Q: Why can't I get everything I need from my diet?
A: There are several reasons for this. First, remember that as a society, our dietary habits have changed over the past couple of generations. A healthy diet consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Fruits and vegetables should be preferably fresh; fresh frozen is still good but not as good as "off the farm" fresh! Recent studies indicate that the majority of meals in the US are eaten in restaurants rather than in the home. Restaurant food tends to be too high in fat and sugar. Additionally, convenience foods now make up a much higher percentage of the average diet than in the past. In some people well over 60% of their food is from so-called "empty" calorie foods (candy, sweets, chips, or other highly processed foods that contain very little real nutritional value other than calories). Remember that the more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a low nutritional value.
Another factor is the high stresses found in today's fast-paced and busy life. The greater the external stresses, the higher the nutritional demands on the body. Eating a poor-quality diet robs you of the nutritional factors necessary to help you stay healthy.
Lastly, many people are simply unaware of how to shop for healthy foods. Convenience and taste become the major criteria for food selection, while nutritional value is given little attention, if any at all.
Many nutritional researchers point to the rising problems of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diseases of modern society as evidence of the deteriorating quality of the diet most people consume. If you have questions about your diet, it is important that you discuss them with your healthcare provider on your next visit.
Q: Where do vitamins come from?
A: Vitamins are substances found in food that are required by your body to convert the food into energy. Since we cannot manufacture these substances, we need to get them from our diet. Unfortunately, the foods that many of us choose to eat have had most of the vitamins processed out. As many as thirty or forty vitamins and minerals may be taken out of our food, a dozen added back, and the food is then called "enriched." Generally the richest source of vitamins and minerals comes from fresh fruits, vegetables and grains; the worst sources are snack foods such as candy, chips, or highly-processed white flour bread or bakery items. While these may be OK in small quantities, they make up a significant proportion of many peoples' diet, which may put them at risk to nutritional deficiencies.
Q: What do vitamins do in the body?
A: In order to accomplish all of the thousands of day-to-day functions of your body, the food you eat every day must be converted into energy and raw materials (building blocks for muscles, bones, ligaments enzymes, hormones, and so on). To do all this, vitamins are required. Since we humans lack the ability to manufacture these critical nutrients in our bodies, we have to get them in our diet.
Generally, vitamins perform three major functions:
1. They are "cofactors" and catalysts for enzymes, which means they are required for the enzymes to do their jobs. The B-complex vitamins B1 and B2, for example are required for every function in the body that requires production of energy (which means every function!)
2. They act as antioxidants, which means they prevent highly reactive molecules called free radicals from damaging delicate cell membrane structure. Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants, protecting cell membranes from free radicals.
3. They act as "pre-hormones." For example, vitamin D functions as a hormone to facilitate calcium uptake and utilization.
Q: What do minerals do in the body?
A: Minerals have very many important functions; life could not exist without them. Iron is required for the manufacture of the chemical hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood to all the cells of the body. Calcium is necessary for strong bones, and for transmission of messages within cells and from cell to cell. Magnesium is required for production of energy from the food you eat; and a selenium-containing molecule protects the body from damage by free radicals.
Q: What are antioxidants?
A: Antioxidants are a group of chemical compounds that protect against free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules produced naturally, or induced by exposure to things like radiation, certain chemical pollutants, or other sources. When free radicals come into contact with healthy cell membranes, they cause damage to the membrane and may ultimately cause the cell to die. Antioxidants prevent this damage by "quenching" the free radical and thus helping maintain health and proper function of the cell. In food, antioxidants are often the substances that give food their color or strong flavor; this is why choosing a naturally "colorful" diet can be a very healthy idea!
Q: Why is it necessary to take vitamin supplements to be healthy?
A: The simplest answer is because most people eat a poor diet. Studies show that the average diet in the US consists of too much fat, too much sugar, not enough fiber and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. We are eating plenty of calories, but they are often "empty" calories, meaning that they have very low levels of the essential vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy. Since the majority of meals in the US are currently eaten in restaurants or "on the run" it makes good sense to take a vitamin supplement to fill in the gaps in our diet.
While it is important to remember the value of a nutritional supplement in maintaining health, we should never think that taking a supplement replaces a good diet. In other words, the first and by far most important step is to improve the quality of our diet, and then take a supplement as a nutritional insurance policy to make sure we get all we need.
