One of the most common questions I recieveis........Should I take a supplement?
On my last blog post one of the questions asked wasabout 'Vegan' vitamin and mineral supplements. 'Vegan' in the case of vitamins or minerals really doesn't mean a wholelot, not to say that some aren't made from animal derived ingredients, but say,vegan calcium citrate does not mean it is well absorbed, necessary, or evenbeneficial. Different methods ofchelation of minerals have HIGHLY variable absorption rates, not to mentionthat these supplements do not have a proper balance of all other cofactorsnecessary for proper utilization of calcium anyway! This is a highly complex balance the bodyneeds and merely taking calcium isn't going to do that for you whether vegan,chelated or whatever the case may be. This goes for all synthetic vitamins and 'artificially' chelated minerals! NONE of them are natural, nor are they provided in a whole complex of cofactors and regulating factors such as fiber.
I am not entirely opposed to taking a supplement fora very specific reason but in general I do NOT recommend them foreveryone. We are meant to get all thenutrients we need in our food not from a bottle of isolated, artificiallychelated or synthetically produced vitamins and minerals.
There are many supplement companies that have gottenvery clever in their marketing, they put Whole Food supplement on thelabel. This has fooled many consumersand in fact, all the midwives in my area recommend a specific brand of prenatalvitamins because it says whole food supplement on the label. I cannot believe that these otherwise intelligentwomen fall for this. The supplementincludes some dried fruits and vegetables but most or all of the actuallyvitamins and minerals do NOT come from these foods. By including the whole food concentrates theycan call the supplement whole food, it is tricky, but an outright lie.
There are literally tens of thousands ofphytonutrients that have been discovered, and probably even more that we haveyet to discover. All of these nutrientsincluding vitamins and minerals work synergistically together in a perfectlyorchestrated balance to promote health and wellbeing. Whenever scientists try to make a profit byisolating or synthetically producing plant compounds in supplements we start torun into health problems. Most peopledon't realize that Dozens of studies have found INCREASED risk of healthproblems from taking supplements.
Folic Acid
Are there risks to taking folic acid in pregnancy?
Absolutely! Astudy published in the British Medical Journal in the December 2004 issue foundthat supplementation with folic acid increased the risk of death by 21-42% anddoubled a woman's risk of breast cancer. This study included 3487 women utilizing a trial of folic acidsupplementation, as the study unfolded researchers found higher rate of deathand cancer among women taking folic acid in about .2mg vs. 5mg. per day.
Not convinced?
Another study called the Folate After CoronaryIntervention Trial, which was conducted on 636 heart patients after thepatients had undergone placement of stents. The study reviewed health after six months of supplementation with folicacid. The patients taking the folic acidhad significantly MORE narrowing of the arteries, increased closure of thearteries, and more major cardiac events compared to those on a placebo.
How do you ensure adequate Folate intake?
EASY!! Greensmoothies, salads, lots of leafy green vegetables, legumes and some wholegrains are an excellent source as well!
6) Lange H. FolateAfter Coronary Intervention Trial” (FACIT). http://www.accitalia.it/congress_centre/meeting_int/detail.asp?acr_trial=FACIT
What about Vitamin A?
There havebeen some organizations promoting the idea that we need preformed vitaminA. This is absolutely not true, the human liver cannot detoxify vitamin A andtherefore excess intake of preformed vitamin A can cause toxicity. Are there risks to vitamin A toxicity....YES!
#1 Vitamin Atoxicity in pregnancy can cause birth defects!
BottoLD et al. Epidemiology. 2001 Sep;12(5):491-6.
2. Research has found that supplemental vitamin A cancause calcium loss in the urine and contribute to osteoporosis.
3. A meta-analysis published in the cochrane database found increasedmortality in individuals taking Vitamin A, beta-carotene or vitamin E.
The TRUTH about vitamin A, our bodies convertbeta-carotene into Vitamin A as needed! No, not ALL beta-carotene consumed is converted, we do NOT want the bodyto do that. The body regulates theamount of vitamin A to prevent toxicity as well as prevent deficiency. Therefore, if I consume say 8 oz. of carrotjuice which contains a lot of beta-carotene, but my body has enough vitamin Aalready, guess what? It is NOT going toconvert it because I don't need it!!!
