by Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S.
VITAMINS and MINERALS are Essential to LIFE
Iam often asked if I “believe” in vitamins
which to me is like asking, “Do
you believe in air?” Vitamins and minerals
are essential to life. You can choose to
“believe” in them or not, but your body
won’t function properly without them.
What people usually mean when they
ask that question is “Do you believe in
supplements?” And the answer is, unequivocably,
“yes.”
Here’s why: Supplements are nothing
more than a delivery system for nutrients,
nutrients that were once abundant in our
“factory-specified” diet but are increasingly
hard to get in therapeutic and protective
amounts from our current food supply.
Can you live without them? Of course. You
can also live without electricity and indoor
plumbing. But now that it’s available, why
in heaven’s name would you want to?
The American Dietetic Association and
other conservative forces in the nutrition
establishment would have you believe that
you can get “all you need from food.”
Quite frankly, this is preposterous. The
belief that you can get all you need from
food is rooted in a very outdated view of
the term “all you need.” A little history will
explain why.
In the early part of the twentieth century
a Polish chemist named Casimir Funk
discovered that the anti-beriberi substance
in polished rice was an amine (a nitrogencontaining
compound). He proposed that
his substance be named a “vital amine”
which became shortened to “vitamin.”
Shortly afterwards, Funk and another
researcher named Hopkins put forth the
“vitamin deficiency theory of disease,”
which basically said that the absence of
these vital substances caused diseases like
scurvy (vitamin C), rickets (vitamin D),
beriberi (thiamin) and pellagra (niacin).
The RDAs and other “official” views of what we need in the way of vitamins and
minerals continues to be referenced to this
concept of “avoiding disease” rather than
optimizing health.
I call this the “minimum wage theory”
of nutrition. If by “all you need” you’re
talking about what’s needed to prevent
scurvy, rickets and the like, I’ll concede that
we don’t need supplements. But I don’t see
much scurvy and beriberi around anymore.
Overwhelming amounts of research have
shown that vitamins and minerals in therapeutic
dosages can reduce the risk for a
multitude of diseases, protect the heart,
strengthen the immune system, postpone
the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,
decrease blood pressure, help with blood
sugar control, reduce the incidence of certain
birth defects like neural tube syndrome,
improve brain function and memory,
reduce the risk of cancer, improve symptoms
of premenstrual syndrome, help modulate
symptoms from allergies and asthma,
help with intestinal dysbiosis and irritable
bowel syndrome, protect the liver and
reduce stresses from environmental carcinogens.
Can you get all you need for this
level of optimal health and well-being from
food alone?
Well, if you were living on a farm, rotating
your crops, growing your own food
organically, eating it fresh, hunting and eating
wild animals that grazed on grass rather
than grains and that you honored and
respected as the American Indians did the
animals they ate, and if you fished for game
fish in fresh, uncontaminated waters and if your level of stress was reduced by half and
if you were not exposed to smoke and environmental
toxins, and if you didn’t drink,
use tobacco, eat sugar or refined foods or
overuse antibiotics, well then maybe you
could. But as my father used to say, “If my
grandmother had wheels, she’d be a
wagon.” The point is that you don’t do
those things (if you do, please invite me to
visit—I want to move to where you live).
Even in such an idyllic environment it
might be hard to get enough vitamin E to
have a therapeutic, protective effect on the
heart but on the other hand the heart
wouldn’t be under the same level of stress so
perhaps you wouldn’t need the same level of
therapeutic protection.
The point is, take your supplements.
Recognizing that people differ widely in
their inclination to take pills, even those
that are good for them, I’ve created two different
supplement programs. Level One is a
basic entry-level supplement program that I
would like to suggest that you consider taking
as an absolute minimum. Level Two is a
more comprehensive program that I believe
will benefit just about everyone but requires
that you pop a few more pills. In the best of
all possible worlds I’d like to see everyone in
Shape Up on the Level Two program but I’ll
settle for Level One for now. I think the
health benefits are well worth the effect.
On a personal note, Cassandra my wife
and I take well more than 50 of these a day,
so we’re used to it. We’ve made it into something
of a morning ritual, so it’s not only
painless but actually part of something
pleasant. It takes about five minutes to prepare
some morning green tea with lemon
and get the supplements ready for the day.
Cassandra usually writes in her journal very
early in the morning before going to work
at the television studio, while I put our supplements
together. We have a few moments
together, celebrate the day, thank the universe
for our lives and face the adventure
that’s sure to unfold. It takes only a few
minutes and has become something of a
self-care routine that sets the tone for the
rest of the day. At the very least it creates
good energy with which to confront any little
stumbling blocks that happen to come
up. You can include it in a routine of your
own making but I promise you that taking
a few high-quality supplements to protect
and ensure your health is not that big a deal
and you can easily make it into a habit.
THE LEVEL ONE SHAPE UP
SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM
- A high-quality multimineral formula
Minerals are easily as important as vitamins
and are often overlooked. Although there
has been an enormous amount of attention
given to calcium, I’m actually much more
concerned about magnesium. I believe the
best research shows that at least 75 percent
of women are deficient in this very important
mineral, which is needed not only for
bone health but for blood sugar control and
a host of other important functions. If you
are taking a “calcium-magnesium” formula,
it should be in a not less than a 2:1 ratio (at
least half as much magnesium as calcium)
and I wouldn’t even mind a 1:1 ratio. Your
multimineral should contain at least 400 mg
of magnesium.
