Some Questions On Vitamins and Minerals

Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements








More than 50% of Americans take dietary supplements, yet many people are not sure which ones to take, how much to take or when to take them. Here are the answers to your most frequently asked questions about vitamins and supplements.

What time of day should I take vitamins and other nutritional supplements?

Most dietary supplements including your daily multiple vitamin, vitamins A,B Complex, C and D or Omega 3 fish oil capsules can be consumed any time of day, preferably with your largest meal of the day. Most people prefer to take them with their breakfast or lunch. It's important to remember that it's better to take your supplements with food in order to help with proper digestion, absorption and optimum utilization.

However, not all supplements should be taken with food and best utilized when on an empty stomach before a meal. That's why it's essential to read the label directions.

As an example, plant sterols and stanols as found in products
like Super Sterol Protein Complex and Cholesto-Plex should
are best taken before mealtimes. If you are taking plant sterol supplements to help promote healthy cholesterol levels, try
to take them 15-30 minutes before a meal for optimal effectiveness.

How do I decide which vitamin and nutritional supplements are best for me?

Determining which supplements you should take begins with properly understanding your diet. If specific nutrients are missing from your regular diet, it's best to consult a nutritional healthcare practitioner or talk to your primary health care provider. To help assure fulfillment of nutrient "gaps" many people choose a comprehensive daily multivitamin & mineral supplement. It's the most convenient and effective way to
assure optimal vitamin and mineral levels.

If you are looking for the most appropriate formulation for you, be sure to identify one that is formulated to meet your specific age-related, personal fitness level and basic gender needs. For example, iron requirements for women over age of 50 are typically 8 mg per day while the needs for women under 50 are 18 mg per day. Multivitamins for women over the age of 50 should contain little to no iron because 8 mg per day can usually be acquired through the regular diet.

A multivitamin for men over the age of 50 should not contain iron and may often include other ingredients that may not typically be included in a woman's multiple vitamin such as Lycopene, L-Carnitine, L-Histidine, Saw Palmetto, etc.

Conversely, a good woman's multi-vitamin supplement may contain ingredients not included in a man's formula such as:
Herbal Black Cohosh, Gamma Linoleic Acid, Calcium, Iron, etc.

While a multivitamin is ideal for supplementing basic vitamins and minerals, some people need more than one single multi-combination formula. For example, many people today are advised to take extra vitamin C, calcium and vitamin D. Some people cannot tolerate milk or milk products, the most potent sources of calcium, and many people do not maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D. Although a multivitamin provides these nutrients, it may not supply enough of each to keep your levels adequate.

In addition, a multivitamin is often formulated with a combination of vitamins and minerals only, not other key nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, protein, amino acids or coenzyme Q10.

If you don't consume at least two to three servings of fatty fish (i.e. salmon, anchovies, sardines) each week then you should consider taking a daily fish oil supplement. If you take a statin drug to lower your cholesterol levels, you may be at risk of low blood levels of coenzyme Q10, and otherbeneficial antioxidant nutrients that protect your heart. Thus, if you've been prescribed statin drug, taking a coenzyme Q10 supplement could be very valuable.

Again, be sure to talk to a nutritional healthcare practioner or your primary physician when deciding on a safe and effective nutritional supplement program.

Can you take too much?

Many supplements can be safely taken in amounts greater than the Recommended Daily Value (DV) or Recommended Daily allowance (RDA). The percent daily value (%DV) displayed on
the label denotes what percent of the recommended intake amount for a specific nutrient is met per serving.

Numerous studies have shown that taking certain nutrients in amounts greater than 100% DV may have valuable health benefits. For example... Consuming higher levels of Vitamin C, Beta Carotene and Vitamin E may promote stronger immune function and help protect the body against free radical damage.

When taking supplements including herbs, vitamins, minerals etc. it is important to follow the suggested use, dosage and to consider which is the highest amount that can be safely consumed. Before taking any vitamin or supplement, be sure to carefully review the precautions and instructions on the product's label.

Can I take supplements with my prescription medications?

Be sure to inform your doctor or healthcare practitioner about
all the dietary supplements you take, even if you take them occasionally. This is especially important because some dietary supplements may interfere with prescription medications and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, perhaps causing those prescriptions and OTCs to be less effective.

Conversely, some medications cause certain nutrients levels to drop and so taking supplements can help support your nutrient status and overall health when taking such drugs. Statin drugs, for example, have been known to lower blood levels of the antioxidant nutrient coenzyme Q10. To that end, individuals taking statin drugs are often advised to supplement with coenzyme Q10. It's important to let your doctor know the dosage and the frequency of use for all the supplements you are taking.

Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about potential nutrient depletions that may occur with your medication(s) so you can be sure to restore those key nutrient levels with proper supplementation.

Can I take supplements after the expiration date?

