The Antioxidant Factor
Even in small amounts, vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (1). Free radicals, by the way, are highly unstable atoms with unpaired electrons in their outer shells. For the non-chemists among us, that means these atoms really want to get one more electron in order to have a complete pair—this is called oxidation (the same process that causes iron to rust). While those are noble intentions, the way these free radicals generally go about getting that last electron is by stealing from atoms around them. Those atoms, in turn, will steal electrons from other atoms, creating a type of chain reaction (2). In a human body, this process can kill otherwise healthy cells and even can even cause tumors in the process.

So, where does vitamin C fit into all of this? Vitamin C is, as mentioned before, an antioxidant, which literally means that it “battles oxidation.” It works by kindly donating one electron to those greedy free radicals, so that they might leave your personal cells alone (stay away from my cells, free radicals!). Take enough vitamin C for a long enough time (that’s more than 83 mg a day) and your risk for lung cancer goes down—get ready—64% (1)! The key, though, is to take it every day; your body has no organ that makes or stores vitamin C (3). Free radical damage also accumulates with age, so it’s never too early to start piling on the vitamin C.

Other Health Benefits
As if all this isn’t enough for you to drop everything right now and run to the vitamin section, there are even more reasons to take vitamin C daily. It benefits your immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells, primarily neutrophils, which attack foreign antigens such as bacteria and viruses. It also boosts the body’s production of both antibodies and interferon, the protein that helps protect us from viral invaders and cancer cells (4). In fact, in a recent study of marathon runners, skiers and soldiers training in the Arctic, doses of vitamin C ranging from 250 mg/day to 1 g/day decreased the incidence of colds by 50%. Overall, the preventive use of vitamin C supplementation is said to reduce the duration of colds by about 8% in adults and 14% in children (1).

It’s also required for the synthesis of collagen (1), which partly makes up that skin of yours. Healthy collagen levels mean that potential invaders get weeded out before they even get a chance to enter the body. On a side note, the degradation of the collagen in your body is a major aspect of skin aging—it leads to wrinkles and sagging. Can you guess what is the main cause of that degradation? It’s free radicals! By taking plenty of vitamin C (it’s also available in some topical skin creams), you can boost your immune system, prevent cancer and look young while you do it!

Vitamin C is also great for the heart. Studies suggest that it may protect against artery damage, keep arteries flexible and slow the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) (2). And, taking vitamin C (more than 700 mg/day) may even prevent coronary heart disease (1).

Get it, Got it, Good
You can get vitamin C from many different fruits and vegetables. Oranges are a crowd favorite, as well as most other citrus varieties. However, you can also get tons of the vitamin from tomatoes, strawberries (which pack a punch with 82 mg in one cup!), red peppers, broccoli and even potatoes (1). Supplemental vitamin C is also available in traditional tablets, chewable tablets, gummies and effervescent supplement powders. Whatever you choose, be sure that you’re getting enough—the Linus Pauling Institute recommends up to 400 mg per day for most healthy adults!

There is no real danger in taking more, say some experts. Since your body has no way to store vitamin C, once your blood is saturated with it, the excess is simply excreted. R.F. Cathcart, a clinical practitioner who has treated thousands of patients with vitamin C, believes each person should take the vitamin up to his or her “bowel tolerance” level. Simply put, this is the level just below the daily dosage that would cause you to have diarrhea (4). This number has been reported to reach upwards of 10,000 mg per day. In any case, there are several available vitamin C esters that are just as effective while being a bit easier on the stomach (1). The esterified form is also said to stay in your system longer and absorb into the system faster than the standard vitamin C. WF

References

1. The Linus Pauling Institute, “Vitamin C,” http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/index.html, accessed February 12, 2009.
2. University of Maryland Medical Center, “Vitamin C,” www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-c-000339.htm, accessed February 18, 2009.
3. Medline Plus, “Vitamin C,” www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002404.htm, accessed February 12, 2009.
4. G. Null, The Antioxidant Vitamin, www.garynull.com/Documents/vitaminc.htm, accessed February 12, 2009.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, April 2009

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is well known for helping to improve vision. It converts light signals so you can read and helps you distinguish colors. An inadequate intake results in night blindness—a condition in which the eyes have difficulty adjusting to darkness or bright lights—but can be addressed by increasing your vitamin A consumption (1). Vitamin A also has been shown to have benefits for some patients with certain cancers such as bladder, breast and prostate (2).

