Vitamin Supplements

The ability to keep your bones strong (a prerequisite for preventing arthritis and osteoporosis) depends to a large extent on how your body makes use of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Of these, calcium is the most abundant mineral in bone. However, more and more evidence is accumulating to show that dietary calcium intake is only one of a number of factors that influence the proper use of calcium in the body. The degeneration of cartilage seems to herald the beginning of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. And the cartilage of osteoarthritic sufferers appears to be different in composition from that of non-sufferers. Read the rest of this entry »

ZINC

Zinc is found in high concentrations in bone tissue and has an important role in bone formation. Research proves that zinc is important for those with osteoporosis or low bone density. In one study it was shown that there is a connection between low bone density and zinc deficiency in women with osteoporosis.

Good sources of zinc are Brazil nuts, bean sprouts, oysters, peanuts, pecan nuts and pumpkin seeds. If supplementing zinc take the more absorbable forms which are zinc picolinate, glycinate and citrate. Take it separately from food and other supplements, especially calcium. Read the rest of this entry »

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, accounting for 1.6 per cent of our body mass. Of the 1200g of calcium in us, more than 99 per cent is in our bones and teeth. The rest is present in muscles, nerves and the bloodstream, where it plays a crucial role in many enzymes and the production of nerve signals and muscular energy.

Calcium is relatively well absorbed, with an average of 30 per cent of ingested calcium reaching the bloodstream. But its absorption into the bloodstream depends on many factors. An excess of alcohol, a lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, or an excess of acid-forming foods (mainly protein) decrease its absorption. So does the presence of lead, which competes with it for absorption sites. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin D is needed to help the body use calcium properly. It is converted into a hormone, calcitnol, that works with parathormone to promote the absorption and retention of calcium. Vitamin D deficiency among the elderly is far from uncommon. According to a survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 57 per cent of 290 senior citizens in hospital had low blood levels of this bone-building vitamin. Read the rest of this entry »

Minerals in multivitamin and mineral tablets often omit the `elemental’ value of the compound, stating only the amount of the mineral compound. For instance, 100mg of zinc amino acid chelate will provide only 10mg of zinc and 90mg of the amino acid to which it is chelated (attached).

You want to know the amount of the actual mineral — in this example, 10mg. This is called the ‘elemental value’. Most reputable manufacturers make your life easy by stating something like ‘zinc amino acid chelate (providing 5mg zinc) 50mg’ or ‘zinc (as amino acid chelate) 5mg’, both of which mean you are getting 5mg of elemental, or actual zinc. Read the rest of this entry »

Now you know how to read the labels and find out if a particular supplement contains what you need, here’s how to turn your nutrient needs into a supplement programme.

Theoretically, you could take a mega-mega-multi that has everything you could possibly need in it. The trouble is, this would be enormous, impossible to swallow and no doubt give you a lot more than you need of some nutrients. The other extreme is to take one supplement for each vitamin, exactly matching your requirements — but you’d end up with handfuls of pills. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that you’ve worked out what to take, you’ll want to know when to take them. This depends not only on what is technically best, but also on your lifestyle. If taking supplements twice a day would mean that you’d forget the second lot, you’re probably better off taking them all at once. After all, nature supplies them all in one go, with a meal. Here are the `ten commandments’ of supplement-taking: Read the rest of this entry »

While the golden rule of any supplement programme is to take the right doses and take them regularly, there are many other issues to consider when choosing supplements. For instance, is it better to have natural rather than synthetic nutrients? Are capsules better than tablets? Are certain forms of minerals better absorbed? Are there good and bad combinations? What if you’re on medication? Are there any drug—nutrient interactions or situations when you shouldn’t take supplements? Read the rest of this entry »

Most of the minerals essential for health are supplied from food to the body as a compound, bound to a larger (food) molecule. This binding is known as chelation, from the Greek word chela, meaning ‘a claw’. Some form of chelation is important, since most essential minerals in their ‘raw’ state are positively charged. The gut wall is negatively charged, so once separated from food through the process of digestion, these unbound positively charged minerals would be attracted to the gut wall. Read the rest of this entry »

There are very few dangerous drug—nutrient interactions, but there are many drugs which interfere with the action of nutrients, thereby increasing your need:

• Aspirin increases the need for vitamin C
• The birth control pill and HRT increase the need for B6, B12, folic acid and zinc
• Antibiotics increase the need for B vitamins and beneficial bacteria Read the rest of this entry »