Nutritional Supplement Vitamin
Some of the most common questions we are asked relate to how often a nutritional supplement or vitamin should be taken, whether it is safe to use a nutritional supplement for prolonged periods, and whether a particular nutritional supplement can be taken the same day as another. It is very difficult to give answers that would apply to everyone since there are so many factors that influence your need or response to nutritional supplements. These factors include your age, sex, overall health status, activity level, climate you live in, diet, types of fluids consumed, alcohol or caffeine use, body weight, whether you are currently on prescription medicines, quality of the herbal products, your sensitivity and tolerance, whether the herbs are whole herb or extracts, whether the supplements are taken with food or on an empty stomach, the time of day they are used, and the dosage of the supplements. However, since may people who email us are frustrated that their doctors have no clue, we will provide some general guidelines that you can adapt to your own unique situation. There's not enough space to cover all the nutritional supplements in one page. One point we would like to emphasize: When you take a nutritional supplement you have never been exposed to before, do your best to try it a on day when you are not using other supplements or medicines. This way you can better tell what kind of effect this new pill has on you. Also, if you are sensitive to herbs or nutritional supplements, at first use a portion of a capsule or tablet to avoid any potential harmful effects, particularly if you are taking pharmaceutical medicines or are taking hormones.
Physician Formulated supplement
products
MultiVit Rx is an excellent nutritional
supplement
Are you overdoing it with
nutritional supplements? by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., printed with the doctor's permission
Dr. Sahelian says: A friend of mine called me recently for advice. He is 53
years old, very healthy, and wanted to know what I thought about his nutritional supplement
regimen. I was shocked when he read off 15 different supplements that he was
taking every day. "I often take two or three capsules from each bottle," he
added. "I want to take a lot of antioxidants to stay young." I'm a strong
believer in supplements and truly feel that they are underused by the medical
profession. Sometimes people proudly list a dozen supplements they take daily,
thinking that the more they ingest, the healthier they will be. I don't think
there is any evidence to support this viewpoint. In fact, my interpretation of
studies leads me to believe that a certain amount of supplements can be helpful,
but after a point they could interfere with optimal health and lead to
unexpected or unforeseen health problems. Since my friend had about 15 different
bottles on his kitchen counter, I suggested that perhaps he could alternate
their use and take five or six different supplements a day rather than 15. This
way he could go through all of them every three days. I also told him that I had
no proof that taking more would not be helpful, and ultimately it is up to him
and his health care provider to decide what to take. Some people may not need
any supplements, others may do fine taking 10 or more different ones. However,
as a general rule, there should be a good reason for taking more than six to 10
nutritional supplements each day (such as treating a medical condition). Think of
supplements the same way as the produce section of your grocery store. Dozens of
healthy vegetables and fruits are available to you and each one of them has a
unique set of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids, and other beneficial
substances. However, this does not mean you should eat them all every day. Same
with supplements. Literally hundreds of products have antioxidant and potential
health-benefiting properties. But it is not reasonable to take them all every
day. You may be taking too many pills if you notice your heart rate increasing
or your body temperature rising, feel overstimulated or anxious, have
uncontrolled or restless energy, or if you find your sleep is disturbed. Many
herbs (including ginseng, aphrodisiacs, and herbs that increase energy) and
nutrients (like B vitamins) can cause alertness. You may have trouble falling
asleep, experience shallow sleep, or wake up an hour or two earlier than usual.
If this happens, take a break from these supplements and resume a couple of days
later at a lower amount. Also, keep in mind that the effects accumulate over
time. If you take a pill, some of the effects may last into the next day. So,
when you take the same pill the second day, it is already adding on to some of
the remnants of the first day.
