Vitamin Information Center

MODESTO, Calif., Sept 11, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Journal of Nutrition Cites Almonds as a Rich Source to Fill the “E Gap”
More than 90 percent of the U.S. population does not meet the current intake recommendation for vitamin E, according to a special supplement to the September 2008 Journal of Nutrition(). The article recognized almonds as an excellent source of vitamin E that can fill this nutrient gap and the authors concluded that vitamin E, among other things, can help support a healthy immunity.
The Almond Board of California has commissioned numerous studies on the availability of nutrients in almonds, and as an excellent source of vitamin E, one ounce of almonds could help consumers reach their recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA for vitamin E is 15mg of alpha-tocopherol. On average, most Americans consume only 8 mg of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E per day. By eating one ounce of almonds (7.5mg of vitamin E), Americans can achieve the RDA.
“Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that the body needs daily, and most people don’t realize that they can fill that ‘E gap’ with easily available and enjoyable whole foods,” said Maret Traber, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute and expert on vitamin E. “Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E.”
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recognizes vitamin E as a nutrient of concern in the American diet since most people don’t get enough. The Guidelines highlight almonds as the premier whole food source of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, the form of vitamin E that the human body prefers.
Dr. Karen Lapsley, director of scientific affairs for the Almond Board of California, confirmed almonds’ multi-tasking nutrition profile, stating, “In addition to vitamin E, when compared ounce for ounce, almonds are the nut highest in protein (6g), fiber (3g), calcium (75mg), riboflavin (0.3mg) and niacin (1mg). Also, the skins of almonds contain levels of antioxidants called flavanoids that are similar to many fruits and vegetables(2).”
Americans can close the gap — the E Gap — today by adding a one-ounce handful of vitamin E-rich almonds.
One ounce of almonds, about a handful, offers: Calcium (75mg), Protein (6g); Iron (1.0mg); Potassium (200 mg); Unsaturated Fat (12g). U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that the majority of your fat intake be unsaturated. One serving of almonds (28g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.
The Almond Board of California administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. Established in 1950, the Board’s charge is to promote the best quality almonds, California’s largest tree nut crop. For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit www.AlmondsAreIn.com.
References:
() Janet C. King, Jeffrey Blumberg, Linda Ingwersen, Mazda Jenab, and Katherine L. Tucker. Tree Nuts and Peanuts as Components of a Healthy Diet, Journal of Nutrition, September 2008, Volume 138, Number 9S-I Supplement. 1734-1765.
(2) Paul E. Milbury, Chung-Yen Chen, Gregory G. Dolnikowski, Jeffrey B. Blumberg. Determination of Flavanoids and Phenolics and Their Distribution in Almonds, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, June 28, 2006.
SOURCE Almond Board of California
http://www.AlmondsAreIn.com

Vitamin C might not keep you from catching a cold, but not getting an adequate amount of the vitamin can keep you from burning fat.

A study from Arizona State found that folks with low-blood concentrations of vitamin C, who walked on treadmills for a 60-minute session, burned 25 percent less fat than other participants with adequate amounts of C. Fortunately, a simple dose of vitamin C remedied the lackluster fat-burning potential of the participants. Vitamin C is necessary for creating the compound carnitine, which helps turn fat into fuel.

While the recommended daily intake of vitamin C is low, 90mg for men and 75mg for women, many health advocates recommend larger daily doses. Holistic health doctor Andrew Weil recommends 200mg daily, while the Linus Pauling Institute (named for the scientist that made the vitamin famous) recommends 400mg daily. The health team at Real Age recommends consuming 1,200mg daily between foods and supplements.

On this note, I am going to add some strawberries to my cereal tomorrow morning since a half cup contains 42mg of vitamin C.

The idea that vitamin C might have potential in cancer treatment has been around for decades. Perhaps the late Dr. Linus Pauling is most linked with this concept. With his death, it seemed that interest in his ideas died a bit, too. However, some scientists have continued to be interested in the subject.

For example, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health) has continued to research this topic. In fact, this organization published a paper recently that found that injecting vitamin C in the abdomens of mice led to a decrease in the size of tumors that had been induced in them [1].

A commentary article from two scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon accompanied this paper. [2]. The authors of the commentary (Balz Frie and Stephen Lawson) highlight the fact that the work from NIDDK shows that vitamin C at high dose has been shown to be toxic to cancer cells, but leaves normal cells alone.

This quality is, obviously, highly desirable if we’re seeking to combat cancer but wish to leave the rest of the body unscathed. Frie and Lawson discuss how high doses of vitamin C can increase production of hydrogen peroxide, which is thought to be the principal substance that accounts for vitamin C’s anti-cancer properties.

Frie and Lawson go on to highlight some of the other evidence in the area. They refer to a study published in 1974 in which 50 patients with advanced cancer were treated with intravenous infusions of vitamin C (doses of 5–45 grams per day) or oral doses (at doses of 5–20 grams per day) [3]. In 19 of these patients, there was retardation, stabilization, or regression of their tumors.

They also cite another study in which the outcomes of 100 individuals treated with vitamin C (intravenous and oral vitamin C at a dose of about 10 grams per day) were compared with a control group (who did not receive vitamin C) [4]. Patients treated with vitamin C survived approximately four times longer than those in the control group.

A follow-up study reported that patients given vitamin C had an average survival time almost one year longer than the control group [5]. Overall, 22 percent of the vitamin C-treated group survived for more than a year, compared to only 0.4 percent of non-treated control group.

Frei and Lawson also refer to two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials of vitamin C and advanced cancer sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. Neither of these trials showed a positive effect from vitamin C in terms of survival. However, these trials used oral vitamin C alone and, as Frei and Lawson point out, it is unlikely that sufficient levels of vitamin C would have been achieved for benefit to be possible.

