How to Choose a Multivitamin

While it’s generally agreed that a balanced diet is the best foundation for health, some studies suggest that to receive the required amounts of all vitamins and minerals we would need to consume approximately 3,000 calories worth of very specific fruit and vegetable combinations on a daily basis. For anyone who is not free to cook—and eat—for the majority of the day, this is not a viable option.

For these reasons among others, it’s no surprise that a study conducted by The Council for Responsible Nutrition shows that a daily multivitamin is the first choice among dietary supplements. Adding to healthy eating with the missing vitamins and minerals not only helps prevent deficiencies related to disease; it also promotes optimal performance in everyday life. As a result, multivitamin supplementation continues to increase, as do the available choices. When it comes to making the right choice, the following points will provide solid guidance.

• Most multivitamins will contain approximately 100 percent of the RDA recommendations for 20-25 individual nutrients—in general, the most important of these are the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin D and Vitamin E, and these can certainly be present in higher amounts.
• Biotin is critical for B-complex absorption, but is often included in minimal amounts for reasons of cost—a quality multivitamin will contain 100 percent of the RDA.
• Zinc is regarded as increasingly important in recent studies, and obtaining the entire RDA from food can be challenging; a quality multivitamin should contain approximately 50 percent of the RDA to make up the difference.
• Iodine helps to ensure proper thyroid function, which is foundational to proper metabolism—a sound multivitamin formula will contain 100 percent of the RDA.
• Despite debate about iron supplementation, it is almost certainly advisable for pre-menopausal women; their RDA is set at 18mg, while men require 8mg.
• Selenium has demonstrated particular potential for men’s health, specifically prostate function, but intake must be moderate, regardless of gender—a balanced formulation will contain 75 to 100 percent of the RDA.

As the last two points suggest, varied vitamin and mineral needs have been shown in certain populations, such as higher amounts of B-complex for athletes, Vitamin D for adults over 65, and other categories based on individual genetics and lifestyle habits. Assessing those needs and taking the next step towards custom nutrition may prove useful for those individuals.

All of the above, however, will definitely prove useful in selecting a good general-purpose multivitamin. In times when many of us find ourselves struggling to reach the top of the food pyramid, this simple measure can deliver a much-needed nutritional boost.

Caffeine may lower Parkinson's Risk: Study

In a study presented at the American Academy of Neurology 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Dr. G. Webster Ross and colleagues report a relationship between coffee and caffeine consumption and a reduced potential for Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, drinking three large cups of coffee a day—a total of approximately 28 ounces over the course of 24 hours—could protect against the development of Lewy bodies in the brain.

These abnormal accumulations of protein within nerve cells are an established precursor—in other words, the earliest, preclinical stage of Parkinson’s. Earlier work published by Dr. Ross and colleagues that looked at the incidence of Parkinson’s over 30 years of follow-up among also showed that it’s occurrence was highest among those who never drank coffee and lowest among those who consumed the most, with a similar trend for total caffeine intake.

In order to identify Lewy bodies in subjects, researchers used sensitive alpha-synuclein staining in multiple brain stem regions of the 519 participants and performed Braak PD staging. Of the 519 participants, it was established that 443 had no Lewy bodies present, whereas 76 did.

The exact protective mechanism of caffeine in regard to the brain is unknown, but animal studies do indicate that caffeine blocks the adenosine A2A receptors that control movement, which are very sensitive to caffeine. Animal research has also shown a protective effect of genetic depletion of the A2A receptor in knockout models of the gene, said Dr. Ross.

For humans, this explanation is still unconfirmed. “Whether coffee or caffeine are neuroprotective in humans remains uncertain,” said Dr. Ross. “There’s still this sort of nagging idea that people with PD may for some reason avoid coffee and caffeine containing products.”

Nonetheless, this study does establish an encouraging, positive correlation for those looking to maintain neurological health and function. Along with recently reported antioxidant properties, evidence is growing in favor of coffee and the caffeine it contains, in terms of potential health benefits.