Vitamins and Supplements Articles
Vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids are true supplements, because there are not enough present, even in the best of diets. I believe that everyone should take a good multivitamin-mineral, fish oil, and a probiotic (good bacteria to balance the intestines.)
Tips to achieve the optimum results from supplements:
Always take vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids with food. Avoid taking iron and calcium at the same time, but be sure to take vitamin D and calcium together. If you are taking more than 600 mg. of calcium, divide the doses—take 600 mg with lunch, 600 mg. with dinner. Avoid mineral oil or antacids because they can interfere with absorption of vitamins and minerals.
The fat soluble vitamins—A, D, E, and K, are better absorbed when taken with fat. As long as you take these with a normally balanced meal (not, for example, just with rice) there will be enough fat to absorb the vitamins.
Iron is better absorbed with vitamin C. Calcium should not be take with iron, but should be taken with Vitamin D, which aids absorption.
When using powdered supplements added to water, room temperature or slightly warm liquid is fine. Extremely cold or extremely hot liquid may affect the effectiveness and absorption of the supplements. Take capsule supplements with 6 to 8 ounces of water, take fiber with a minimum of 8 ounces.
Incidentally, the small silica packs that come packaged in your supplement bottle absorb moisture. Keep them in the bottle after it is opened.
Appropriate dosages:
The body can only absorb a certain amount of vitamins/minerals at a time and therefore, it’s better to stretch the dose out over the day. According to Dr. Linus Pauling’s excellent and extensive research it is most effective to take 500 milligrams of vitamin C at a time, and to take it every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. We do not make our own vitamin C, and again, according to his research, people need between 1.5 and 2.5 grams a day. 1.5 grams is 1500 milligrams, and 2.5 is 2500 milligrams. That’s 500 milligrams, at three hour intervals, three to five times a day.
As for calcium, the current thinking is that you do not absorb more than 600 mg at a time.
Some doctors have been giving vitamin D in huge injectable doses, 50,000 IU at a time. This has been found to cause atypical hip fractures. If you are low in vitamin D, you can easily build up your level by taking 4000 IU a day over a few months and monitoring the level. The latest research has shown that it is not enough to just be “over the line” at a low level in the 20’s or 30’s. All-cause mortality drops at levels of around 70. Bottom line, do not accept the injections, and do keep up supplementation and monitoring until you reach and maintain a vitamin D level of around 70.
Care of probiotics fish oils, and flaxseed oil:
It is better to refrigerate probiotics and oils. Soft gels that contain oils do not need refrigeration because there is no chance of oxygen getting to them, since they are sealed in the gel. Some probiotics are made so that they do not need refrigeration, and are dated to show when they will no longer be good. However, all probiotics and oils should still be kept in a cool place. Heat always speeds breakdown.
The benefit of some of the most commonly recommended supplements can be compromised by prescription medication, or may interfere with the effectiveness of the medication. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind.
1. Cortisone interferes with vitamin D absorption. Take additional vitamin D if you are on oral cortisone, and make sure it is sublingual (under the tongue) drops, rather than an oral pill, which is much harder to absorb.
2. Coumadin, the anticoagulant drug interacts with Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps cause blood to clot, and lowers the blood-thinning ability of Coumadin.
3. Dilantin, an anti-seizure drug lowers Vitamin D and folic acid levels.
4. Aspirin lowers Vitamin C levels.
If you are taking regularly prescribed medications, always discuss a nutrient-supplement program with your medical practitioner to avoid unwanted interactions and achieve optimum benefit from your supplements.
Why I Still Recommend Fish Oil Supplements to My Pregnant Patients
Dr. Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc
A study just released questions the benefits of fish oil for pregnant women . “[Omega 3 fish oil] supplementation will actually not give you a huge benefit in terms of neurodevelopmental outcomes and reducing depressive symptoms,” said Maria Makrides, an author on a study recently published in Journal of the American Medical Association and deputy director of the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute in North Adelaide, Australia.
