Study May Dispel Worries About High Levels of Folic Acid

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming high amounts of folate -- through supplements and foods fortified with folic acid -- does not disrupt a healthy body's use of vitamin B12, according to new research.

Folic acid -- the synthetic form of the vitamin folate -- is added to grain products in the United States to reduce women's risk of conceiving a child with a neural tube birth defect. But some worry that folic acid levels in these foods may be too high for other people. Their concerns stem from studies that found that people with low B12 levels and high folate levels were more likely to have anemia than those with low B12 levels and normal folate levels.

B12 is needed to make red blood cells, and people with low levels of B12 can develop anemia, as well as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

The new study found, however, that anemia and other problems related to low levels of vitamin B12 were not likely to get worse with higher intake of folic acid.

It included more than 2,500 university students who reported the amount and type of folic acid-fortified foods and folic acid supplements they consumed in the previous week and in an average month. Blood samples collected from the participants showed that about 5 percent were B12 deficient. Of the students with low B12 levels, there was no significant difference in rates of anemia between those with high and those with low folate levels.

The study, conducted by researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and five other institutions in the United States, Ireland and Norway, was published online June 8 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"Our findings are reassuring for people who have low vitamin B12 levels," Dr. James L. Mills, the study's first author, said in a U.S. National Institutes of Health news release. "We found no evidence that folate could worsen their health problems."

Natural sources of folate include leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits and beans.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about folic acid.

SOURCE: U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, news release, June 8, 2011Copyright

Having More Toys May Boost Exercise Levels in Kids

FRIDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Providing children with more toys to play with may improve their level of physical activity, researchers say.

The new study also found that having more active toys to choose from boosts the intensity of play among children, particularly girls.

In the study, led by Denise Feda, postdoctoral associate at the University of Buffalo in New York, researchers offered three different quantities of toys to 36 children ranging in age from 8 to 12 years. After being given one, three or five toys to play with, the children's behaviors, heart rates and activity counts were monitored for one hour.

The investigators found that overall playtime jumped by 95 percent among the children who had three or five toys. Gender also came into play. The heart rate data collected by the researchers revealed that girls given more toys played with greater intensity than boys with the same number of choices.

The report did not specify what types of toys were used.

Children and adolescents should participate in at least one hour of physical activity each day, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The study authors pointed out that their findings could help children reach this goal.

"The results of this study are significant, considering the epidemic of childhood obesity plaguing this country," Feda said in an ACSM news release. "Adults looking for effective ways to increase their child's exercise time should take a look at toy variety. Adding an active toy or two could help, especially for girls. Girls can be motivated to engage in equal physical activity as boys by simply providing them with a greater choice of active toys," she concluded.

The findings were to be presented this week at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, held in conjunction with the World Congress on Exercise Is Medicine, in Denver. Experts note that research presented at meetings isn't subjected to the same type of scrutiny given to research published in peer-reviewed journals.

More information

Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics for more about the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, news release, June 2, 2011Copyright

Psychotherapy Linked to Healthier Stress Hormone Levels

TUESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- As a component of depression treatment, psychotherapy not only reduces anxiety, but also improves patients' stress hormone levels, new research shows.

The study, published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, found that when pharmacotherapy is combined with psychotherapy in treating depressed patients, there is an improvement in their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Researchers examined 63 people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Participants were divided into two groups: 29 received combined therapy, which included psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, and 34 had monotherapy, which included only pharmacotherapy. The patients' depressive symptoms were tested at regular daily intervals over the course of eight months.

The study found that although decreases in symptoms were similar between both groups, by the eighth month, reductions in anxiety were greater among those in the combined therapy than in the patients who underwent monotherapy. Moreover, a steeper daytime cortisol pattern was more likely among those who had the combined therapy, compared to those who were treated with drugs alone.

Researchers concluded that the improved outcomes of the combined therapy group suggests the addition of psychotherapy helped reduce anxiety and produced long-term positive effects on stress hormone levels.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more information on cortisol.

SOURCE: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, news release, May 25, 2011Copyright