Does restricted diet rescue rat enteric motor neurones from age related cell death?
Ad libitum feeding of adult rats has adverse effects on the survival of myenteric neurones, neurone loss commencing before 16 months of age. Cholinergic neurones appear to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of diet. Restricting dietary intake from six months of age prevents neurone loss almost entirely up to 30 months of age in these rats.
Maternal hyperhomocysteinaemia is associated with an increased risk of CHD, partially due to low folate and vitamin B12 status. The folate status of children warrants further investigation.