Other studies show that women who take high doses of fish oil supplements in the second half of pregnancy give birth to children with greater coordination and increased brainpower later in life . In fact, research has shown the last three months of pregnancy are a vital time for pregnant women to take fish oil supplements, since the baby’s brain experiences a growth spurt during that time, which lasts through the first few months of the infant’s life.
So, which study do you believe? I still believe that fish oil supplementation is beneficial to both the mom and the developing baby. Here are my reasons for questioning the conclusions I am reading in the mainstream news reports of this new study. The news reports do not cite what kind of fish oil supplements the participants were given. We do not know the quality and purity of the fish oil. Did the researchers control for the women’s diet of fish consumption high in Omega 3’s? How were the women chosen for the study? Were they health conscious women who already ate nutritious and well balanced meals? Or were they women whose diets consisted of the Standard American Diet which is known to cause health problems for pregnant mothers and their newborns? Would the baby of a pregnant woman whose total nutritional intake is quite less than optimum really not benefit from additional fish oil supplementation?
Unless there is more to this study than what I read in the current news releases, I will not revise my recommendations to pregnant women. I will continue to recommend to my patients that they eat an organic, whole food based diet including omega 3 fish oils. I will also recommend that they avoid soy during their pregnancy especially if they are having a boy. Pregnant women should also avoid smokers, alcohol, cat litter, and obvious environmental toxins and chemicals. They should practice a gentle prenatal yoga and utilize relaxation techniques to deal with life’s stresses. Call me old fashioned. But healthy diets, proper exercise, and relaxation have worked pretty well for quite long time in helping pregnant women have healthy babies.
- Dr. Ian Wahl is the founder and director of the Natural Fertility Health Centers in Arlington Heights, Illinois. His specialty is women’s and men’s reproductive health and wellness. Dr. Wahl can be reached at www.NaturalFertilityHealthCenters.com. The Natural Fertility Health Center is one of the Wahls of Wellness Clinics. For more information on health and nutrition go to www.WahlsOfWellness.com.
July 30, 2009 — Americans spend almost a third as much money out-of pocket on herbal supplements and other alternative medicines as they do on prescription drugs, a new government report shows.
Out-of-pocket spending on herbal supplements, chiropractic visits, meditation, and other forms of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) was estimated at $34 billion in a single year.
The estimate was based on responses to a national health survey conducted in 2007 by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
“The bottom line is that Americans spend a lot of money on CAM products, classes, materials and practitioner visits,” National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Director Josephine P. Briggs, MD, said in a media briefing today. “We estimate that this (represents) approximately 11% of the total out-of-pocket spending on health care.”
Although we should obtain most of our nutrients from food, we know that with the quality of our environment, the earth in which food is grown, and more – it is indeed difficult to get all that we need from food alone. Thus, we turn to supplements!
So, what do we need to know?
• Avoid high doses of vitamin E supplements, which have not proven effective in helping to reduce heart disease, as some had thought.
• Smokers who take high doses of beta carotene supplements also can have adverse effects.
• Antioxidant cocktails can interfere with cholesterol-lowering drugs.
• Choose quality supplements; those manufactured to Canadian labeling standards are of a higher quality.
• More does not necessarily mean better.
• Dietary supplements are not required to be standardized in the United States
• Like drugs, dietary supplements have chemical and biological activity. They may have side effects. They may interact with certain medications. These interactions can cause problems and can even be dangerous.
• A supplement supplements the diet; it does not replace it.
• Seek the advice of a qualified expert.
Core Wellness International offers a service that compares and contrasts your supplements with your prescription drugs to identify potential areas of cross-over and enhancement. Visit www.corelimited.com
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/dietarysupplements.asp
This week, I have had so many people ask me about a recent study on calcium supplements. The claim of the study is that taking calcium supplements causes a 30% increase in heart attacks. There are some serious problems with the study, a meta-analysis by Professor Ian Reid from the Department of Medicine at the University of Auckland, and published in the British Medical Journal.
