You must read and accept the disclaimer to use this site. Updated for monthly, 2011

ESSAY 1: WHY IS THERE A REVOLUTION OCCURRING IN NUTRITION?

PRINCIPLES FOR CHOOSING SUPPLEMENTARY MICRONUTRIENTS

This series of essays is designed to introduce wise individuals to the principles of formulation and the key scientific and medical studies upon which the formulations are based. The cited studies are representative of a vast literature (about 1100 Medline citations per year each for vitamins C and E) which have been reviewed in preparation of the essays at this site. Your comments are welcome at ordman@beloit.edu - the goal of Nutrition Investigator is to provide the best safe, proven information and formulations based upon valid scientific studies. Any suggestions or additional studies will be carefully reviewed.

BACKGROUND

The past decade has seen a revolution in the basis for nutritional supplementation. Three factors were key in the process. First, the aging of the U.S. population has pushed the direction of medical research toward the prevention of age-associated diseases like cancer, heart disease, osteporosis and Alzheimer's, while evidence confirming the free radical theory of aging and the role of optimal, long-term nutrition as the principal causes of age-associated disease. Second, during the 1980's the National Institutes of Health launched a major initiative in nutrition, including funding major clinical trials such as the Women's Health Study, the Nurses Health Study and the Physicians Health Study, which involve tens of thousands of people taking supplements over many years. This has provided a large stream of both retrospective epidemiological surveys and prospective, double-blind clinical trials. Third, starting with the study of Ordman et al.(1) in 1994 to determine an optimal dosage of vitamin C, many research trials have been designed using different dosages of specific micronutrients to determine optimal dosages. Thus, a comparison of 60, 200, and 800 iu dosages of vitamin E in boosting the immune response in the elderly showed that 200 iu was the most effective dosage (2). [In addition, the "omics" revolution is providing insights into how genes, proteins, and metabolism occur in different people.]

Early nutrition research led to the discovery of micronutrients essential to prevent diseases resulting from short-term deficiency, and the Recommended Daily Allowances have been established based on these requirements for short term health. As people began to realize the importance of higher dosages and other micronutrients for long term health, hundreds of companies have begun marketing thousands of products. However, until the period of research beginning with the work of Ordman et al, there was inadequate scientific evidence to indicate optimal dosages of micronutrients above the RDAs. As subsequent essays describe, there is now clear evidence for optimal dosages of vitamins C and E and calcium, each of which has been shown to be critical in maintaining long term health and reducing the risk of age-associated diseases.

PRINCIPLES

The micronutrients included in the formulations of Nutrition Investigator are selected on an abundance of peer-reviewed scientific and medical publications of studies clearly documenting that the specific dosage and period of consumption is safe and proven to be likely to reduce the risk of disease.

SAFE: Every ingredient included in any formulation must be safe for the general population to at the specific dosage for the length of time for which the supplement is designed. Each micronutrient must have been studied thoroughly enough to understand its biochemical, metabolic, and physiological actions. Each must have been evaluated in long term clinical trials to indicate that it does not cause hazardous side effects. Such clinical trials should have involved sufficient numbers of people for adequate periods of time, and have been repeated by a sufficient number of independent groups of investigators. This safety is necessary both to protect the customer, and to guarantee the credibility of Nutrition Investigator. For example, vitamin C and E have been clearly established in numerous trials of thousands of people over decades to cause no hazardous side effects. By comparison, while beta-carotene showed considerable promise in short term studies with limited numbers of people, large scale, long term trials have demonstrated that there may be hazards associated with beta-carotene in supplement form. It remains unclear whether supplementation with beta-carotene above levels obtained in the diet is helpful or hazardous over the long term, and thus it is not included in Nutrition Investigator formulations.

PROVEN: The second principle for inclusion of any micronutrient is that it must be proven to have the potential to improve your health in the form and at the dosage which the micronutrient is provided. As with safety, there must be both an adequate understanding of the metabolic and physiologic mechanisms by which such benefit is plausible, and sufficient epidemiologic and prospective studies to make the economic and practical investment to take the nutrient worthwhile. Note that the value of the micronutrient must be proven to have the potential to improve your health. Among professionals in the medical and scientific community, controversy continues about whether vitamin C has long-term health benefits at megadoses. However, the evidence of the potential benefit is sufficiently great, while the evidence that dosages of 500 mg twice a day are safe, that vitamin C is included in Nutrition Investigator formulations. Likewise, while health claims abound for a host of micronutrients and herbs, ranging from copper to dong quai, there is insufficient evidence that these substances are proven to be of benefit to the general population when taken in supplement form.

Many nutrition companies produce a host of products in a variety of combinations. By applying our two standards carefully, we have developed specific formulations for each age and gender group which we recommend with confidence and can document thoroughly to provide safe, proven nutrition for those who care about their present and future health.

1. King, G., Beins, M., Larkin, J., Summers, B., and Ordman, A.B., "Rate of Excretion of Vitamin C in Human Urine", AGE 17:87-92 (1994)

"The conclusion is that two conditions are necessary to elevate vitamin C excretion continuously: a dose of at least 500 mg and a dose every 12 hr. This is substantially higher than the U.S. recommended daily allowance and more frequent than administration being used in clinical trials."

2. Meydani, S.N., et al. "Vitamin E supplementation and in vivo immune response in health elderly subjects", JAMA 277: 1380-86 (1997)

"88 free-living, health subjects at least 65... were randomly assigned placebo or 60, 200, or 800 mg/d of vitamin E for 235 days... Subjects consuming 200 mg/d of vitamin E had a 65% increase in [immune cells]... No adverse effects were observed with vitamin E supplementation." Study shows 200 mg/d is superior to 800 mg/d