Vitamins under fire

Once again, the media is hyping up information coming from a flawed study that vitamins may be bad for you. However, I do agree with many of their points.

They cite three studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reviewed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that found "no evidence" that vitamin supplements protect against heart disease, cancer, cognitive functioning, or death. Their tenet is that Americans are wasting $12 billion-$30 billion (depends on source) annually by purchasing vitamins. In some ways, they are right. In other ways, they're way off the mark.

First, the flaw. Gladys Block, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at University of California Berkeley, pointed out that the group used in the cognitive study were all physicians that were particularly healthy - they had no health problems to start with. Since most Americans, according to Block and many other authorities, are undernourished, this is not a good representation of "Americans." She continues, "You're not getting any of these micronutrients from Coke and Twinkies," and "Two thirds of us are overweight, a quarter over 50 have two or more chronic conditions, so there's a substantial population that one would hesitate to call healthy." Her point is accurate. We may be a technologically advanced society with tremendous food choices at our disposal, but our nutrition sucks!

Why I agree with the conclusion that vitamins aren't helpful in reversing serious diseases is because the quality of the vitamins sold today is poor. Because of shelf life, cost, the demand for higher potencies and a greater profit margin, vitamin companies are selling garbage!

That's the problem in a nutshell. Most vitamins today are synthetic. Fake. Made in a laboratory. Only the vitamin "marker" that identifies a vitamin is present, and the rest of the complex is missing. "Complex" is the key word here. Vitamins are not single isolates. Nowhere in nature do they stand alone. They always are accompanied with other components - "co-factors" that are essential to metabolism and utilization of the vitamin.

For instance, all vitamins have a mineral co-factor that without it, can't work in the body. For example, Vitamin E needs selenium and vitamin C needs copper. Without them, they're worthless. What is sold today are isolates (such as ascorbic acid "vitamin" C and d-alpha-tocopherol "vitamin" E) with so minimal therapeutic value that we have to mega-dose to hope "something sticks."

According to Steven Salzberg, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, "Vitamin deficiencies can kill." Vitamin deficiencies are a major component to most diseases, and what often gets ignored are the sub-clinical deficiencies. This means the grey area between ample nutrients and severe disease such as scurvy, pellegra, beri-beri, goiter and other serious deficiency diseases.

Since the purpose of vitamins is to replace the missing nutrients from our foods so we don't die and so we can be healthy, our vitamins should be made from foods only. Not from coal tar, not from byproducts of manufacturing, not from chemical compositions. From food.

To learn how to tell a good vitamin from a bad one, attend the class, Understanding Vitamins and Minerals, Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at Vital Health. Fee: $10. RSVP: (208) 765-1994.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health-care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.