Vitamin Information Center

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is essential to the formation of visual purple in the retina, which allows vision in dim light. It helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A mostly comes from animal foods, but some plant-based foods supply beta-carotene, which your body then converts into Vitamin A.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. Over consumption of vitamin A can cause nausea, irritability and blurred vision in its mild form. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form. Vitamin A overdose can also cause birth defects and has been linked to increased risk of bone fractures in some people. Like other vitamins, vitamin A does not replace food and in fact, it cannot be assimilated without food.

Benefits of vitamin A to us:-

1. Vitamin A improves our vision and prevents night blindness.

2. This vitamin promotes formation of strong bones.

3. Vitamin A supplements may help kids who have respiratory problem.

4. Act as anti-oxidant, helping to protect our cells against cancer and other disease.

5. It can improve skin condition like acne or psoriasis.

6. Vitamin A guards us against bacterial, viral, parasitic infections.

Deficiency Symptoms of vitamin A

1. Bitots spot, 2. Night blindness, 3. Conjunctival xerosis, 4. Corneal xerosis,

5. Keratomalacia.

Sources of vitamin A

1. Spinach and collard greens 2. Egg yolk 3. Fortified milk

4. Sweet potato and Broccoli 5. Pumpkin and carrots

6. Cheddar cheese

Bausch & Lomb, the eye health company dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life, has unveiled a groundbreaking range of vitamin and mineral supplements developed to help preserve eye health.

PreserVision Soft Gels by Bausch & Lomb are high potency antioxidant supplements developed from the only formulation tested in a 10-year eye health study. Conducted by the US National Eye Institute, the study monitored health in over 4,000 50-80 year-old participants, and found that the supplements could be effective in preserving eye health in those susceptible to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD is a disease of the macular – the central part of the eye which allows a person to see fine detail, and gradually destroys the sharp, central vision which is needed to see objects clearly. The most prevalent cause of vision loss in the western world, AMD is thought to affect over three million people in the UK alone – more than five per cent of the population.

Recommended by leading ophthalmologists in the UK, PreserVision Soft Gels provide antioxidant vitamins and minerals at levels not normally achievable through diet alone.

Andrew Lotery, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southampton, said: “Oral treatment of AMD through supplementation is a proven and cost effective method of reducing progression of the disease.

“However, not all vitamin supplements are the same. Low doses of minerals such as vitamins C and E, zinc and beta-carotene have a negligible effect when compared to the high dose AREDS formulation. Vitamin therapy should be seen as a high priority when assessing patients in the early stages of AMD.”

The two-a-day PreserVision Soft Gels are available in two easy-to-swallow formulations – Original and Lutein. PreserVision Original provides high levels of the antioxidants beta-carotene3, vitamins C and E and zinc.

PreserVision Lutein is an advanced formulation containing the same combination of vitamins C, E and zinc, but with lutein as a replacement for beta-carotene. Lutein, which occurs naturally in the retina, is believed to function both as an antioxidant and a filter of harmful blue light. PreserVision Lutein can be recommended to all users, including smokers.

The PreserVision Soft Gels range complements the established PreserVision Tablets supplement, which contains the same quantity of the antioxidants vitamins and minerals as the Original Soft Gels formulation, but in a four-a-day tablet form.

For further information about Bausch & Lomb’s PreserVision, log on to Preservision.co.uk.

PreserVision Original and Lutein Soft Gels and PreserVision tablets are available over the counter at most Boots stores, and pharmacies, priced at £14.95 (RRP) for 60 Soft Gels.

Taking vitamin supplements does not improve health and may increase the risk of premature death, according to media reports.

A review of 67 randomised trials found that taking the supplements vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene could lead to premature death.

The evidence for vitamin C and selenium suggested that the pills did not increase the risk of death, but there was no benefit in taking the pills compared with a placebo.

The researchers concluded that the current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in a healthy population.