When a vitamin nutritional supplement expires, it is not necessarily harmful to consume. Expiration dates on most dietary supplements are actually "best if used by" guidelines.

However, the active ingredients may no longer be up to the potency specified on the label. If in doubt about an expired product, you may want to discard that product and purchase a fresh, new batch.

Can I cut vitamin and nutritional supplement tablets into smaller pieces if I can't swallow them whole?

Most supplements may be cut in half, milled into powder or chewed if swallowing is a problem.

Softgels (soft gelatin capsules) that are too large for you to comfortably swallow may be punctured or cut in half to empty the contents into a spoon or food.

Two-piece hard shell gelatin capsules may be opened easily to release the contents into food or a beverage.

Be advised, the only products not recommended to cut into smaller pieces are those that are timed-release or enteric coated. Such supplements should be swallowed whole to assure the best performance.

Where is the best place to store vitamins and nutritional supplements?

Storage directions are commonly explained on a vitamin label. Most often, storing the bottles in a cool, dry place with the cap tightly sealed is recommended. Certain formulations may require special storage conditions such as refrigeration.

Always keep these products out of reach of children and pets.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only;
It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor or healthcare professional.

Can Something Stop Lung Cancer???

Milk Thistle Extract Stops Lung Cancer

In Laboratory Mice, New Study Shows

Tissue with wound-like conditions allows tumors to grow and spread. In mouse lung cancer cells, treatment with silibinin, a major component of milk thistle, removed the molecular billboards that signal these wound-like

conditions and so stopped the spread of these lung cancers, according to a recent study published in the journal Molecular Carcinogenesis.

Though the natural extract has been used for more than 2,000 years,
mostly to treat disorders of the liver and gallbladder, this is one of the first carefully controlled and reported studies to find benefit.

How it works...

Basically, in a cell there can be a chain of signals, one leading to the next, to the next, and eventually to an end product. And so if you would like to eliminate an end product, you may look to break a link in the signaling
chain that leads to it. The end products COX2 and iNOS are enzymes involved with the inflammatory response to perceived wounds -- both can aid tumor growth. Far upstream in the signaling chain that leads to these

unwanted enzymes are STAT1 and STAT3.

These transcription factors allow the blueprint of DNA to bind with

proteins that continue the signal cascade, eventually leading to the production of harmful COX2 and iNOS.

Stop STAT1 and STAT3 and you break the chain that leads to COX2 and iNOS -- and the growth of lung tumors along with them.

"This relatively nontoxic substance, a derivative of milk thistle silibinin was able to inhibit the upstream signals that lead to the expression of COX2 and iNOS," say research scientists from the University of Colorado - Skaggs School of Pharmacy and the laboratory of University of Colorado Cancer Center.

In addition, the researchers compared the effects of silibinin to drugs currently in clinical trials for lung cancer. Would drugs that target other signaling pathways, other linked chains, similarly cut into the production

of COX2 and iNOS?

It turned out that inhibiting the chains of JAK1/2 and MEK in combination and also inhibiting the signaling pathways of EGFR and NF-kB in combination blocked the ability of STAT1 and STAT3 to trap the energy
they needed to eventually signal COX2 and iNOS production.

Compared to these multi-million dollar drugs, naturally-occurring silibinin blocked not only the expression of COX2 and iNOS, but also the migration of existing lung cancer cells.

"What we showed is that STAT1 and STAT3 may be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer, no matter how you target them," the researchers reported. "And also that naturally-derived products like silibinin may be as effective as today's best treatments."

This work was supported by NCI RO1 grant CA113876.

Story Source: University of Colorado Denver.

Journal Reference: Silibinin modulates TNF-α and IFN-γ mediated signaling to regulate COX2 and iNOS expression in tumorigenic

mouse lung epithelial LM2 cells. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 2011;

University of Colorado Denver (2011, November 15). Milk thistle extract stops lung cancer in laboratory mice, study shows.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact your doctor or healthcare professional for medical and nutritional consultation.

Fish and Alzheimer's

Eating Fish Regularly Reduces Risk Of
Alzheimer's Disease, According To New Study Reported From The

University Of Pittsburgh

New Research From
University from the
University of
Pittsburgh Medical
Center and the
University of
Pittsburgh School of
Medicine Reports
Eating Fish Regularly
Reduces Risk of Alzheimer's Disease...
People who eat non-fried fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of
developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and
Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented at
the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.

"This is the first study to establish a direct relationship
between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk,"explained a team of research scientists from the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "The results showed that
people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least once
each week had better preservation of gray matter volume
on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer's disease."

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable, progressive brain disease
that slowly destroys memory and cognitive skills. According
to the National Institute on Aging, as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease. In MCI, memory
loss is present but to a lesser extent than in Alzheimer's disease. People with MCI often go on to develop Alzheimer's disease.