Howdo you obtain enough vitamin A?
Consume lots of yellow and orange vegetables and fruits!
1 c. cubed cantaloupe.........................232%
Okay, do you see how this is NOT hard! You simply eat a wide variety of fruits,vegetables, whole grains and legumes and you obtain MORE than enough nutrition! No study has EVER found toxicity or healthproblems from consuming too much beta-carotene in foods, other than a case of anorange hue to the skin which is completely harmless at amounts of carrot juice requires ENORMOUS.
Ironsupplementation
Iron is extremely important in the body, it is necessary to make the oxygen carryingproteins hemoglobin and myoglobin. However, iron can also be toxic!
A study conducted by the Department of Medicine,University of Western Ontario in Canada found that an overload of iron in thebody can produce many symptoms that may include, frequent infections, joinpain, hip pain, gastric pain, elevated liver enzymes, cessation ofmenstruation, hair loss and heart fluttering.
Adams PC, et al.The relationship between iron overload, clinical symptoms and age in 410persons with genetic hemochromatosis. Hepatology 1997;25:162-6
A study published in Diabetes Care in 2007 evaluatedwomen with type II diabetes from 1980 through 2000 with 550 documented cases ofcoronary heart disease. Women who hadthe highest level of heme-iron intake from red meat had an increased risk of coronary heart diseasecompared to those with the lowest intake. Researchers concluded that higher intake of heme-iron increase the riskof heart disease in patients with type II diabetes.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17192341
According to a Cochrane Review excess ironsupplementation in pregnancy, or daily iron supplementation leading to highhemoglobin concentrations increased the risk of premature birth and low birth weightbabies. It was recommended that tominimize symptoms of constipation, nausea and iron overload women supplementintermittently. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD009997/intermittent-regimens-of-iron-supplementation-during-pregnancy
Here again we deal with the false idea that we need toeat foods that have the highest absorption rate of iron. This is NOT the case. The body will regulate absorption accordingto need. Consuming heme-iron which isonly found in red meat, chicken contains VERY little iron. This iron CANNOT be regulated by the body andtherefore is absorbed regardless of need. Whereas in plant-based foods, non-heme iron is heavily regulated basedon iron status in the individual. Thereare also other regulating factors such as phytic-acid, fiber and othernutrients in foods that help regulate absorption and prevent overload. Phytic acid and fiber are NOT the enemy,phytic acid has POTENT cancer fighting properties, you can read about that inmy article on phytic acid HERE!. Fiberalso plays a vital role in health and regulating mineral uptake is one of them.
Non-heme iron is the perfect form of iron for the humanbody, it can easily be regulated and absorbed as needed. Can anemia develop? Yes. But it develops in individuals on ALL typesof diets, generally there are other factors at play rather than diet including: excessive exercise, heavy menstrual bleeding, ulcers, digestive problems, h.pylori, celiac disease, etc....
Howdo you ensure adequate Iron from Diet?
1 c. cooked spinach.......................36%
**Whatif I do become Anemic and need an iron supplement?
I recommend taking Floradix, a plant based iron that isNOT constipating and will NOT cause iron overload.
VitaminD Supplementation
Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not technically avitamin. It is produced by the body inresponse to exposure of sunlight on the skin. In supplement form there are two types, D2 [ergocalciferol] and D3[cholecalciferol]
vitamin D accordingto the Mayo Clinic can cause serious side effects:
"Excess vitamin D intake may increase the risk of falls orfractures. Other potential adverse effects include increased risk of urinarytract infections, decreased appetite, weight loss, an elevated internationalnormalized ratio, hypercalcemia (increased calcium in the blood),hypercalciuria (increased calcium in the urine), hypervitaminosis D (high bloodlevels of vitamin D), elevated creatinine levels, gastrointestinal complaints,and increased cancer risk.
