Effects of combining exercise with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on cognitive function in the elderly: a randomised controlled trial.

Multifactorial lifestyle intervention is known to be more effective for ameliorating cognitive decline than single factor intervention; however, the effects of combining exercise with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) on the elderlies' cognitive function remain unclear. We conducted a randomised, single-masked placebo-controlled trial in non-demented elderly Japanese individuals. Participants were randomly allocated to the exercise with LCPUFA, placebo, or no exercise with placebo (control) groups. Participants in the exercise groups performed 150 min of exercise per week, comprised resistance and aerobic training, for 24 weeks with supplements of either LCPUFA (docosahexaenoic acid, 300 mg/day; eicosapentaenoic acid, 100 mg/day; arachidonic acid, 120 mg/day) or placebo. Cognitive functions were evaluated by neuropsychological tests prior to and following the intervention. The per-protocol set analysis (n = 76) revealed no significant differences between the exercise and the control groups in changes of neuropsychological tests. Subgroup analysis for participants with low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) corresponding to sarcopenia cut-off value showed changes in selective attention, while working memory in the exercise with LCPUFA group was better than in the control group. These findings suggest that exercise with LCPUFA supplementation potentially improves attention and working memory in the elderly with low SMI.

Dietary intake of fish and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of postpartum depression: a nationwide longitudinal study - the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women require increased levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) due to the demands of the growing fetus. Although some evidence indicates that maternal intake of fish and n-3 PUFAs is associated with reduced risk of postpartum depression, the results are inconsistent. METHODS: We investigated whether dietary consumption of fish and/or n-3 PUFAs during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of maternal postpartum depression at 6 months after delivery and of serious mental illness at 1 year in a Japanese population. After exclusion and multiple imputation from a dataset comprising 103 062 pregnancies obtained in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, we evaluated 84 181 and 81 924 women at 6 months and 1 year after delivery, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression showed a reduced risk of postpartum depression at 6 months in the second to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for fish and n-3 PUFA intake, with trend tests also revealing a significant linear association. At 1 year after delivery, fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of serious mental illness in the second to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for fish and in the third to fifth quintiles v. the lowest quintile for n-3 PUFA intake, with trend tests also revealing a significant linear association. CONCLUSIONS: Women with higher fish and/or n-3 PUFA intake showed reduced risk of postpartum depression at 6 months after delivery and of serious mental illness at 1 year after delivery.

Dietary intake of fish and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and physician-diagnosed allergy in Japanese population: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence from epidemiologic studies and clinical trials indicates that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may have a preventive or therapeutic effect on allergy, although the results remain controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between intake of fish and ω-3 PUFAs with risk for lifetime prevalence of physician-diagnosed allergy in a Japanese population. METHODS: Study participants were 78 621 pregnant women and 42 831 male partners from The Japan Environment and Children's Study. History of physician-diagnosed allergy (asthma, allergic rhinitis/pollinosis, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis) was determined by self-administered questionnaire survey. Dietary intake of fish and ω-3 PUFAs was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: Contrary to our hypothesis, an increased risk for allergy was found by multivariable logistic regression in females, especially in allergic rhinitis/pollinosis, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis for fish intake and in allergic rhinitis/pollinosis or allergic conjunctivitis for ω-3 PUFAs. As for male partners, risk for allergic rhinitis/pollinosis or atopic dermatitis was increased for both fish and ω-3 PUFA intake. No statistically significant results were observed for the risk for asthma in either women or men. CONCLUSION: Fish and ω-3 PUFA intake were associated with increased risk for some allergic diseases. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in individuals with high fish consumption.

Dietary intake of fish and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risks of perinatal depression: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

The results of several epidemiological studies and clinical trials investigating the effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on antenatal and postnatal depression remain controversial. We investigated the possible association of dietary intake of fish and n-3 PUFAs with the risks of maternal and paternal psychological distress during pregnancy and of maternal postpartum depression in Japan. From a dataset comprising 104,102 maternal registrations and 52,426 paternal registrations in The Japan Environment and Children's Study, this study analyzed complete data on questionnaires for 75,139, 79,346, and 77,661 women during early pregnancy, mid-late pregnancy, and after pregnancy, respectively, and for 41,506 male partners. Multivariable logistic regression showed reduced risk of psychological distress in the second and third quintiles for fish intake in early pregnancy and in the second to fifth quintile in mid-late pregnancy. No reductions were observed for n-3 PUFA intake in early pregnancy but in the second to fourth quintile in mid-late pregnancy. For postpartum depression, reductions were observed in the second to fourth quintile for fish intake but only in the first quintile for n-3 PUFA intake. As for paternal psychological distress, only the fourth quintile for fish intake showed a significant reduced risk but none were shown for n-3 PUFA intake. In conclusion, fish intake was associated with some reduced risk of psychological distress during pregnancy, even for male partners. The associations were weaker for n-3 PUFA intake than for fish intake.

A murine model of autosomal dominant neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus reveals progressive loss of vasopressin-producing neurons.

Familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus (FNDI) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the arginine vasopressin (AVP) precursor. The pathogenesis of FNDI is proposed to involve mutant protein-induced loss of AVP-producing neurons. We established murine knock-in models of two different naturally occurring human mutations that cause FNDI. A mutation in the AVP signal sequence [A(-1)T] is associated with a relatively mild phenotype or delayed presentation in humans. This mutation caused no apparent phenotype in mice. In contrast, heterozygous mice expressing a mutation that truncates the AVP precursor (C67X) exhibited polyuria and polydipsia by 2 months of age and these features of DI progressively worsened with age. Studies of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei revealed induction of the chaperone protein BiP and progressive loss of AVP-producing neurons relative to oxytocin-producing neurons. In addition, Avp gene products were not detected in the neuronal projections, suggesting retention of WT and mutant AVP precursors within the cell bodies. In summary, this murine model of FNDI recapitulates many features of the human disorder and demonstrates that expression of the mutant AVP precursor leads to progressive neuronal cell loss.