[Lithium and its protective effect in Alzheimer's disease]. / Het beschermende effect van lithium bij de ziekte van Alzheimer.

BACKGROUND: Lithium is associated with adverse effects on cognitive functioning. However, there are published trials that have investigated the protective effects of lithium in cognitive decline.
AIM: To review studies that investigate the potentially protective effects of lithium on cognitive disorders.
METHOD: We studied English-language and Dutch reports on controlled, clinical trials published up to October 2016.
RESULTS: We found four relevant articles. Two studies indicated that cognitive functioning remained more stable when patients were given lithium than when they were given a placebo. One study, however, could not detect any difference between the effects of lithium and the effects of placebos. The fourth study, which examined patients' ability to tolerate lithium, could not find any difference in the cognitive functioning of patients.
CONCLUSION: The reported results indicate that the cognitive functioning of patients with pre-stage Alzheimer's disease remains more stable after patients have taken lithium than after they have taken a placebo.

[Malnutrition due to an extremely 'healthy' diet; a new eating disorder?]. / Ondervoeding door een extreem gezondheidsdieet.

A 71-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with heart failure, cachexia and biochemical disturbances due to a diet consisting of exclusively vegetables, oil and water. Our investigations showed that this diet was a consequence of an excessive preoccupation with health. The patient did not meet criteria for an eating disorder or other DSM-IV psychiatric disorder. We conclude that malnutrition due to health fad diets may be an underestimated medical problem. There is no specific psychopathological disorder that covers this behaviour, and there is no knowledge of its epidemiology. Popular literature is paying a great deal attention to orthorexia nervosa, an alleged eating disorder that describes a pathological obsession with healthy food. In medical literature this concept has been largely neglected, although eating disorder specialists frequently observe this behaviour in their practice. More clinical and scientific attention for this phenomenon is necessary to determine its epidemiology, validity and clinical picture.