August 9, 2010 — Americans spend about $5 billion on multivitamins every year.

But a new survey from Consumer Reports National Research Center finds around half of the multivitamin users polled weren’t sure they were taking the right one, and they’re worried about contamination. Consumer Reports just tested nearly two dozen multivitamins.

Christopher Guglielmo is a personal trainer who makes taking care of himself a priority. And he takes a multivitamin every day, like nearly 40 percent of all adults.

With so many different multivitamins on the market, knowing “which multivitamin is right for you” can be confusing. Consumer Reports tested 21 regular, daily multivitamins, as well as one for seniors and chewables for children.

“Not everyone needs to take a multivitamin, particularly if you eat a balanced diet. But it’s necessary for pregnant women and people on strict diets,” said Gayle Williams, Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports had an outside lab test for the ingredients claimed, as well as contamination. None contained worrisome levels of heavy metals or excessive doses of any vitamin or mineral.

Consumer Reports also tested to see how well the multivitamins dissolve. That’s important, so you’re able to get all the nutrients.

Two of the most expensive multivitamins had a problem. Some samples from Rite Aid’s Whole Source Mature Adult and Vitamin Shoppe’s One Daily did not dissolve sufficiently.

And with the One Daily, samples from two of the three lots tested contained only 73 percent of the Vitamin A listed.

“The good news is all the other multivitamins passed Consumer Reports’ tests, so you can choose by price,” said Williams.

One of the least expensive for all three types was Equate from Walmart. And the Kirkland Signature multivitamins from Costco will save you even more.

And if you really want to cut your costs, Consumer Reports says look for multivitamin sales and buy in bulk, since many vitamins don’t expire for at least a year.

A new study has been released on Saturday, which says that although vitamin B is harmless but it does not prevent a repeat occurrence of heart attacks or strokes.

The researchers have said that their findings are based on first-ever clinical trials and advice that patients who suffer from severe vascular events should not be recommended vitamin B supplements.

In a previous research, it was shown that there is a link between an increase of amino acid in the blood, a condition called homocysteine and an increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

On the other hand, other studies on the same subject show that abnormal amino acid levels can be reduced by having a daily dose of vitamin B.

The fact about which researchers had no idea was that whether the risk of repeat heart attacks or strokes can be reduced by daily vitamin B supplements.

In order to meet the successful results, a clinical trial was conducted by an international consortium of scientists and doctors from 20 nations, which included more than 8,000 patients who had recently faced a serious heart or vascular problem.

“B vitamins are safe, but they were not significantly more effective than placebo in preventing major vascular events among stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients”, said lead researcher Dr. Graeme J. Hankey.

(Reuters Health) - Older adults with relatively low intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 may have a higher risk of developing depression than those who get more of the nutrients, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 3,500 older adults they followed for up to a dozen years, the risk of developing depression symptoms declined by 2 percent for every 10-milligram (mg) increase in daily vitamin B6 from food and supplements.

The same was true for every 10-microgram (mcg) increase in vitamin B12 intake.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not prove that the B vitamins themselves protect against depression. But the results do echo those of some previous studies tying the vitamins — as well as folate, another B vitamin — to depression risk.

The prime shortcoming of most of those previous studies, however, was that they studied people at one point in time, rather than following them over years — making it unclear whether the lower B-vitamin intake came before or after the depression.

The main strength of the current study is that it followed a large group of people over 12 years, measuring depression symptoms at several time points, lead researcher Dr. Kimberly Skarupski, an associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told Reuters Health in an email.

That bolsters the case that relatively low intakes of the B vitamins might contribute to depression in some people. Still, Skarupski and her colleagues say their results should be interpreted with “caution,” because study participants’ consumption of the vitamins might be a proxy for other factors, like a generally healthy diet.

The study included 3,500 Chicago-area adults who were at least 65 years old and depression-free at the outset. Participants’ consumption of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 was estimated based on their responses to a detailed dietary questionnaire. They were then assessed for depression periodically over the next dozen years.