- A high-quality multivitamin formula.
Get the best you can find and afford. No
matter what people tell you, there’s a huge
difference in quality from brand to brand.
Why? Products vary with regard to the
freshness of the ingredients, the quality of
the ingredients (which form of the vitamins
and minerals they use), the type and
presence of fillers and binders, whether or
not the product undergoes rigorous testing
(assays) of representative batches for
potency and quality (and how often) and
how bioavailable and absorbable is the
final product. Supplement purchases
should be taken seriously—don’t just grab
something off the supermarket, drugstore
or even health food store shelf and assume
it’s good. There are huge differences
among supplements—look for products
from companies who know what
they’re doing and that are committed to
quality.
It’s going to be virtually impossible to
get a good dosage of high-quality vitamins
and/or minerals in one single pill. Most of
the better brands will require that you take
several to get the recommended dosage.
There really isn’t any way around this.
Your multivitamin should contain at
least 50 mg of all of the B-complex vitamins
which, among other things, have been
known to help many people feel more
energetic as well as have better appetite
control. Your multivitamin must contain at
least 400 mcg of folic acid and I would
prefer that you get 800 mcg.
- Fish oil capsules.
You’re looking for a combination of two
important fatty acids that we will discuss at
length later on—EPA and DHA.
As an alternative to fish oil capsules you
could buy a blended oil that contains the
omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in the
right combination with an important
omega-6 fatty acid called GLA (gammalinolenic
acid). GLA is found in evening
primrose oil and borage oil and women
especially find this a helpful supplement,
especially prior to their periods. Three
superb blended oils that I especially like are
Essential Women by Barlean’s Organic Oils,
Omega Plus by Omega Nutrition and Udo’s
Choice by Flora, all widely available at
health food stores. A couple of spoonfuls of
any of these on a daily basis would be terrific.
If you can stand it, cod liver oil
is a perfectly good alternative (yes,
Grandmother was right after all) but it
doesn’t contain any GLA.
- Chromium (400 mcg daily).
This trace mineral is next to impossible to
get from a regular diet these days and is
vitally important in managing blood sugar
levels. Many studies have confirmed its
value in a weight loss program and even at
much higher dosages it has almost no
downside. The chromium picolinate form is
the most studied.
THE LEVEL TWO SHAPE UP SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM
- A high-quality multimineral formula with at least 400 mg of magnesium.
- A high-quality antioxidant formula.
- B-complex.
Dividing your multiple into two formulas
—an antioxidant formula and a
B-complex—lets you concentrate on getting
maximum antioxidant protection in the
first and a full spectrum of high quality,
good potency B vitamins in the second,
rather than having to rely on getting both in
the same formula, as is the case in Level
One. The same caveats from Level One
apply: Look for 50 mg of each of the Bs and
at least 500 mcg (preferably 800 mcg) of
folic acid.
- Chromium (400 mcg daily).
- Fish Oil Capsules.
- Vitamin C (500-3000 mg a day)
All the many documented reasons that you
should supplement with this vitamin have
been written about elsewhere—they’re true.
- Vitamin E (400 IUs a day).
In the case of vitamin E, it really does make
a difference that you get the natural form,
which in this case means that on the label it
will say, for example, “d-alpha-tocopherol,”
not the less effective synthetic “dl.” Ask for a
blend of mixed tocopherols.
- Digestive Enzymes.
For many reasons, most people can benefit
from these, despite what the American
Dietetic Association may think. Many clinicians
feel that there is hardly a chronic ailment
that doesn’t have a digestive (or leaky
gut) component and many adults don’t fully
digest and absorb some proteins because of a
lack of hydrochloric acid and digestive
enzymes. It can’t hurt and will probably help.
MORE ON SUPPLEMENTS: A SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE.
For those who want to get even more into
supplements, I recommend that you consider
a few more “specialty” items.
Alpha lipoic acid.
This is a nutrient that has the remarkable
capacity to regenerate both vitamin E and
vitamin C. It is a powerful antioxidant on
which an enormous amount of research has
been done, virtually all of it with positive
results. Two conditions in which it is
particularly indicated are diabetes (or
blood sugar management in general) and
liver health. The best book for the general
public on alpha lipoic acid is The Alpha Lipoic
Acid Breakthrough by Burt Berkson, M.D.,
Ph.D. It is also covered in depth in the The
Antioxidant Revolution by Lester Packer, Ph.D.
Saw palmetto oil.
This remarkable herb has been found to be
as effective as the prescription drug Proscar
in treating benign prostate hyperplasia,
which affects most men at some point in
their lives. It helps prevent conversion of
testosterone to di-hydro-testosterone and
can help relieve the annoying symptoms of
benign prostate hyperplasia. It is often found
in “prostate” formulas with two other ingredients
that are helpful for the prostate, nettles
and pygeum. If you’re a man over 40 I
recommend taking it. If you’re a woman and
you love a man over 40, get it for him.
