Dear Reader,
I hope the first couple weeks of the New Year treaded you well. The process of incorporation is finally done and we are well on the way to apply for non-profit status. As promised in the last issue, I will cover some of the 50 macro and micronutrients, experts have found to be essential to human life and health in this newsletter. I will tell you about them and give you DRIs (Dietary Reference Intakes). The DRI is the framework of nutrient standards and includes RDA, AI, UL, EAR, AMDR.
But before we get started on that, I would like to share some good news. It looks like the Alternative Medicine Blog attracts some “Big Shot” authors among our readership. Please check out this comment from Joan Price, author of “Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty” (Seal Press, 2006) as she comments about a recent post I published: HIV/AIDS: A Concern For Seniors? and her ABC Nightline appearance of December 1, 2006 on the same topic.
Now own with nutrition. The RDA Recommended Dietary Allowance is the average daily intake of a nutrient that satisfies the nutrient requirement for nearly all healthy people of any given age and gender.
AI or Adequate Intake is the suggested daily intake of a nutrient to meet daily needs and support health. It comes into play when there is not enough research to develop an RDA.
UL or Tolerable Upper Intake Level describes it all. It is the highest amount of a nutrient we are able to consume without jeopardizing our health.
EAR is the Estimated Average Requirement for the day of any given nutrient to meet the requirement for half of the healthy people of any given age and gender.
AMDR is the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of calories across all nutrients. Carbohydrates should provide 45% to 65% of total kcal, fat 20% to 35% of total kcal, and protein should provide 10% to 35% of total kcal.
Some of the nutrients are pretty straightforward; some of them need more explanation. I invite you to keep on checking the Alternative Medicine Blog for updates on these important nutrients, as I will cover them in much detail on an individual basis using a lot of information from the clinical nutrition class I just finished.
This lays the groundwork for the most basic habit anyone can form in order to prevent a myriad of disease including cancer. A healthy, balanced diet. The American Cancer Society estimates that 2/3 thirds of all cancers in the United States are caused by only two factors: inhaled cigarette smoke and ingested food. So far, so good. Only problem is that in the “Land of Plenty” most people do not meet the Food Guide Recommendation of at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit. This explains why we are trying to supplement our diet with various forms of these micro and macronutrients.
Let me caution you here. It is always best to try to consume the macro and micronutrients in the form of fruits, vegetables etc. This is because of the effect we call synergy. Synergy implies that nutrients in fruit and vegetables work all together in order to become more effective. Vitamin and mineral supplements should always be viewed as an “Insurance policy” never as substituted for a healthy diet. More on that when I cover individual nutrients.
Here is the list of micro and macronutrients everyone should get from their diet, on a daily basis, in order to promote healthy body systems. Thus we allow for a fertile environment, in which our individual cells can replicate using the best raw materials, to sustain the human body in its most efficient healthy way.
In the five minutes it took you to read this newsletter, about 1 billion cells completed the life sustaining process of cell division, using the raw materials you provided in the form of food and drink. This is a staggering amount; if this were your house we are talking about, would you use second-rate building materials?
The following table is adapted from Murray and Pizzorno, 1998.
Vitamin A retinol
5,000 IU
Vitamin A beta Carotene
5,000 IU
Vitamin D
100-400 IU
Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol)
100-800 IU
Vitamin K (phytonadione)
60-300 mcg
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
100-1000 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
10-100 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
10-50 mg
Niacin
10-100 mg
Niacinamide
10-30 mg
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
25-100 mg
Biotin
100-300 mcg
Panthothenic Acid
25-100 mg
Folic Acid
400 mcg
Vitamin B12
400 mcg
Choline
10-100 mg
Inositol
10-100 mg
In the February issue of CAM News I will cover all the minerals necessary to sustain a healthy body and body functions.
Beste Gesundheit,
Werner
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Alles was man vergessen hat, schreit im Traum um Hilfe.
All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams.
(Elias Canetti 1905-1994)