A prominent researcher on calcium metabolism (who drafted the WHO recommendations on dietary calcium) Professor Chris Nordin, of Royal Adelaide Hospital, has already questioned the findings. He says that the review is misleading because it does not separate men from women in the findings. According to him “Men are much more liable to heart attacks than women, but women need calcium far more than men, so it is absurd to publish a study of the effect of calcium on the heart without separating men from women.”
My own objections to the study are as follows:
• There are a lot of hazards in the kind of statistical number crunching involved in a meta-analysis. Worst case scenario is, you do a meta-analysis of 11 studies, all of which are flawed in their methods or have doubtful data or conclusions, and what do you get? A larger conclusion based on 11 questionable sets of data. So how accurate were the original 11 studies? We have no idea.
• We do know that in the studies, the calcium was treated as an “independent variable” so magnesium and Vitamin D were not given. Magnesium is needed to balance calcium intake. Vitamin D is needed for proper calcium metabolism. So doing studies that do not provide the other vitamins and minerals needed, could have some very poor results. Maybe calcium supplements, specifically when given without magnesium and Vitamin D do cause additional calcium deposits in the arteries, and therefore more heart attacks. But right now we don’t know, and the meta-analysis is not sufficient evidence to tell us.
So, what to do? Bottom line—there are many long term studies showing that calcium supplementation is safe. Here are my recommendations.
• Calcium-magnesium-Vitamin D supplementation is especially important for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.The current recommendation for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women is from 1000 to 1500 mg of calcium per day. Given that most people do get some calcium in their diet, 500 mg of calcium with 250 mg magnesium and 400 IU of Vitamin D (taken all together) is probably enough supplementation, unless the person is allergic to dairy.
• Vitamin D is very important to bone health. There are many people walking around with Vitamin D deficiency in the United States—not enough sun exposure, and not enough Vitamin D in their diets. In addition to osteoporosis, Vitamin D deficiency also is a factor in Alzheimer’s disease. So get your Vitamin D level taken, and if it is low, you may need to take more like 2000 IU or more per day until your level gets up to normal. Take the Vitamin D orally, do not accept high dose injections—they have been associated with atypical bone fractures.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin we obtain mostly from sunlight and in small amounts from certain foods. Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays and it is the UV-B rays that are capable of producing vitamin D in your body by acting on the cholesterol in your skin. For almost 30 years the conventional thought around vitamin D has been that 10 minutes of sunlight on your arms and legs every day will provide the necessary amount of D.
Although this sounds like great advice it is really an oversimplification of some complicated biochemistry in your body. In order for the D producing UV-B rays to reach your skin and produce vitamin D depends on a variety of different factors:
Skin Color: Lighter skin color allows deeper penetration by UV-B rays, which decreases the amount of sunlight exposure needed for adequate vitamin D production. That means darker complexions will need longer amounts of sunlight to produce the same amount of D.
Season: if you live above 35 degrees latitude north or below 35 degrees latitude south there are little to no UV-B rays from early autumn to late spring.
Altitude: The higher you live above sea level, the greater exposure you have to UV-B rays.
Pollution and Clouds: Both of these factors influence the number of UV-B rays reaching your skin.
Age: Aging creates changes that make it difficult for UV-B rays to convert cholesterol to vitamin D. Elderly people need to rely almost exclusively on food sources rather than sunlight for their vitamin D needs.
Vitamin D Facts:
Vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 genes in your body. That is why it influences so many diseases like cancer, autism, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. A study by Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, found that about 30% of cancer deaths (that is 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States) could be prevented each year by simply correcting levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is you best defense against colds and flu. Vitamin D regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. People with optimal levels of Vitamin D rarely get sick.
Many research studies have concluded that up to 95% of U.S. senior citizens are deficient in Vitamin D. Those same studies show that all Americans are upwards of 85% deficient regardless of age.
Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in adults of all ages who have a darker complexion such as those whose ancestors are from Africa, the Middle East, or India.
The increased public fear around skin cancer and the use of sun blocking agents also keeps the beneficial UV-B rays from penetrating the skin thereby adding to the Vitamin D deficiency. Many people limit their outdoor activities preventing them from getting the needed sun exposure.
Vitamin D helps your body regulate its blood sugar levels, playing an important role in preventing type II diabetes. Research shows that 60% of type 2 diabetics have vitamin D deficiency.
Studies also show very low levels of vitamin D among children, the elderly, and women.
One U.S. study of women revealed that half of African American women of childbearing age could be vitamin D deficient predisposing their children to both immune and developmental disorders.
The current Dietary Reference Intakes by the Institute of Medicine range from 200 to 600 IU per day depending on age, with the U.S. upper limit for vitamin D being 2,000 IU per day. These numbers are out of date. They do not take into account a great deal of research on vitamin D and its effect on human health that’s been published over the last several years.
To recommend a particular dose for everyone is ridiculous given the different influences we have already discussed. I recommend that everyone get their blood levels monitored to be certain that there is a need for Vitamin D therapy, and to ensure the therapy is effective. Some will not need vitamin D while others can need as much as 50,000iu for short periods of time. I find the majority of patients that I work with in the Chicago area need 5,000-7,000iu in the fall and winter and 3,000-5,000iu in the spring and summer. It is important to understand that in the summertime, when you sunbathe for 30 minutes, your body produces about 20,000 IUs of vitamin D. So the quantities I am recommending are not too high. No matter where you live have your serum vitamin D levels checked. Ask your doctor or laboratory for the 25(OH)D test, also known as the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Please note that some labs do a similar test called 1-25(OH)D test, which is not as accurate a marker of your vitamin D status.
Most people should also strive to eat some foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D, such as:
| Food Sources | Serving | Vitamin D (IU) |
| Wild salmon | 3 ounces | 530 |
| Cod liver oil | 1 teaspoon | 400 |
| Sardines, canned | 3 ounces | 231 |
| Organic egg yolk | 1 medium | 25 |
| Octinoxate (Octyl Methoxycinnamate) | The most widely used sunscreen ingredient, known for its low potential to sensitize skin or act as a phototallergen. Estrogenic effects are noted in laboratory animals as well as disruption of thyroid hormone and brain signaling. Has been found to kill mouse cells even at low doses when exposed to sunlight! |
| Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3) | Associated with photoallergic reactions. This chemical absorbs through your skin in significant amounts. It contaminates the bodies of 97% of Americans according to Centers for Disease Control research. Health concerns include hormone disruption and cancer. |
| Octisalate | Octisalate is a weak UVB absorber with a generally good safety profile among sunscreen ingredients. It is a penetration enhancer, which may increase the amount of other ingredients passing through skin. |
| Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) | Primarily a UVA-absorbing agent, sunlight causes this unstable ingredient to break down into unknown chemicals, especially in the presence of another active, Octinoxate. |
| Octocrylene | Produces oxygen radicals when exposed to UV light. |
| Homosalate | Research indicates it is a weak hormone disruptor, forms toxic metabolites, and can enhance the penetration of a toxic herbicide. |
| Micronized Titanium Dioxide | Sunscreens with micronized titanium dioxide may contain nanoparticles. Micronized TiO2 offers greater sun protection than conventional (larger) particles. These small particles do not penetrate skin but may be more toxic to living cells and the environment. Inhalation of powders and sprays is a concern. |
| Micronized Zinc Oxide | Same as Micronized Titanium Dioxide, above. |
| Titanium Dioxide | Appears safe for use on skin, due to low penetration but inhalation is a concern. |
| Ensulizole (Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid) | Known to produce free radicals when exposed to sunlight, leading to damage of DNA, this UVB protector may have the potential to cause cancer. |