In addition to vitamin supplements, this nutrient can be found in fish liver oil. And, vitamin A palmitate is often added to foods like fat-free or low-fat milk to replace the vitamin content lost in the fat removal. The optimum daily intake (ODI) is 5,000–50,000 IU for men and women (2).

Vitamin B
Vitamin B is a complex of 11 important water-soluble vitamins that have a combined ODI of 50–300 mg for men and women (2). Essential for maintaining healthy nerves, skin, hair, eyes, liver, mouth and preserving good muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract, vitamin B has also been shown to help with stress and improve moods (2). According to a recent study, a deficiency of vitamin B12 can be found with symptoms of depression (6) and has been associated with tiredness and muscle cramps.

One famous member of the B vitamin clan is niacin (B3), which has been shown to lower cholesterol and help with schizophrenic patients. After taking it, you may experience a red flush and itchiness, but it is completely normal. The effect usually does not last more than a few hours (3).

Another key B vitamin is folic acid (B9), which helps the body make new cells. Though it is essential in everyone’s diet, it is an especially key nutrient for women who may become pregnant. According to the National Institutes of Health Web site, www.nlm.nih.gov, “When a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can prevent major birth defects of her baby’s brain or spine.”

Other important vitamins in the B complex include thiamine (B1) and riboflavin (B2) for energy and enzymes; pantothenic acid (B5) for growth and development; pyridoxine (B6) for breaking down protein and maintaining the nervous and immune system; biotin (B7) for breaking down carbohydrates and making hormones; and the cobalamins (B12) for aiding growth and development, per the American Cancer Society Web site, www.cancer.org.

Vitamin C
Feeling tired? Vitamin C helps ward off fatigue, according to experts. One of the most popular and well-known vitamins, it enhances the immune system’s ability to fight infections as well. It increases the white blood cell, T cell and antibody count in a person’s body (1). It also has powerful antioxidant properties that help fight the effects of free radicals.
Eating three to five servings of fruits and vegetables is a good way to get the recommended amount of vitamin C. In addition, there are traditional, drinkable and chewable tablet supplements, and for those who find it hard on the stomach, an esterified form is available. The ODI is 500–5,000 mg for men and women (2).

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is important for heart health, skin health and more (1). According to a recent study, when combined with other chemotherapeutic agents, it may help the treatment of existing cancer, though more tests have to be completed (5).

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and anti-carcinogen. Its antioxidant capabilities protect the body from mercury, lead, carbon tetrachloride, benzene and many more toxins that can act as free radicals (2).

Supplements can be found in both natural and synthetic forms, but the natural form is absorbed 66% better than the alternative. Large amounts of vitamin E are also found in soybeans and soy products, as well as the fat found in natural vegetable oil. The ODI is 400–1,200 for men and women (2).

Vitamin D/K
Both vitamin D and vitamin K are extremely important for the formation and density of bones, but combined, they can help prevent osteoporosis. A recent study indicated that the two vitamins may even offer “a promising and low-cost strategy” for helping fractured bones to heal (4). Human beings can actually make vitamin D in their bodies through sun exposure but sometimes that is not enough. And, many who avoid the sun for skin health may become vitamin D deficient. About 400–800 IU is the ODI for both men and women (2).

