Do Nutrition

03/30/2026

Zinc and hospitalizations
Between March 15, 2020, and April 30, 2020, doctors measured fasting levels of zinc in 249 Covid patients admitted to a university hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Zinc levels averaged 61 micrograms per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL), and among those who later died in the hospital, average zinc levels were 43 mcg/dL.
Overall, those whose zinc levels fell below 50 mcg/dL were 2.3 times more likely to die in the hospital than those with levels at or higher than 50. While the infection was active, those with better zinc levels also had lower levels of interleukin-6, the proteins that signal systemic inflammation.
The findings led doctors to conclude lower zinc levels at admission were linked to higher inflammation and poorer outcomes in those with Covid-19.

Reference: ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID); September 23, 2020, Reports

03/09/2026

Ashwagandha for Sleep

Ashwagandha improved sleep quality and mental alertness in those with and without insomnia. In this study, 40 insomniacs and 40 non-insomniacs took a placebo or 600 mg of ashwagandha per day.
After eight weeks, compared to placebo, both groups saw improvements in sleep efficiency—how quickly sleep came at bedtime, and how long it continued uninterrupted—total sleep time, and mental alertness on rising. Participants also had improved anxiety scores on a standard mood scale.
Although both groups benefited, those with insomnia benefited most. Ashwagandha was safe for all parti-cipants, with none reporting side effects, regardless of health condition or age.

Reference: Journal of Ethnopharmacology; 2021, Vol. 264, 113276
NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; Please check with your doctor before taking Ashwagandha, particularly if you are on medications.

03/02/2026

Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and cognition

A new, objective, digitized test can measure and monitor brain performance, and reliably detect mild or subtle cognitive deficits compared to healthy individuals. In this study, 44 men and women, average age 55, healthy but complaining of memory loss, took a placebo or 9 mg of astaxanthin plus 50 mg of tocotrienols, daily before or after breakfast.
After 12 weeks, those taking the astaxanthin/tocotrienols combination showed significant improvements in tests of short-term, long-term, and verbal memory. In addition to the objective tests, participants reported better memory of names of people and things, compared to placebo.
The new test, called Cognitrax®, also measures motor performance—how the body responds to brain signals; attention, and neural processing speed. Doctors said astaxanthin and tocotrienols safely improved memory performance.

Reference: Journal of Clinical Biochemistry & Nutrition; June, 2020, Vol. 19, No. 116

02/23/2026

Omega-3s and air pollution

Earlier studies found omega-3s reduced brain damage due to lead and mercury, but there are no studies on omega-3s and air pollution. Fine particle matter, 2.5 microns in size—30 times smaller than the width of a hair—can directly enter the bloodstream through the respiratory tract, damaging body systems including the brain. Maintaining brain volume, or size, is essential for healthy cognition later in life.
In this study, doctors compared omega-3 index scores in 1,315 dementia-free women, average age 70, who had a brain structure MRI in the tenth year of the study. All the women lived in areas with high air pollution.
Compared to women with the lowest omega-3 index scores, women with the highest scores had a greater volume of white matter in the frontal, parietal, and temporal brain lobes. Volume in the hippocampus—the area of the brain involved in short- and long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation—was also larger for women with higher omega-3 index scores.

Reference: Neurology; August, 2020, Vol. 95, No. 8, WNL 10074

NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; Please check with your doctor before taking omega 3 supplements.

02/16/2026

Black cohosh and rhodiola improved menopause

Physical, psychological, quality of life improvements
In this study, 220 women, average age 52, with menopausal symptoms, took black cohosh by itself at a low or high dose, black cohosh with rhodiola, or a placebo.
After 12 weeks, compared to all other groups, women taking the black cohosh with rhodiola reported the most relief—averaging about 70 percent reductions—from hot flashes, joint pain, ge***al and general physical symptoms; and a 25 percent improvement in quality-of-life measurements, including social and emotional symptoms.
Discussing the findings, doctors said the menopausal transition usually lasts about seven years, and that black cohosh combined with rhodiola appeared to effectively reduce general physical, sexual and ge***al symptoms, and to improve emotional well-being, and that “Given the extended time women may experience the menopausal transition, reducing and improving symptoms with black cohosh and rhodiola in a relatively short 12 weeks is a promising outcome.”