For the study, 260 cognitively normal individuals were selected from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Information on fish consumption was gathered using the National Cancer Institute Food Frequency Questionnaire. There were 163 patients who consumed fish on a weekly basis, and the majority ate fish one
to four times per week.

Each patient underwent 3-D volumetric MRI of the brain. Voxel-based morphometry, a brain mapping technique that measures gray matter volume, was used to model the relationship between weekly fish consumption at baseline and brain structure 10 years later. The data were then analyzed to determine if gray matter volume preservation associated with fish consumption reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease.

The study controlled for age, gender, education, race, obesity, physical activity, and the presence or absence of apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4), a gene that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Gray matter volume is crucial to brain health. When it remains higher, brain health is being maintained. Decreases in gray matter volume indicate that brain cells are shrinking.

The findings showed that consumption of baked or broiled fish
on a weekly basis was positively associated with gray matter volumes in several areas of the brain. Greater hippocampal, posterior cingulate and orbital frontal cortex volumes in relation to fish consumption reduced the risk for five-year decline to
MCI or Alzheimer's by almost five-fold.

"Consuming baked or broiled fish promotes stronger neurons
in the brain's gray matter by making them larger and healthier," the researchers said. "This simple lifestyle choice increases the brain's resistance to Alzheimer's disease and lowers risk for the disorder."

The results also demonstrated increased levels of cognition
in people who ate baked or broiled fish.

"Working memory, which allows people to focus on tasks and commit information to short-term memory, is one of the most important cognitive domains," they said. "Working memory is destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. We found higher levels of working memory in people who ate baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis, even when accounting for other factors, such as education, age, gender and physical activity."

Eating fried fish, on the other hand, was not shown to increase brain volume or protect against cognitive decline.

Story Source: Radiological Society of North America.

Radiological Society of North America (2011, November 30). Eating fish reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease, study finds.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only;

It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact your doctor or healthcare professional for medical and
nutritional consultation.

Chicken and Bean Burritos

You'll get a different burrito each time you try a new blend of salsa for this recipe. Experiment!

MAKES: 12 servings

CARB GRAMS PER SERVING: 34

 

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 15 ounce can pinto beans in chili sauce

1 16 ounce bottle (1 2/3 cups) salsa with chipotle chile peppers

12 8 inches whole wheat or plain flour tortillas, warmed*

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)

Shredded lettuce (optional)

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Light dairy sour cream (optional)

1. In a 3-1/2-quart slow cooker combine chicken and undrained beans. Pour salsa over all.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a cutting board. Using 2 forks, gently separate the chicken into thin shreds. Using a potato masher, mash beans slightly in cooker. Return chicken to slow cooker, stirring to mix.

4. Divide chicken mixture evenly among the warmed tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold bottom edge of each tortilla up and over filling; fold in opposite sides just until they meet. Roll up from the bottom. If necessary, secure with toothpicks. If desired, serve with lettuce, tomatoes, and/or sour cream. Makes 12 burritos.

Note

• * To warm tortillas, wrap them in white microwave-safe paper towels; microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 15 to 30 seconds or until tortillas are softened. (Or wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 degrees F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until warmed.)

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Calories: 293
• Protein(gm): 26
• Carbohydrate(gm): 34
• Fat, total(gm): 6
• Cholesterol(mg): 50
• Saturated fat(gm): 2
• Dietary Fiber, total(gm): 5
• Sodium(mg): 707

Diabetic Exchanges

• Starch(d.e): 2
• Very Lean Meat(d.e): 3
• Fat(d.e): 1

Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa

Fresh peach salsa is a burst of Southwestern flavor in this wine-marinated chicken drumstick recipe.

MAKES: 6 servings

CARB GRAMS PER SERVING: 5

 

*   4 chicken legs (thigh-drumstick piece) (about 2-1/2 pounds total)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil

1 1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 medium peaches or nectarines or 1-1/3 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed

1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper

1/2 ripe avacado, seeded, peeled, and finely chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon snipped cilantro

1. For marinade, in a shallow nonmetallic dish combine wine, orange peel, orange juice, olive oil or cooking oil, rosemary, and bay leaf. Add chicken, turning to coat. Cover and chill about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, for salsa, peel and pit the fresh peaches or pit the nectarines. Finely chop peaches or nectarines. In a bowl combine peaches or nectarines, chopped red or green sweet pepper, avocado, green onions, lime peel, lime juice, and cilantro. Cover and chill until serving time.

3. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Grill chicken, skin side down, on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 20 minutes. Turn chicken; grill for 15 to 20 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (Or, place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once.) Brush with marinade up to last 5 minutes of grilling or broiling. Serve chicken with salsa. Makes 6 servings.