| Nano Zinc Oxide | Nano zinc oxide offers greater sun protection than larger zinc particles. Comparatively little is known regarding potential health effects of nanoparticles. They do not penetrate healthy skin, and thus appear to pose a low health risk in lotions. Inhalation of powders and sprays is a concern. |
| Nano Titanium Dioxide | Same as Nano Zinc Oxide, above. |
| Zinc Oxide | Zinc has a long history of use in sunscreen and other skin care products; little absorption and no adverse health effects are reported. |
| Padimate O (Octyl Dimethyl PABA / PABA Ester) | A derivative of the once-popular PABA sunscreen ingredient, research shows this chemical releases free radicals, damages DNA, has estrogenic activity, and causes allergic reactions in some people. |
| Menthyl Anthranilate | 1 study found that it produces damaging reactive oxygen species when exposed to sunlight. |
| Mexoryl SX | 2 hours of sunlight can degrade as much as 40% of this active ingredient. Low skin penetration. |
| Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol | Not an approved active ingredient in the U.S. Few studies exist on this chemical. It is photostable and does not absorb through your skin. |
| Sulisobenzone (Benzophenone-4) | Can cause skin and eye irritation. Does not penetrate your skin to a large degree, but enhances the ability of other chemicals to penetrate. |
| Benzophenone-2 | Not approved for use in United States sunscreens. Concerns about hormone disruption. |
This table provided by www.mercola.com
Athletes who took probiotic supplements suffered fewer infections and recovered more quickly than those who did not, in a study conducted by the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers studied 20 top-level, long-distance endurance runners for two months, assigning them to take either a placebo or a supplement of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum. During that time, the athletes recorded any day on which they experienced symptoms of winter illnesses, including coughs and runny noses.
The researchers added together the total symptom days of both groups, and found that while the placebo group experience symptoms for a total of 72 days, the probiotic group experience only 30 days’ worth of symptoms.
In addition, blood tests revealed that the athletes who were taking probiotics had twice the levels of an immune chemical known as interferon gamma as the athletes in the placebo group.
While researchers do not understand how Probiotics function, particularly since they appear to be effective even in small concentrations, an increasing body of evidence shows that these beneficial bacteria can boost the body’s immune system, among other beneficial health effects. Recent research has also found that probiotic bacteria help regulate metabolism.
The research was carried out on athletes, because the strenuous training undergone by marathon runners is known to compromise the immune system, and even minor cold symptoms can seriously setback training regimen. But probiotics specialist Jeremy Nicholson of Imperial College London warned that the results of the current study might not apply to less active people.
What are supplements?
Supplements are substances that add to (supplement) the nutrition that we get from food. They may include vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, essential fatty acids, probiotics, antioxidants, immune system boosters, and many others. The term now also includes substances that are not primarily nutritional, such as performance-enhancing supplements and “quick fix” energy boosters.
Why do people use supplements?
Some of the main reasons people use supplements are to:
- promote general health,
- aid in healing illness,
- address deficiencies (such as Vitamin D deficiency, now a common problem),
- slow the process of aging,
- enhance athletic performance, and
- combat fatigue.
When is it too much?
People have come into my office with shopping bags and shoeboxes full of supplements. I think it gets to be too much when you are taking handfuls of pills three or four times a day, and when you really can’t afford the supplements you are taking. Advertisers would have you believe that each new supplement on the market is “the answer to health.” The five biggest factors for good health are a diet with five to six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, high quality proteins—like grilled or baked fish, turkey or chicken, and very little white starches, sugars, junk food and processed food; regular exercise; 8 hours of sleep per night; a good social support system; and a positive attitude.
When can supplements adversely affect your health?
Supplements have bad effects especially when they are overused to “jump start” energy that you really don’t have. So-called energy drinks, supplements that contain ephedra, and “uppers” in general are bad for your health and can even cause death.
