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Supplements and healthy people
Hold On to Health with Vitamins & Minerals
For healthy people, supplements may help prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies when the diet does not provide all necessary nutrients. They can also supply amounts of nutrients larger than the diet can provide. Larger amounts of some nutrients may help to protect against future disease. The following overview lists the potential importance of taking certain supplements:
Why take B vitamins?
The B vitamins folic acid, B12, and pyridoxine (vitamin B6) are important for the control of homocysteine levels in the blood. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with several diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis, and some, though not all, research suggests that homocysteine has a direct role in causing these diseases. Daily supplementation with these B vitamins, typically at least 400 mcg of folic acid, 10 mg of vitamin
B6, and 50 mcg of vitamin B12, lowers elevated homocysteine levels in most people. Some studies have shown that supplementing with one or more of these vitamins helps prevent or reverse hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and may also reduce the risk of bone fractures.
Why take folic acid?
Folic acid deficiency has been considered somewhat common in the US. It affects about 11% of healthy people, with a higher prevalence among African-Americans and Mexican-Americans. Recently, however, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that some grain products provide supplemental folic acid. This appears to be causing a reduction in the prevalence of folic acid deficiency in the general population. Nonetheless, some authorities believe the recent increases in folic acid content of the food supply are not enough to optimally prevent diseases such as heart disease and birth defects.
The requirement for folic acid doubles during pregnancy, and insufficient intake of folic acid has been linked to low birth weight and an increased incidence of neural tube defects in newborns. Supplementation with 400 mcg per day of folic acid prior to, and shortly after, conception is effective in preventing neural tube defects.
Why take vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 deficiency is not common among healthy young people, except for vegans (vegetarians who also avoid dairy and eggs). However, about 12 to 15% of the elderly in the US have been found deficient in this vitamin. Although vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly is often due to age-related declines in absorption of vitamin B12 from food, vitamin B12 supplements can be absorbed sufficiently in members of this age group if they do not have pernicious anemia or other significant gastrointestinal disorders. Supplementation with 100 mcg per day of vitamin B12 was adequate to reverse vitamin B12 deficiency in healthy elderly people, according to one recent report.
Why take vitamin C?
Severe vitamin C deficiency is uncommon in people who consume Western diets, but mild insufficiency is found in 6% of healthy adults and larger numbers of college students and smokers. On the basis of extensive analyses of published vitamin C studies, some authorities have suggested that optimal intake for disease prevention may be at least 90 to 100 mg per day.
Why take vitamin D?
Vitamin D can be obtained either from the diet or from sunlight exposure, but these sources can be insufficient, especially in older people and vegans during the winter months. Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with bone loss and fractures in older people. Reduced bone loss and fractures from vitamin D supplements has been reported in several studies. In one double-blind study, supplementation with 800 IU per day of vitamin D prevented bone loss more effectively than 200 IU per day in postmenopausal women. In addition, vitamin D supplementation has been shown to reduce the risk of falls in older people.
Why take vitamin E?
A nationwide study recently reported that 27% of the US population had low blood levels of vitamin
E. Supplementing with at least 100 IU per day of vitamin
E is associated with lowered risk of heart disease. Because of conflicting studies, some doctors are advising people not to take large amounts of vitamin E. On the other hand, circumstantial evidence suggests that “mixed tocopherols,” as opposed to the more widely used alpha-tocopherol, may be safer and more beneficial with respect to heart-disease prevention.
Why take calcium?
Compared with recent calcium intake recommendations, most people have calcium-deficient diets, and less than 10% of women in the US have adequate dietary intakes. Good calcium nutrition throughout life is essential for achieving peak bone mass and preventing deficiency-related bone loss. In order to achieve the 1,500 mg per day calcium intake deemed optimal by many researchers for postmenopausal women, 800 to 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium are generally added to diets that commonly contain between 500 and 700 mg of calcium per day.
Why take magnesium?
Dietary magnesium deficiency may occur in up to 25% of adult women in the US and in even higher numbers of elderly people of both sexes. Magnesium supplements of at least 250 mg per day may help prevent bone loss.
Why take zinc?
Zinc deficiency is not common in Western countries, except in people with low incomes. Zinc supplements (10 mg per day) have prevented growth impairment in deficient American and Canadian children. Supplementation with 25 to 150 mg of zinc per day has been shown to increase immune function in healthy people. However, too much zinc has been reported to impair immune function and some healthcare practitioners recommend no more than 30 to 50 mg per day. It is unknown whether these immune system changes are sufficient to cause or prevent infections or other diseases in people taking zinc supplements. Regular supplementation with zinc should be accompanied by copper supplements to prevent zinc-induced copper deficiency.
Why take chromium?
Chromium nutrition has been difficult to study because
of technical problems in analyzing foods and human body fluids for chromium
content. Partly for this reason, there is disagreement about the extent of
chromium deficiency in Western societies. Many studies have found sub-optimal
levels of chromium in the diet, compared to older published recommendations. A recent revision sharply lowered chromium recommendations. Chromium deficiency has been associated with blood sugar and cholesterol abnormalities. Also, chromium levels in the body decline as people get older, which is when these problems often appear. Therefore, while chromium supplements have not been tested for their ability to prevent diabetes or heart disease, many healthcare practitioners recommend chromium supplements as a reasonable precaution.
Why take selenium?
Dietary intake of selenium appears to be adequate in most people. This is according to recent studies in the US based on the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 70 mcg per day of selenium. However, a double-blind study found that people given a supplement of 200 mcg of yeast-based selenium per day for 4.5 years had a 50% drop in the cancer death rate over seven years compared with the placebo group. Higher amounts of selenium than are available in the diet may be necessary for this protective effect. The upper end of safe long-term selenium intake has been estimated to be 350 to 400 mcg per day.
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The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, including cancer.
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