Should the FDA Regulate Your Vitamins? Part II
by: Al Sears, MD
From:
http://www.alsearsmd.com/should-the-...your-vitamins/
Quote from the article...
"If you stick to the FDA’s advice, you’ll never receive the full benefits of these incredible nutrients.
Nature Says You Need 250; The FDA Says 5 Is Enough
The
Archives of Internal Medicine published another study that highlights the FDA’s basic inability to understand how the body works – let alone what keeps it healthy.
The study found that people with healthy levels of vitamin D get 29% fewer upper respiratory infections than people with low levels.7 But what’s a healthy level?
Your body produces 250 mcg of vitamin D from just 15 minutes of sun exposure. If you only “need” 5 mcg of vitamin D, according to the FDA, why does your body produce 50 times more than that?
Now, we might buy that the FDA knows that the body can produce enough vitamin D just by going out in the sun. And therefore doesn’t tell people to get much more through diet or supplements.
But, with three out of four Americans deficient in vitamin D and a 20-year national government campaign against sun exposure ongoing, don’t you think they should have increased their recommended intake by now?
The One the FDA Forgot
There’s just one more critical nutrient to bring to your attention…
This nutrient is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. And
every single organ in your body uses this nutrient to get the energy they need to function.
As if that weren’t enough, it also:
- Destroys free radicals in the cell membranes
- Prevents arteriosclerosis by protecting against the accumulation of oxidized fat in blood vessels
- Successfully treats heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol
If your body doesn’t have enough, it will have serious consequences. In fact, the Mayo Clinic noted this critical nutrient is “low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.”8
Yet the FDA completely ignores it. I’m talking about CoQ10.
In spite of the fact that the only dietary source for CoQ10 is red meat, the FDA doesn’t list an RDA for it at all.
Considering how many people are vegetarians or vegans, you’d think the government would think it vital to make sure people are getting enough of it.
Plus, even if you eat meat, you probably still aren’t getting enough CoQ10 in your diet. I ran some numbers on my test results over the years and discovered a remarkable fact: 82% of my new patients don’t have anywhere near enough CoQ10.
The chances are good that you don’t have enough either.
What You Can Do
The best way for you to get the bulk of the nutrients you need is through your diet. However, today’s fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than they once were. And today’s grain-fed beef and farm-raised fish are also lower in the critical nutrients you need.
Be sure to get your foods from the right sources. As a general rule of thumb, always choose organic for fruits and vegetables. When it comes to your protein, look for grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish.
You can also take supplements. Specifically…
B Vitamins. Take the following daily:
40 mg of B2 – Good for blood cell formation and cataract prevention.
50 mg of B6 – Boosts brain and immune function and helps prevent cancer.
500 mcg of B12 – Helps digestion and prevents anemia and nerve damage.
800 mcg of folic acid – Helps cell production and prevents dementia. Folic acid is the supplement. Folate only comes from your food. Eat lots of green leafy foods like spinach, turnip greens, or broccoli. Calf liver is also a good source.
Vitamin C. Humans don’t naturally produce vitamin C. We are dependant on getting vitamin C from our diet or supplements.
You can get vitamin C from lots of foods including oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and bell peppers (the colorful ones are better than green). You can get your minimum daily requirement from food.
But to get antioxidant amounts, you’ll have to take a supplement. I recommend at least 500 mg twice a day. Many of my anti-aging patients are taking 2-5,000 mg per day in divided doses. Take it with food to avoid an upset stomach.
Zinc. You need at least 30 mg per day – 60 mg is even better. A 12-oz steak can give you between 15 mg and 30 mg of zinc. Oysters and clams are also a great source of zinc and other minerals. A 3.5-oz serving of oysters has close to 40 mg of zinc.
Vitamin D. If you can’t get out in the sun for 15 minutes a day, you can ramp up vitamin D through diet.
Fish are a great source. Here’s a list, including amounts of vitamin D:
Selected Food Sources of Naturally Occurring Vitamin D
Food Source Amount Vitamin D
Cod Liver Oil 1 tablespoon 1360 IU
Salmon (cooked) 3.5 ounces 360 IU
Sardines (canned) 3.5 ounces 270 IU
Tuna (canned) 3 ounces 200 IU
Egg (yolk) 1 egg 25 IU
Beef Liver (cooked) 3.5 ounces 15 IU
Swiss Cheese 1 ounces 12 IU
As you can see, a daily tablespoon of cod liver oil is by far the easiest way to get your vitamin D.
CoQ10. The best source of CoQ10 is red meat, especially organ meats like the liver. The problem is eating a lot of organ meat is that they tend to contain the most toxins and other pollutants. The best way to make sure you’re getting enough CoQ10 is to take a supplement."
but just reaching tailbone this year will be kinda a stretch for me. Next year, though, it is ON. Classic length will be mine, I tell you, all mine! Mwahahaha!
that means we're gonna make it easy peasy!!!
erplexed I am about 5 ft. 8 in. My hair has to cover a lot of ground!
