Meat and Dairy: Where Have the Minerals Gone?
We continue our series looking at the effect of modern farming on the quality of our food. In this magazine a year ago we highlighted the loss of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. - from our fruit and vegetable supply. The figures made alarming reading. Read More.
The Effects of a Multivitamin/Mineral Supplement on Micronutrient Status, Antioxidant Capacity and Cytokine Production in Healthy Older Adults Consuming a Fortified Diet
Inadequate micronutrient intake among older adults is common despite the increased prevalence of fortified/enriched foods in the American diet. Although many older adults take multivitamin supplements in an effort to compensate, studies examining the benefits of this behavior are absent. Read More.
Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults: Scientific Review
Context: Although vitamin deficiency is encountered infrequently in developed countries, inadequate intake of several vitamins is associated with chronic disease. Objective: To review the clinically important vitamins with regard to their biological effects, food sources, deficiency syndromes, potential for toxicity, and relationship to chronic disease. Read More.
Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults: Clinical Applications
Vitamin deficiency syndromes such as scurvy and beriberi are uncommon in Western societies. However, suboptimal intake of some vitamins, above levels causing classic vitamin deficiency, is a risk factor for chronic diseases and common in the general population, especially the elderly. Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B6 and B12 are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and low levels of chronic diseases. Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements. Read More.
The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention
Vitamin D status differs by latitude and race, with residents of the northeastern United States and individuals with more skin pigmentation being at increased risk of deficiency. A PubMed database search yielded 63 observational studies of vitamin D status in relation to cancer risk, including 30 of colon, 13 of breast, 26 of prostate, and 7 of ovarian cancer, and several that assessed the association of vitamin D receptor genotype with cancer risk. The majority of studies found a protective relationship between sufficient vitamin D status and lower risk of cancer. The evidence suggests that efforts to improve vitamin D status, for example by vitamin D supplementation, could reduce cancer incidence and mortality at low cost, with few or no adverse effects. Read More.
Vitamin Requirements for the Treatment of Hyperhomocysteinemia in Humans
We have previously shown that a modest vitamin supplement containing folic acid, vitamin B-12 and vitamin B-6 is effective in reducing elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations. The effect of supplementation of the individual vitamins on moderate hyperhomocysteinemia has now been investigated in a placebo-controlled study. One hundred men with hyperhomocysteinemia were randomly assigned to five groups and treated with a daily dose of placebo, folic acid (0.65 md), vitamin B-12 (0.4 mg), vitamin B-6 (10 mg) or a combination of the three vitamins for 6 weeks. Folic acid supplementation reduced plasma homocysteine concentrations by 41.7%, whereas the daily vitamin B-12 supplement lowered homocysteine concentrations by 14.8%. The daily pyridoxine dose did not reduce significantly plasma homocysteine concentrations. Read More.
More Folic Acid for Everyone, Now
Research during the last five years has made it clear that people who do not take folic acid supplements are at increased risk for functional folate deficiency, which has been proven to cause spina bifida and anencephaly and also has been associated with an increased risk for occlusive cardiovascular disease. The overriding folate policy issue is how to increase dramatically the folate consumption of 75% of the population who are not now consuming 0.4 mg of folic acid in a supplement. The most expedious way to increase consumption is through fortification of a food staple. Public health programs are also needed to educate people about the vital importance of increased consumption of folic acid vitamin supplements and of foods rich in natural folates. Read More.
Chronic Intake of Pharmacological Doses of Vitamin E Might Be Useful in Therapy of Elderly Patients with Coronary Heart Disease
Thirty elderly nondiabetic, moderately obese patients with stable effort angina underwent an oral-glucose-tolerance test and a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp before and after vitamin E supplementation (900 mg/d for 4 months). The study was of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, and crossover design. Anthropometric indexes were stable throughout the study. Read More.
Risk of Angina Pectoris and Plasma Concentrations of Vitamins A, C, and E and Carotene
The relation between risk of angina pectoris and plasma concentrations of vitamins A, C, and E and carotene was examined in a population case-control study of 110 cases of angina, identified by the Chest Pain Questionnaire, and 394 controls selected from a sample of 6000 men aged 35-54. Plasma concentrations of vitamins C and E and carotene were significantly inversely related to the risk of angina. There was no significant relation with Vitamin A. Smoking was a confounding factor. The inverse relation between angina and low plasma was substantially reduced after adjustment for smoking. Vitamin E remained independently and inversely related to the risk of angina after adjustment for age, smoking habit, blood pressure, lipids, and relative weight. Read More.
Low-Dose Vitamin B-6 Effectively Lowers Fasting Plasma Homocysteine in Healthy Elderly Persons Who Are Folate and Riboflavin Replete
Current data suggest that physiologic doses of vitamin B-6 have no significant homocysteine-lowering effect. It is possible that an effect of vitamin B-6 was missed in previous trials because of a much greater effect of folic acid, vitamin B-12, or both. Read More.
Multivitamin/Mineral Supplementation Improves Plasma B-Vitamin Status and Homocysteine Concentration in Healthy Older Adults Consuming Folate-Fortified Diet
Elevated homocysteine has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Although multivitamin use has been associated with low plasma homocysteine concentrations in several observational studies, no clinical trials have been conducted using multivitamin/mineral supplements to lower homocysteine. We determined whether a multivitamin/mineral supplement formulated at about 100% Daily Value will further lower homocysteine concentration and improve B-vitamin status in healthy older adults already consuming a diet fortified with folic acid. Read More.