Q: In order to stay healthy, what is a good basic supplement program?
A: Each person is unique, so each person's nutritional needs would also be unique to them. Having said that, a prudent course of action to stay healthy would begin with eating a healthy diet. This means to avoid highly processed foods (candies, snack foods, convenience foods), or foods high in refined sugar or flour, as these tend to have low levels of important vitamins and minerals. A high quality multiple vitamin-mineral supplement is helpful to "fill in the gaps" in the diet. While other nutrients also may be helpful, it is important to remember our individuality and discuss the specific additional nutrients you might need with your nutritionally-oriented health care practitioner.
Q: Are vitamins safe to take?
A: Generally, Yes, in the ranges that most vitamins are available as supplements. Vitamins are divided into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. The water soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) cannot be stored by the body, so they are generally quite safe, even in quantities higher than you would normally get in your diet. The fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A or D can be stored by the body, so it is possible to build up a level that could be harmful. It is therefore important that you discuss ALL your vitamin consumption with your healthcare provider, to make sure you are getting the optimal amount for your health while not running the risk of taking more than would be safe for you.
Q: Are minerals safe to take?
A: While the levels of most vitamins and minerals recommended by your healthcare practitioner is considered safe, remember that too much of anything can be potentially harmful. Even such life-sustaining things as water and sunlight have an upper limit of safety. While certain minerals such as calcium are generally quite safe even when taken in relatively high amounts, your body's requirements for other minerals such as iron or selenium are much lower and therefore have a smaller safety range as well. Be sure and inform your healthcare provider of all supplements, herbs or medications you are taking so the optimal levels can be determined for you, including an adequate safety margin.
Q: Are herbs safe to take?
A: Most herbs, when used according to longstanding herbal traditions, are not only effective but safe. Herbs have been used in the treatment and support of human health for thousands of years. During that time much has been learned about what herbs can do, how to prepare them and which herbs are to be used for what purposes. In the hands of an experienced and qualified professional, herbs can work wonders! But herbs contain complex chemicals that, when used improperly, can cause harm as well. It is important to remember that the fact that herbs do work also means that they cause chemical changes in the body (that's how they work!) and that sometimes those changes may not be what is desired. Caution is particularly advised during pregnancy, when taking herbs and pharmaceutical medications together, or when taking herbs for extended periods of time. For these reasons, it is always advisable to discuss all herbs or supplements you are taking (or considering whether to take) with your health care practitioner.
Q: Are vitamins safe during pregnancy?
A: Most vitamins are safe during pregnancy; in fact that is precisely the time when they are most needed! Not only must your diet support the mother's health and vitality, but that of her developing baby as well. A deficiency of certain nutrients (such as vitamin B12 or folic acid) during the early stages of pregnancy has been shown to significantly increase the risk to birth defects such as spina bifida.
There is some animal evidence however that high levels of other vitamins may increase risk to birth defects. Vitamin A for example has been shown in dosages higher than 8,000 IU to increase risk. For that reason it is not advisable to take high levels of vitamins during pregnancy without first consulting your healthcare provider.
Q: How can I tell if a vitamin-mineral supplement is of high quality?
A: It is difficult to tell quality simply by looking at a tablet. Many factors (most of which are hidden to the naked eye) go into a high quality nutritional supplement, but the three main variables are
1)the quality of the science behind the product
2)the quality of the ingredients themselves
3)the quality of the manufacturing process.
Quality of the science behind the product: the human body has often been compared to an extremely complex and wonderfully efficient machine. To function normally, it is extremely dependent upon a large variety of raw materials such as protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and so forth. If any of these critical substances are lacking in sufficient quantities, the efficiency of the "machine" suffers. The therapeutic use of nutrition supplements usually involves combining as many of these rate-limiting nutrients together as economically and physically possible, to provide everything required to focus on a particular health goal. If the nutritional supplement is poorly designed, key nutrients may be left out, or less important "window dressing" may be added that don't bring significant additional benefit. The product may then be inadequate to meet the therapeutic goals, or may be more expensive than needed. A reputable company will be able to provide scientific studies to support the formulation and its therapeutic value.
