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StumbleUponA revolution is underway in America's hallowed research institutions. For decades scientists scoffed at the idea of regularly swallowing vitamins, confident that a good diet offered all the nutrients Americans needed. But thanks to a pile of studies in the past five to ten years, researchers are radically revising their thinking: They're starting to view the lowly vitamin pill as a potential godsend. And while "Down the hatch" may be less attention grabbing than "Up against the wall," it's a slogan that could save your life. Just look at a 1995 study by scientists at the University of Washington. They considered one of the hottest hypotheses under investigation these days -- that folic acid can protect against heart attack and stroke. All the answers aren't in, the researchers said, but if current theories are borne out, a daily supplement could prevent tens of thousands of deaths every year. "We don't get public health opportunities like this very often," says epidemiologist Godfrey Oakley at Emory University.
Great, you say -- but you already lead a healthy life. Surely you don't need to bother with a daily pill. Well, you may be surprised by the way some of your well-intentioned habits can actually increase your need for supplements.
Are You on a Heart-Healthy Diet?
You may need: Vitamin E
You can go wrong by trying to eat right, especially if you think -- as many do -- that a smart diet is one stripped of fat. To get the recommended amount of vitamin E, you need some fat, says nutritionist and vitamin-E expert Maret G. Traber at Oregon State University. Just make sure it's the heart-healthy kind-try a monounsaturated fat such as olive or canola oil in place of creamy salad dressing or full-fat mayo, for instance.
Even if you pour on the olive oil, though, you won't get anywhere near the levels of E that some studies suggest can lower the risk of heart disease and possibly improve immunity, as well as fight against Alzheimer's disease. To hit those levels, you'll need supplements.
Let's be clear: Extra E comes with no guarantees. In recent years study results have ricocheted faster than a pinball. But for all the controversy, Traber and many other scientists still think there's a good chance that E supplements will pay off.
Sources: Along with olive and canola oils, sunflower seeds and almonds are a prime source. If you want to supplement, try a stand-alone vitamin-E pill, since multis generally contain only 15 mg., the recommended daily intake. Look for one containing 200 to 400 international units (IU) of natural or synthetic E.
Do You Follow a Protein Diet to Lose Weight?
You may need: Folic acid, calcium
Keeping trim is commendable, but some weight-loss programs can leave you open to deficiencies. On the low-carb, high-protein Atkins diet, for instance, you restrict fruits and vegetables, as well as grains and cereals -- many of the best food sources of the B vitamin known as folate or, in synthetic form, folic acid. That's bad, considering that adequate levels of the vitamin have been linked to a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, some cancers and other ills. Even more striking, a deficiency dramatically increases a woman's risk of having a baby with certain devastating birth defects. At some calorie levels, this diet is low not just in folic acid but in fiber, calcium and other nutrients (not to mention far too high in saturated fat).
Sources: The word folate comes from foliage; leafy greens are loaded. Thanks to fortification, breakfast cereal also provides a respectable amount. Use low-fat or skim milk on that cereal, and you're partway to your day's calcium requirement too. If you're set on unadulterated Atkins, though, your daily meal plan should include 600 mg. of calcium in supplements and a multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg.) of folic acid. (Women of childbearing age should be especially careful to get that level of folic acid daily.)
Are You Good About Using Sunscreen?
You may need: Vitamin D
Pat yourself on the back for protecting your skin against wrinkles, sagging and spots, not to mention skin cancer. Now, says endocrinologist Michael Holick at Boston University, you need to take care of your bones.
Why? You're interfering with your own private vitamin-D factory, found in the skin. The fuel for this factory is the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. If you use sufficient amounts of a sunscreen worth the effort of slathering it on -- that is, any lotion with an SPF of at least 15 -- you'll cut production by 99.5 percent. Without adequate D, you can't absorb enough calcium from food to keep bones strong.
And don't think you can rest easy if you don't use sunscreen. People who live in a northerly area of the United States may not get enough UV radiation in the winter. The pigment in African Americans' skin acts as natural sunscreen, so odds are decent they fall short on D year-round. But no matter what your skin color, if you're over 50 your production is flagging. In a small 1998 study, Holick found that 41% of adults of that age were deficient.
What are the consequences of running low? Bones that break more easily. Muscle weakness. And, possibly, an increased risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer, Holick says. All these cancers are more common in higher latitudes, and some researchers theorize that it's because sunlight is relatively scarce there and D deficiency is even more widespread.
Sources: Holick would like to see adults exposing their hands, arms and face to the sun three times a week for five to 15 minutes -- about a third of the time it would take to get a sunburn. If that's not possible, he says, look for D in a multivitamin containing 400 IU. If you're over 70, add a separate D supplement (or calcium plus D) to reach 600 IU daily, the official recommendation for that age. Adults can safely take 1000 IU of D each day; that's what osteoporosis expert Robert Heaney does, and what he prescribes to his patients at the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University in Omaha.
Do You Like Wine With Dinner?
You may need: Folic acid
It's not often that you can feel virtuous and self-indulgent at the same time, so the fact that moderate drinking may be good for the heart makes a glass of wine especially delicious.
Unfortunately, alcohol is rough on the rest of your body. Studies suggest that more than two drinks a day doubles your risk of colon cancer. And women who have one or two drinks daily may raise their chances of developing breast cancer by 40 percent. So if you like the nose, bouquet and conviviality found in a glass of wine, you should think about downing a dose of folic acid as well.
