Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements

A lot doctors and scientists once believed that you don’t need to supplement with vitamins if you eat right. Victor Herbert, the outspoken Harvard nutrition scientist, was quoted by Time magazine in a famous 1992 cover story about nutrition as saying that vitamins just gave one “expensive urine.” However, four years later, in 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established regulations requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, flours, cereals, corn meals, pastas, rice, and other grain products. This was in response to the discovery that many thousands of babies were being born with spina bifida because their mothers were not receiving enough folate in their diet. Spina bifida is a potentially fatal neural tube defect that occurs in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn’t entirely close. Since many Americans eat flour products, and don’t eat enough leafy green vegetables (that contain folate), this strategy has saved the lives of thousands. While improving dietary habits can be key to the prevention of disease and promotion of heath, health care professionals and scientists increasingly recognize that vitamin supplements also play a very important role. The evidence is now clear that in order to acheive and maintain proper health the numans at least 40 essential micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and other bionutrients), and that quite often diet alone is inadequate to provide these nutrients. It has been estimated that each year there are 14 million cases of preventable heart disease, 1.3 million preventable cases of cancer, more than 500,000 preventable strokes and thousands of babies born with neural tube defects that could have been prevented by a simple multivitamin. So is it important for everyone to take vitamin supplements, megadoses, or to up your levels of antioxidants? The answer may very likely be a resounding yes. Drs. Walter Willett and Meir Stampfer of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health recently advised, based on their research and expertise, that a daily multivitamin “makes sense for most adults.” Vitamins and Minerals: Which Do What? Vitamins. Vitamins are essential to good health. Vitamin A helps to develop and maintain body tissues such as bone and skin it also helps the body’s vision, nervous system functioning, reproduction, and growth. The B vitamins are responsible for increasing the production of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates as well as assisting with metabolism, building red blood cells, and maintaining the protective covering of the nervous system. Vitamin C helps form tissues, cells, bones and teeth heals wounds and improves the immune system’s performance. Vitamin E protects the outer cell membranes from harm, thus assisting the immune system in fighting off diseases. Vitamin K helps the body’s blood clot in wounded areas. Minerals. Minerals also have a broad range of functions. As many as 20 minerals play significant roles in the body. “Microminerals,” or minerals that the body only needs traces of, can fight off serious illness. These include copper, iodine, chromium, iron, fluorine, tin, zinc, nickel, vanadium, manganese, silicon, molybdenum, and selenium. “Macrominerals,” or minerals that the body needs large amounts of include magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus, calcium, and sulfur. Zinc is responsible for helping metabolize proteins and keeping enzymes functioning. Copper is needed by enzymes for metabolizing. Iodine assists the thyroid gland in working properly. Calcium and phosphorus build bones and teeth. Iron delivers oxygen to the body’s cells. Potassium helps muscle contraction, maintains the fluid balance of cells, helps transmit messages through the body’s nerves, and keeps the kidneys and heart working correctly. How they interrelate. Vitamins and minerals not only help the body function, but they work to strengthen each other. The body absorbs iron through the help of vitamin C. Vitamin D helps the body absorb phosphorus and calcium. Vitamins D and K are the only vitamins the body can supply for itself. The skin creates vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin K is produced by intestinal bacteria. Outside sources must supply the body with all other vitamins. Vitamins that Wash Away, and Vitamins That Build Up Vitamins are divided into two categories by the substance that carries them throughout the body.   Water-soluble vitamins are carried and stored all throughout the body by water. These vitamins need daily replacement because they are lost in body fluids such as sweat and urine. Water-soluble vitamins include folacin (folic acid), biotin, pantothenic acid, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), and cyanocobalamin (B12).   Fat-soluble vitamins – These vitamins, such as A (retinol), D (calciferol), E (d-alpha-tocopherol), and K (menaquinone), are carried by fats located in the bloodstream. Since fat is stores better than water, it is less critical when the intake of these vitamins is interrupted than when water-soluble vitamin intake is interrupted. However, when extreme amounts of these vitamins are taken, toxic levels can become present in the body.   Vitamin and Minerals as Supplements Americans spend over 6 billion dollars annually on vitamins. The Hartman Group, a marketing firm specializing in natural products, took a poll in 1998 that showed 71% of Americans take at least one form of vitamin or mineral supplementation. Some dieticians do not like the idea of taking pills to replace a healthy diet. Vitamins should not be used as substitutions for a healthy diet, but rather as supplementation. Experts do not recommend vitamins in pill form despite the beneficial effects this is due to the fear that people will use them to replace healthy eating habits. Most Americans do not eat ideal diets. According to a national survey, over half of all Americans do not drink a glass of juice, each one serving of vegetables, or eat a piece of fruit daily. Only 40% eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables daily, the recommended amount. Only 20% eat the recommend 2 to 4 servings of fruit each day. For those not eating properly, supplementation is better than nothing.

(source: vitaguide.org, FDA, Time Magazine, et. al.)

Please be wary of lower-priced products sold elsewhere. Many are imitations, less potent, and often times their content are questionable or dangerous. As with anything regarding health supplements, always consult your physician if in doubt.
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