Here is another example:
Cellulose, magnesium, stearate, silica dioxide, modified cellulose gum
Followed usually on most bottles with a statement similar to this:
Free
of the most common allergens such as yeast, rice, barley, wheat, lactose (milk
sugar) and all milk, fish and egg products. No added flavorings, sugars, salt,
artificial sweeteners, coloring, preservatives or salicylates.
The actual vitamins are the most-active forms, such as the natural "d" forms of Vitamin E and usually meaningful portions of newer nutrients such as lutein, which in the "drug store" variety had a quarter of a milligram and less than a third of a milligram of lycopene both of which should measure five to ten milligrams to approach an effective dose. Also, when iron is present in the formula, most frequently it is ferrous-sulfate - a form of iron that causes constipation and interferes with Vitamin-E absorption. The health-food store vitamin formulas also take into account proper ratios of minerals and B vitamins.
No Proof of Harm, But Proof of Benefit
How can anyone compare or make a generalized statement evaluating multivitamins? It is true that people have for the last sixty years taken vitamins, even unintentionally because they have been routinely added to fortify foods such as bread, cereals, canned goods, and other food products. This has been mandated by the government to help protect people's health (although some fortification - such as in the case of iron - has possibly done more harm than good).
For the media to print that the public is
getting more vitamins than they need by quoting a doctor or researcher without
a proven study is a baseless opinion and absolute nonsense! If there were
such a study, it would be headline news! So frequently one is made up and the media goes wild. The truth is...
There has never been a single study, out of all that have been done, that shows the American public comes remotely close to consuming the minimum requirements for vitamins and minerals in their daily diet. Disease prevention and health enhancement in the United States appear to be possible only through supplementation.
Further, studies indicate levels of malnutrition. Doctors have reported to me from the University of California Medical Center their disbelief at finding scurvy (Vitamin-C deficiency disease) in their patients. Meanwhile, agricultural departments, such as at the University of Texas, are finding the nutritional levels of food are lower than ever historically, with a steady significant decline from the early 1900s up to the present.
Industrial farming accounts for dramatic ecological and environmental dangers that put everyone at high risk and decreasing nutritional values as food is mass produced without any regard for quality. This is a relatively recent phenomenon.
According to the 2007 Milken Institute's report "An Unhealthy America - The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease," chronic illness costs the economy $1 trillion a year. The key points are staggering with more than 109 million Americans suffering from one or more common chronic conditions for a total of 162 million cases (because many Americans have more than one disease case - e.g., diabetes and hypertension). The former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona said, "The public is telling us the No. 1 domestic issue is health." He goes on to say, "The disease burden is mounting, the economy burden is mounting and the trajectory we're on is unsustainable." How can one possibly ignore these facts and claim that there is no need for everyone to take at least a multivitamin?
Better Health through Better Nutrition
The most recent in-depth study on multiple nutrients recognizes how difficult it is to generalize. (See Block G, Jensen CD, Nordus EP, Dalvi TB, Wong LG, McManus JF and Hudes ML, "Usage Patterns, Health and Nutritional Status of Long-term Multiple Dietary Supplement Users," a cross-sectional study that was published in the October 24, 2007 issue of Nutritional Journal.) The study nevertheless could make some statistical statements based upon the 278 long-term users of multiple dietary supplements, 176 users of a single multivitamin/multimineral supplement, and 602 nonusers of supplements whom the scientists studied.
At least half of the subjects in the multiple dietary-supplements group consumed a multivitamin/mineral, B-complex, Vitamin C, carotenoids, Vitamin E, calcium with Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, lecithin, alfalfa, Coenzyme Q10 with resveratrol, glucosamine, and an herbal immune supplement.
The majority of women in this group also consumed gamma linolenic acid and a probiotic supplement. The majority of men additionally consumed zinc, garlic, saw palmetto, and a soy-protein supplement.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