There is no suggestion from the review, however, that a diet rich in natural sources of antioxidants could be damaging to health, say the papers.

Around 12 million people in Britain are taking vitamin supplements fuelling a £330 million industry.

What is the research?
The reports are based on the findings of a Danish study into the impact of antioxidant supplements on mortality rates.

A search of published literature and other studies held by manufacturers identified 815 trials. But only 67 were considered to be adequately run randomised controlled trials. These included 232,550 people aged an average of 62 years.

Twenty-one of the trials focused on the use of supplements in healthy individuals, while the rest tested patients with a range of diseases. Trials including children, pregnant women or patients with acute conditions, such as cancer, were excluded.

Antioxidant supplements were found to increase the risk of premature death in 47 trials.

Overall, antioxidant supplements were linked to a 4 per cent increased risk of death compared with placebo.

But when antioxidants were assessed separately, the researchers found that vitamin A was linked to a 16 per cent increased risk of premature death. For beta-carotene there was a 7 per cent increased risk of death and for vitamin E a 4 per cent increased risk of death.

The use of vitamin C or selenium did not increase the risk of death but showed no beneficial health effects compared with placebo.

Antioxidant supplements could lead to early death by eliminating too many free radicals, suggest the researchers. This could interfere with some essential defensive mechanisms such as apoptosis and detoxification, they say.

What do the researchers say?
Lead author Dr Christian Gluud, from the centre for clinical intervention research at Copenhagen University, called for better regulation of antioxidant supplements.

‘If a patient can eat a healthy, varied diet, then there is no need to take vitamin supplements. According to our results this may even be harmful.

‘Based on our results, as well as the results from other studies, it seems that these supplements might increase the progression of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

‘It seems that the increased mortality comes from an acceleration of disease progression rather than from the development of new diseases.’

The team has not looked at whether a diet rich in natural antioxidants could be harmful to health but it would be good to conduct some large scale trials into this, said Dr Gluud.

What do other experts say?
Anne Sidnell, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said: ‘The findings of this study are in line with other studies that have shown that antioxidants have no health benefits when consumed as supplements rather than through food.

‘Our bodies are designed to take in the correct amounts of nutrients from food, but there is a danger of overdosing when using supplements.’

There may be occasions when supplements are needed, such as vitamin D supplements for the elderly or folic acid for pregnant women, but overall a balanced diet is the best way to stay healthy, she added.

But Pamela Mason, nutritionist and spokeswomen for the Health Supplements Information Service, said: ‘Trials using antioxidant supplements have shown inconsistent findings and yet another review or meta-analysis is not going to tell us anything at this stage.

‘Antioxidants, including these noted in the Cochrane review, are essential for health and UK national dietary surveys have shown that some people have poor intakes of such nutrients.’

Antioxidants are not ‘magic bullets’ and were never intended for the prevention of chronic disease and mortality but for health maintenance, she added.

WOULDN’T it be wonderful if there were a range of magic pills we could take once a day to protect us from all manner of diseases?

One to ward off cancer, another to keep our cholesterol in check, and yet more to keep us mentally astute, with slim, well-toned bodies and glowing complexions.

We could drink beer, smoke tabs and eat burger and chips to our heart’s content and never have to worry because all the nasty side-effects would be cancelled out by a cocktail of dietary supplements.

You’d be forgiven for thinking many people already believe this to be possible, though admittedly to a lesser extent. But there’s surely no denying that millions of us are under the illusion that popping a few pills can cure a variety of ills.

I’m not talking about genuine, tried-and-tested medicines here . . . I’m referring to vitamin supplements.

An estimated 10m people in the UK regularly take vitamins, shoring up a whopping £350m-a- year industry. Goodness knows what the industry is worth worldwide. But if a new report is to be believed, they’re wasting their money.

In what is claimed to be the most in-depth study ever undertaken into the effects of supplements, a team of Danish scientists concluded that there’s no evidence that they are of any benefit to health.

