from Nutrition Business Journal Online   (February 9, 2010)

In the wake of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) “Supplement Safety Now” campaign, Senator John McCain last week introduced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, which is aimed at improving the current level of safety and transparency in the U.S. supplement industry. If signed into law, the legislation would alter portions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. Among the major changes would be a requirement for all supplement manufacturers to go through an annual registration process that would include disclosure of all ingredients contained in products. Additionally, the new law would do away with the current grandfather clause for dietary supplement ingredients that were on the market prior to DSHEA’s passage in 1994. This means that all ingredients would be subject to a new list of accepted dietary ingredients determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) office. Further, instead of only reporting serious adverse events, manufacturers would be required to report even minor adverse events related to their products. Retailers would also be affected by the bill, as they would be required to ensure that all supplement manufacturers’ documentation is compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

February 3, 2010

Neuroscientists at MIT and Tsinghua University in Beijing show that increasing brain magnesium with a new compound enhanced learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats. The dietary supplement also boosted older rats’ ability to perform a variety of learning tests.

Magnesium, an essential element, is found in dark, leafy vegetables such as spinach and in some fruits. Those who get less than 400 milligrams daily are at risk for allergies, asthma and heart disease, among other conditions. In 2004, Guosong Liu and colleagues at MIT discovered that magnesium might have a positive influence onlearning and memory. They followed up by developing a new magnesium compound — magnesium-L-threonate (MgT) — that is more effective than conventional oral supplements at boosting magnesium in the brain, and tested it on rats

“We found that elevation of brain magnesium led to significant enhancement of spatial and associative memory in both young and aged rats,” said Liu, now director of the Center forLearning and Memory at Tsinghua University. “If MgT is shown to be safe and effective in humans, these results may have a significant impact on public health.” Further studies will focus on the safety and efficacy of Mg T in humans.

“Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium,” Inna Slutsky, Nashat Abumaria, Long-Jun Wu, Chao Huang, Ling Zhang, Bo Li, Xiang Zhao, Arvind Govindarajan, Ming-Gao Zhao, Min Zhuo, Susumu Tonegawa and Guosong Liu in Neuron, Jan. 28, 2010.

Stephen Daniells -  November 18, 2009

Nano-sized curcumin capsules may boost the body’s uptake of the ingredient, and enhance its potential to prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a new study from Japan.

David Mastroianni - November 11, 2009

Does regular exercise enhance immune function? Should you work out when you have a cold or the flu? Everyone who is active, whether a world class athlete or weekend warrior, seems to have their own strategy when it comes to training during illness. But what does the latest research say when it comes to exercising and its effect on immune function?