That said, there were 230 deaths from supplements in the 21 years between 1983 and 2004. (“Essay: Diet Supplements and Safety” by Dan Hurley in the New York Times published January 16, 2007) (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE1DB1030F935A25752C0A9619C8B63)
Deaths from pharmaceuticals in the same period in one year during the same period of time are as follows, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Institutes of Health: “A 1998 study of hospitalized patients published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that in 1994, adverse drug reactions accounted for more than 2.2 million serious cases and over 100,000 deaths, making adverse drug reactions (ADRs) one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death in the United States. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/About/primer/pharm.html)
What are the most important supplements?
- A good multivitamin/mineral supplement for general health. There are many of these, my favorite for comprehensive ingredients and low cost is NOW Foods Vit-Min 75 Plus ($22.00 for a three month supply!) (I have no financial or any other interest in NOW Foods. I like their supplements because they are responsibly manufactured and very affordable. They are also a local Chicago area company. Their products are easily available online.
- A calcium magnesium supplement for bone building, even if you do eat some dairy, it’s rarely enough. My favorite , again, is from NOW Foods—their Calcium Magnesium 500/250—a month’s supply is $12.00. Albuterol, antacids, caffeine, oral contraceptives, and thyroid hormones can reduce calcium absorption.
- A fish oil supplement. Almost no one gets enough Omega 3 essential fatty acids. The dietary ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids should be about 2 to 1. With all of the processed foods in the US diet, it has reached as much as 17 to 1. A recent study cited on medscape.com showed that giving only 300 milligrams of EPA/DHA, the active ingredient in fish oil, to women who had previously had repeated miscarriages, resulted in healthy pregnancies 83% of the time! Fish oil is also essential for brain health. “If I ran the world” everyone would be taking fish oil, especially women of reproductive age. As a matter of fact, everyone would be taking the supplements listed here!
- Vitamin C We really don’t get enough Vitamin C in our diet. Linus Pauling’s Nobel Prize winning research on vitamin C revealed that most people need between 1500 and 2500 milligrams of vitamin C per day for maintenance. The current “Minimum Daily Requirement” of vitamin C is 60 milligrams. I recommend that most people take 500 milligrams of vitamin C three to five times a day, with at least 8 ounces of water each time. NOW Foods has a good buffered Ester C.
- A good probiotic. Probiotics are the “good bacteria” in the digestive system. We no longer have as many as we should for good health and good digestion because of antibiotics—both those given to us as prescriptions, and those given to animals in factory farming. My favorite probiotic is one that does not have to be refrigerated and that has a dairy free version. It is called PB 8, and is available in most health food stores. Probiotics should always be taken when you are on a prescription of antibiotics, and should be taken at least two hours before or after you take the antibiotic.
- Co-Q 10 Co-Q 10 is a strong antioxidant. Not everyone needs to take it but if you have cancer in your family or have had it yourself, if you have Parkinson’s Disease, or if you have Congestive Heart Failure, you should definitely take it. I have a patient whose Parkinson’s disease reversed enough so that she could play the piano again with a dose of 1200 milligrams of Co-Q 10 daily. I have a Congestive Heart Failure patient who was waiting for a heart transplant and ended up not needing one because her “ejection fraction” went from 13% to 43% just from taking 600 mg. per day of Co-Q 10. Statins and tricylic antidepressants may interfere with Co-Q 10. Costco’s Kirkland brand has a good, affordable, absorbable Co-Q10 supplement.
There are many more specific supplements for specific conditions, but that’s another story for another time. One last cautionary note—in general, avoid supplements from multilevel marketing companies—the prices are most often over-inflated to benefit the people at the top of the pyramid, and the cost of a month’s supply of any single item may range from $35 to more than $100 for a month’s supply. Even with the Co-Q 10, the cost of ALL of the supplements above added together, per month, is less than $75.00. That’s affordable, even in this economy. And now, you won’t need that shoebox or shopping bag.
