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New Reason To Take a Daily Vitamin 

The 5 vitamins you really can't live without  

5 ways to Help your husband live longer 

Vitamins vs. Cancer

Getting your fill of vitamins

Vitamin E may help ward off a cold. Potassium can help lower blood pressure. 10 exciting new findings. 

Walk into any drugstore or supermarket and it seems you can buy a vitamin for every letter of the alphabet. And then there's that avalanche of minerals-chromium and calcium and this-ium and that-ium. But which-if any-do you need? And what is the latest on what they can do? 

C can help you see 
A new finding from the long-running Nurses’ Health Study of more than 80,000 women suggests that taking vitamin C supplements (from 400 to more than 700 milligrams a day) for more than 10 years will lower your risk of cataracts.  “Follow-up studies should shed some light on weather the result was due to C itself or other lifestyle  habits related to the use of C," says Julie A. Mares-Perlman, Ph.D., assistant professor of  ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School. 

D offers calcium a  helping hand 
Vitamin S supplements increase calcium's bone-saving effectiveness for older women, says Bess Dawson-Hughes,  M.D., of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.  Dr. Dawson-Hughes suggests that future vitamin D recommendations for women over 70 should soar to 600 milligrams per day, triple the current level. 

Magnesium gives your heart a break 
Getting an adequate supply of magnesium helps your body convert food to energy.  This mineral also helps you use about 10 percent less oxygen, which puts less stress on your heart, according to Henry Lukaski, Ph.D., at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Dr. Lukaski recommends 280 milligrams a day for woman.  He also advises getting magnesium from food rather than supplements because food provides an entire “package” of nutrients.  Good magnesium sources: onions, green peas, spinach, potatoes, peanut butter and tofu. 

The Chromium connection 
A joint study by Richard A. Anderson, Ph.D., of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center and researchers at Beijing Medical University shows that when people with Type II diabetes take chromium supplements of between 200 to 1,000 micrograms, their blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels drop. "This mineral is very safe and very hard to get from food, so I recommend that all people take a balanced daily multi-vitamin plus two hundred micrograms of chromium," says Dr. Anderson. 

Versatile E 
Vitamin E protects arteries by latching onto LDLS ("bad" cholesterol) so they can't react with molecules that damage artery walls. In one study involving 2,000 patients with heart disease, researchers found that taking supplements of 400 or 800 IU per day for 18 months reduced the risk of new heart attacks by 75 percent. An informal survey of 181 members of the American College of Cardiology found that 39 percent were taking vitamin E to prevent heart disease and 37 percent were recommending it to their patients with the condition. 

Moderate doses of vitamin E may help seniors fight off colds, according to USDA researcher Simin Nikbin Meydani, Ph.D. When 80 healthy golden-agers took a pill daily containing either 60, 200 or 800 milligrams of vitamin E or a placebo, those taking 200 milligrams had the best response: a 65 percent increase in the activity of T cells, which "remember" an invader (such as a virus) and how to beat it. 

Attention couch potatoes: When you begin to exercise, taking an 800-milligram vitamin E capsule every day for the first month can minimize muscle damage by preventing reactions with free radicals that cause inflammation. 

B is for baby...and Mom, too 
Folic acid is so effective at reducing the neural-tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, that the Food & Drug Administration now requires food manufacturers to include it in most of their grain products. Another potential star is the "quasi-vitamin" inositol, which is found in many B supplements.  In a British study using laboratory rats, inositol supplements prevented neural-tube birth defects that are resistant to folate.  While results on animals don’t always apply to people, the University of London's institute of Child Health scientists believe this effect may occur in humans as well. 

Adequate levels of two B vitamins can dramatically reduce a woman's risk of heart attack according to the Nurses' Health Study. A diet with supplements or foods that provide more than 400 milligrams of folic acid (the Recommended Daily Allowance) and 3 milligrams of vitamin B₆ (more than two times the RDA) a day can cut a woman's risk of heart attack by almost half. 

