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Tag: Vitamins

  • The dangers of vitamin A and E supplements

    The dangers of vitamin A and E supplements

    Americans spend billions and billions of dollars on vitamin supplements each year. But too many supplements can deliver more harms than benefits, including liver injury, joint, muscle and vision problems, and hair loss. Beware. Vitamin supplements are not magic pills.

    Walter Willett, a professor of nutrition at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health advises against taking vitamin supplements; it’s almost never a good idea. Other experts say that you should only take vitamin supplements when you are not able to absorb vitamins appropriately through your diet.

    Part of the proper with supplements is that the FDA does not regulate them the same way it does prescription medicines. Consequently, ingredients in supplements might be harmful to you. One analysis of 57 supplements found that 80 percent of supplements do not contain the amount of ingredients they claimed to contain and 40 percent did not contain any of the ingredients they claimed to contain. Twelve percent of these supplements did not list some ingredients, as required by the FDA.

    Daryl Austin writes for National Geographic that vitamin A and E supplements can cause bodily harms because our bodies absorb them differently than other vitamins; they are fat soluble rather than water soluble.

    Vitamin C  and several B vitamins are water soluble; they dissolve easily and our bodies metabolize them quickly. If we have too much of them, we excrete them.

    We are best off getting vitamin A from eating sweet potatoes, spinach and carrots, among other vegetables. Vitamin A helps with our health immunities, reproduction and vision. But, it’s important not to have too much vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can actually kill you, in the worst cases, and harm pregnant moms and their fetuses, causing birth defects.

    We are best off getting vitamin E from eating fish, avocados, peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Vitamin E is an effective anti-oxidant that contributes to skin and vision health. But, excessive and even moderate amounts of vitamin E can cause serious harm, including increased risk of lung and prostate cancer, hemorrhaging and, according to some experts, death.

    Vitamin E supplements have also been found to interact poorly with other treatments, including chemotherapy and prescription drugs.

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  • Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Nuts are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. They also offer other health benefits, reports Daryl Austin for National Geographic.

    Nuts help make strong bones. Some experts claim that nuts also reduce your risk of cancer. And, eating nuts can reduce your risk of diabetes because nuts help manage your blood sugar.

    There’s also evidence that eating just one ounce of nuts each day reduces your risk of heart disease by 21 percent. Nuts can lower blood pressure, sharpen your mind, lower your cholesterol and help you live longer.

    More good news—Even though nuts are high in calories, so long as you don’t eat large quantities, they should not lead you to gain weight . They could even help you lose weight.

    How can nuts lead to weight loss? Nuts contain a lot of fat, protein and fiber, which can sate you, so you don’t feel hungry. And walnuts and almonds don’t have as many calories as you think. Some of their calories leave your body in stool.

    Which nuts are best to eat? All nuts are different. Almonds are very good for you because they have a lot of fiber, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin E; they also help to reduce your bad cholesterol.  Pistachios also offer a lot of health benefits, including vitamin B6 and B1, all nine amino acids, potassium and lutein, which help with brain function and stave off cognitive decline. Of note, they are not as caloric as other nuts.

    Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts are also especially good for you. Walnuts are good for improving heart health and brain health and providing omega-3 fatty acids.

    Go for the mixed nuts for a wide range of health benefits!

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  • Eating avocados offers so many health benefits

    Eating avocados offers so many health benefits

    If you’re looking to switch up your diet to eat healthy and want to continue to enjoy the foods you eat, consider eating lots of avocados. Some experts call avocados a superfood because they offer so many health benefits. And, they are so delish! What more can you ask for?

    The benefits of eating an avocado a day appear to have no bounds. Eating avocados provides you with more than 20 essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B6, C, E and K. Avocados also are a great source of folate, potassium, magnesium, niacin and riboflavin.

    There’s more. Avocados can be good for your eyes, providing you with beta carotene and lutein. These nutrients, in turn, have been shown to reduce people’s risk of macular degeneration and vision loss.

