Vitamin Information Center

Chandigarh Supply of Evion, a popular brand of Vitamin E capsules, has stopped since last month

After Vitamin C tablets went off the market shelves recently, now it is the turn of Vitamin E.

The supply of Evion, a popular brand of Vitamin E capsules manufactured by the Merck Group, has been hit since last month, say chemists. “The company has not given us a specific reason for the shortage but has stopped supply,” said Anil Jauhar, a distributor of the brand.

According to Amarjeet Singh, president of the Chandigarh Chemists’ Association, the shortage is a consequence of the drug coming under the purview of the Health Ministry’s recent drug-price control order.

“The price has been reduced from Rs 15 to around Rs 10 for a strip. As it happened in the case of Vitamin C capsules, companies are finding it unviable to manufacture the products at the current rates.”

Officerbearer of the Chemists’ Association, Vinay Kumar, said the situation is under control as the supply of only one brand has been affected. “Other brands of capsules companies like Cadila continue to be available,” he added.

“The situation will ease in a few months. Sometimes, companies stop supply for a while and then resume so that they can make a profit through the sheer volume of sales,” said another chemist. The pharmaceutical companies were not available for comment.

Antioxidants
Definition
There are natural antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin
E, carotinoids and artificial citrates. They are used
in food, pharmaceuticals and in synthetic materials to
avoid the oxidation (reaction with aerial oxygen or other
oxidize chemicals) of sensitive molecules. Mostly
they act as scavengers. Because natural antioxidants
delay or advert the growth and development of many
cells they possibly block the development of cancer.
A lot of antioxidantswhich decrease the hazards of cancer
are found in fruit and vegetables. And they also
make aggressive oxygen particles harmless. It is supposed
that a high intake of fresh fruit and vegetables
has a protective effect against the development e. g. of
cancer.

Long-term supplementation with vitamin E and vitamin C may not prevent cancer, according to data from the Physician’s Health Study II that was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Seventh Annual International Conference in Washington, D.C. on November 16, 2008.[1]

The role of diet in cancer incidence remains a major focus among researchers, as it is becoming more evident that diet may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers. For example, vitamin D appears to have a protective effect against pancreatic cancer and also colorectal adenomas.[2][3] In addition, several studies have linked vitamin E, selenium, and lycopene with a reduction in prostate cancer. However, it has also been discovered that supplementation with specific vitamins and minerals often does not have the same protective role as obtaining the nutrients from foods. In other words, there is still much to be learned about the role of nutrients in the prevention of cancer.

The Physician’s Health Study II is a large-scale, long-term, randomized clinical trial involving over 14,000 physicians over the age of 50. The physicians were given either a) 400 IU of vitamin E every other day or placebo or b) 500 mg of vitamin C daily or placebo and were then followed for up to 10 years. The primary endpoint of the vitamin C group was the development of cancer. The primary endpoint of the vitamin E group was the development of prostate cancer, with a secondary endpoint being the development of any type of cancer.

After nearly 10 years of supplementation, there was no evidence that vitamin E or vitamin C played a protective role against cancer. Thus far, there have been 1,929 cancer cases in the group, including 1,013 cases of prostate cancer. The researchers concluded that neither vitamin E nor vitamin C offers any beneficial effect against cancer.

Research in this field is ongoing; however, the results from this study indicate that vitamin supplements may not provide the same benefits as vitamins included as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

References:

[1] Buring JE, Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, et al. A randomized factorial trial of vitamins E and C in the prevention of cancer in men: the Physicians’ Health Study II. Proceedings from American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Abstract #PR-1.

[2] Skinner HG, Michaud DS, Giovannucci E, Willett WC, Colditz GA, Fuchs CS. Vitamin D Intake and the Risk for Pancreatic Cancer in Two Cohort Studies. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention. 2006;15:1688-95.

[3] Wei MY, Garland CF, Gorham ED. Vitamin D and prevention of colorectal adenoma: A meta-analysis. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 2008;17(11):2958-2969.

For vitamin E, four tocopherol members are better than one.

VITAMIN E found in nature has always been superior to the vitamin E found in the common supplement pills we consume. Why? Because most vitamin E pills contain only alpha tocopherol whereas now we know that natural vitamin E gives us not one (alpha-) but four (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-) tocopherol members.

It is only recently that scientists have found the long-ignored members – gamma, beta and delta tocopherols – of the vitamin E family to have important functions, some of which are different from that of alpha tocopherol. While alpha tocopherol alone does provide certain benefits, it has been found that the best benefits of vitamin E supplementation come when it contains all four tocopherol members of the vitamin E family.

