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They laughed when Linus Pauling took his vitamins. That would have been 30 years ago when the
Nobel Laureate in chemistry said vitamin C could prevent a cold and the scientific community
threw tomatoes at him, or the academic equivalent of boos and hisses. Well, look who’s
laughing now, as we work our way down the alphabet in the morning, lining up pill after
capsule, popping everything from A to zinc along with our OJ. In addition, some athletes
include performance-enhancing nutritional supplements in their daily routine to give them
a competitive edge. But is that a good idea, indiscriminate use of additives in the search
for optimal health?
Vitamins, minerals, who needs them?
Well, we all do. Going hand and hand like the Hansel and Gretel of human nutrition, vitamins
and minerals are the full-service nutrients, providing the substances your body requires but
can’t manufacture on its own, or at least not in sufficient quantities. Unlike herbs or
medications that heal disease or enhance health, vitamins are in the construction business.
They partner with minerals, proteins, and enzymes to help build bone and red blood cells, as
well as regulate nerve impulse transmission, mood control, sex drive, blood pressure, and cell
permeability. And if you don’t know what some of these things are, you will if you
don’t get your vitamins and minerals, because, like suddenly losing your e-mail access,
you don’t miss nutrients until you don’t have them.
Scurvy. Rickets. Night blindness. Osteoporosis. Biblical scourges? No. They’re the effects
of specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Deplete your electrolyte balance (levels of
potassium, sodium, and so on) and you’re liable to see little green men flying around the
room, becoming delusional because your blood chemistry is thrown off.
And, oddly enough, too much of a good thing can kill you. Witness some of the unfortunate early arctic explorers who turned a lean and hungry eye on the livers of polar bears and sled dogs,
which contained, it was later discovered, deadly concentrations of Vitamin A.
Isn’t it enough to eat well?
Folks used to assume that a balanced diet gave you the edge when it came to vitamins and
minerals. But today, what with the prevalence of fad diets, skipped meals, overly processed
food, water laced with chemicals, as well as a glut of high-fat, sugar-bloated, junk food, most
experts agree that diets don’t cut it anymore. For many of us, supplements have become a
factor in maintaining good health. But we need to be informed lest we start snacking on our
A’s, B’s, and C’s as though they were jellybeans.
Supplements are exactly what the name implies, substances to take in addition to, not instead
of healthy meals. Modern chemistry will never send Mother Nature out to pasture.
Top-heavy with essential compounds, many of which never make it into a vitamin pill, fruits
and vegetables remain the best source of all the micronutrients we need to survive. In addition,
they work as a team. If you change the ratios by taking too much of one mineral you can hamper
the effectiveness of another and end up with a nutritional deficit.
For example, the zinc supplement some folks take when they have a cold, can throw the balance
of iron and copper off unless you increase those minerals, too. And in some cases, mega doses
of a particular vitamin can cause the same symptoms as a deficiency.
How should I pick my pills?
So, how do you know what is enough of a good thing? For starters, the Federal government has
established very loose nutritional guidelines,
called Recommended
Daily Allowance or Daily Value (DV), a newer method of calculation. The RDA targets the
needs of the “average healthy adult,” assuming such a creature actually exists. They
used a fictitious post-menopausal, slightly overweight woman with a daily calorie requirement
of 2,000 as their “average” adult.
But stress, lifestyle, exercise patterns, and overall health are a few of the factors that
determine how much of what nutrient we need. And remember, over time, age becomes part of the
mix as well. Also, the RDA or DV specifies daily doses sufficient only to prevent deficiencies.
You need to look elsewhere for tips on how much of a particular vitamin you might need for
optimum health.
Should I consult a pro?