    Avocados also give you omega-3 fatty acids, which have been found to reduce heart disease and stroke, and lots of monounsaturated fats, which are good for your heart. Avocados can lower people’s blood pressure and bad cholesterol, LDL They can also boost people’s good cholesterol, HDL

    Avocados could help you lose weight, even though a single avocado has around 227 calories. The healthy fat in avocados keeps you feeling full much longer than other far less nutritious and equally caloric foods. Moreover, avocados’ fat and antioxidants reduce inflammation and help with weight management. One study found that women who ate one Hass avocado a day had less belly fat than women who ate the same number of calories but no avocado.

    Avocados could do wonders for your skin. A UCLA study found that people who ate one avocado a day had improved skin elasticity and firmness.

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  • Five reasons to eat avocados

    Five reasons to eat avocados

    Avocados are in season and there’s every reason to eat them. CNN reports on five health benefits of avocados that you likely did not know. And, there are so many great ways to enjoy them.

    Here are some nutritional benefits of eating avocados

    • Omega-3: You can get a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids from an avocado. Omega-3 is great for reducing your LDL cholesterol level. LDL cholesterol can cause your arteries to harden and restrict your blood flow, which in turn can lead to blood clots.
    • Potassium: Potassium is a mineral that is good for regulating nerve function. It allows for nutrients to go into cells and removes waste, including sodium. In the process, it helps fight high blood pressure.
    • Monounsaturated fats: These fats also help reduce your LDL cholesterol and does not touch your good HDL cholesterol.
    • Fiber: You don’t need to eat Grape Nuts for your fiber. Avocados deliver lots of fiber without the sugar. And, the fiber helps to fill you up, reducing your hunger level and keeping you from overeating if you’re on a diet. That said, a 3.5 ounce avocado portion is 160 calories!
    • Folate: Skip the vitamin B supplement and get the vitamin naturally from your avocado. It helps with good brain function.

    How might you enjoy the health benefits of an avocado? Slice one in half, top it with lemon juice and a little salt and pepper, then eat it straight from the skin. No muss, no fuss! Or, scoop it out and mash with a little garlic, a little lime juice, salt and some red onion for quick and easy guacamole. Use it as a mayo substitute. Dip slices in egg and breadcrumbs and fry them up. Or, add an avocado to a smoothie for a creamy healthy drink.  Avocados can also go in a soup or a dessert for extra creaminess.

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  • FDA is hiding information on supplements that are dangerous

    FDA is hiding information on supplements that are dangerous

    The FDA regulates dietary supplements, including beauty products, sexual enhancement products, and workout supplements. But, it does not make a determination about the safety or efficacy of these supplements before they become available to the public. Because these supplements can literally kill people, the FDA is supposed to disclose reports of harm from supplements. Why is the FDA hiding information about supplements that are dangerous?

    To protect Americans, the FDA has a database, CAERS, that is supposed to include information on supplements that are reported dangerous, including product complaint reports. CAERS is open to public scrutiny because Americans should know when a supplement is dangerous.

    But, Consumer Reports has found that the Trump administration is not disclosing information about many supplements that are dangerous; prior administrations have also not done so to the extent required. According to Consumer Reports, the CAERS database does not disclose the names of hundreds of manufacturers of products that have been reported to cause harm. Rather, the FDA is giving many manufacturers an exemption, putting the businesses of manufacturers ahead of the safety of Americans.

    The FDA has always exempted a small class of products from being reported for public view (<5 percent) in an effort to encourage manufacturers to report consumer complaints to the FDA. The FDA appears now to be applying this exemption far more broadly, counter to FDA policy.

    With products that cause death or hospitalization, a manufacturer must let the FDA know. And, the FDA is supposed to make that information available to the public. Also, when an individual or a physician submits a report about a product, the product’s name is supposed to appear in the CAERS database.