Make Ahead Tip

• Prepare marinade up to 24 hours head; cover and chill. Prepare salsa; cover and chill up to 24 hours.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Calories: 311
• Protein(gm): 25
• Carbohydrate(gm): 5
• Fat, total(gm): 20
• Cholesterol(mg): 86
• Saturated fat(gm): 4
• Sodium(mg): 85

***Taken from Diabetic Living

Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

MAKES: 2 servings

SERVING SIZE: 2 dumplings with 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture per serving

CARB GRAMS PER SERVING: 47

 

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 chicken thighs, skinned

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 recipe Cornmeal Dumplings (see recipe below)

Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

1. In a 1 1/2- or 2-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, celery, corn, onion, garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with chicken. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If no heat setting is available, cook for 5 to 5 1/2 hours.

3. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting (or if no heat setting is available, continue cooking). Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken off bones; discard bones. Chop chicken; return to mixture in cooker. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour until smooth. Stir into mixture in cooker.

4. Using two spoons, drop Cornmeal Dumplings dough into four mounds on top of hot chicken mixture. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.) If desired, sprinkle each serving with coarse pepper.

Cornmeal Dumplings

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl combine egg white, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

• Servings Per Recipe: 2
• Calories: 369
• Protein(gm): 24
• Carbohydrate(gm): 47
• Fat, total(gm): 10
• Cholesterol(mg): 55
• Saturated fat(gm): 1
• Monosaturated fat(gm): 5
• Polyunsaturated fat(gm): 3
• Dietary Fiber, total(gm): 5
• Sugar, total(gm): 9
• Vitamin A(IU): 103
• Vitamin C(mg): 9
• Thiamin(mg): 0
• Riboflavin(mg): 1
• Niacin(mg): 7
• Pyridoxine (Vit. B6)(mg): 0
• Folate(µg): 81
• Cobalamin (Vit. B12)(µg): 1
• Sodium(mg): 582
• Potassium(mg): 681
• Calcium(DV %): 162
• Iron(DV %): 3

Diabetic Exchanges

• Vegetables(d.e): 1
• Starch(d.e): 3
• Lean Meat(d.e): 2
• Fat(d.e): 1

Vitamin E Does What?

Scientists Now Identify A Previously Unknown Function of Vitamin E

To reduce signs of aging, people massage Vitamin E into the skin and athletes consume it to improve endurance. Now, scientists have the evidence of one of vitamin E's previously unknown body functions.

This powerful antioxidant vitamin helps repair tears in the plasma membranes that protect cells from outside forces and screen what
enters and exits. Georgia Health Sciences University researchers
reported their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Everyday activities such as eating and exercise can tear the plasma membrane and the new research shows that vitamin E is essential
to repair it. Without the proper repair of muscle cells, such as when muscles eventually waste away and die in a process similar to what
occurs in muscular dystrophy. Another example is the muscle weakness and common complaint from people with diabetes, the condition is associated with inadequate plasma membrane repair.
Century-old laboratory studies linked vitamin E deficiency to muscle problems but how that occurs remained a mystery until now. A lack
of membrane repair caused muscle wasting and death, which prompted
the researchers to look at vitamin E.
Vitamin E appears to assist repair in several ways. As an antioxidant,
it helps eliminate destructive by-products from the body's use of
oxygen that impede repair. Because it's lipid-soluble, vitamin E can actually insert itself into the membrane to prevent free radicals from attacking. It also can help keep important phospholipids, a major membrane component, compliant so they can better repair after a tear.

As a common example... Exercise causes the cell powerhouse, the mitochondria, to burn a lot more oxygen than normal. "As an unavoidable consequence you produce reactive oxygen species," the researchers explained. The physical force of exercise actually tears the membrane. Vitamin E enables adequate plasma membrane repair despite the oxidant challenge and keeps the situation in balance.
When he mimicked what happens with exercise by using hydrogen peroxide to produce free radicals, he found that tears in skeletal muscle cells would not heal unless pretreated with vitamin E.

The next studies will be aided by two recent National Institutes of Health grants, will include examining membrane repair in vitamin E-deficient animals.

They also want to examine membrane repair failure in diabetes.
The team showed that cells taken from animal models of types 1 and 2
diabetes have faulty repair mechanisms. They discovered high glucose
was a culprit by soaking cells in a high-glucose solution for eight to 12 weeks, during which time they developed a repair defect. It's also well documented that reactive oxygen species levels are elevated in diabetes.
The Nature Communications paper showed that vitamin E treatment in
an animal model of diabetes restored some membrane repair ability.
Also, an analogue of the most biologically active form of vitamin E significantly reversed membrane repair deficits caused by high
glucose and increased cell survival after tearing cells in culture.

Story Source: Georgia Health Sciences University.

Journal Reference:
Promotion of plasma membrane repair by vitamin E. Nature Communications, 2011;
Georgia Health Sciences University (2011, December 20). Scientists identify an innate function of vitamin E.