Aside from helping the formation of bones, vitamin K also has several other important features. It is necessary for helping blood cells clot after a wound and essential for brain development (1). It is found in abundance in foods like spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, green cabbage, tomatoes and liver. Also, smaller amounts are found in egg yolks, whole wheat, fruits, cheese, ham and beef (2). The ODI is 80 mcg for men and women (2). WF

References

1. J. Challem, All About Vitamins (Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY, 1998).
2. S. Lieberman and N.Bruning, The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book (Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY 1997).
3. J. Challem and L. Brown, Basic Health Publications User’s Guide to Vitamins and Minerals (Basic Health Publications, North Bergen, NJ 2002).
4. A. Gigante, et al., “Vitamin K and D Association Stimulates in vitro Osteoblast Differentiation of Fracture Site Derived Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells,” J. Biol. Regul. Homeost. Agents 22 (1), 35–44 (2008).
5. C. Constantinou et al., “Vitamin E and Cancer: An Insight into the Anticancer Activities of Vitamin E Isomers and Analogs,” Int. J. Cancer 123 (4), 739–752 (2008).
6. N.P. Rao, “Role of Vitamin B12 in Depressive Disorder—A Case Report,” Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry 30 (2),185–186 (2008).

Published by WholeFoods Magazine August 2008.

Results of the Study

Of the 87 women who completed the study, those given the multivitamin and multi mineral supplement lost on average 7.9lbs, those given a calcium supplement lost 2lbs, and those given a placebo lost above a .5lbs, showing a high correlation of increased weight loss while taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement in obese people. In addition, the multivitamin group also saw a significant decrease in BMI, waist size, a drop in bad (LDL) cholesterol, and increased good (HDL) cholesterol, indicating other benefits of taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement. The researchers also wrote:

“To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate the effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on lipid profile in obese subjects,” and concluded that “The results suggest that, in obese individuals, multivitamin and mineral supplementation could reduce body weight and fatness and improve serum lipid profiles, possibly through increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation. Supplementation of calcium alone (162 mg per day) only improved lipid profiles.”

While more research is needed on broader populations and to support the findings of this study, this study helps pave the way for proving this possible link in taking multivitamin and mineral supplements for their weight loss potential in the future.

Source: International Journal of Obesity advance online publication 9 February 2010; doi: 10.1038/ijo.2010.14, “Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women,” Y. Li, C. Wang, K. Zhu, R.N. Feng, C.H. Sun

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“Breast cancer is a disease so directly related to vitamin D deficiency that a woman’s risk of contracting the disease can be ‘virtually eradicated’ by elevating her vitamin D status to what vitamin D scientists consider to be natural blood levels,” was the message delivered in the conference.

This announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise, as we had previously posted on our blog the association between high levels of vitamin D and a reduced risk of colon cancer. Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients inside the body, and the majority of people are deficient in Vitamin D, especially during the winter months. Vitamin D deficiency has already been linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, autoimmunity, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and depression.^1,2

According to University of Calgary research, up to 97% of Canadians are deficient in Vitamin D at some point during the year. The percentage of Americans deficient in Vitamin D depends on the location one lives in and how much daily sunlight he or she gets, but most likely during the winter months the majority of the population is deficient in Vitamin D. This figure outlines the importance of getting more sunlight to increase Vitamin D levels or taking a Vitamin D supplement.

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Article Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/028119_vitamin_D_brst_cancer.html

References

1. Cannell JJ, Hollis BW. Use of vitamin D in clinical practice. Alt Med Rev. 2008; 12(1):6-20
2. Geleijnse JM et al. Dietart intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: The Rotterdam Study, J Nutr. 2004; 134: 3100:-05

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A new article posted on Yahoo News cites a recent research published online by the British Medical Journal that suggests that high levels of vitamin D in the blood appear to be linked to lower risks of colon cancer.

In the study, patients with the highest blood levels of Vitamin D had a nearly 40% lower risk of colorectal cancer in comparison to those with the lowest blood levels.

Click Here to Read the Full Article

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