For your own safety, consult a health care professional before dosing yourself up with alphabet
soup. He or she might tell you that Vitamin E in large doses can trigger bleeding problems by
acting as an anticoagulant, or too much C can cause the familiar rumble that signifies the
onset of diarrhea. And seek news from reliable institutions that conduct ongoing vitamin
research. If you decide you do want to power up your nutrition, invest in a
vitamin encyclopedia that details the role of all the essential nutrients, including dosage recommendations and cautionary advice.
Where should I buy vitamins?
Now that you’ve made your supplement wish list, should you motor down to a health food
shop and pay premium prices for products that your local drugstore chain sells for half price?
It depends. Some folks insist on products from a natural source over synthetic anything. But
are they better? Natural supplements may have fewer chemical additives, sweeteners, starches,
and artificial coloring agents. This appeals to purists but is harder on some pocketbooks
than supermarket brands. Studies show little difference in potency between the two forms,
however. In fact, some synthetic vitamins contain higher concentrations of the active
ingredient, making them an all-around better buy.
Read the labels carefully to know what you’re getting. Note that vitamins A, D, E, and K
are fat soluble, which means they get stored in the liver for future use (potentially a risk
for overdoses). All others are water soluble, meaning you need to replenish them daily because
the body uses what it needs at the moment and then flushes the excess down the drain, which is
where your money is going if you take in more of those vitamins than your body can handle every
day.
Is it important to shop carefully?
Check the percentage of the minimum daily requirement the product contains and how many pills
or capsules you have to take in a day to meet the necessary dosage. You may want to find a
brand that gives you what you need in fewer pills. Don’t be alarmed if you see that some
nutrients do not yet have RDAs; not all have been categorized. And don’t believe everything
you read on the label. Federal guidelines allow manufacturers to claim their product will
enhance energy levels, inhibit harmful effects of free radicals, eliminate pesky nose hair, or
whatever. All a manufacturer has to do to get past the labeling guard dogs is to note
somewhere on the label that these claims “have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration.” You have to look elsewhere for the research that backs up or disputes
their claims.
If you’re paying for 350 milligrams per capsule, you should get 350 milligrams per capsule.
But some manufacturers shortchange their customers, putting far less of the active ingredient
in each dose than they claim on the label. With some products, you would have to take up to 60
times the dosage listed on the label to get the promised quantity of the nutrient.
If you’re wondering why you’re not getting a desired effect from a supplement you may
want to look into the work of an independent research firm, http:/www.consumerlab.com, who has tested many products. They list brands that meet their
labeling information. Purists may want to rethink their choice of designer supplements; in a
number of cases the brand from the drugstore chain beat out the higher priced line from the
health food store. Truth in labeling is still in its infancy.
What should I expect from taking vitamin and mineral supplements?
More energy? Bigger muscles? A tap into the fountain of youth? It depends. Substances
containing antioxidants, such as Vitamin E, may help reduce the risk of cancer and calcium and
can strengthen bones into your golden years, in essence giving you an anti-aging edge. However,
on a day-to-day basis, you won’t notice any change in the way you feel after taking these
products. On the other hand, some people battling chronic fatigue syndrome notice increased
energy with co-enzyme Q10.
Be patient, though. Most nutrients need to build up in the body over time before they become
effective. If you decide to take them to boost your operating system, do it regularly, not
once a week or once a month when you read an article that nudges you to think more seriously
about your health. Take all vitamins with meals and store them in a cool dark place or the
refrigerator and they will last up to a year. To enhance your vitamin count from food,
don’t thaw frozen vegetables before you cook them. Refrigerate fresh produce until you
cut it as exposure to air dissipates the nutrients. Pass over the withered celery and limp
lettuce and buy the freshest produce possible, and select organic items when available.
Eat right, too
Don’t expect vitamins and minerals to make up for lack of sleep, no exercise, an
attachment to cigarettes, candy bars, Big Jack’s, Super Whoppers, or whatever. And make
sure you get enough Vitamin W-plain old water, that thirst-quenching, dehydration-fighting,
mega natural mineral stash that is every jock and Jill’s
friend.
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