The researchers found that anywhere from 11 percent to 14 percent of participants had symptoms indicative of clinical depression at some point during the follow-up.

When they looked at the relationship between B vitamins and depression, they found that the risk generally dipped as consumption of B6 or B12 increased. The link held when Skarupski’s team accounted for a number of other factors — such as race, education and income, antidepressant use and lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking.

While the results do not prove cause-and-effect, Skarupski said they do emphasize the importance of older adults’ being mindful of their diets.

“Older adults should eat well-balanced diets and talk with their healthcare providers about their nutritional intake and nutrient status,” she advised.

Vitamin B6 is found in a range of foods, including beans, potatoes, bananas, meat, chicken, peanut butter and certain fish, like salmon and tuna. The recommended intake for men older than 50 is 1.7 mg per day, while women are advised to get 1.5 mg; the upper limit is set at 100 mg daily, as too much B6 can cause nerve damage.

Foods naturally rich in B12 include beef, certain fish, like salmon and trout, and milk products; B12 is also added to some foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals.

The recommended dietary allowance for the vitamin in adults is 2.4 micrograms per day; there is no established upper limit for B12 because of its low potential for harmful effects. Because older adults have difficulty absorbing the B12 naturally found in food, experts generally recommend that they try to get their daily allotment through fortified food or a multivitamin.

People in the current study consumed anywhere from 0.6 mg to 200 mg of B6 each day, while B12 intakes ranged from 0.3 to 266 mcg per day.

According to Skarupski’s team, it is biologically plausible that the two vitamins would affect depression risk.

Both B6 and B12 are involved in healthy nervous system function, and overt B12 deficiency causes a neurological syndrome that includes problems with thinking and memory, as well as depression symptoms.

For its part, vitamin B6 is involved in synthesizing chemical “messengers” in the brain, including serotonin. Serotonin dysfunction is believed to play a key role in depression.

Much remains to be learned about B vitamins and depression, however. There is little evidence, for example, that taking the vitamins can help treat depression — though preliminary findings from one recent study suggested that folate may enhance the effects of antidepressant medication.

In this study, folate intake was not linked to depression risk, as it has been in some studies from other countries. A potential explanation, Skarupski and her colleagues speculate, is that outright folate deficiency is rare in the U.S., where grain products are routinely fortified with the vitamin.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease that affects nearly 1 in 100 people.  Joints can become painfully inflamed, swollen, deformed and destroyed by the disease.  People diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis will be in lifelong treatment.  Certain medications, diet, physical therapy, exercise and sometimes surgery can postpone the damaging effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes rheumatoid arthritis, but they believe that it is the body’s immune system attacking healthy tissues instead of damaged ones.  This is why it is considered to be an autoimmune disorder.  It can strike at any age and is slightly more common in women than in men.  There is not a known prevention of RA, but research has shown that people who are active, have a healthy diet high in vitamin C, and who do not smoke are up to three times less likely to develop RA.

Nutrition plays several important roles in treating rheumatoid arthritis.  Vitamin C in particular has received a lot of attention in research on treating RA.  This disease seems to be triggered by infection.  The immune system overreacts to the infection and starts attacking joints.  Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that calms and strengthens the immune system at the same time.  It is believed that vitamin C, when kept at optimal levels, can control the onset of rheumatoid arthritis attacks.

Vitamin C is also a powerful tool for controlling inflammation.  It specifically fights the tenascin-C molecules that get into joints and trigger the immune system to activate.   Tenascin-C molecules are also thought to be responsible for sustaining inflammation.  People who suffer from RA often have elevated levels of this molecule in their joints.  Recent studies are focusing on controlling the molecular switch that activates the immune system and sends it into attack mode.  Although there is no cure for RA at this time, researchers are optimistic about vitamin C’s role in preventing and treating the disease.

