VA research highlights findings on brain aging, Huntington's disease and cardiac rehab

The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Research and Development has published summaries of three studies by VA researchers, covering brain aging, Huntington's disease and cardiac rehabilitation, the department said.

In a pilot study at VA Portland, 20 participants with Huntington's disease limited eating to a six-to-eight-hour daily window for 12 weeks, according to the VA. The department said the approach was safe and well tolerated, participants improved on a disease-severity score, and blood markers of nerve cell damage fell by an average of 13%. The VA said the findings suggest time-restricted eating may have potential to slow the disease, which has no cure.

San Francisco VA researchers found that from 2012 to 2022, VA facilities offering virtual or home-based cardiac rehab grew from three to 52, while participation among veterans with ischemic heart disease rose from 9.6% to 17.1%, the department said. Veterans at facilities offering home-based rehab had 80% higher odds of participating.

A VA Kansas City study found that mice given nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3, for eight weeks performed better on memory and learning tests, according to the VA. The department said the supplement lowered inflammatory activity in brain immune cells.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/823