According to the Cochrane Review, Vitamin D supplementation didNOT improve bone density in healthy children in any location including the hip,lumbar spine, forearm or in the body as a whole. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD006944/vitamin-d-for-improving-bone-density-in-children
Vitamin D production by the skin in response to sunexposure operates on a feedback loop that prevents toxicity. We need these feedback loops and
checks andbalances in the body in order to prevent toxicity.
Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol is what is produced by theskin when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D2 is produced by plants, namelymushrooms that are exposed to sunlight for 5-15 minutes produce high amounts ofvitamin D2.
Okay, so enough of all the technical stuff, how do youobtain enough vitamin D3? It is a goodidea to first get a blood test to determine if you even have any reason to beconcerned about your vitamin D levels.
Once you determine that you do in fact need a supplement,if you live in a climate where you can get outside even in the summer months,get outside more often! Do not putsunscreen on until you have been in the sun for at least 7 minutes for verylight skin and up to 30 minutes for the darkest skin.
Plantbased diets and B12
This is where the meat heads really try to discredit thathumans are physiologically herbivores and they state the vegan diet is notnatural to humans. This is NOT the case!
We do not live in the same world we once did. B12 is produced by bacteria, in ourgermophobic, bacteriaphobic society we have completely destroyed any abilitythe body has to obtain B12 from our natural diet.
We do not live in a natural environment like the Iranianvillagers, we live in a world of hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap,pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chlorinated water, antibiotics, and thelist goes on and on and on! In thissituation, there is no way to ensure that our own intestinal flora is capableof producing adequate B12, some individuals do not develop deficiency even on avegan diet, but some do and deficiency of B12 can cause a host of healthproblems.
I DOrecommend taking a B12 supplement!
Itabsolutely MUST be in the methylcobalamin Form!!!!
This is the only vitamin or mineral supplement that I would recommend to everyone,INCLUDING meat eaters.
Methylcbalamin can be more expensive this one at amazon is a great value and is a good quality.
Okay, basically the moral of the story is DO NOT indiscriminatelytake vitamin or mineral supplements! Ifyou really want to take something to help you ensure adequate levels Irecommend a couple of 100% whole foods to help:
Vitamineral green
In 2 Tb. of Vitamineral greenCalories........89Protein...........9gIron............. 20mg of plant based iron!! This is potent, whole food, organic nutrition!and MUCH MORE!!!!
Dr. Christophers Vital Herbs
Vitamin and Mineral formula, ingredients: Jurassic Green Powder (Certified Organic flash-dried juice powder from Alfalfa, Barley & Kamut), Dandelion, Kelp, Purple Dulse, Spirulina, Irish Moss, Rose Hips, Beet Root, Nutritional Yeast, Cayenne Pepper, Blue Violet, Oatstraw, Carrot & Ginger Root. All encapsulated products are in a pure 100% vegetable based capsule.
A synergistic blend of popular whole nutritional food for the body. Take with the Jurassic Green Powder. May be used as often as needed. If sensitive to this formula, it may be taken with meals or your favorite juice.
Both are completely safe for all stages of life fromweaning, childhood, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc....
My biggest recommendation is GET YOUR NUTRIENTS FROM FOOD
FIRST!
Green smoothies are an EXCELLENT way to do this, as anexample:
*Sweet BerryBlast Smoothie
Nutritionbreakdown for the Sweet Berry Blast Breakfast Smoothie:
| Calories | 290 |
| Protein | 6g |
| Fiber | 50% daily value |
| Omega 3's | 153% |
| Vit. A | 163% |
| Folate | 23% |
| B1 | 23% |
| B2 | 26% |
| B3 | 14% |
| B5 | 25% |
| B6 | 55% |
| Vit. C | 86% |
| Vit. E | 13% |
| Vit. K | 546% |
| Calcium | 11% |
| Iron | 17% |
| Zinc | 16% |
| Magnesium | 46% |
| Manganese | 84% |
| Potassium | 26% |
All that nutrition in one simple smoothie! That is a REAL vitamin or mineral supplementwith all the phytonutrients and co-factors your body needs to optimal healthand vitality.
***If you want to boost the calcium levels in any smoothie....add1 Tb. sesame seeds and add another 10% of your daily value!
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