Reference: Pharmaceuticals (Basel); 2020 May; 13(5): 102

NOTE From Dave Okupniak ; PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING BLACK COHOSH OR RHODIOLA FOR DRUG INTERACTIONS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. DO NOT TAKE EITHER HERB IF YOU ARE PREGNANT.

02/09/2026

Curcumin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D

Nutrients improved dry eye
Dry eye occurs when the eye does not produce enough tears, or when the tears evaporate too quickly. In the lab, doctors blended curcumin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D into an oil suspension, and gave the solution to rats with dry eye. After four weeks, there was significant improvement in tear volume, increase in tear breakup time, improvement in tear film integrity, and reduced overall inflammation. Discussing the findings, doctors said the dry eye benefit may come from these antioxidants lowering oxidative stress.

Reference 3: Current Developments in Nutrition; 2020, 4 (Supplement 2), 441

01/26/2026

Green tea reduced NAFLD
Those with obesity often have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In the lab, mice on a high-fat diet got regular exercise alone, got green tea alone, or the combination of the two, for 16 weeks. Compared to exercise or green tea alone, those getting exercise with green tea extract saw a 75 percent reduction in the severity of obesity-related fatty liver disease symptoms.
Doctors said polyphenols in green tea interact with digestive enzymes in the small intestine to partially inhibit the breakdown of carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

Reference 2: Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry; 2020, Vol. 76, 108262

01/19/2026

Probiotic may treat Celiac disease

People with Celiac disease (CD), who can’t metabolize gluten, are low in the bifidobacteria strains of probiotics. Even on a gluten-free diet, those with CD may not be able to rebalance the gut microbiome on their own. In the lab, doctors extracted gluten proteins from wheat flour and exposed them to four strains of bifidobacteria: bifidum, longum, bembidion breve, and animalis; separately and together. The longum strain most effectively broke down the gluten, reducing the toxic gut response (cytotoxic) and inflammation.

Reference: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; 2020, Vol. 68, No. 15, 4485-92

01/12/2026

Vitamin D, calcium reduce vertigo.

A sudden change in head position can give a sense of spinning, a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The cause is calcium carbonate crystals, normally embedded in gel in the inner ear, breaking loose and migrating to the semicircular ear canals.
In this study, about half of 1,030 people with BPPV took 400 IU of vitamin D plus 500 mg of calcium carbonate per day, while the other half took no supplements. Compared to this group, after one year, those taking D with calcium saw BPPV recur 24 percent fewer times per year.

Reference: Neurology; 2020, Vol. 95, No. 9, 10343

01/05/2026

Vitamin B3 improved vision in glaucoma.

In the back of the eye, the retina contains millions of optic nerve cells that send light images to the brain, allowing us to see. One type of optic nerve cell, the retinal ganglion, is particularly vulnerable to damage from increased fluid pressure in the front of the eye, a hallmark of glaucoma.
Earlier studies found vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) is low in those with glaucoma, and also that it helps protect optic nerve function, but there were no prior glaucoma studies on B3.
In this study, 57 people with glaucoma on regular medical treatments took a placebo or 3 grams of vitamin B3 per day. After 12 weeks, visual function of the retinal ganglion cells had improved significantly for the B3 group.
Discussing the findings, doctors said, “For the first time, we have shown that daily high doses of B3 can lead to early and significant improvement in those lowering eye pressure through traditional glaucoma treatments.”

Reference: Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology; 2020, 10.1111/ceo.13818

Note from Dave Okupniak; 3 grams of vitamin B3 per day is a lot. Please consult your medical professional before trying this.

01/01/2026