A number of studies suggest that if you get plenty of that B vitamin, you lessen the colon- or breast-cancer risk posed by alcohol. One study found that protection seems to kick in at 400 to 600 mcg.
Sources: To boost folate to the desired heights through diet, you'd need to drink four to nine glasses of orange juice a day, or eat two cups of boiled spinach. Or you could take a multivitamin containing 400 mcg. of folic acid.
Do You Walk for Exercise?
You may need: Calcium
You're doing more than most Americans to keep your cardiovascular system ticking. But if walking -- or another medium- to low-impact activity such as swimming or cycling -- is your primary challenge, don't count on your skeleton staying strong for the long haul unless you also skip rope, jog or do some other bone-jarring exercise. Even then, if you're a woman, chances are you'll still need to add one more thing: daily calcium supplements.
Not that pills are the only way to get enough of the mineral. But the fact is that the overwhelming majority of women don't get enough from food. The typical middle-aged woman gets less than 600 mg. of calcium a day, says osteoporosis expert Heaney -- a dismal half of what she needs. Fortunately, if you've already developed weak bones, calcium supplements (with vitamin D) can prevent further loss and may protect against fractures. There's another reason for women to get extra calcium in food or pills. Studies suggest it can help prevent colon cancer, may lower high blood pressure -- and might help keep the pounds off.
What about men? Their risk of osteoporosis is much lower, and they get more calcium in their diet. Still, the typical man over 50 falls short, getting 65 percent or less of the recommended amount. So if you're a man over 50, you probably ought to consider a modest level of calcium supplementation, says Heaney.
Sources: A glass of one-percent milk contains 300 mg. of calcium; a cup of low-fat yogurt can net you up to 450 mg. Young adults should get 1000 mg. daily, according to government guidelines. People over 50 need 1200 mg. For women, it may be easiest to assume that you need 400 to 600 mg. of additional calcium daily; for men past 50, 400 mg. It's best to take calcium with meals, and to divide the day's allotment into two doses to absorb more. If you think you may be short on vitamin D, choose a combo -- calcium plus D -- for your supplement.
Are You Taking Iron for Fatigue?
You may need: A blood test
If "Mouseketeer" means Annette Funicello to you instead of Britney Spears, you probably remember Geritol's "iron-poor blood" ad campaign, which helped induce Americans to think iron deficiency whenever they yawned. But the truth isn't so simple. You may be suffering from a lack of the mineral -- or you may actually have too much. When it comes to iron, the key is knowledge. Have your levels checked by your doctor periodically.
Iron's most familiar role is in helping blood carry oxygen to the cells. That's a crucial job, since cells get as unhappy about an oxygen shortage as you would. An iron deficiency can lead to all kinds of trouble, particularly for infants, teenagers and pregnant women.
But before you reach for an iron pill, listen to this: Lots of people aren't lacking in the mineral. Men are rarely deficient. And the results of one study suggest that the elderly of either sex are more likely to have too much iron than too little.
An excess of iron can be dangerous, since as many as one in 250 Americans have a genetic condition called hemochromatosis, which leads them to absorb iron too efficiently, increasing the risk of cardiovascular problems, liver failure and other ills. Even if you don't have hemochromatosis, excess iron may pose dangers. A few studies have linked high levels with heart disease, diabetes or cancer, though the connection isn't firm.
Yes, it's confusing. A safe bottom line is that a woman of reproductive age should get checked for a deficiency every five to ten years -- or yearly if she was ever diagnosed with anemia, has especially heavy periods or eats a low-iron diet. Pregnant women should be checked at their first prenatal visit.
Sources: Lean red meat is the best source, but chicken and fish provide plenty too. Don't take iron -- alone or in a multivitamin -- unless a doctor says you need it.
| Does a Disease Run in Your Family? |
| Then you'll be excited by studies suggesting vitamins and minerals can protect against some serious illnesses. If you take a supplement and lead a healthy lifestyle, you could avoid the heart attack that felled your mother or the cancer that shortened your father's life. Even without a familial link, you could benefit from this advice. Cardiovascular Disease. The B vitamins look like winners.The nutrients seem to defang a substance called homocysteine -- widely believed to clog arteries and set the stage for heart attacks and strokes. In a 1998 study at Harvard on 80,000 women, heart attacks struck those who got plenty of B-6 and folic acid half as often as women whose levels were low. That study didn't completely nail down the vitamins' role, because women who eat B-rich foods or take vitamins may be likely to have other heart-healthy habits. Another study, done in China, provides more evidence: Men took a sugar pill or a multivitamin with folic acid, B-6 and B-12. Those swallowing the vitamin were 60 percent less likely to die of stroke. The authors think the B vitamins were key. "I believe it's an extraordinarily good bet that folic acid is protective," says epidemiologist Godfrey Oakley. What about vitamin E? It's been a favorite of heart researchers, but recent trials have produced wildly varying results. Even so, says vitamin-E researcher Maret G. Traber, "If I had a family history of heart disease and I wanted some extra insurance, I'd take vitamin E." Consider: A pill with 200 to 400 IU of E, and a multivitamin with B-6, B-12 and 400 mcg. of folic acid. Cancer. The mineral selenium is getting a lot of attention from researchers because it may lower the risk of prostate cancer, and perhaps other cancers. In a 1998 study, men with high levels of the mineral had half the risk of developing prostate cancer that spreads as men whose levels were low. There's no risk with 200 mcg. of selenium daily, says nutritional biochemist Gerald Combs, and the extra might do you some good. Consider: A selenium pill containing 200 mcg. |
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