What Brand of Vitamins?

[hiitdogs]

Carola,

Why are pre-menopausal women told to take extra calcium?

I don't like milk. I don't drink it. I know most of the calcium we absorb comes from veggies anyway.

Vitamin supplements are big business. We constantly get bombarded with studies showing how vitamins found in the food we eat can make us healthier and extend our lives. But since most of the vitamins are found in food that the average American isn't really crazy about people think if they take an isolated substance it is just as good and the supplement industry caters to that.


Hence, the popularity of vitamin supplements.I think it is because most doctors think that people won't change/adjust their diet and rather take a supplement or pill. We are a society who is obsessed with health but also has a penchant for going for the quick fix.

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, etc. have the highest amounts of absorbable calcium. Aside from an occassional greek yogurt I don't eat any dairy, Cynthia. I get my calcium mostly from veggies and grains like quinoa, ameranth, oatmeal, etc.

Also megadoses of B-Vitamins and Vitamin C have shown to accelerate the growth of cancer cells. Most calcium in supplements is not absorbed by the bones, so it is not the same thing as drinking a glass of milk.

If you drink a protein drink, eat cereal every day, chances are these already meet the daily requirements of most nutrients. The Americans are supplementing the most and have the highest rate of chronic diseases.

Where did you find that high doses of vitamin C have shown to accelerate cancer growth? High doses of intravenous vitamin C are successfully used in the treatment of cancer.

Scientific References:
Padayatty SJ, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, et al. Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases. CMAJ, 2006;174:937-942.
Riordan HD, Casciari JJ, Gonzalez MJ, et al. A pilot clinical study of continuous intravenous ascorbate in terminal cancer patients. Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, 2005;24:269-276. Erler JT, Bennewith KL, Nicolau M, et al.
Lysyl oxidase is essential for hypoxia- induced metastasis. Nature, 2006;440:1222-1226. Kuroyanagi M, Shimamura E, Kim M, et al. Effects of L-ascorbic acide on lysyl oxidase in the formation of collagen cross-links. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2002;66:2077-2082.

I am not sure that eating fortified cereal and a protein drink is the same as eating a healthy diet of whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains though. Isn't eating the cereal and drinking the protein really the same as popping the vitamin pills, just not in pill form?

 

[Abbygail]

Kathryn,

Do you have a link to Dr. Fuhrman’s vitamins or do you purchase them from a store?

Abbygail

 

[fit44]

Thanks Carola.
I'll stop taking mine and make sure I get more veggies. I eat oatmeal everyday, and I didn't know it had calcium. I'm probably getting more than I know. I love spinach and can eat it with every meal

You won't believe this(well maybe you will).....Every year DH and I have to take a Life Steps quiz through Blue Cross Horizon. They rate your discounts based on lifestyle points. I get extra points because I take a calcium supplement! Good news, out of 500 possible points I received 495. They took away points for my migraines.

 

[moni_stout]

I use Dr. Fuhrman's vitamins. They not only contain what one needs, they don't include questionable nutrients, like vitamin A and beta carotene, which may promote cancer if taken as isolated supplements rather than in foods.

I also take Dr. Fuhrman's vitamins. You can read about them on his website, although I do believed they are designed for those eating his recommended diet or close to it. I take the Osteo-Sun (Vitamin D), Gentle Care daily vitamin and DHA Purity.

Monica

 

[kathryn]

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, etc. have the highest amounts of absorbable calcium.

True, but some greens---spinach, chard and beet greens--contain oxalic acid, which binds with the calcium, making in unavailable to the body. They should be eaten in more moderation than kale, lettuces, collards, etc. that don't contain oxalic acid.

 

[kathryn]

Kathryn,

Do you have a link to Dr. Fuhrman’s vitamins or do you purchase them from a store?

Abbygail

I get them from his website : www.drfuhrman.com (If you decide to get them, you might want to consider becoming a member of his forums, as members get a discount, which could actually make up for the membership fee).

 

[kathryn]

I am not sure that eating fortified cereal and a protein drink is the same as eating a healthy diet of whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains though. Isn't eating the cereal and drinking the protein really the same as popping the vitamin pills, just not in pill form?

I agree. And there is a problem nowdays, IMO, with too many foods being supplemented (especially since some vitamins--like vitamin A and beta carotene--have been found to be health risks when taken in isolated/supplement form). You could easily get 3x the recommended dose of some vitamins from eating fortified cereals (Total has 100% of many vitamins and minerals--it just doesn't seem like a good idea to get that much from one source, especially since they are most likely synthetic vitamins), drinking Vitamin water, having a vitamin-fortified snack bar, etc. To add a supplement on top of that would be doing more damage.