Vitamins & Supplements

There's lots of information available about the role of vitamins, minerals and supplements and also questions that frequently arise about them.

Part of the complexity stems from the fact that they are sold as dietary supplements and not as medicines or pharmaceuticals. This means that there is little requirement around them for large scale testing of effectiveness and safety, testing for side-effects and interactions with other agents or even for truth in advertising. Whatever may be said about prescription medications and pharmaceutical companies, they are sold under very cautious regulations. In other words, consider vitamins and supplements with the same care as you would for a prescription medicine.

Keeping my comments and recommendations here only to the findings of medical research and studies then:

• CALCIUM: Calcium improves bone density up to 35 years of age. It is especially important in the high school ages. After 35 years old, supplementing calcium does not increase bone density, but it does assure adequate dietary calcium which otherwise is found in dairy products.
• Calcium carbonate (such as TUMS) is the cheapest, and most bio-available. This means that it is not necessarily the fastest into bloodstream, but it is the fastest into bone.
• Dose should be 600 mg, twice a day (up to three times a day in high school aged women).
• I do not recommend oyster shell or coral calcium. If the oyster shell or coral happens to come from a polluted area of ocean, you may be eating the pollutants.

• VITAMIN D: Vitamin D is crucial for normal bone growth, and also nerve growth. Several medical studies link low vitamin D levels to osteoporosis, higher risk of falls and higher risks of all types of cancers. Because vitamin D is mainly found in sardines, mackeral and artificially in milk having low levels is not unusual. This may also be because folks are using more sunscreen and avoiding over-exposure to sun to avoid skin damage and skin cancers!
• Doses of 200-400 I.U. per day are beneficial.
  
• This can often be found combined with calcium, for convenience.

• MULTIVITAMINS WITH MINERALS: You know; like Centrum, One-a-Day, and the generic brands for these. If you have a well balanced diet, you are not likely to be low in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin B12 deficiency can occur in strict vegans, but it isn't common. The trace mineral supplements are helpful in maintaining normal bone health.
• One a day of any inexpensive vitamin supplement may be helpful and isn't harmful.

• ANTIOXIDANTS: In theory, anti-oxidants should prevent cancers and promote longevity since oxidant molecules (so-called oxygen radicals) are a key factor in chromosomal damage which is the underlying cause of cancers and aging. Unfortunately, many studies have been done looking for this effect and it doesn't seem to bear out. If anything, antioxidant supplements may increase risk of heart attacks!
• One exception to this is the use of antioxidant vitamins and minerals in preventing and treating macular degeneration, which is a serious vision problem.
• Over-the-counter preparations such as OcuVite are helpful.

• VITAMIN C AND ZINC:
• Sorry, they really don't seem to prevent or treat colds and flus.
• They do help to promote wound healing, so taking some after surgery, a wound repair or an injury can be helpful. 500 mg a day of Vitamin C plus 200 mg of zinc are common doses for this.

• ASPIRIN: Aspirin reduces the risk of having a stroke or heart attack by making it harder for clots to rapidly form at cholesterol plaques in your blood vessels.
• An 81 mg "baby" aspirin a day is just as good as higher doses, and causes less bleeding problems.

• GLUCOSAMINE: This a precursor to cartilage which buffers joint surfaces. Swallowing it might not necessarily increase cartilage in joints and treat arthritis pain, but it seems to do just that.
• 1,500 mg a day of glucosamine is the normal dose. It can be taken all at once, or in 2-3 smaller doses a day if it upsets your stomach.
• It is not a "pain pill" in the usual sense, so take it for 3-4 months before you decide whether it's helping you or not.
• Chondroitin, MSM and magnesium don't seem to be helpful or add anything so don't bother paying more for these.

There is a lot of exciting research and study on vitamins and supplements, and plenty of it is to be found on-line or on TV and in magazines. Just review it with a critical eye, the same way you would with prescription pills.