Vitamin Facts
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Vitamins, minerals, and Herbs |
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Folic Acid reduces the risk of heart disease, according to new research. This essential B vitamin helps convert dangerous homocysteine in your blood to a safer amino acid, called methionine. High levels of homocysteine are known to increase the risk of both heart disease and stroke. Take 400 mcg of folic acid per day. However, if you have a risk factor for heart disease, such as a family history, high cholesterol, elevated homocysteine, or obesity, talk to your doctor about taking a higher dose. If you fall into this higher risk group, add two other B vitamins: 1,000 mcg of [B.sub.12] and 100 mg of [B.sub.6] per day. Folic acid alone is probably not enough to lower homocysteine levels for people at high risk, explains Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., professor and associate director at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. E: acts as your cardiovascular system's housekeeper. It cleans out cell-damaging free radicals and also helps to prevent platelets from clumping together and clogging your blood vessels. Studies show that the more vitamin E in your diet, the lower your risk of heart disease. The evidence for supplementing with E is even more impressive, says Michael Janson, M.D., an Arlington, Mass.-based physician and author of Dr. Janson's New Vitamin Revolution (Avery Putnam Penguin, 2000). The well-known Nurses' Health Study, which followed 87,245 female nurses for eight years, found that those nurses who supplemented daily with E for more than two years had a 41 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who did not. A similar study on men who took at least 100 IU for two years or more found a 37 percent reduction in heart disease risk. Research shows that vitamins improves your health in the following ways.
The products and descriptions shown on this page are available for distribution and sale in United States of America only. Reduce Stress Help your body cope with the effects of stress by taking the following three vitamins and minerals. If you take a multivitamin, check the recommended dosages below against the contents of your multi; you may already be getting what you need. Fortified foods like breakfast cereals and orange juice may also cover some of your requirements, so consider those as well. B Complex: When you're under emotional and physical stress, your body taps your stores of B Complex to produce stress hormones like adrenaline. This in turn depletes the B vitamins necessary for the production of the hormones that let you relax again. Lieberman recommends taking all of the B Complex at once, because they all work together in your body. Take a B-100 complex once a day; each pill should supply 100 mcg of [B.sub.12] and biotin, 400 mcg of folic acid, and 100 mg of all the other B vitamins. Take it along with food to enhance absorption. Magnesium: A vicious cycle exists between stress hormones and magnesium. When you're under stress your adrenal glands produce the hormones cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline. This action depletes your magnesium levels. In turn, low magnesium levels further stress your body and can lead to panic attacks and more stress, which cause your body to release even more adrenaline, says Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., a consultant in City Island, N.Y., and author of The Miracle of Magnesium (Ballantine, 2003). C: helps your body prevent the overproduction of the stress hormones cortisol and DHEA. Excessive amounts of these hormones cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure, blood clotting, and blood sugar. Most of the research on vitamin C and stress has been done on rats. However, in a 2001 human study researchers compared blood cortisol levels of marathon runners given two 500 mg doses of C or a placebo. The C takers had 30 percent less cortisol in their blood after the marathon than the placebo group. To combat stress, experts suggest taking 500 mg of vitamin C per day. Slow Aging Fight the effects of aging by taking the following five vitamins and minerals. If you take a multivitamin, check the recommended dosages below against the contents of your multi; you may already be getting what you need. Fortified foods like breakfast cereals and orange juice may also cover some of your requirements, so consider those as well. Calcium: Your bones are at risk of decreasing in mass over time, increasing the chance of suffering a fracture. However, hundreds of studies have demonstrated the positive effect of calcium supplements on bone health. To prevent osteoporosis, experts recommend that you take 1,000 mg of calcium a day if you are 50 or younger and 1,200 mg daily if you are over 50. Take it in divided doses with 400 IU of vitamin D (to aid in absorption) and 500 mg of magnesium (calcium and magnesium work together in your body, and magnesium activates an enzyme necessary to form new bone). Take vitamin D and magnesium in divided doses as well. Folic Acid: The decrease in brain function that many people develop with increasing age has been associated with high levels of homocysteine, a dangerous amino acid. Folic acid has been shown to help decrease homocysteine levels. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition last year, folic acid supplements can improve both memory and cognitive function. Many experts recommend taking 400 mcg of folic acid per day. C: This antioxidant vitamin protects both your vision and your skin against aging. First, it appears to prevent the oxidation in the lens of the eye that can lead to cataracts. A study from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that women with a long history of taking C supplements had a lower lens opacity (a measure of vision loss) than women who took none. Other research has found that taking it forestalls the development of cataracts. Second, as your skin cells age, they lose the ability to produce collagen, a protein that supports your skin. This lack of collagen may cause your skin to wrinkle. Vitamin C has been shown to help build collagen. Thus, some experts believe taking vitamin C orally, or using it topically, may prevent wrinkles. To keep your eyes healthy and your skin smooth, supplement with 500 mg of vitamin C daily. E: The more vitamin E you get, the less cognitive decline you'll experience as you age, according to a recent study of more than 2,500 older people conducted at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago. Researchers are not exactly sure how E affects your brain, but they theorize that it has an antioxidant effect on brain cells, protecting them from dangerous free radicals. Take 800 IU of E daily as natural mixed tocopherols. Vitamin K: Acting as a taxi service for calcium, vitamin K gives calcium a ride right to where your bones need it, helping to ensure that they stay strong as you age. Studies have found a direct relationship between blood levels of K and bone mineral density. To reduce your risk of fractures, experts recommend taking 1000 mcg of vitamin K per day. But since K can interfere with blood thinners like Coumadin (warfarin), check your dose with your doctor if you currently take any of these drugs.
The products and descriptions shown on this page are available for distribution and sale in United States of America only. Boost Immunity Improve your immunity by taking the following four vitamins and minerals. If you take a multivitamin, check the recommended dosages below against the contents of your multivitamin, you may already be getting what you need. Fortified foods like breakfast cereals and orange juice may also cover some of your requirements, so consider those too. Coenzyme [Q.sub.10]: Abbreviated Co[Q.sub.10], this antioxidant improves your immune response and boosts your antibodies, as shown by animal and human studies. Typically, your body can produce all the Co[Q.sub.10] it needs. But after age 40 and when you're sick, your body's production of this enzyme slows considerably, according to Janson. If you're over age 40 or susceptible to catching colds, Janson recommends taking 100 mg of Co[Q.sub.10] per day. For the best absorption, take it with a meal that includes some fat or in a chewable tablet containing some oils. Selenium: To shorten the length of a viral infection, take selenium. This trace mineral prevents viruses from replicating, says Ronald Hoffman, M.D., a certified nutrition specialist and founder of the Hoffman Center, a complementary medicine clinic in New York City. Hoffman refers to selenium as "birth control pills for viruses." Studies in both animals and people with HIV confirm this antiviral effect. Take 200 mcg of selenium daily. Because it can be toxic in high doses (more than 700 mcg) be sure to consider the amounts you're getting in fortified foods like cereals, energy bars, and nutrition shakes before you decide on a supplement. C: helps boost your immune system in at least three ways. First, it helps your body fight viruses by increasing your output of interferon, an antiviral protein that you produce when infected by a virus. Second, C helps you make the antibodies that combat disease-causing invaders before they can infect you. And third, it helps your body to resist disease should bacteria or viruses find their way inside your cells. One study, conducted in Finland, reviewed 21 placebo-controlled trials conducted over 25 years and found that taking 1,000 mg of C daily reduced the severity and duration of colds by an average of 23 percent. During flu season or if there's a cold bug going around, take up to 1,000 mg of C per day. This dose may cause gastrointestinal discomfort; reduce your dose if that occurs. Zinc: Your body produces a series of different immune system reactions that fight disease, and zinc is a key player in each of these reactions. A zinc deficiency suppresses your immune system, but studies have shown that taking zinc supplements can restore a normal immune response. Experts recommend taking 50 mg of zinc a day to boost general immunity. If you have a cold, try a zinc lozenge; studies suggest that zinc is effective against viral infections. Don't exceed 50 mg daily; too much zinc can actually inhibit your immune function. Take zinc with 2 mg of copper; your body needs a proper balance of these two minerals. By:
Dina Aronson, R.D.
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