This article is not intended to advise any individual as to whether to take vitamin and mineral supplements but just to raise awareness that certain marketing may be misleading.
Artificial v Natural?
It is true that some manufactured supplements extract their nutrients from food, for example, vitamins A and D can come from fish oils. Other supplements are made in laboratories and are labelled 'natural' but only because they started out from 'natural' sources. However, often the vitamins in pills contain relatively few of the naturally occurring forms of the vitamin:
· There are 12 known types of vitamin D but most vitamin D pills contain vitamin D3 only.
· Vitamin E in nature is found in 4 different forms but often the ones in pills contain only d-alpha tocopherol.
· Vitamin B has 17 different natural types but supplements of B complex usually contain only 8 - 12 of the different types.
· Vitamin C in supplements is usually made in a lab and is likely to be ascorbic acid. People tend to think of ascorbic acid as synonymous with Vitamin C but in fact vitamin C in natural foods is part of a complex including minerals such as copper which helps to increase the bioavailablility for the body and potentially fight infection. Ascorbic acid tends to acidify the body and therefore appears to fight infection but it is not the most effective natural defence for the body as it is actually white blood cells (lymphocytes) which fight infection.
It is recognised that the body needs complete foods and their vitamins otherwise it will tend to eliminate them as waste.
Many people believe they can eat a bad diet but then cover their nutrient intake by taking a daily multivitamin. Don't be fooled. Manufactured vitamins and minerals are artificially combined and mixed with manufacturing lubricants and flavourings. Their content being advertised as 100% RDA (recommended daily allowance) is also misleading. RDA was devised in the 1950's as a guideline for minimum amounts to prevent disease not to optimise health! Even if the nutrient level in supplements was 100% available for the body to absorb (which is unlikely) this level is still unlikely to provide adequate nutrition for optimal health.
The Department of Health only recommends taking vitamin supplements for certain individuals:
Folic acid for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
Young children who may need vitamins A, C and D if they are not good eaters or not exposed to sufficient sunlight through cultural dress.
Vegans who may benefit from B vitamin supplements as they avoid animal products.
So what's the alternative?
As unimaginative as it sounds, eating a balanced diet full of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and fish and regular exercise is the best way to obtain optimal health. This is how the human body has been designed over thousands of years and, contrary to what the marketers would have us believe, it can't be changed by a daily capsule in a bottle.
Vitamin Mineral Supplements
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Bausch and Lomb Ocuvite Vitamin & Mineral Supplement for Eyes with Lutein - 240 Tablets Feature
- Ocuvite tablets now contain lutein plus more Vitamin C and E
- Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplement
- Nutrition for Eyes - essential formulation - lutein, key antioxidants and zinc
- Bonus Size: Total 240 Tablets (120 Tablets X 2)
Bausch and Lomb Ocuvite Vitamin & Mineral Supplement for Eyes with Lutein - 240 Tablets Overview
Why add lutein to the formulation of Ocuvite? Lutein is a beneficial carotenoid found mostly in leafy green vegetables, and studies have shown that lutein, part of the pigment in the eye, may protect the eye by acting as a filter of harmful light. People with diets high in lutein may have a reduced risk of developing age-related eye disease.* Derived from marigolds, the 2 mg of lutein in Ocuvite tablets joins other important nutrients such as the key antioxidant vitamins C, E and A (as beta carotene), along with copper, selenium and zinc to help maintain ocular health. Ocuvite - The #1 recommended supplement brand among eye-care professionals. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.SAVE NOW on the special offers below!
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