Vitamin Information Center

Registered dietitians know that vitamin and mineral supplements can be both harmful and helpful. Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide recommends that, in addition to healthy food choices, women who could become pregnant and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding need a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid every day. Men and women over 50 need a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU. For these population groups, the benefits are clear. However, there can also be a down-side to supplements used in excess. Dietitians of Canada has reviewed the scientific literature and weighs in on the benefits and risks of supplemental vitamins and minerals. The research grant which provided the evidence for this document was provided by the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research (CFDR).

“Our aim is to raise awareness on the benefits and risks of high doses of vitamins and minerals, says Susan J. Whiting, PhD, author of the review. Our understanding of the function of nutrients now goes beyond just prevention of classical deficiency diseases to possible prevention of disease. For those people for whom vitamin and mineral supplements are needed, we want to assure them that the benefit out-weighs the risk.”

The review describes the recent evidence that shows how certain supplemental vitamins and minerals have benefits to health with respect to prevention of diet-related chronic disease. And it also addresses recent evidence showing large intakes of certain vitamins and minerals can negatively impact health. For instance, supplemental folic acid or vitamin E show both benefit and harm.

Dietitians of Canada represents almost 6,000 dietitians across Canada and is committed to promoting the health and well-being of consumers through food and nutrition. For trusted information on nutrition and healthy eating and to register to receive DC’s regular nutrition updates, visit Dietitians of Canada award-winning website athttp:// www.dietitians.ca.

The Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research (CFDR) was created in 1991 by Dietitians of Canada to support applied nutrition and dietetic research. CFDR has awarded more than $1,005,000 in grants through its annual grants competition since 1993.

Your child’s brain is like an elaborate stage production that needs hundreds of people working behind the curtain to provide the supporting framework for the main actors. The difference is that the brain utilizes vitamins and minerals as its supporting cast instead of lighting technicians and prop masters.

Vitamins and minerals are the architects of the brain, creating and re-creating the brain and nervous system. They grease the wheels of brain function by performing the basic work of transformation in the brain, making neurotransmitters from amino acids, energy from glucose, complex fats (GLA or DHA) from simple fats, and phospholipids from choline and serine.

In the early 1980s, Gwillym Roberts, a teacher and nutritional therapist from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, and Professor David Benton, a psychologist from Swansea University, developed a study to chart the effect of vitamins and minerals on the intelligence levels of schoolchildren. Thirty children were given a specially designed multivitamin and mineral supplement containing a high level of crucial nutrients. Thirty children were given a placebo.

The research results were published in a 1988 edition of The Lancet. After eight months in the study, no differences were noted in the children who were taking the placebos, while those consuming the multivitamin supplement saw their non-verbal IQ scores increase by more than ten points! Since the original studies, further research has been conducted using lower, RDA levels of vitamins and minerals. These levels, while far lower than those used in the initial study, still increased IQs by an average of nearly five points.

Giving your child the best nutrition from the very beginning of his or her life can reap endless benefits. Just in case you’re skeptical of the impact vitamins and minerals can have early on, a 16-year study by the Medical Research Council should put your doubts to rest. Four hundred twenty four premature babies were fed with either an average milk formula or a formula supplemented with additional vitamins, minerals and protein. At 18 months of age, the babies who had been fed the enriched formula were doing considerably better than those who had been given the average milk, and at eight years of age, the children who had taken the enriched formula had IQs up to 14 points higher!

So, why do IQ scores increase with vitamin and mineral consumption? One possible explanation is that children think more quickly and focus their attention for longer periods of time when they ingest essential levels of nutrients.

An increasingly number of the world’s population is now eager and interested in looking after their health and in keeping tune with their well-being. It is important to note that this awareness is progressively contributing to the creation of several health supplements to benefit both the adults and the young ones. Dietary and vitamin supplements have constantly proven their worth to health conscious individuals.
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The first thing you should do before even beginning trying to conceive a baby is to talk to your doctor to see how you measure up health wise. Does he think you need to lose a few pounds before getting pregnant or does he feel you need to gain a few? Your doctor may recommend that you change your eating habits and start exercising. Continue Reading…