Worse still, they say some — including Beta- carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E — actually endanger life and could “significantly increase mortality”.

Whenever I read stories like this I feel like I’ve wandered onto the set of the old Woody Allen movie Sleeper.

Allen’s character, having been cryogenically frozen for hundreds of years, is brought back to life in the future where everyone smokes because scientists have discovered tobacco is the healthiest substance known to man.

Now we’re faced with a version of Allen’s movie in reverse . . . it seems everything we thought was good for us is bad for us. Either that or it makes no difference, in which case, it’s still bad for us financially. So how come so many of us have fallen for the hype? I suspect the answer is that people believe vitamins work because that’s what they want to believe . . .

And because the truth is as unpalatable to them as the fresh fruit and vegetables they have shunned in favour of supplements.

Unfortunately, however, there are no magic pills. And it’s high time we accepted that fact and stopped throwing money at an industry that has become adept at selling us an impossible dream.

A healthy diet and plenty of exercise is the only answer . . . that’s the hard-to-swallow truth scientists have been telling us for years.

ONE in three of us takes them in a bid to boost our health and the UK market alone is worth £300million a year.

But now a major new study warns people who take vitamin supplements may not only be wasting their money, but SHORTENING their lives.

Brazil nuts … selenium

The review of 67 studies involving 230,000 people found that taking some vitamin pills could increase the risk of premature death by up to 16 per cent.

Researchers believe they may interfere with our bodies’ natural defence mechanisms.

Carrots … beta-carotene

Other supplements, including vitamin C, were found to have no effect, good or bad. Experts say a healthy, balanced diet should provide everything our bodies need.

Dietician Catherine Collins of the British Dietetic Association says: “It’s actually very hard to become deficient in most vitamins and minerals.

“For something like vitamin C, for example, it’s virtually impossible because it’s found in so many foods. And the body only absorbs the amount it needs, so more is not necessarily better.”

Here Sun Health looks at the study verdicts on key vitamins and minerals, and expert Catherine gives advice on how to get them from your diet.

VITAMIN A: Boosts immune system, helps with vision.

Study said: Supplements can increase risk of death by 16 per cent.

Found in: Animal products, eg milk, cheese and red meat, especially liver.

Catherine says: “Dairy foods in your diet should give you all you need.

“In fact, eating liver more than three times a week could mean you overdose on vitamin A.”

VITAMIN E: Protects fat in cells against damage that can lead to disease. Keeps the blood thin.

Study said: Supplements can raise risk of dying by four per cent.

Cheese … vitamin A

Found in: Seeds, nuts, corn oil and sunflower oil.

Catherine says: “Very easy to get in everyday foods. Even red meat and chicken has small amounts of it.”

VITAMIN C: Helps body absorb iron, speeds up repair process after injury.

Study said: Supplements won’t harm you, but no evidence they help either.

Found in: Oranges, kiwi, broccoli and peppers.

Catherine says: Five portions of fruit or veg a day will give you three times the amount that your body needs.”

BETA-CAROTENE: Powerful antioxidant that protects DNA in cells.

Study said: Supplements may raise risk of death by seven per cent.

Fish … selenium rich

Found in: Carrots, tomatoes, butternut squash and cabbage.

Catherine says: “The amount of betacarotene your body needs every day is very small. A little bit of cheese or cooking oil is probably enough.”

SELENIUM: Protects body against free radicals, the harmful molecules that attack and destroy healthy cells.

Study said: Supplements make no difference to health or life expectancy.

Found in: Brazilnuts, fish, wholegrains and meat.

Catherine says: “It’s incredibly rare to get selenium deficiency in the UK. Your body uses up very little of it so you need only tiny amounts.”

People who take vitamin supplements may not benefit their health and could increase the risk of premature death, according to a new report.

Danish researchers found that antioxidants do not prolong life expectancy as some may hope and that beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may actually increase the risk of death.

They did not uncover evidence that vitamin C and selenium have either positive or negative effects.