The Age Limit for nutritional supplements By
Ray Sahelian, M.D. - printed with permision
As a strong believer in natural remedies, I am constantly recommending
that people turn to nutritional supplements to help them fight disease, stay healthy, and
keep their brains and bodies strong. Recently, a 65-year-old reader of my
newsletter wrote me to ask: "Is there an age limit on taking the herbs, hormone
supplements, or amino acids?" The simple answer is that there is no age limit -
you can take supplements into your 80s and 90s and beyond. However, you should
reduce the dosage of those supplements as you grow older. This is because many
herbs (including ginseng and many sexual enhancing herbs) can stimulate the
heart to beat rapidly, which can cause problems for those with weak hearts. In
general, supplements such as fish oils, garlic, and most vitamins and minerals
are fine no matter how old you are. Hormones, on the other hand, can be
dangerous unless used in tiny doses of less than five mg. Individual amino acids
such as tyrosine and phenylalanine can also cause heart rhythm problems in high
doses, and so can SAM-e, a nutrient used for depression. As a rule, as you get
older, you should take a portion of the suggested dosage, perhaps half the
amount recommended on the label of the supplement bottle - at least initially -
to find out if there is any untoward effect. You should also be cautious about
using supplements while you are taking prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, because
we don't fully understand their interactions.
Nutritional supplement use could
reduce health care costs
May 2007 - A study shows that over the next five years, appropriate use
of select nutritional supplements would improve the health of key populations and
save the nation more than $24 billion in healthcare costs. The study,
commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA), updated
research conducted by The Lewin Group in 2004 and 2005 that included a
systematic literature review of the most rigorous scientific research available.
Key study findings include:
Calcium with vitamin D nuttitional supplement use - Appropriate use of calcium with Vitamin
D for the Medicare population shows potential avoidance of approximately 776,000
hospitalizations for hip fractures over five years, as well as avoidance of
stays in skilled nursing facilities for some proportion of patients. The
five-year (2008-2012) estimated net cost associated with avoidable
hospitalization for hip fracture is approximately $16.1 billion.
Folic Acid nutritional supplement use: if just 11.3 million of the 44 million American women
who are of childbearing age and not taking folic acid, began taking 400 mcg. of
folic acid on a daily basis neural tube defects could be prevented in 600
babies, saving as much as $344,700,000 in the first year. Over five years,
taking into account the cost of the supplement, $1.4 billion could potentially
be saved
Omega-3 Fatty Acids supplement use: The estimate of the potential five-year
savings in health care expenditures resulting from a reduction in the occurrence
of coronary heart disease (CHD) among the population over age 65 through daily
intake of approximately 1800 mg of omega-3 is $3.2 billion.
Lutein with zeaxanthin: Through daily intake of 6-10 mg of lutein with
zeaxanthin, it is estimated that $3.6 billion could be saved over 5 years by
helping people with age related macular degeneration avoid dependency. Across
the five year period, approximately 190,927 individuals could avoid the
transition to dependence either in the community or a nursing facility that
would accompany a loss of central vision resulting from advanced AMD.
Nutritional Supplement use by children
A study published is October 2007 suggests that more than 30 percent of American
children take nutritional supplements daily -- most often multivitamins and multiminerals.
Nutritional Supplement Emails
Q. I have noticed that there are many nutritional supplements with the following extra
ingredients Hydroxypropyl cellulose, dibasic calcium phosphate, stearic acid,
modified cellulose gum, colloidal silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate. What
are the effects of these? Why are there so many?
A. In order for the herbs or nutritional supplements not to clump
together, softening agents are used to keep the material apart so that it
can be manufactured easily and the raw material placed in capsules without
clogging or clumping.
Q. I read on a web pages that a person should take
a break from nutritional supplements, why is that?
A. As a rule, we recommend taking a break from taking nutritional supplements
for the reasons listed here
NEWSLETTER.
Note: The dosage makes a huge difference in how often to take breaks from
nutritional supplement use. If your dosage is very low, you can take supplements for
prolonged periods with hardly any breaks. If the dosage is high, you would need
to take more frequent breaks.
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