Awaken Your Health Newsletter - May 2009

A sunny ‘Welcome’ to the April & May edition of the Awaken Your Health Newsletter. I hope you are well and enjoying these final weeks before winter is upon us.

Starting with this issue, I will be changing to a bi-monthly e-newsletter - allowing me to focus more on supporting my patients face-to-face in clinic, and keep up to date with the continual advances in nutritional and herbal medicine research. As always, please let me know if there is a topic you would like covered in a future newsletter and I will do my best to assist.

I am often asked in clinic, “If I am eating a healthy, balanced diet, do I still need to take a multivitamin and mineral supplement?” This month’s article includes a discussion of exactly that – why people may need to supplement, and the benefits that have been documented in the current literature of taking a daily multivitamin-mineral complex.

A recipe for a little winter treat follows – enjoy these delicious gems with a herbal tea to keep you cozy throughout the chilly months ahead.

Yours in good health,

Tabitha.

Do I really need a supplement? If it were an ideally healthful world, we would always eat organic, biodynamic, unprocessed, seasonal, fresh & locally produced food; enjoy regular meals; avoid anti-nutrients such as caffeine, alcohol, prescription medications; stress would be non-existent; and no-one would need to consider daily nutritional supplementation.

In reality - regardless of how conscientious we may be - circumstances of ‘modern life’ often prevent us from eating optimally every day. Many people experience daily stressors that impact their diet and lifestyle choices, and most of us fall short of our vitamin and mineral needs from diet alone. Soils are not what they used to be. And have you ever considered the extent of nutrient losses that can occur to our foods with processing, refining, cooking, and storage for long periods of time? Do you ever have a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine with your meal? These everyday things can further interfere with the absorption of several vitamins and minerals.

It is also clear that our needs change over our lifecycle – we have higher requirements for particular nutrients when we are pregnant, breastfeeding, growing, stressed, menopausal, elderly, when we have a restricted diet (vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc), are on certain medications, or have digestive difficulties. The diets I frequently see in clinic include sub-optimal levels of specific nutrients – particularly Iron, Zinc, Vitamin D and several water-soluble vitamins.

A multitude of studies have shown that suboptimal levels of nutrients can be risk factors for various diseases. Additionally, researchers are finding that some important vitamins and minerals (in amounts that may be difficult to obtain through diet alone) are protective against chronic disease states - such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

An early landmark study (1) in a prestigious journal JAMA (2002 http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/287/23/3127 recommended that all adults take a daily multivitamin and mineral complex:

“We recommend that all adults take one multivitamin daily. This practice is justified mainly by the known and suspected benefits of supplemental folate and vitamins B12, B6, and D in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis and because multivitamins at that dose are safe and inexpensive. It is reasonable to consider a dose of 2 ordinary multivitamins daily in the elderly, specifically because of the high prevalence of suboptimal vitamin B12 and D intake”.(1)

Since then, numerous credible authors have further supported this concept. Here are some additional extracts from recent literature (references below):

“Inadequate dietary intakes of vitamins and minerals are widespread, most likely due to excessive consumption of energy-rich, micronutrient-poor, refined food. Inadequate intakes may result in chronic metabolic disruption, including mitochondrial decay. Deficiencies in many micronutrients cause DNA damage, such as chromosome breaks, in cultured human cells or in vivo. Some of these deficiencies also cause mitochondrial decay with oxidant leakage and cellular aging and are associated with late onset diseases such as cancer. A multivitamin-mineral supplement is one low-cost way to ensure intake of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of micronutrients throughout life.” (2)

“Diet is estimated to contribute to about one-third of preventable cancers -- about the same amount as smoking. Inadequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals might explain the epidemiological findings that people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables have an increased risk of developing cancer. Recent experimental evidence indicates that vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to DNA damage. Optimizing vitamin and mineral intake by encouraging dietary change, multivitamin and mineral supplements, and fortifying foods might therefore prevent cancer and other chronic diseases.” (3)

Looking at all the evidence - from epidemiological studies on diet and health, to biochemical studies on the mechanisms of disease - the potential health benefits of taking a standard daily multivitamin far outweighs potential risks. As a basic foundation or ‘nutritional insurance’, I take a daily comprehensive multivitamin, mineral and antioxidant complex. I recommend this also for the patients I see – men and women alike, with regular outcomes including an improvement in energy levels & ability to cope with stress, plus better immune function. Even better if we may be reducing risk long-term of various chronic diseases!