A study published in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the intake of a mixture of vitamin E from food sources rather than from supplements is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“High intake of vitamin E from food (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta tocopherol), but not supplements (which usually contain only alpha tocopherol), is inversely associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” wrote Martha Clare Morris, ScD, PhD, from Rush Institute of healthy Aging in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues. “Because vitamin E is composed of four different tocopherol members (alpha-,beta-, gamma- and delta-) … and because vitamin E supplements usually consists of alpha tocopherol only, one possible explanation for the seeming inconsistency is that the effect (benefit) is not due to alpha tocopherol alone but to a combination of tocopherol members.”

Free radicals can stimulate and intensify inflammation by turning on genes that promote inflammation. Many serious degenerative conditions, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), various types of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, appear to be promoted by chronic inflammation.

A recent report published on Dec 21, 2004 by the Proceedings of the National Acedemy of Sciences (led by a team of scientists including Qing Jiang, formerly of Children’s Hospital and Research Centre in Oakland, California). The research had nothing against alpha-tocopherol. “Alpha tocopherol has justifiably earned a good reputation as an antioxidant,” said Jiang in a news release. Instead, she wanted to see if other members of vitamin E were promising.

Jiang, currently assistant professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University in Indiana, US, has studied gamma tocopherol before. In 2000, she and her colleagues found that it inhibits inflammation, which has been linked to cancer. [Journal – Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (Oct 2000) ]

This time, Jiang’s team studied gamma tocopherol against human prostate and lung cancer cells. They found that gamma tocopherol inhibited the spread of prostate and lung cancer cells without hurting the healthy cells. That indicates that gamma tocopherol might be able to combat cancer without damaging unaffected cells. The results were even better when gamma tocopherol got a little help from its other team members.

Mixing other members of vitamin E – including gamma tocopherol – was even better at blocking cancer’s spread. “Combinations of different members of vitamin E may be superior to each alone,” writes the researchers.

The summary of the recent findings is that taking alpha tocopherol alone may not provide the full benefits of vitamin E.

This article is courtesy of Pahang Pharmacy. For more information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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

By Chantal Britt

April 15 (Bloomberg) — Vitamin E helped people with Alzheimer’s disease live longer with the degenerative brain disorder than those who didn’t take the supplement, according to research presented at a neurologists meeting in Chicago.

Patients with the irreversible brain condition who took vitamin E with or without a standard medicine were 26 percent more likely to live longer than people not taking the vitamin, the study showed. The combination of the drug with the vitamin was more beneficial than either agent alone.

Previous research has shown that the vitamin, which is naturally found in some vegetables oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, can delay the progression of the brain disease. The new data, presented at the meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, showed that vitamin E also seems to prolong survival time of Alzheimer’s patients.

“This is particularly important because recent studies in heart disease patients have questioned whether vitamin E is beneficial for survival,” study author Valory Pavlik from Baylor College of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Houston, Texas, said in a release.

The researchers followed 847 people with Alzheimer’s disease for an average of five years to see whether the vitamin helped patients live longer. Recent studies have raised questions about the safety and efficacy of vitamin E to treat Alzheimer’s disease patients, Pavlik said in the abstract.

About two-thirds of the group studied took 1,000 international units of vitamin E twice a day along with a cholinesterase inhibitor, a common type of Alzheimer’s drug. Less than 10 percent of the group took vitamin E alone and about 15 percent didn’t take vitamin E.

`More Research’

“People who took a cholinesterase inhibitor without vitamin E didn’t have a survival benefit,” Pavlik said in the release that was distributed by the neurology association. “More research needs to be done to determine why this may be the case.”

There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s and no way to slow its progression. Scientists are studying whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cholesterol-lowering medicines or supplements such as folic acid, gingko biloba or vitamins E, B6, or B12 can slow progression of the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in people 65 and older. More than 4.5 million people in the U.S. have the disease, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The number of people who have dementia is set to rise to 42 million by 2020 and to 81 million by 2040 worldwide, according to research in 2005.

Pfizer Inc.’s Aricept, Johnson & Johnson’s Reminyl and Novartis AG’s Exelon are among the cholinesterase inhibitors approved to treat dementia. Doctors often also prescribe antidepressants such as Eli Lilly & Co.’s Prozac or psychosis drugs including J&J’s Haldol to relieve dementia symptoms.

Here are 10 tips for women to fiat fit and healthy:

1. Staying fit and flushed starts with a counterbalanced fast. Undergo and shielder the moral metric for your age. Consult your theologist to discover what food you should refrain and select your uptake penalty routines. If you are disagreeable to lose both unit, foods with shrill calories should be omitted from your meals. Food with dominating fiber and low fat should be included a precedence in your market table instead of red meat, sugars and fats.