Vitamin B12 and How To Make Sure You Are Getting Enough
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a key function to maintain a healthy nervous system, brain function, formation of red blood cells and DNA.
A deficiency of this vitamin can lead to different forms of anemia (Megaloblastic & Pernicious), vision problems, dementia, muscle weakness, nerve damage, mood disturbances, fatigue, low resistance to infections, psychoses, hypotension, ataxia, fatigue, and incontinence.
Vitamin B-12 is a protein bound food, so most people who eat meat, eggs and dairy products get enough vitamin B-12 in their diet, as long as, they have a strong healthy digestive system, in which their stomach makes enough HCI (hydrochloric acid) to break down the protein to release the B-12 during digestion and the intestinal tract is able to absorb it allowing it to enter into the bloodstream.
A healthy body is able to store in the liver 1-2 years worth of the vitamin, so in non-vegetarians, a deficiency of B-12 is not very common. High levels of vitamin B-12 can occur in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, with some types of leukemia, and sometimes rarely in obese and diabetic people. People who eat lots of unhealthy fast & junk foods, carbonated beverages, coffee, sweets, have had lots of antibiotics, digestion problems, smokers, vegans, babies of vegans, and the elderly are more prone to vitamin B-12 deficiencies.
The best reliable sources of vitamin B-12 are found mostly in meat (poultry, beef, etc.), free range eggs, dairy products (cheese, whole & 2% milk), fish and shellfish. There are plant sources for vitamin B-12, such as fermented soya products, seaweeds (noni), algae (spirulina), however, studies have shown that this form of B-12 is unavailable to the human body and not able to use it.
Currently, no plant foods can be relied upon to give you enough B-12 to keep you healthy. Vitamin B-12 is frequently combined with folic acid and other vitamins as a supplement.
Always consult with your health care professional to see if supplementation is right for you and how much. It can vary greatly depending on your situation, age, health issues, etc. Strict vegetarians are recommended to supplement their diet with whole food V-12 supplements and fortified food. For most people eating 1-2 free range eggs, a chicken breast a day and whole milk or low fat milk and cheese products will give them enough B-12 per day.
The role of folic acid and vitamin B12 in memory and cognition is pretty well established. Research appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007; 86(5): 1384-1391) looked at 1,648 subjects over the age of 65 over a 10-year period. During the 10-year course of the study mental function and vitamin B12 levels were tested at least three times. High vitamin B12 levels were associated with slower rates of mental decline. An earlier study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1996;63:306-14), also found that high levels of B6 were associated with better memory.
Research appearing in Clinical Biochemistry (2007; 40(9-10) 604-608) found a connection between low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12, and depression in 66 subjects over the age of 60. Also, the depressed subjects tended to have higher homocysteine levels.
It is commonly assumed that people who need B12 must have injections. Actually, if the dosage is high enough, oral supplementation can be very effective. A review of research appearing in Family Practice News (November 15, 2004:59) shows that taking vitamin B12 orally may be as effective as getting by injection. The article reviewed four earlier studies that compared oral B12 supplementation with injections and placebos in patients with documented B12 deficiency. The studies showed taking a high dose orally (between one and two milligrams per day) is as effective as B12 injections. Lower doses were not as effective, in fact at 10 mcg per day, oral B12 supplementation is no more effective than placebo. Doctors in Sweden use oral B12 therapy instead of injections and have been getting good results for over 30 years.
There is not a lot of research on the connection between niacin and memory. Although in the severe niacin deficiency disease, pellagra, there are mental symptoms. Symptoms in the central nervous system can include memory impairment, disorientation, confusion, and confabulation (excitement, depression, mania and delirium). Some patients may become paranoid.
One study, appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience (2008 November 5;28(45):11500-10) looked at the effect niacinamide (a form of niacin) had on memory in rats. The rats in the study were normal rats and rats specially bred to develop a disease similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Over a period of four months rats were either given niacinamide in their water or a placebo. In the rats bred for the Alzheimer’s-like disease, there was an increase in proteins used to strengthen brain tissue and there was a decrease in material that could lead to plaquing. The specially bred rats who received the nicacinamide performed as well on memory tests as the normal mice, while the untreated rats demonstrated loss of memory.