    After analyzing documents released because of a Freedom of Information Act request, Consumer Reports found that the FDA exempted more than 400 supplements, even though they were reported to have caused hospitalizations or deaths. The FDA is now saying that these reports were “mislabeled,” acknowledging that the products should have been disclosed.

    The CAERS database came into being in 2003 to make consumers aware of safety issues from supplements. But, in 2015, the FDA began exempting 15 percent of product names from public view. During the Trump administration, those exemptions have doubled to more than 30 percent of product names.

    Millions of Americans take supplements on a daily basis. And, many swear by them. But, there is little scientific evidence that they provide benefits in most cases. And, lots of evidence that they can cause serious harm.

    On top of the failure of the CAERS database to disclose information critical to the health and safety of Americans, the CAERS database is hard to search. The FDA also operates a FAERS database in which adverse events related to drugs are reported. That database is easily searchable.

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  • Eat your fruits!

    Eat your fruits!

    The National Institute on Aging explains that older adults generally do not eat enough fruit and recommends eating more. Go for variety, including a range of colors, because different fruits offer different benefits.

    Harvard Health explains that fruits contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber helps to keep your digestive system working. Fruits (and vegetables) also provide you with plant substances called phytochemicals that can help keep you healthy. They are plant chemicals that contribute to the color, taste and smell of fruits and vegetables. Evidence suggests that phytochemicals may help fight cancer and heart disease.

    Different fruits have dozens of different phytochemicals, including in their skins. Berries, apples, and citrus fruits have flavonoids that may fight inflammation and tumor growth. Berries also have anthocyanins which may lower blood pressure.

    Grapes and apples have proanthocyanidins and flavanols which may improve functioning of the lining of the arteries and also lower blood pressure. Cherries and citrus fruits have terpenes which may help slow cancer cell growth and fight viruses.

    Cochrane, a non-profit independent research organization, reports that eating five to nine portions of fruits (and vegetables) each day may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, but the evidence is limited. A portion (a half cup) could be a two inch peach or large plum or a half of a grapefruit. It also could be two ounces of dried fruit or an eighth of a cantaloupe. Side effects of eating fruit include more bowel movements, bad breath and body odor.

    Before eating fruits, be sure to wash them. And, try to eat whole fruits. Juices are good, but you lose a lot of the nutrients once fruit becomes juice. If you’re buying canned or dried fruit, choose the products with the least sugar.

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  • Should you be taking vitamins?

    Should you be taking vitamins?

    Liz Szabo reports for the New York Times that older Americans are popping supplements like candy. Doctors may recommend certain vitamins like vitamin D and folic acid, and dozens of others are marketed widely. But, the evidence suggests that most of these supplements offer no health benefits for otherwise healthy individuals and that some ingredients in some supplements do harm. Should you be taking vitamins?

    If you are otherwise healthy, speak with your doctor. You should likely skip the vitamin pills and instead eat a balanced diet. The preponderance of independent studies on almost all supplements suggests that the benefits are at best negligible and the dangers, at times, significant. For example, the biggest studies show that  vitamin E and folic acid supplements do not promote heart health. What’s worse, the studies show that too much vitamin E can mean you are at higher risk of heart failure, prostate cancer and death from any cause.

    Still, nearly seven in ten older adults take at least one vitamin and nearly three in ten take four or more vitamins.  There appears to be a misplaced belief that you can get more of the nutrients you need from vitamin pills and that more vitamins in your system is better for your health. But, pills are generally no substitute for eating a healthy diet, some ingredients in some vitamins can cause serious health risks, and taking more vitamins can be harmful to your health.

    Before believing the “experts” and spending your money on a supplement, you might want to review the scientific evidence on www.Cochrane.org. Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, carers, patients and people interested in health. The people at Cochrane “gather and summarize the best evidence from research to help you make informed choices about treatments.”

    You can read the independent research findings about these vitamins on Just Care:

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