And here’s an unexpected kicker when taking another study into account: Adding one alcoholic drink a day to the folate-and-B₆ banquet can bring total risk reduction to nearly 80 percent. What’s for dinner? How about a salad of lentils, spinach and asparagus (all of which are good sources of folic acid), with a glass of red wine, followed by a banana (B₆) for dessert. 

Iron’s in the fire 
Not everyone should aim for getting 100 percent of her daily iron requirement.  Hemochromatosis (or iron overload), a common but often-undiagnosed genetic defect affecting one of every 250 Americans, can lead to an increased absorption of the mineral linked to arthritis, heart failure, liver damage, diabetes and increased rish of infectious diseases and certain cancers (viruses and cancer cells thrive in iron-rich blood). 

Pregnant women shouldn’t take more than the RDA of iron (30 milligrams), advises Janet C. King, Ph.D., director of the USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center in San Francisco.  King’s recent study shows that 100-milligram supplements (prescribed by some OB/GYNs) may impair absorption of zinc, a mineral vital to a fetus’ growth, brain function and immune system. 

Here’s some good news:  Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report that when iron-deficient high school girls were given high doses of iron for eight weeks, they performed better on verbal, memory and learning tests. 

Super selenium 
A daily supplement of 200 micrograms of selenium produces a 50 percent overall drop in cancer mortality, plus a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer (63 percent), colon cancer (58 percent) and lung cancer (46 percent), according to University of Arizona researchers. 

Potassium brings down the pressure 
A Johns Hopkins meta-analysis of 33 clinical trials shows that consuming 2,500 milligrams of potassium daily can lower blood pressure by several points. Good food sources of potassium include bananas (one has 380 milligrams) and seedless raisins (1,080 milligrams per cup). 

Are Supplements Necessary? 
Yes, for some people and some nutrients, Bonnie Liebman, R.D., director of nutrition at the Center for science in the Public Interest. Liebman recommends a daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement as low-cost health insurance, and The Western Journal of Medicine agrees. In a recent editorial, the Journal said that if all American women of childbearing age took a daily multivitamin with zinc and folic acid, and all older Americans took vitamin E supplements each day, our national hospital bill could be lowered by $20 billion a year. The rate of birth defects and low-birthweight infants would drop, as would the rate of heart disease. 

* Always check with your doctor before taking supplements in doses higher than those found in multivitamins. 

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle looked at the use of vitamins in more than 400 men and women with colon cancer, focusing on the 10 year period ending two years before diagnosis. They compared this to vitamin use in people without cancer. Results? Taking a standard daily multivitamin and a daily 200 IU vitamin E supplement were each linked to less than half the risk of getting colon cancer (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, October 1997). 

Prevention May 1998 Page 48 

Even if you're taking a supplement, you may not be getting enough of the most important nutrients every woman need - and upping your intake could put you 
on the fast track to optimum health. 

The more research scientists do into vitamins and minerals, the more they uncover about how they protect your health. But even if you take a daily multivitamin, you may not be getting enough of them to unlock their full healing potential. Experts say adding these five supplements to your daily multivitamin could change your life and your health: 

1 Folic acid, your most neglected vitamin 
'Folic acid is the most im-portant vitamin supplement women can take," says complementary medicine practitioner Robert C. Atkins, M.D., author of Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution. It's also the most common vitamin deficiency in the world. 

Especially important during pregnancy, folic acid has proven to prevent up to 75 percent of neural tube birth defects. But "folic acid can also reverse cervical dysplasia, the abnormal cell changes that doctors consider precancerous," Dr. Atkins says. 

Dr Atkins recommends women get 2,000 mcg. Daily. 

2 & 3 Calcium and magnesium, your super bone-builders 
We all know how important calcium is for strong bones. "But none of the one-a-day multiples on the market will give you even a quarter of your daily value for calcium," says nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of The Es-sential Guide to vitamins and Minerals. Besides, to really reap the mineral's benefits, you need to consume it with magnesium. "Magnesium and calcium work together to build  bone," says Somer. 

Somer advises women get 1,000 mg. of calcium daily before menopause and up to 1,500 mg. after, along with 490 mg. of magnesium. 