Quality of the ingredients: the same nutrient may be available in different forms. For example, vitamin E can be a natural (derived from food) or it can be synthetic (manufactured). The natural, food-identical vitamin E is called d-alpha tocopherol, while the synthetic form is called dl-alpha tocopherol. That "l" in the dl-alpha tocopherol is the only way you can tell a natural from a synthetic vitamin E by looking at the label, but science has shown that there is a significant difference in the way the body uses it. Natural vitamin E is significantly better in its biological activity that the synthetic. Another example is found in minerals such as calcium or iron. Minerals are not found alone in supplements but as chemical compounds. The nature of that compound is related to the ability of the body to absorb and use the mineral. For example, calcium may be found as "calcium carbonate" which is inexpensive but relatively more difficult to absorb. Other forms of calcium, such as calcium citrate or MCHC (microcrystalline hydroxyapatite) may be more expensive as raw materials, but may also be much better utilized by the body. A manufacturer of high quality products will be able to provide documentation from the scientific literature on the specific ingredients selected that will help to explain their superiority.
Quality of the manufacturing process: even if the supplement is well-formulated and has high quality ingredients, care must still be exercised during the manufacturing process to ensure a quality finished product. If the supplement doesn't break down properly during the digestive process it doesn't matter how well it's designed or what is used as ingredients! A manufacturer of high-quality nutritional supplements will perform a number of different tests before, during and after the tableting process to ensure quality in the finshed product, and should be able to provide you with documentation to support their processes upon request
Q: Why do some supplements cost more than others that look like they contain the same ingredients?
A: Simply looking at the ingredients does not necessarily provide enough information to assess value. For example, the same amount of elemental calcium can be found as, among others, citrate or carbonate, but have significantly different absorption dynamics. Carbonates are much cheaper, and so are often used by supplement manufacturers, even though the more expensive citrates are better absorbed. Frequently, higher quality comes with a higher price.
Q: How can I tell if a herb is of high quality?
A: This is a very important question. Many people have tried herbal products only to be disappointed when they don't work as hoped. A large part of this must be laid at the feet of manufacturers hoping to profit from the explosion of interest in herbs without understanding herbal medicine. For example, many people know of Echinacea as being an important herb for supporting healthy immune function. But only certain parts of the plant contain the substances that have established benefits. Some companies simply grind up the whole plant (stems, roots, leaves, flowers-everything) and sell that as "Echinacea." People taking the whole plant expecting to get the therapeutic benefits described will often be disappointed! A high quality product will have the active ingredients necessary to give the health benefits known by traditional herbalists. So if you've tried herbs before and been disappointed in the results, it may not be the fault of herbal medicine.
As is true of nutritional supplements, it is often difficult to see quality in herbs simply by looking at the finished product. This is especially true with herbs, as the standards for quality are still being developed. First and most obviously, quality in herbal products begins with high quality raw materials. This means that the manufacturer must have an intimate knowledge of herbs. One dried powder looks very much like another, so a reputable herbal manufacturer will exercise great care in the raw material purchasing process, and should be able to provide such things as Certificates of Authenticity and other documents establishing the source and quality of the herb. Because the chemical makeup of the plant changes as it matures (bite into a apple before it's ripe and you can taste the proof of that point!), selecting the herb at the correct time during the growing season is important. Additionally, different parts of the herb have different chemical constituents (and different effects in the body), so knowing which part of the herb to select is important. The delicate active principles of the herb must also be protected during the tableting process, so great care must be taken by the manufacturers here as well.
Q: How are herbs different from drugs?
A: Drugs are made of a single, isolated compound that is generally patented, manufactured and "owned" by a company. Herbs are made from plants, and generally cannot be owned by a company, since their original source is in nature and is freely available. Generally, drugs have been extensively researched at great cost over a number of years (the need to recoup that cost is why governments allow drug companies to patent their drugs).
An additional and very important difference is in the way they work in the body. Generally, drugs have a specific mode of action; that means that they work on a specific chemical reaction in the body. They also tend to have side effects; they stronger the drug the more likely they are to have significant side effects. Herbs may also have certain side effects, but since their method of action is much more gentle, commonly the side effects (if any) tend to be very mild and resolve quickly.
When drugs and herbs are taken together, the effects of that combination may sometimes be difficult to predict. For that reason it is very important that you discuss any drugs, herbs or vitamins you are taken either singly or as combinations, with your healthcare provider.
Reference:Healthworld Ltd.
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