Their findings are based on a review of data from 67 randomised trials that involved just under a quarter of a million people and were released today by the Cochrane Library.

“We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases,” said Goran Bjelakovic, who performed the systematic review at the Copenhagen Trial Unit at the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

“Regarding these antioxidants we need more data from randomised trials. The bottom line is that current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general healthy population or in patients with certain diseases.”

Commenting on the review, the UK’s Food Standards Agency said: “Most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

“If consumers do choose to take supplements, it is important they are informed and they may also wish to also consult with their GP. For some vitamins and minerals, taking too much or taking them for too long can cause harmful effects.

Popping vitamin pills ‘like sweets’ could seriously damage your health, warn experts

HEALTHY people who take vitamin supplements were last night urged to be careful after research suggested they may do more harm than good.

Welsh health experts advised people to meet their nutritional needs by eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

There were also calls for tighter regulation of the sale of vitamins and minerals, which the public can buy “like sweets”, according to dietary advice groups.

The warning comes after researchers found that people who take antioxidant supplements, including vitamins A and E, to try to keep diseases such as cancer at bay, could in fact be interfering with their natural body defences and may be increasing their risk of an early death by up to 16%.

About 12 million Britons supplement their diets with vitamins and the industry is worth about £330m a year.

Paul Walker, chairman of the National Public Health Association Cymru, said: “We all need vitamins up to a certain level, but there is a misconception that taking more must be good for you.

“The evidence shows that this isn’t true. Having too much does no good and, in fact, could do people harm.

“The key is to have a very varied diet with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

“More regulation of this industry is probably required.”

Antioxidants, including vitamins A, E, C and beta-carotene and selenium, are said to mop up disease-causing compounds called free radicals. It is this action that researchers say may cause problems with the defence system.

The research by Copenhagen University, released by the influential Cochrane Library, applied only to synthetic supplements and not to vitamins that occur naturally in vegetables and fruit.

Researchers carried out a review of 67 studies on 230,000 healthy people and found “no convincing evidence” that any of the antioxidants helped to prolong life expectancy but some “increased mortality”.

They found that vitamin A supplements increased the risk of death in healthy people by 16%. Taking beta-carotene was linked to a 7% increased risk, while regular users of vitamin E supplements increased the risk of an early death by 4%.

Although the review found no significant detrimental effect caused by vitamin C, it found no evidence that it helped ward off disease. Millions take it in the hope of avoiding a common cold.

Goran Bjelakovic, who led the review, said: “We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases.

“If anything, people in trial groups given the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E showed increased rates of mortality.”

Catherine Collins of the British Dietetic Association said: “This study is deeply worrying and shows that there should be more regulation for vitamins and minerals.

“The public can buy vitamins as easily as sweets. They should be treated in the same way as paracetamol with maximum limits on the dosage.”

Camille Clarke, a naturopathic nutritionist, based at the Natural Health Clinic in Cathedral Road, Cardiff, backed calls for tighter controls.

“It [the industry] needs to be regulated, vitamins are too freely available,” said Camille, who urged people to opt for naturally- occurring vitamins.

“People read things in magazines and they are taking huge amounts of vitamins and minerals but have a terrible diet.

“There’s no point in taking vitamins if you don’t have a healthy diet. You should only take them if you have a health problem and only for a little while.”

Denise Parish, a lecturer in dietetics at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and a state registered dietician of 14 years, said: “As a general rule there is no evidence to say taking vitamins is of any benefit. Actually eating the foods that contain them is the best way of getting antioxidants.”

She said the only people who should take vitamin supplements are those who have particular health problems or pregnant women who are advised to take folate.

The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell, said: “A good balanced diet which includes fresh fruit and vegetables will always provide individuals with the vitamins that they need.

“We would always advise people not to rely on such supplements as their primary source of vitamin intake.”