Vitamin C plays a major role in collagen synthesis, which can help keep your joints healthy.  Vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium supplements also fight inflammation, increase blood flow to joints, and can even relieve painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.  Keeping your joints as healthy as possible is the first step in preventing and treating RA.  One way to tell if your body is not producing enough collagen is to check your gums.  This is the easiest place to check your connective tissue health.  If they are red, swollen, or bleed when you floss or brush, then you may have low levels of vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium or magnesium.  Proper levels of these vitamins and supplements support connective tissues, such as bones, joints and gums, all over your body.

It is important to take care when supplementing with vitamins and supplements.  Before you buy vitamins, talk to your doctor about dosages that are right for you and your condition.  Higher or lower than normal vitamin C levels can actually worsen symptoms in osteoarthritis patients, so you will need to be monitored by a physician if this is the case for you.  When you buy vitamins, choose the best vitamin C that you can find to ensure proper absorption.

Vitamin A is commonly known as the vitamin needed for good eyesight. Along with promoting vision, vitamin A is also vital for regulating genes, maintaining healthy skin, supporting the immune system and producing red blood cells. Deficiencies are rare in first world countries and are largely a problem of developing countries. A vitamin A deficiency primarily causes impaired vision and increases susceptibility to infectious diseases.

There are several forms of Vitamin A that are needed by the body. These include:

• Retinal – a metabolite of vitamin A required for vision.
• Rentinol – the form of vitamin A that can be stored by the body and converted to retinal when needed.
• Retinioc acid – a growth factor needed primarily to regulate genes.

Vitamin A Is important for vision

When we look at objects, light is reflected from the object and enters the eye, striking a tissue located in the back of the eye. This tissue is known as the retina. When light strikes the retina, retinol is converted to retinal, which is then shuttled to rods – the cells that help you to see in the dark. In rod cells, retinal binds to a protein called opsin. As a result, opsin changes shape and causes nerve impulses to be generated. These nerve impulses then carry messages to the brain regarding the objects in our visual field. Retinal is then converted back to retinol, ending the visual cycle.

A hallmark of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness – an impaired ability to see in low light conditions. This is because with a reduced availability of retinol, the nerve impulses necessary for our brain to interpret visual information are hindered.

Vitamin A Regulates Genes

Our genes hold the code for vital proteins needed to carry out the body’s day to day functions. Thus, when these proteins are needed, the genetic code needs to be transcribed. However, gene transcription is highly regulated. This includes when it occurs and how fast it occurs. The retinoic acid form of Vitamin A helps to regulate the rate of gene transcription.

Vitamin A Supports the Immune System

The skin and the lining that covers the digestive, respiratory and urinary tracts are important components of the immune system. They are your body’s first barrier against infection. The retinol form of vitamin A is responsible for maintaining the function of the cells that make up these barriers. Vitamin A is also needed for the formation and activation of white blood cells.

Vitamin A Is Important for Red Blood Cell Production

All blood cells are developed from stem cells. Vitamin A facilitates the specialization of stems into red blood cells. Vitamin A also allows iron to be incorporated into hemoglobin – the oxygen carrying component of red blood cells.

Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be sourced from both plants and animals. A few of the best sources of vitamin A include:

• Cod liver oil
• Eggs
• Whole milk
• Sweet Potato
• Pumpkin
• Carrots
• Squash/ butternut
• Spinach
• Kale

In the ongoing research, studies, and debates regarding specific vitamins and their overall benefit or lack thereof, we now see the pendulum take a brief swing to the side of doubt. This is a good reason to take the advice of reaching for a whole food nutritional supplement - Juice Plus+ for example - instead of one or a multitude of synthetic vitamins… if you need to supplement your diet.  This particlular vitamins study looks at one of the most widely touted vitamins for supporting our health, that seems to be lacking in a large majority of the population. Vitamin D –

A new report recently released says vitamin D provides no protection against certain types of cancer.

