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By Dr. Di
Pasquale
CONT'D...
C - Ascorbic
Acid
Perhaps the
most well
known of the
vitamins.
Most famous
advocate is
Nobel
Laureate
Linus Pauling who
promoted
daily
megadoses of
vitamin C
(the amount
in 12 to 24
oranges) as
a way to
prevent
colds and
protect the
body from
other
chronic
diseases.
Plays a key
role in
controlling
infections.
It's also a
powerful
antioxidant
that can
neutralize
harmful free
radicals,
and it helps
make
collagen, a
tissue
needed for
healthy
bones,
teeth, gums,
and blood
vessels.
There's no
evidence
however that
megadose
therapy
works.
Recommended:
90 mg/day
for men, 75
for women
(add an
extra 35 mg
for
smokers).
200 - 300
mg/day
appears to a
good dietary
goal. Where
to get it
from: Citrus
fruits/juices,
berries,
green and
red peppers,
tomatoes,
broccoli,
and spinach.
Many
breakfast
cereals are
also
fortified
with vitamin
C.
D -
Calciferol
Helps ensure
that the
body absorbs
and retains
calcium and
phosphorus,
both
critical for
building
bone.
Laboratory
studies also
show that
vitamin D
keeps cancer
cells from
growing and
dividing.
Some
preliminary
studies
indicate
that
insufficient
intake of
vitamin D is
associated
with an
increased
risk of
fractures,
and that
vitamin D
supplementation
may prevent
them. Other
early
studies
suggest an
association
between low
vitamin D
intake and
increased
risks of
prostate,
breast,
colon, and
other
cancers.
Recommended:
5 mg/day up
to age 50,
10 mg
between 51
and 70. and
15 mg for
age 70+.
Where to get
it from: You
can get some
by basking
in the
(preferably
morning) sun
for at least
15 minutes.
Daily
products and
breakfast
cereals and
fatty fish
like salmon
and tuna.
For most
people, the
best way to
get the
recommended
daily intake
is by taking
a
multivitamin
supplement.
E -
Tocopherol
Tocotrienol
Used to be
tagged as
the heart
friendly
vitamin
based on
some
studies,
suggesting a
reduction in
coronary
heart
disease risk
with a
regular
recommended
dosage for
at least 2
years.
Randomized
trials
however
failed to
support
these
findings.
Recommended:
15 mg/day
from food,
that's the
equivalent
of 22 IU
from
natural-source
vitamin E or
33 IUs of
the
synthetic
form.
Evidence
from
observational
studies
suggests
that at
least 400 IU
of vitamin E
per day, and
possibly
more, are
needed for
optimal
health.
Where to get
it from:
Separate
vitamin
supplement.
K -
Phylloquinone
Helps make
six of the
13 proteins
needed for
blood
clotting.
Its role in
maintaining
the clotting
cascade is
so important
that people
who take
anticoagulants
such as
warfarin (Coumadin)
must be
careful to
keep their
vitamin K
intake
stable. Also
involved in
building
bone. Low
levels of
circulating
vitamin K
have been
linked with
low bone
density, and
supplementation
with vitamin
K shows
improvements
in
biochemical
measures of
bone health.
Recommended:
80 mg/day
for men, 65
mg/day for
women. Where
to get it
from: many
foods
especially
green leafy
vegetables
and commonly
used cooking
oils.
Vitamins as
Anti-Oxidants
The same
process that
creates rust
in metals,
oxidation,
also creates
free
radicals in
the body.
These free
radicals can
damage DNA,
the inside
of artery
walls,
proteins in
the
eye--just
about any
substance or
tissue
imaginable.
Some are
made inside
the body,
inevitable
byproducts
of turning
food into
energy.
Others come
from the air
we breathe.
and the food
we eat. To
fight these,
our body
extract
free-radical
fighters,
called
antioxidants,
from food.
Fruits,
vegetables,
and other
plant-based
food deliver
dozens, if
not
hundreds, of
antioxidants.
The most
common are
vitamin C,
vitamin E,
beta-carotene
and related
carotenoids.
Food also
supplies
minerals
such as
selenium and
manganese,
which are
needed by
enzymes that
destroy free
radicals.
Food or
Supplements?
The answer
is both.
Multivitamin
supplement
can't
replace a
healthy
diet,
meaning
taking
multivitamin
supplement
is not a
ticket to
going to
Macdonald's
everyday.
But a daily
multivitamin
provides a
sort of
nutritional
safety net.
While most
people get
enough
vitamins to
avoid the
classic
deficiency
diseases,
relatively
few get
enough of
five key
vitamins
that may be
important in
preventing
several
chronic
diseases.
Dr.Mauro
Di Pasquale
is a
licensed
physician in
Ontario,
Canada,
specializing
in Nutrition
and Sports
Medicine.He
holds an
honors
degree in
biological
science, and
a medical
degree
(1971). He
is also
certified as
a Medical
Review
Officer (MRO)
by the
Medical
Review
Officer
Certification
Council (MROCC),
and as a
Master of
Fitness
Sciences (MFS)
by the
International
Sports
Sciences
Association
(ISSA).
www.maurodipasquale.com
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