VA’s Office of Research and Development recently published three News Briefs highlighting findings on promoting healthy brain aging, managing Huntington’s disease, and increasing cardiac rehabilitation participation.
Vitamin B3 may promote healthy brain aging
A VA Kansas City study showed supplementation with nicotinamide riboside, a form of the vitamin B3, could promote healthy brain aging and reduce cognitive decline.
In a mouse model of age-related cognitive impairment, mice given the supplement for eight weeks performed better on memory and learning tests. The researchers also found nicotinamide riboside lowered inflammatory action in the brain’s immune cells and increased activation of genes related to learning and memory.
View the full study from “Geroscience.”
Time-restricted eating could slow Huntington’s disease
VA Portland researchers found time-restricted eating may help with the disease symptoms and cellular function of people with Huntington’s disease, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that damages nerves and causes movement, cognitive and psychiatric problems.
In this pilot study, 20 participants with Huntington’s disease limited their eating to a six-to-eight-hour window each day for 12 weeks. The intervention was safe and well-tolerated, with no unintended weight loss. Participants showed improvement on a score of disease severity, and blood biomarkers of nerve cell damage declined by an average of 13%. The researchers also observed improvements in cellular energy production.
The findings suggest time-restricted eating has potential to slow the progression of Huntington’s disease, which currently has no cure.
View the full study from “Nature Metabolism.”
Home-based programs increase participation in cardiac rehab
San Francisco VA researchers demonstrated that increasing virtual and home-based rehabilitation options nearly doubled the number of Veterans with ischemic heart disease participating in cardiac rehabilitation.
From 2012 to 2022, the number of VA facilities offering virtual or home-based cardiac rehabilitation increased from three to 52. During that time, cardiac rehabilitation participation increased from 9.6% to 17.1%, with Veterans receiving care at a facility offering home-based rehab having 80% higher odds of participating.
The findings suggest expanding the availability of home-based cardiac rehabilitation even further could significantly improve the care received by Veterans with ischemic heart disease.
View the full study from “JAMA Network Open.”
For more Office of Research and Development updates, visit ORD online or go to https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/.
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