Vitamin C - great info - and other help!

[Guest guest]

Here's another great article from HSI about Vitamin C - I doubt most of us get even remotely enough of it. Yet it has multitudes of great actions that we NEED on a daily basis.

 

Linda

 

AIM HIGH Health Sciences Institute e-AlertMay 7, 2003**************************************************************Dear Reader,When reading about dietary supplements it doesn't take long to realize that there is no end to the complex interactions between different vitamins, minerals and herbs. It's a universe where answered questions inevitably open up dozens of other questions. In an e-Alert I sent you two weeks ago ("Multi-Talented" 4/23/03), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., explained how the low amounts of vitamin C found in most multi-vitamins should be considered only the start of the supplementation of this very important nutrient. As Dr. Spreen pointed out in that e-Alert: "The amount of vitamin C in a supplement is far less than I'd want a person to take...I nearly always start with a minimum of 1000 milligrams 2x/day." Two members followed up on Dr. Spreen's comments with questions whose answers demonstrate the vital importance of vitamin C, as well as its relationship to other supplements. -----------------------------Vitamins at odds? -----------------------------"My nutritionist told me not to take vitamin C and vitamin E at the same time because one reduces the effect of the other." This comment came from an HSI member named Joe who says that he now takes C in the morning and afternoon, and E with selenium at night. Joe also found an article on the Internet that corroborated the C and E conflict, but would like further information. As longtime e-Alert readers are aware, Dr. Spreen is an outspoken advocate of dietary supplements (and of vitamins C and E in particular), and he had this to say about balancing the two: "I recommend such high doses of each that it would not be easy (or work as well) to take them separately during the day and still take them with food. Taking 3000 milligrams of vitamin C at one time is nowhere near as potent as taking 1000 milligrams 3 separate times. In fact, I'm against taking vitamin C less than twice/day, as it is utilized so quickly that there may be none of the original dose left in the bloodstream long before the next dose arrives if you wait 24 hours. "Since most nutrients in nature occur together I'm also not quite ready to believe that there's that much destruction of one or the other when taken together. There are exceptions, such as amino acids taken with other proteins, but as a rule I give all nutrients together (as would occur in nature) as much as possible, and so that they may be taken with food. Supplements alone don't do much. Besides, it's usually less an issue of 'destruction' as it is 'enhanced need,' which implies to me that all may be more effectively utilized when introduced together."As I've never separated the administration of those two nutrients, and since my own clinical results show improvement over why the subject came to me for advice in the first place, I have to conclude that such use of nutrient supplements tend to be beneficial given in such a manner."-----------------------------Goose & gander -----------------------------But what about vitamin C and minerals? An HSI member named Barbara who has specific concerns with diabetes wrote with this question: "I have been told by my nutritionist that too much vitamin C will prevent or hinder the absorption of copper and therefore cause problems in some people. Can you tell me how I might be sure to get plenty of both? I am diabetic and need to be sure everything is balanced." Dr. Spreen acknowledges that large amounts of one nutrient (especially the B-vitamins) can cause a deficiency in others. He points out that the primary problem, "boils down to 'biochemical individuality,' a term coined by a Nobel prize-winner, and highly significant in its implications."The difficulty is to figure out just what the base needs are for each individual, and that's extremely difficult. In the case of the B-complex, for example, an 'average' person might need (say) 20 milligrams of B-1, 10 of B-2, 15 of B-6, and more is just wasted (theoretically). The trick is knowing about the 20, 10, and 15 milligrams respectively. A non-'average' person (i.e., a true human individual) may have an enzyme defect that requires 200 milligrams of B-1 to absorb the 20 milligrams that Mr. 'Average' needs. There are some cases that are easier to figure out than others, such as schizophrenia, where it's probable that vitamin B-3 levels would need to be greatly enhanced to reach 'normal' (maybe even thousands of milligrams)."For such reasons I try to give the body (assuming I don't have any idea of a person's personal chemical individuality) as much as possible so that the body may have an easier time selecting the doses it needs for itself. Since most nutrients have very wide margins of safety, I'm pretty comfortable giving such amounts and letting the body decide. (There are exceptions, so see your health care practitioner.)"-----------------------------A little copper & a little zinc -----------------------------After answering Barbara's question generally, Dr. Spreen went on with this specific advice about vitamin C and copper: "It does seem that vitamin C in high doses requires the use of the mineral nutrient copper. My solution is to try to have all players on the field so the body can play the nutrient game as a team. Therefore, when 3000 milligrams of vitamin C are given daily, I'd normally throw in 2 milligrams of copper. But then, with the copper I'd also toss in 30 milligrams of zinc, because high copper antagonizes zinc (and vice versa). This relationship is also true of calcium/vitamin D, arginine/lysine, essential fatty acids/vitamin E, and most likely tons of others."Because I believe we are, as a general rule, better off with too much rather than too little (in the way of nutrients anyway), I attempt to tailor a person's regimen to their history with enough of each nutrient to somewhat 'overshoot' the 'norm' for that person. Since we can never figure out each personal nutrient need down to the milligram, that's my attempt to obtain that nebulous quantity I call 'optimal health.'" As Dr. Spreen makes clear, while the aim with dosage may be to "overshoot," keeping the many variables of good nutrition balanced is just as important. **************************************************************..and another thingA recent e-mail reminded me that while we often address vision concerns in both e-Alerts and HSI Members Alerts, we shouldn't forget the importance of maintaining our hearing. A member named W.F. wrote with this question:"My hearing seems to be deteriorating almost daily. Are there any supplements that could help?" W.F. didn't give his age, but there's a good chance that he's experiencing presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. The factor that triggers presbycusis, however, may come from any number of sources, including: ear infections; repeated exposure to loud noises; chemotherapy treatment; and the use of some antibiotics such as streptomycin, neomycin, and kanamycin. Reduced hearing capacity may also be due to free-radical damage, reduced blood flow in the ear, or even genetics.The good news for W.F. is that hearing loss can be halted and even reversed in some cases with a natural antioxidant called vinpocetine - an extract from the seeds of the periwinkle plant. Vinpocetine is a vasodilator, which means it increases circulation and helps deliver more oxygen to the cells. In this capacity, it's sometimes combined with other herbs and constituents to enhance hearing and memory function. In an HSI Members Alert we sent you in November 2001, we told you about a vinpocetine supplement called VincaHear, specifically formulated to improve hearing. VincaHear (available through life-enhancement.com) combines vinpocetine with other components that have been shown to benefit hearing, such as Ginkgo biloba, quercetin, niacin, vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium. As with any new addition to your supplement regimen, you should check with your doctor before taking vinpocetine - especially if you're currently taking any blood-thinning supplement or drug (including preventative or therapeutic aspirin use) or are being treated for a cardiac or vascular disorder. The ability to improve both hearing and cognitive functions with one supplement obviously has a strong appeal, but not at the risk of creating other health problems. To Your Good Health,Jenny ThompsonHealth Sciences Institute

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