But not all Multi’s are created equal. There are a number of things to consider when choosing a Multi: do the ingredients reflect the correct ratios of nutrients required within the body? Are the nutrient forms the best for assimilation and utilization by the body? Have minimal excipients, binders and coatings been used?

To sum up, the best advice is to see a professional trained in the area to design a personalized program specific to your needs. Also, always communicate with your Health care team the supplements you are taking – whether they have been prescribed to you or they are self- prescribed. And please remember: a supplement is exactly that – a supplement (not a substitute) to a healthy diet & lifestyle!

References
1. Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for Chronic Disease prevention in Adults – Clinical Applications. JAMA. 2002; 287(23): 3127-3129.
2. Ames BN. Low micronutrient intake may accelerate the degenerative diseases of aging through allocation of scarce micronutrients by triage. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006; 103:17589-94.
3. Ames BN, Wakimoto P. Are vitamin and mineral deficiencies a major cancer risk? Nat Rev Cancer. 2002; 2:694-704.
4. Ravaglia, G et al. Effect of micronutrient status on Natural Killer cell Immune function in healthy free-living subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 71:590-8.

Top ten reasons you may need a Nutritional supplement 1. Poor digestion – even when your diet is excellent, inefficient digestion can compromise your body’s uptake of vitamins and minerals. 2. Alcohol – overdoing the alcohol can damage the lining of your digestive tract and negatively affect your body’s absorption of nutrients. Heavy alcohol use increases the body’s requirements for B vitamins and Zinc.

3. Overcooking - lengthy cooking, re-heating and microwaving can all compromise nutrient amounts in food. Light steaming or a quick stir-fry is preferable.

4. The Elderly – the aged have been shown to have lower intakes of many vitamins and minerals: particularly iron, calcium, zinc and Vit D. Possible causes include impaired tase and smell, and reduced digestive secretions.

5. Food storage – water soluble vitamins degrade over time, and freezing and defrosting can significantly reduce the levels of some nutrients in food.

6. Crop nutrient losses – decades of intensive agriculture can deplete soils of nutrients – especially trace minerals. Australian soils have been shown to be very low in Selenium, an important antioxidant.

7. Smoking – Smoking tobacco is an irritant to the digestive tract and increases the body’s requirements for Vitamin C by around 30% (compared with a non-smoker).

8. Stress – Chemical, Physical or emotional stress can increase the body’s requirements for B Vitamins and Vitamin C.

9. Pregnancy – Pregnancy creates higher than usual demands for several nutrients – professional assessment of nutrient requirements during pregnancy is a good idea for both mother and baby.

10. Taking Oral contraceptives – The Pill can decrease absorption of Folic Acid and increase the need for Vitamin B6 and Zinc.

Recipe: Tab’s Tahini balls These are a fun winter treat to enjoy with a herbal tea. They contain reasonable amounts of calcium, magnesium and protein, have a low GI, and contain zilcho saturated fat. These are a great little treat to keep you going in the afternoon when you are looking for that little something. Enjoy with a hot herbal tea.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of unhulled tahini (available in jars at health food Store - Melrose is a good brand)
• 1/2 cup of raw honey (or be extravagant and use a Manuka honey)
• 1+ cup good quality cocoa powder (organic if possible: the darker, the better)
• And to dust, a few tablespoons of LSA (ground Linseeds, Sunflower seeds, and Almonds) or shredded coconut.

Method:

1. Mix top three ingredients thoroughly until thick and sticky (a little extra cocoa powder is needed sometimes)
2. Wet your hands, and roll the mixture into bite-size balls.
3. Dust wet balls in LSA mixture or shredded coconut
4. Put on a tray and leave in fridge to harden for 30 mins

Tips:

• These keep in the fridge well (airtight) for about 3 days
• Try not to eat them all at once!

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