The authors go on to point to two recent studies that have tested the safety of high doses of vitamin C in humans. Once certain conditions have been screened for, it seems humans have enormous tolerance for vitamin C.

They end by saying that the scientists who produced the recent work in mice are now poised to explore the potential value of high-dose vitamin C for the treatment of cancer in humans. Let’s hope that its cheap price and non-patentable status do not hold back interest in this nutrient as an anti-cancer agent.

References:

1. Chen Q, et al. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a pro-oxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenografts in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2008; 105:11105–11109

2. Frei B, et al. Vitamin C and cancer revisited. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2008; 105(32): 11037–11038

3. Cameron E, et al. The orthomolecular treatment of cancer. II. Clinical trial of high-dose ascorbic acid supplements in advanced human cancer. Chemico-Biological Interactions 1974; 9:285–315.

4. Cameron E, et al. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1976; 73:3685–3689.

5. Cameron E, et al. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Reevaluation of prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. 1978; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 75:4538–4542.

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine.
Dr. Briffa’s Web site

You’ve been told for years that popping a multivitamin every day might help you live longer. But the daily-multi habit has been getting a bit of bad press lately.

First, ConsumerLab.com, a watchdog of the supplement industry, found that more than half of the 21 multis it tested had too much (or too little) of certain vitamins—or had been contaminated with dangerous substances like lead. Then a controversial paper from researchers in Denmark and other European countries, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, made the claim that taking vitamins may actually shorten your life.

What’s the real story? Health talked to leading nutrition experts at Harvard and Tufts universities to find out and to get some answers on this and other confusing info about vitamins.

Are multivitamins safe?
Vitamins have been recommended for years because they help you get key nutrients if your diet’s low on fruits and veggies—and may even help prevent cancer and heart disease. And it’s unlikely that one critical paper (speculating that vitamin supplements might upset your body’s natural healing process and boost your risk of death) will change that.

Longtime vitamin experts at Tufts University and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University continue to say multis aren’t dangerous and the paper’s findings are wrong. The paper analyzed previous studies, including many with people who were sick before taking vitamins, so there’s a good chance vitamins weren’t responsible for shortening their lives. Experts say the paper also ignored two major studies that found vitamins reduced the risk of death.

At the same time, the study from ConsumerLab.com shows that you can’t assume just any vitamin is safe. Because there are no uniform manufacturing rules for supplements, a multi may not contain what the bottle claims, could be contaminated with something from the manufacturing plant, or might have tainted ingredients.

Your best bet: Avoid the vitamins singled out by ConsumerLab.com (see “11 Multis to Avoid”), and stick with mainstream names like Centrum Silver and One-A-Day Women’s, which were found to be free of impurities and accurately labeled. Also, check vitamin bottles for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), NSF International (NSF), or ConsumerLab.com (CL) seals. The USP and NSF are nonprofit groups that verify whether companies offer contamination-free products and use good manufacturing practices. Not every brand has the seals—some don’t want to submit to testing—but those that do (Kirkland and Nature Made carry the USP seal, for instance) are reliable.

How much should I spend to get the biggest benefits?
Price isn’t a sign of quality. In fact, some of the priciest vitamins—like The Greatest Vitamin in the World and Eniva Vibe, which cost more than $39.95 per bottle—failed the Consumer Lab.com tests. A mainstream brand like One-A-Day Women’s is $8.99 for a bottle of 100 tablets at about 9 cents per day.

How do I find the right multi for me?
In your childbearing years, make sure your multi has 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid, which helps make and maintain new cells. And pregnant women should take a vitamin with 600 mcg of folic acid daily; this nutrient also reduces the incidence of neural tube birth defects like spina bifida.

A premenopausal woman should look for a multivitamin with iron to replace the iron lost during menstruation. Menopausal women should go without the iron. “Too much iron may raise the risk of heart disease,” says Meir Stampfer, PhD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

If you’re taking a prescription, check with your doctor about risky interactions. (Vitamin E, for instance, may be a problem if you’re taking a blood thinner.) If you’re a cancer patient, you should ask your doctor about risks before taking vitamins. “Cancer cells need vitamins to grow, too,” Stampfer says. Plus, some vitamins can interfere with chemotherapy.

What’s the best way to avoid that queasy feeling after taking a multi?
“Consider switching brands,” Stampfer suggests. Trial and error is the best way to determine which brands won’t break down poorly in your stomach and lead to irritation. Also, take your multi with food because your body needs some fat (or lipids) to absorb some of the individual vitamins. The delivery method (pill, liquid, gummy bear) makes no difference. But vitamins in liquid form may degrade more quickly on the shelf.

How much of each vitamin should my multi have?
The amount per serving numbers on the label should match the government’s Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). It’s OK if they’re higher as long as they don’t exceed the tolerable upper limit (UL). (To find the DRIs and ULs, While most vitamins are listed in milligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg), the label may use IUs (international units) for vitamins A, D, and E. The DRIs are 2,300 IUs for vitamin A, 200 for D, and 22 for E. What about the label’s % Daily Value column? Look at it with a skeptical eye: Those numbers haven’t been updated since 1968.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - In March, 2006, an exciting article appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that gave case histories of three cancer patients treated with intravenous vitamin C. Clinical trials followed in the wake of the study, and more definitive information is being anxiously awaited. In the interim, let’s examine the subject. Whenever one attempts to discuss a cancer therapy, though, he must do so against a backdrop of a whole lot of baggage…
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New research has suggested that vitamin C could be effective in curing cancer.

Doctors reported yesterday that three cancer patients who were given large intravenous doses over a period of several months had their tumours shrunk and their lives extended.
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