Folic acid.
If you’re doing either the Level One or the
Level Two supplement program, you’re getting
the recommended amount of this nutrient,
but it’s worth mentioning why it’s so
important. For one thing it has been shown
definitively to prevent neural tube defects so
absolutely every woman who is of pregnancy
age—whether she’s planning to get pregnant
or not—should be taking it. For another, it
is one of those nutrients that are actually better
absorbed when you get it from supplements
than when you get it from food. Folic
acid has also been used in formulas to treat
depression and improve mood. Every nutritionist
I respect thinks the recommended
daily intake should be 800 mcg, but the government
is keeping it at 400. Know why?
Because if you have a B-12 deficiency (which
is very serious stuff ), folic acid intake can
mask the symptoms. To me, the far more
intelligent approach would be to make sure
you take folic acid and B-12 but hey, that’s
just me.
B-12.
Yes, you’re getting it in your multiple or in
your B-complex, but B-12 can also be used
therapeutically, away from the other B-vitamins,
as a star in its own right. Long given by
injection by nutritionally-oriented M.D.s,
the oral form is not terribly well-absorbed by
adults because of low levels of something in
the stomach called “intrinsic factor,” which
is needed to make proper use of the B-12 you
get from your food or supplements. Many
people find that they have much more energy
when they get proper amounts and highdose
oral supplements (in the range of
1,000–2,5000 mcg) seem to bypass the
intrinsic factor problem somehow. The most
absorbable form of B-12 is in meat and with
a reduction in meat consumption among
many dieting and vegetarian women, plus an
increase in antacid consumption (which
causes a drop in stomach acid needed for
absorption), very low intakes of B-12 are not
uncommon. We used to believe that B-12
deficiencies (or sub-clinical deficiencies)
were common only in older people but a
recent study at Tufts University showed that
adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s were equally
likely to be deficient. If you want to experiment
with a therapeutic dose of B-12, take it at a different time from when you take
your other vitamins. Many people notice a
difference.
Milk thistle (or silymarin).
The smooth operation of the detoxification
pathways in the body are a vital part of good
health and that means that the liver—the
major organ of detoxification—needs all the
support it can get. This herb has been shown
to protect liver cells and may help with
detoxification in general. Detoxification is
already one of the hottest topics in nutritional
medicine and will continue to be as our
bodies are now exposed to unprecedented
amounts of toxins from both the environment
and the food supply. Herbs like milk thistle (and dandelion root, another liver-friendly
herb) can only help.
And if you don’t eat red meat:
Take at least 1,000 mg of L-carnitine per day.
This nutrient, often lacking in the diet, is
necessary to get fat into the mitochondria of
the cells where it is burned for energy. Many
experts believe that we don’t get enough carnitine
in the diet. Since red meat is the best
source of it, those who don’t eat meat should
almost certainly take this supplement.
Should I ask my doctor about nutrition and
supplements?
Asking the average doctor for information
about nutrition is like asking your accountant
for information about tennis. Your
accountant might actually be a terrific tennis
player—maybe he played in college and
spends his weekends on the competitive club
circuit—but if this is the case, it’s a complete
coincidence and he certainly didn’t learn how
to play in accounting school.
Don’t get me wrong. Some of my best
professional friends are doctors. I talk to doctors
every day. They are all-around invaluable
sources of information. The doctors I speak
with are some of the best-informed, most
brilliant practitioners of nutritional medicine
on the planet and have forgotten more about
the clinical use of supplements than most
people will ever know. They are particularly
expert in knowing the interactions of pharmaceuticals,
herbs and supplements and have
a unique ability to combine science, intuition,
clinical observation and research in the
time-honored tradition of empirical—rather
than deductive—medicine.
And every one of them will tell you this:
everything they learned about nutrition they
learned on their own. Every one. There is not
an M.D. I know who claims to have learned
anything of any use about the above-mentioned
subjects in medical school. When it
comes to food and nutrition most of them
basically learned what your average sixth
grader learns in a home economics class. My
doctor pals will also be the first to tell you
that not only did they learn what they
learned outside the general medical education
model but they encountered—and still
encounter on a daily basis—virulent resistance
to their integrative approach by the
keepers of the cultish flame that is conventional
medicine, aided and abetted by the
pharmaceutical companies that have just a
bit of a vested interest in keeping drugs and
only drugs the treatment of choice for any
condition on the planet.
It may be difficult to find an M.D. who
knows and accepts the profound role that
nutrients have on human health and who
knows how to use them therapeutically, but
if you find one, it will be worth the time
spent looking.
Jonny Bowden is an associate editor of totalhealth
magazine. He is a certified nutrition specialist and
host of a popular talk show on health, nutrition and
lifestyle heard daily on eYada.com. His Web site
www.jonnybowden.com has links to both his
radio show and columns on iVillage.com.
Bowden is the director of nutrition for
Cenegenics Medical Institute. For specific questions
relating to anti-aging medicine or longevity
programs contact Cenegenics Medical Institute at
1-888-YOUNGER or www.888younger.com
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