Word: vitamins
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...Chugging vitamin E seems to boost the immune system in healthy old people, raising the possibility that supplements could help thwart life-threatening infections. The nutrient may also turn out to be a potent lung saver, warding off the depredations of cigarette smoke, car exhaust and other pollutants. "The effects of air pollution are chronic," says Dr. Daniel Menzel of the University of California at Irvine. "Over a lifetime people develop serious diseases like bronchitis and emphysema. We have fed animals in our labs vitamin E and have found that they have fewer lung lesions and that they live longer...
...patients found to have Parkinson's disease, vitamin E may hold special promise. The nutrient seems to delay the appearance of tremors, rigidity and loss of balance, thus postponing the need for therapy with dopamine. The vitamin also appears to alleviate some of the unpleasant side effects of antipsychotic drugs, such as twitchy hands, face and feet...
Holding center stage in antioxidant circles, however, is beta carotene, a complex deep orange compound that is naturally abundant in sweet potatoes, carrots and cantaloupes. Beta carotene is turned into vitamin A by the body as needed. That makes it impossible to overdose on beta carotene, even though taking too much vitamin A can lead to liver damage and other effects...
...vitamin research surges, confusion swirls around two basic questions: How much of these nutrients is needed, and what's the best way to get them -- in food or in supplements? For half a century, Americans' vitamin intake has been guided by the Recommended Daily Allowances, or RDAs. Introduced during World War II as a way to ensure that military recruits did not suffer from malnutrition, the levels quickly became a standard for the general population. Technically the National Academy of Sciences sets different RDAs for people of different ages and sexes, but to simplify matters, the FDA has since...
...move to slash RDAs, scheduled to go into effect next year, flies in the face of research that suggests benefits from higher doses of vitamins. The current RDA for vitamin C, for example, is 60 mg. But to get a protective effect against cataracts or cancer may require as much as 100 mg. Similarly, vitamin E may need a boost from the RDA of 10 mg to 100 mg. (There is no RDA for beta carotene, but scientists speculate that 25 mg or more a day could be needed...