| There's been a lot of excitement about antioxidants - | | | | grains, green vegetables (spinach, broccoli), meat |
| nutrients that protect the body from damage due to | | | | (liver), and legumes (lentils and beans), so a |
| free radicals, which are compounds produced by | | | | supplement is the only way to be sure you're getting |
| environmental toxins and normal body processes. | | | | enough. Women with diabetes, epilepsy, or a family |
| Free radicals can damage cells throughout the body. | | | | history of NTDs, or who have already had an infant |
| There have been many claims about what | | | | with a NTD, should take 5 mg of folic acid daily under |
| antioxidants can do for our health, including protecting | | | | doctor's supervision. |
| us from heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's | | | | Once you're positive that you're pregnant, you should |
| disease. Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene (vitamin A), | | | | boost your daily folic acid intake to at least 0.6 mg, |
| and the mineral selenium are well-researched | | | | but don't take more than 1 mg without checking with |
| antioxidants. | | | | your doctor first. You'll need more folic acid during |
| Early studies showed that people who ate lots of | | | | pregnancy to help produce added blood cells and |
| fruits and vegetables - foods rich in antioxidants - | | | | allow the fetus and placenta to grow rapidly. If you |
| were less likely to develop such diseases than those | | | | plan on breast-feeding, you should keep taking extra |
| who shunned these foods. Next, people already | | | | folic acid after delivery. |
| taking antioxidant pills were compared to others who | | | | Our bodies need vitamin D to absorb calcium, the |
| weren't taking such supplements. | | | | major building block of bone. It boosts the body's |
| Again, the antioxidants seemed to be protective. But | | | | ability to absorb calcium by up to 80%. Vitamin D |
| were they really? Taking a closer look at these | | | | becomes especially important as we get older, when |
| studies, it's likely that people who choose to eat lots | | | | calcium is less efficiently absorbed. Together, calcium |
| of fruits and vegetables or take supplements are | | | | and vitamin D can prevent osteoporosis, a condition |
| more health-conscious than those who don't; this | | | | where bones become thin and brittle and break |
| may explain these impressive results. Also, fruits and | | | | easily. |
| vegetables offer many more nutrients than the few | | | | Vitamin D is often called "the sunshine vitamin," since |
| antioxidants we know about. | | | | our bodies can actually produce it themselves when |
| The best studies are "clinical trials," where people are | | | | exposed to sunlight. In the summer, having our arms, |
| randomly assigned either antioxidants or a placebo (a | | | | face, and hands out in the sun for just 10-15 minutes |
| dummy tablet). That way, the only difference | | | | a day, three times per week, can make enough |
| between the two groups is whether they're getting | | | | vitamin D to meet the body's requirements. |
| the antioxidant or not - participants (and usually | | | | Unfortunately, the sun may not be the safest or |
| researchers as well) don't know which group they're | | | | most reliable way to get enough of this vitamin. Using |
| in. | | | | sunscreens to prevent skin cancer blocks the rays |
| As it turns out, the latest clinical trials on vitamins C | | | | needed to produce vitamin D. Dark-skinned people |
| and E and beta-carotene supplements didn't find that | | | | absorb less sunlight than those with light skins, putting |
| they protected against heart disease and cancer. In | | | | them at risk of vitamin D deficiency. |
| several studies, smokers in the group taking | | | | Also, many people, especially the elderly, are at risk, |
| beta-carotene pills had a higher risk of lung cancer | | | | as they spend more time indoors. Finally, the long, |
| than smokers taking a placebo. Researchers at Johns | | | | cold, and dark Canadian winters mean that the skin's |
| Hopkins University conducted a meta-analysis (a | | | | vitamin D production shuts down from early October |
| research study that pools the results of the | | | | until late March every year. |
| best-quality studies) to examine the effects of | | | | So how can we get enough vitamin D - and just how |
| vitamin E supplements on the risk of death. | | | | much do we need? Babies, children and adults under |
| The meta-analysis showed that people taking high | | | | 50 need 400 IU (international units) per day. Adults |
| doses of vitamin E (400 IU per day or more) had an | | | | over 50 should get 800 IU daily. |
| increased risk of death (approximately 4 extra | | | | In Canada, a glass of milk (250 mL) is enriched with |
| deaths for every 1000 people taking vitamin E at | | | | 100 IU of vitamin D, making it a good source of this |
| these doses). The researchers noted that most of | | | | nutrient. Small amounts of vitamin D are in margarine, |
| the studies of high-dose vitamin E were done in | | | | eggs, chicken liver, salmon, sardines, herring, |
| people with chronic diseases, so it's unknown | | | | mackerel, swordfish, and fish liver oil. |
| whether these results apply to healthy people. | | | | It may be hard to get enough vitamin D from food |
| There's still so much research going on to settle this | | | | alone, though, so you may opt to take a supplement. |
| question. Meanwhile, Mom was right - eat your fruits | | | | Remember that most multivitamins contain 400 IU of |
| and veggies, because they're good for you! | | | | vitamin D, which is enough for most people. Don't be |
| If you're pregnant - or even planning to have a baby | | | | tempted to take higher doses - too much vitamin D |
| - you need to know about folic acid. This type of | | | | can lead to loss of calcium from bone, too much |
| vitamin B is crucial in preventing certain birth defects | | | | calcium in the blood, and kidney problems. |
| in the brain and spinal cord called neural tube defects | | | | It's especially important that babies and children get |
| (NTDs). The neural tube starts out as a flat sheet of | | | | enough vitamin D. Kids who are short on this vitamin |
| cells that normally folds into a tube and goes on to | | | | can get rickets, a disease affecting bone |
| form the brain and spinal cord. | | | | development. Infant formulas are already fortified |
| The tube closes by the 29th day after conception - | | | | with vitamin D, so bottle-fed babies don't need |
| before many women even realize they're pregnant - | | | | supplements. |
| but if it doesn't close properly, NTDs are the result. | | | | Breast-fed babies, on the other hand, may need a |
| That's why it's so important to start getting extra | | | | vitamin D supplement since breast milk is usually low |
| folic acid before you become pregnant. | | | | in vitamin D. Breast milk is still the perfect food for |
| Healthy women who can become pregnant should | | | | babies but, if you're breast-feeding, talk to your |
| take a vitamin supplement containing 0.4 mg (400 | | | | doctor about whether your baby needs extra vitamin |
| micrograms) of folic acid every day. Most women | | | | D. |
| only get about 0.2 mg of folic acid from foods, like | | | | |