With all the confusion about nutrition and vitamin supplementation, a lot of you might be thinking "Should I even supplement at all?" Just take a look at the epidemic in disease we have today and make an educated guess.
So the question about there being any real benefit to vitamin and mineral supplements should be moot by now. Tuft University nutritionist Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg agrees.
"Even if you aren't sick", says Blumberg, "a few well-chosen supplements can make you much, much healthier."
Consider these points (read them carefully and let them sink in - they are that important):
1. Few Americans get the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for all nutrients. Only 9% adhere to the Agriculture Department's dietary guidelines.
2. The RDA is based on the amount of each nutrient needed to prevent deficiency-related diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, rickets, etc. Yet hundreds of studies confirm that risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease can be minimized only by taking these nutrients at levels IN EXCESS of the RDA.
3. It's virtually impossible to get sufficient quantities of some key nutrients from food alone -- even with the most healthful diets. I outlined some of the reasons why in yesterday's blog.
I consider the following vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals essential to take every day. Use the RDA amounts as a guideline for the minimum you should be taking. But remember, to get a protective effect you need to take, in most cases, many times the RDA.
FOLIC ACID
This B vitamin (also called folate) reduces blood levels of homocysteine. Research has linked high levels of this amino acid (a byproduct of cell metabolism) to both heart attack and stroke. Folic acid also guards against colon cancer and birth defects. Since these defects occur in the first two months of pregnancy, any woman who even thinks she might become pregnant should take a daily supplement containing at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate.
Sources: Green leafy vegetables, nuts, peas and beans. RDA: 400 mcg.
VITAMIN B-6
This vitamin works with folic acid to break down homocysteine. If all Americans upped their daily intake of folic acid and B-6, 50,000 fewer people would die each year of heart attack and stroke.
Sources: Meat, Poultry, fish, liver, whole grains, most fruits and vegetables. RDA: 2 milligrams (mg).
VITAMIN D
This vitamin facilitates the body's absorption of dietary calcium. It's essential for healthy bones. And, it turns on over 2,000 important bodily functions - acting more like a hormone (which is what it truly is), than a vitamin.
Sources: Fortified dairy products, liver, eggs, cod liver oil. It is also synthesized in the skin when you're outside in the sun. RDA: 400 International Units (IU).
VITAMIN E
Along with vitamin C and beta-carotene, vitamin E is a potent antioxidant. It neutralizes "free radicals," cell-damaging molecular fragments that circulate through the body.
Daily doses of vitamin E reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer of the esophagus, stomach and lung, and cataracts and other eye diseases.
Research also suggests that vitamin E can slow the progression of neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Unfortunately, it's hard to get sufficient vitamin E from a healthful low-fat diet - so supplements are necessary.
Sources: Wheat germ, vegetable oil (don't recommend unless it's an essential fatty acid like flax oil, cold pressed safflower oil, or hemp oil), nuts. RDA: 30 International Units (IU).
BETA CAROTENE
More than 200 studies have shown that this antioxidant plays a key role in preventing cancer.
Sources: Broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots. RDA: None for beta-carotene.
SELENIUM
Another of the cancer-fighting antioxidants. A study in China involving 30,000 people found a dramatically reduced risk of cancer among individuals who took supplemental vitamin E, beta-carotene and selenium.
Sources: Fish, shellfish, meat, dairy products. RDA: None for selenium.
VITAMIN C
Studies have linked this antioxidant to reduced risk of lung, colon and gastrointestinal cancers. It may also help prevent heart and eye disease.
The typical American diet provides 120 mg a day of vitamin C. That's twice the RDA, but a National Institutes of Health study suggested that the RDA is too low. A daily intake of at least 250 mg is better.
CALCIUM
This mineral is crucial for preventing osteoporosis - and it's not just for older women either. A high calcium intake - along with sufficient vitamin D - is important for all ages, to build bone tissue and retain it. PLUS, the latest studies show in sufficient quantities it helps you lose fat.
The usual recommendation for adults is 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium a day. To get this much from food, you'd need to drink about five glasses of milk...or eat several servings of yogurt, cheese or broccoli. For most people, it's easier to take a daily calcium supplement (calcium citrate, calcium chelated with a protein).
Sources: Dairy products, leafy green vegetables and beans. RDA: 800 mg.
Putting It All Together
So how do you do it? And what multivitamin/mineral complex should you use with so many to choose from?
Use my recommendations above for the minimum amounts you need because most don't contain enough. Remember, you need multiples of the RDA for each vitamin in order to get a protective effect. Plus, the majority don't include several important antioxidants either (which help reduce disease formation in your body). So be careful in selecting one -- make sure it has enough of each vitamin/mineral/antioxidant.
Here's a little trick manufacturers play
They know there is a maximum price consumers feel they should pay for vitamins. Give or take a few dollars this range is $25 - $30 for a monthly supply of vitamins. They know once this price ceiling is breeched that sales will drop dramatically. Why? Because most consumers shop mostly by price, not what's necessarily in the product.
Since the manufacturers goal is to make the most amount of money possible, they're continually looking to increase the "gap" between what they sell their vitamins for and what it costs them to make it. They know they can't go higher on price, so they look for ways to reduce their raw material costs.
The main ways they do this is by reducing the total number as well as the amounts of vitamins and minerals they include in their product. They also stay away from adding any of the more expensive (but highly effective) ones.
But what would you pay for better health? Are you willing to nickel and dime the most precious commodity you own?
What if you knew today that you would develop a life-threatening disease because of your poor eating habits? And what if you learned that supplementing with key vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants would reduce your chance of getting that disease? Wouldn't you seek out the very best ones?
Do you have insurance for yourself and your family? Why not get the cheapest type of insurance you can get? High-potency vitamins/antioxidants and trace minerals!
Always go with the best vitamin/mineral complex you can afford. Remember...either pay a little more now...or a lot more later.
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