More than 7,000 cases were studied by the National Cancer Institute and several other institutions.  Researchers examined vitamin D levels in blood that had been collected from thousands of men and women before they received a cancer diagnosis.

The study found no protection against Lymphoma, cancer of the endometrium, esophagus, stomach, kidney, ovarian or pancreatic cancer.

“What we found overall there was no strong association between vitamin D and cancer risk so the lower levels were not associated with the higher risk and higher levels were not protected against cancer,” said Dr. Kathy Helzlsouer, study chairwoman. Source…

Comments: While I would suggest that a food-based source of Vitamin D would be preferred over a synthetic one, for various reasons, including studies like these that can turn negative, don’t throw out your Vitamin D in a bottle just yet. However, don’t be lured into a sense of false security about your health, thinking that taking a handful of supplements each day will provide the nutrients your body needs to remain healthy.  The best source of good nutrition is a plant-based diet.  If you don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet, then use a whole food nutritional supplement like Juice Plus+ which provides nutrients from a variety of those foods.

Finally, it is easy to also find both sides of a study - each that contradicts the other - for any vitamin or otherwise. The good news here is that there are many, many more studies that show the benefits of Vitamin D than there are studies like these. You may also question the motivation of either side - who benefits from the conclusions offered, that is. Then you may question whether or not the study is biased. That’s why it’s best to stick with a healthy diet that includes plenty of plant-based foods.

Dr. J. Patrick Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
Official Juice Plus+ Independent Distributor

It’s probably safe to say that we require vitamins from the roots of our hair to the tips of our feet. Vitamins are extremely important organic compounds that our body needs for proper metabolism. That is why no nutrition is considered complete without the vitamins necessary to make our body work. Is it any wonder that the vitamin supplementindustry continues to expand?

How vitamins affect our health and nutrition
Vitamins play a part in all the important functions that occur in our bodies including the formation of blood cells, hormones, chemicals needed in the nervous system and all of our genetic material.

Vitamins do not affect our bodies directly. Instead, they function as catalysts and take effect by combining with the proteins in our bodies to produce active enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for producing chemical reactions in the body. These chemical reactions are all linked. When one commences, it triggers another reaction which triggers another. When a body is vitamin deficient, this chain may break down and cause illness, disease or other conditions that affect the body negatively.

Vitamins also affect our nutrition and can boost the health-giving properties of foods to maximize their effect. All the carbohydrates, fats and proteins we take in the form of food and drinks are enhanced by vitamins.

Two kinds of vitamins
Knowing the two kinds of vitamins will help understand why it’s essential that they be maintained at the recommended daily dosage. There are fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are more easily absorbed by the body with the help of fat-containing food. These vitamins include A, D, E and K. Any excess are stored in the liver, kidneys and body fat.

Water-soluble vitamins are not stored by the body and are excreted through the urine if there are any excess amounts. That is why it’s important to replenish the supply on a daily basis. These vitamins include Vitamin C and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, B6 and B12).

Where to find vitamins
Vitamins occur naturally in food and you can take advantage of this by maintaining good nutrition on a day-to-day basis. If you are vigilant enough to monitor your daily intake and you’re young, there’s almost no need for you to take vitamin supplements.

However, as you grow older and the body changes, other factors that are disruptive to your nutrition such aslifestyle changes and unhealthy habit formation makes it necessary to add to your vitamin source with supplements taken in pill form or as fortified food, bars and drinks.

The need for vitamin supplements
Food will remain the best source for vitamins. The only problem is that most of the food we eat and drink today are adulterated by processing methods. Washing, brushing, heating and other cooking and preparation methods reduce the amounts of vitamins contained in the source. That is why even with the best resources and meals, people are still malnourished.

There are also those individuals who are deficient in vitamins not only because of their choice but also because of their lifestyles. Through their choice of nutrition, habits and physical activities, they deplete their stores of vitamins without knowing it. To prevent any problems and correct any deficiency, vitamins are sourced through supplements in the form of pills, tablets, specially formulated food and fortified drinks.