A garden may mean different things to different people. To some, it’s a way to trim back the grocery budget. If laid out properly and maintained, a 50-by-50-foot garden could produce all the vegetables a family of five would need for a year. Even a 20-by-20-foot plot could produce enough food to greatly impact that weekly trudge to the grocery store.Some find it relaxing, some, a source of exercise. Light gardening will burn 170 to 240 calories an hour, while vigorous work such as spading and hoeing will burn 250 to 350.
Most have found how much better homegrown harvest tastes than the store bought stuff and how much better it is for you. Tomatoes that are picked green will ripen with 1/3 less vitamin C than vine ripened ones, and broccoli will lose 2/3 of its vitamin C six days after harvest. But even when stored for a period of time, good amounts of disease fighting beta-carotene are found in winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Why should it surprise us that fresh, just-picked veggies are the best for us? You wouldn’t need to take another store bought vitamin if all your vegetables came from your garden.

Going down the list we find that asparagus is high in vitamins A, C, B1, and Calcium. Because they root deep they become a good source of minerals too. Beets are high in A and C, while turnips are packed with B2 and E.

Besides the beta carotene found in carrots, significant amounts of B1, calcium, and phosphorus make the carrot one of the best snacks you could give your little munchkin. They would consider it a tasty treat if it came from your garden; the store stuff can taste pretty bad sometimes, thus leaving a bad taste in their mouth for veggies.

Parsnips, when harvested in the winter under 12 inches of leaves, will give you a whole new appreciation for this B6, C and potassium packed, cream-colored, carrot-looking thing. Other vegetables whose flavor sweetens with each passing frost include broccoli, which has more body-ready calcium than a glass of milk could ever hope for. Brussels sprouts are just plain stuffed with everything. And just one serving of Cauliflower will give you all the vitamin C your body will need for that day. Cabbage goes beyond that, adding good amounts of vitamins B1, B2, A and calcium as well.

Onion and leeks rate high in vitamins A, C and E, with corn adding vitamins A, B and some minerals, though not in very big amounts. My wife says there is not much nutrition in sweet corn; and I guess after it’s been smothered in butter and sprinkled with salt, any good has probably been canceled out. But I tell her, “It’s got to be better than a Twinkie.”

There are many more, including spinach. We around 50 years old know what gigantic muscles can be had by downing a can of this stuff, and these are necessary when protecting our Olive Oyls from the Blutos in our lives (I still don’t know what he saw in her, what a bean pole).

If gardening is your thing, whatever your reason, be it saving money or good health, your tastes buds and, more importantly, your children’s buds will say, “I didn’t know veggies could taste this good.”

If you have any questions about your landscaping, lawn, or garden, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and write to Niemeyer Landscaping, 3368 Perry St., Hudsonville, 49426, or e-mail NiemeyerLandscaping@Juno.com.

ORGANIC MILK has been found to be a valuable dietary source of vitamins and antioxidants, almost next in effectiveness to fruits and vegetables.

Higher vitamins and nutrients in organic milk

A recent research conducted by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Newcastle has revealed that organic milk is 50 per cent higher in the alpha tocopherol compound of Vitamin E, 75 percent higher in beta carotene, which is used by our bodies to convert to vitamin A, and has almost three times higher antioxidants (lutein and zeaxanthine) than non organic cow milk.

The report also stated that organic milk contains higher levels of omega three essential fatty acids. This is mainly because organic cows are not only pastured grazed, but are also fed with more quantity of red clover than conventional cows. Red clover contains large amount of omega three which ultimately reaches us through the organic milk.

Another research from the University of Liverpool showed that organic milk contains 68 per cent more omega three essential fatty acids. Omega three deficiencies has been the major cause of various health problems such as heart disease, inflammations (in skin diseases such as eczema), cancer, arthritis, etc.

