completed self-report assessment measures at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months. Outcome measures were CDC HRQOL-4, WHOQOL-BREF, POMS, MFQ and pain self-assessment. General health rating improvement on CDC HRQOL-4 from month 1 was sustained to month 6 (p<0.0001). Mental health days improved at 6 months (p<0.05). WHOQOL-BREF showed increased health satisfaction at all measurement points (p<0.05) and the Physical and Psychological Domain Scores at 6 months (p<0.05). MFQ General Rating of Memory improved at 3 and 6 months (p<0.05). Vigor scale in POMS was significant at 3 months (p<0.05). Decreased pain was noted only for the elbow at month 1 and the knee at month 3 (p<0.05). No adverse events were reported. Results of this study offer preliminary insight into using dietary supplements to support and optimize quality of life in retired football players. Further research using a placebo-controlled design is needed to characterize the potential benefit to physical and psychological well-being of multiple dietary supplementations for this cohort.

Saccharide effects on cognition and well-being in middle-aged adults: a randomized controlled trial.

The current study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design to investigate the effects of saccharide supplementation on cognition and well-being in middle-aged adults. Participants (N = 109; 45-60 years) took a teaspoon of a combination of saccharides or a placebo twice daily for 12 weeks (3.6 g per day). Before and after this supplementation period, participants completed alternate forms of standardized tests of cognition and self-report measures of well-being. Significant beneficial effects of saccharide supplementation were found for memory performance and indicators of well-being. The potential for these nutrients to optimize cognitive function and well-being in older adults warrants ongoing investigation.