bb Albert Provocateur: Vital Mends with Vitamins

Albert Provocateur

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Vital Mends with Vitamins

Like children in a candy store, 50- and 60-something-year-olds will spare no expense to find and ingest a plethora of “ovoids” in their quest to find the shortest route to the fountain of youth. There are no guarantees here, however, and many times so-called revolutionary breakthroughs have found themselves on the chopping block, after brief, unsubstantiated claims to fame and precipitous descent on the slippery slope through our gastrointestinal tracts to their final resting places in a septic tank. Little salutary effect did they procure for their intended beneficiaries, unless, of course, a hole in the wallet can be considered such.
Then we come to the vitamins and minerals, a multicolored potpourri of “steady, old friends” who have been around forever and promise nothing new, miraculous, or technological. They are simply there when we need them, and we often take them for granted. Can we make amends with those pesky vitamins? More importantly, can we learn to live with them and their close relatives, the amino acids, fatty acids, plant chemicals, and probiotics?
Vitamins are a particular breed of beings. Not unlike humans, some of them are light-sensitive, others are environment-sensitive, and still others are “choosy” as to whether they vacation in oily or clear waters. The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, are stored in body fat, and they can build up to toxic levels when taken in excess. Water-soluble vitamins, like the B vitamins, C, and folic acid, must be taken on a regular basis to ensure their longevity and our peace of mind.
Vitamin A is the leader of the pack. It protects our vision and reduces the risk of cataracts when taken in daily doses of 3,000 IU. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and mangoes are its natural turf, but care must be taken to not exceed the daily requirement of vitamin A. Otherwise, it will not only give us a “black eye,” but break our bones as well.
Vitamin D is a good friend. In fact, it may be our best friend. It protects against colon and other forms of cancer, strengthens our bones and immune systems, and even lends a helpful hand to those with type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, while encouraging better heart and lung function. Either 1,200 units a day, via supplements or fatty fish and fortified milk and orange juice, or five to 10 minutes in the summer sun does the trick. Do not tell your dermatologist, however, that sunblock is counterproductive in this case.
Vegetable oils are our allies, as they contain a domesticated Trojan Horse known as vitamin E, which protects against prostate cancer and helps in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. From 22-33 IU daily should keep neurons firing and memories toned. If oils are not your cup of tea, leafy greens, nuts, and grains can put a lid on the prostate kettle.
When besieged by bullies, there is no better friend than vitamin K. Long known for its indispensable role in the blood clotting mechanism, it also protects against bone degradation and hip fracture. In doses of 90-120 mcg/day, this loyal companion is more faithful than a St. Bernard, and also easier to find. Spinach, broccoli, kale, milk, eggs, cereal, sprouts, and liver are its stomping grounds.
Vitamin B12 has been known to get on people’s nerves. It protects neurons and improves memory when taken in doses of 2.4 mcg/day, and it lurks in meat and dairy products, where vegans and strict vegetarians dare not tread. Needless to say, the latter require supplements.
Artery damage can be stopped in its tracks when vitamin B6 flexes its muscles. Whether this critter also reduces heart-disease risk remains to be seen. From 1.5-1.7 mg/day should do it, and a proverbial cornucopia of foods such as meat, poultry, fish, beans, tofu, soy products, bananas, and watermelons provide safe haven for a formidable adversary in the Atherosclerosis Wars.
Now you do not have to be a wealthy retiree basking under a Florida palm to enjoy the protective benefits of Linus Pauling’s closest chum, vitamin C. Found in oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, and strawberries, this bosom buddy cuts the risk of cataracts and breast and stomach cancers when taken in daily doses of 90 mg/day.
Finally, prospective mothers wishing to hear the pitter-patter of healthy feet would be wise to take folic acid before and during pregnancy. Not only does it protect against birth defects, but it may also prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, ensuring that you’re still around to help baby with homework when the time comes. A daily dosage of 600 mcg from any combination of fortified breads, pastas, breakfast cereals, beans, peas, spinach, broccoli, and orange juice is required.
But where would our vitamins be without the “baseball team” of calcium (vital for bones at 1,200 mg/day), magnesium (to lower blood pressure at 420 mg/day), potassium (reducing the risk of hypertension at 4,700 mg/day), sodium (to regulate blood pressure at 1,500 mg/day), iron (ferrying oxygen throughout the body at 8-18 mg/day), selenium (to combat prostate cancer at 55 mcg/day), zinc (delaying the progression of macular degeneration at 11 mg/day), iodine (to regulate energy use via thyroid hormone at 150 mcg/day), and fluoride (preventing tooth decay at 4 mg/day)? The answer: nowhere.
Let’s not deny lycopene, fatty acids, amino acids, probiotics, and even pomegranate juice their due either. They instill the fear of God in maladies ranging from prostate cancer and heart disease to muscle degradation and infant and antibiotic-induced diarrhea.
Like an old comedian, vitamins and their gang of minerals, fatty acids, and the like get no respect. It is due to them, however, that we’ll be able to laugh for a long time to come.

© 2006, Albert M. Balesh, M.D. All rights reserved.

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