Powerful antioxidants in organic milk

Both beta-carotene and Alpha tocopherol, the most active of vitamin E compounds, function as powerful antioxidants. While the former helps reduce the risk of developing cancer, the other counters the harm caused by free radicals, which cause ageing. Beta-carotene is useful for strong eyesight, greater resistance to infections, good skin, bone growth, tooth development, reproduction and gene expression. Major studies have found that these nutrients don’t have much value, if taken as supplements, instead of directly from food items.

Lutein and zeaxanthine antioxidants, which are vitamins in the vitamin A category, help prevent cataracts, macular degeneration (deteriorating eye sight as we age) and atherosclerosis (when the blood vessels block up). Women get 17.5 per cent of the required intake of vitamin E and men 14 percent by drinking a pint of organic milk a day. A pint of milk also provides the same quantity of beta-carotene as a portion of some vegetables such as Brussels sprouts.

Benefits from meeting organic requirements

Grass or grain, feed for organic farm cows has to be grown without pesticides. Cows reared in organic farms and fed on a rich diet of forage, fresh grass and clover, develop to become healthier. It is mandatory for United State Development Agriculture (USDA) organic labeled milk to come from cows that has not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production.

Another vital requirement for organic cows is that they must have access to pastures. Studies have found that organic milk has more Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). CLA promotes metabolic rate, immunity to diseases and muscle growth, and at the same time, brings down abdominal fat, cholesterol, and allergic reactions. Cows that are grazed on pastures have been found to produce 500 per cent more CLA in its milk than cows that are fed fodder. There has been increased in the interest of organic milk after recent research on animals showed that CLA is beneficial in cancer treatment.

Non-organic cows

The research found no additional nutritional benefits in non-organic cows. Such cows are fed on a cheaper diet, high in energy rich concentrates to increase milk yields. Non-organic farmers also freely use GM cattle feed, urea and solvent extracted feeds and waste from food factories.

Men who have their diet based on green vegetables, fruits and lentils have a higher chance of fathering a healthy child, a new research shows.

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that men with relatively low levels of folate (a B Vitamin) had increased risks for sperm containing either too few or too many chromosome, a condition known as aneuploidy. This condition is connected to failure to conceive, miscarriages, and children born with conditions such as Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome and Klinefelter’s syndrome.

“We looked at sperm to find different kinds of genetic abnormalities. The abnormalities we looked at here were having too few or too many chromosomes,” lead researcher Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology and director of the Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Berkeley’s School of Public Health said, according to the Washington Post.

The researchers analyzed sperm samples from 89 healthy, non-smoking men and questioned them about their daily intake of zinc, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. They found men with the highest intake of folate or folic acid (between 722 and 1150 micrograms a day) had 20 percent to 30 percent lower frequencies of aneuploidy compared to men with a lower intake. No correlation was made between the other vitamins and sperm aneuploidy.

The current recommended daily intake of folate for men over the age of 19 is 400 micrograms. Health experts recommend women of childbearing age maintain a healthy intake of folate because it is essential for healthy fetal developmental and to prevent neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida or anencephaly (severe type of brain damage). That’s the reason why folic acid is now added to bread, cereal, flour and other grain products in the U.S.

This study is the first to “say that male diet may be important for healthy offspring as well.”

“The emphasis related to the birth of a healthy baby has been weighted towards the health and diet of women, not just during pregnancy, but before. What we’re finding now is that a nutritious diet, specifically folate intake, may be beneficial for men as well when it comes to producing healthy offspring,” Dr. Eskenazi said.

She also adds that if other studies confirm her team’s findings of the link between folate intake and aneuploidy, scientists may recommend men tale folic acid for at least three months before trying to conceive.

The idea that diet can improve sperm quality is less well established. “There is increasing evidence from a number of studies to suggest that dietary factors can correlate with sperm health. The story so far suggests that dietary factors won’t help you make more sperm, but good diet might just improve that quality of the ones that are made,” said Dr. Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield and honorary secretary of the British Fertility Society, BBC News reported.

The study findings are published in the March 20 issue of the journal Human Reproduction.