Fish oil has been touted as the miracle supplement for the last few years. In fact research has demonstrated that fish oil is beneficial to control the inflammation of arthritis. There are many studies that describe the cardiovascular benefits of fish oil, and recently the mood balancing benefits of fish oil in mildly depressed patients have been studied. Many physicians recommend that patients begin getting their steady dose of fish oil in-utero by recommending fish oil to pregnant moms so the developing child will have the raw materials to form a healthy nervous system and brain. Although the scientific facts are indisputable regarding the health benefits of fish oil it is what the manufacturer does not put on the label that can make your fish oil very unhealthy. Unfortunately industrialization has polluted our waterways. Toxic chemicals and carcinogenic substances are rampant in our water supplies and oceans. Fish store these toxic wastes in their fat tissue.
A recent test by environmentalists showed a very disturbing trend. Many commercially available fish oils were very high in PCB’s. PCBs are industrial chemicals that were banned back in the 1970s because they cause cancer and birth defects. Quality manufacturers have been aware of this trend for decades. The process of molecular distillation removes PCB’s, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals from the fat of the fish oil leaving only the healthy omega 3 rich oil behind. It is a process that adds to the cost of the fish oil, but as the research shows it is a necessary step. If your fish oil does not say “Molecularly Distilled” on the label then it most certainly contains pollutants that you would not want to put in your body. Lipid peroxides form in fats when they go rancid. That is the “fishy smell” associated with fish that is not fresh. Lipid peroxides cause inflammation and stress to the cardiovascular system.
If your fish oil has not been “stabilized” with antioxidants then it will taste “fishy” and cause oxidative stress in your body. If you want the benefits of fish oil without any stress to your body then you should be certain that your fish oil is molecularly distilled and antioxidant stabilized for freshness. I only recommend one fish oil Norway’s Purest Fish Oil. I recommend it because it is molecularly distilled, and antioxidant stabilized. I am also given independent 3rd party tested lab results to prove it with every batch I order. That is the quality my patients depend on.
Omega-3 Deficiency May Be A Marker For Bipolar And Depressed Patients
Sobczak S, Honig A, Christophe A, et al. Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in first-degree relatives of bipolar patients. Psychol Med. 2004;34(1):103-12
Anti-inflammatory and Cardioprotective Effects of Omega-3 fatty acids
Micallef MA, Garg ML. Anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols in hyperlipidemic individuals. Atherosclerosis. 2009;204(2):476-82.
Reports safety, and importance of dose and duration of fish oil supplementation for arthritis
Kremer JM. n-3 Fatty acid supplements in rheumatoid arthritis. Am J Clin Nutr.,2000;71(1):349S-351S.
pbhealthcenter.com/Norway
Understanding supplements – by Martha H. Howard, MD
Nutrient-drug interactions you should know about – by Martha H. Howard, MD
Why I Still Recommend Fish Oil Supplements to My Pregnant Patients – by Dr. Ian Wahl,
To Supplement – or NOT? That is the question! – by Sharon M. Weinstein, MS, RN
Are Calcium Supplements Really a Cause Of Heart Attacks? – by Martha H. Howard, MD
Vitamin D and Your Health – by Dr Tom Bayne
What’s Really In Your Fish Oil and Omega 3 Fatty Acids? – by Dr Tom Bayne
B Vitamins And Memory – Dr Kristina Sargent
Vitamin B12 and How To Make Sure You Are Getting Enough – Karen Erickson
Do You Really Need That Shoebox Full of Pills? – by Dr Martha Howard
Taking Probiotics Greatly Reduces Infections in Athletes – by Mayer Eisenstein
Sunscreen & Vitamin D – by Robert C. Scott, DC CCSP