4 Vitamin E, your heart protector 
Research at Harvard Medical School has found that women who consumed the highest amounts of vitamin E - at least 400 IUs a day had a 36 percent lower risk of heart disease than women who took the least. "And more than fifty other studies show it protects against lung, colorectal and esophageal cancer," says Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., author of The Real vitamin & Mineral Book.  Dr Lieberman recommends 400 - 800 IUs daily. 

5 Vitamin C, your No. 1 cancer preventer 
Vitamin C is widely regarded as the most powerful cancer fighting nutrient known," says Dr Atkins. "In high doses, it can ward off breast and cervical cancer and protect against colon, bladder and endometrial cancer" 
Many experts recom-mend at least 1,000 mg. of vitamin C a day for maximum benefits. 

-Barbara Tiiaick 

Woman's World 3/10/98 Page 16 

You can nag your husband to quit smoking, eat right and trade in the TV remote for a treadmill, or you can simply hand him these five little pills. 
Studies show they can slash his risk of heart disease, prostate trouble, canoer and more! 

You're looking forward to spending the rest of your life with your husband. But unfortunately, while you can expect 79 birthdays, your husband is likely to see an average of six fewer, partly because "men have higher rates of cancer, heart disease and hypertension than wornen," says naturopathic doctor Chris Meletis, ND. Encouraging your husband to quit smoking, eat healthy and exercise can slash his risk of disease. So will these supplements: 

1 & 2 His top heart protectors 
A vitamin E supplement is your husband's first line of defense. Studies show it prevents heart attacks and reduces the risk of heart disease by 40 percent. And recent research found it also reduced men's risk of prostate and colon cancers. 

Certified nutrition specialist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., recommends 400 IU daily. 

Another heart protector is CoQ10. "It keeps bad cholesterol from clogging arteries," explains Lieberman, who recommends a daily supplement of 50 to 100 mg. 

3 His super cancer-fighter 
Another essential supplement is selenium. Studies show people who take it have 46 percent fewer cases of lung cancer, 58 percent fewer colorectal cancers and 63 percent fewer cases of prostate cancer. "It's a potent anti-cancer agent," says Lieberman. She recommends 200 to 400mcg a day. 

4 For his prostate, think zinc 
"Zinc is one of the most important nutrients men can take," says certified nutritional consultant Anne Louise Gittleman. It protects against prostate disease, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Fifty percent of men will develop BPH, which occurs when the prostate gland swells, making urination difficult. Untreated, it can lead to kidney damage and prostate cancer. But a study showed a daily dose of zinc reduced symptoms for the majority of men. Meletis recommends 30 mg. a day. 

5 …and saw palmetto 
Another must have for  prostate protection? The herb saw palmetto. Studies show 90 percent of men with BPH get relief, often within six weeks, when they take 320 mg. a day. 

"That makes it more effective than prescription medications, "says Gittleman. Meletis recommends 160 mg. of saw palmetto daily, and 320 mg. daily for men with prostate problems. 

-Barbara Tunick 

Woman’s World 10/27/98 Page 20 

Vitamin E made a standard cancer drug far more powerful than usual against colon cancer in mice, and another subtance let the drug wipe tumors out entirely, scientists report. 

It's too soon to recommend taking vitamin E during treatment, because studies haven't been done in people yet to see if it really helps, said researcher Dr. Robert J. Coffey. 

Coffey, a professor of medicine and cell biology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, presents the work with colleagues in the November issue of Nature Medicine. 

Wed. Oct. 29, 1997 
The York Dispatch 

Your first line of defense could be an ordinary multivitamin. A recent report showed multivitamins cut the risk of a common type of cataracts by one-third, and daily vitamin E supplements cut it in half. What's more, a new study showed taking 250 mg. of vitamin C a day for 10 years or more lessened cataract risk by 83 percent!

Add a little vitamin A and zinc, and you could also stave off macular degeneration. Taking these with vitamin E has been shown to lower risk for the disease, which causes blindness.

But you don't need supplements," says Emily Chew M.D., of the National Eye Institute. 'A multivitamin is enough."

Woman’s World 9/15/98 Page 18

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