2. Salute abundance of h2o. Uptake at slightest cardinal glasses of wet ordinary. This cleanses the body from impurities. It is also considered for lactating women to growth h2o intake to cook the body hydrated.

3. Guide Vitamins and Supplements. Do not block your Metal increment. Sufficient Metal intake is beneficial for women of all ages. This has been proven to forestall having cramps and Pre-Menstrual Punctuation (PMS) Symptoms. It also prevents Osteoporosis especially for menopausal women. Vitamin E boosts beardown unsusceptible method. Women who stomach menopausal point should support Vitamin E-400 as it stops nighttime garment and hot flashes. Also, Vitamin E is said to be soul in avoiding wrinkles when ageing.

4. Quit smoking. If you are smoking, plosive. It is also a big “NO� for expectant women, as this instrument impact the welfare of the babe. Pregnant women who ventilation may locomote the insidious noesis of cigarettes to babies through the bloodstream. Past studies possess shown that women smokers are writer unerect to diseases than men smokers. Women who tobacco bonk a place chance of getting serving soul. Also boundary your intoxicant intake.

5. Contain exercises in your daily function. Acquire a posture after business, use stairs instead of elevator or wit with your kids when you are at place. Plate exercises are also impressive especially when you do not human clip to go to the gym and would equivalent to regress any metric. Yoga and Pilates are only a few of the galore powerful exercises you can do at domestic. Exercises forbear in limiting the peril of cardiovascular diseases.

6. Refrain show. Many women are prone to too some accentuate. Emphasis has been glorious as grounds to galore sicknesses. As overmuch as viable demand example to weaken. Interpret a unspoilt assemblage, flow out with friends and struggle into sports. Handle yourself by effort to parlors or you can do many shopping. And do not forget to get enough period to resurrect your vigour.

7. Use cream to protect your skin from the stabbing rays of the sun. Weary hats when under the sun to protect your pare. Too often sun is bad for your skin. The cutis is unerect to human when unprotected to too overmuch light. It also speeds up the aging of peel cells, which causes wrinkles to women.

8. Make sure to stay your dentist to stronghold that splendid grinning. Ever soul it cleaned to forbid cavities and bad relief.

9. Call your Gynaecologist. Women who are eighteen and above should make their Animal Scrutiny annually especially for the Pap Fault endeavor. Women who are twoscore and up should person their mammograms and the Mamma self-exam is pleased formerly puberty has been reached and should be a wont as they nubile

10. Secure sex is strongly advisable. Use condoms to forbid sexually transmitted diseases

If you’re dreaming of a golden tan this summer but all the talk about sun damage has freaked you out, fret not. There are other ways for you to look like you’ve been hitting the beach without actually logging in time under the sun’s harsh rays.Here are some bronzing products from The Body Shop’s Make Me Fabulous Make-Up line that you can use to transform yourself into a beach goddess—without the sunburn.

Glow Enhancer, P795. Enriched with vitamin E, panthenol, light-reflective particles and Community Trade marula oil, this lightweight, moisturizing liquid reduces the appearance of fine lines, evens out the skin tone and instantly brightens the complexion. A Tinted Glow Enhancer is also available.

Brilliance Powder, P1,195. This lightweight sparkle powder, which contains vitamin E and Community Trade marula oil, has shimmering pearls that leave the face and body looking sun-kissed. Available in Bronze and Gold.

Shimmer Waves, P1,195. You can use the Shimmer Waves in two ways—swept together for a total glow or used individually to accentuate different parts of your face. Available in Bronze or Blush.

Sun Gel, P895. This bronzing gel which can be used both for the face and the body is lightweight and glides onto the skin easily. The Body Shop’s Sun Gel includes moisturizers, aloe vera, hibiscus flower extract, shimmer and pearl particles. It comes in two variants—Sheer and Shimmer.

Brush on Bronze, P995. You can use these colored, shimmering beads to brighten and add color to your face, cheeks and decolletage. The beads contain vitamin E, light-reflective particles, pearl pigments and Community Trade marula oil. The Brush On Buff costs P995.

Bronzing Powder, P995. This pressed bronzing powder, which contains light-diffusing particles, leaves a matte and shine-free finish. Also contains vitamin E and Community Trade marula oil.

Here are some summer looks created by The Body Shop’s training officer Argie Lingat using The Body Shop’s bronzing products:

Base
Oil Free Balancing Foundation SPF15 07, Sheer Sun Gel, Shimmer Sun Gel

Eyes
Shimmer Cubes Palette 06 Warm Palette, Shimmer Waves 01 Bronze, Double Intensity Mascara

Brows
Brow and Liner Kit 02

Cheeks
Bronzing Powder 01, Brilliance Powdder 01 Bronze

Lips
Lip Colour 46 Bare, Liquid Lip Colour 14 Bronze

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.