Lesson 2 Nutrition and Wellness

First let me beg your pardon for my aweful spelling and grammar last night. I used the spell check. Well lets try again. Lets discuss the actions of various nutrients. Vitamin E is a well known antioxidant. One of the most important in our bodies, it protects the cell walls from oxidation. Vitamin C also protects the DNA inside our cells. It works with other nutrients to provide wellness by keeping cells and organs at their prime. Many clinical studies have shown that Vitamin E is not only important in protecting the cardiovascular system, but plays a role in immunity. Our bodies cannnot manufacture it. Hence we must either obtain it from foods or supplements. Most of us do not get as much as we need in our diets and many forms on the market are not highly bioavailable. Meats are poor sources, and only small amounts occur in butter, egg yolk, milk fat and liver. More, but still relatively moderate amounts are found in whole-grains, seeds, nuts and vegatable oils. As mentioned yesterday the body doesn't retain this vitamin as well as it does many others. The RDA for Vitamin E is 30 IU. This doesn't consider the things that cause us to require considerably higher amounts to maintain our health. Some of these are diet, life style, disease and exposure to pollutents. Many clinical trials show on average 400 - 800 IU per day can significantly benifit our wellness. Although we can't obtain this from our diets, supplements have been shown to have few mild or no side effects.

Vitamin C has many important roles. It is a co-factor for 8 different enzyme systems involved in the synthesis of collagen, ATP (our bodies cellular source of energy) synthesis within the mitochondria (the engine where the cell's energy production takes place), and hormonal biosynthesis. The RDA is 70 - 90 mg/day. Under normal conditions this meets the bodies collagen requirements. Collagen is a major structural component of the body. However, we need vitamin C's protection against free radicals and to fight lipid oxidation. It also supports healthy adrenal function, and regenerates other antioxidants, maintains immune function and promotes the integrity of our arterial walls. For these reasons the RDA is unlikely to be sufficient for most people.

Vitamin A can be dangerous in pregnant women. Therefore there are companies that produce what is called a provitamin (or substances used by the body to provide a safe form of vitamin A.) However, even in the use of prodrugs such as carotenoid, and beta-carotene which convert to Vitamin A only as needed, it would be wise to discuss supplementation with your Obstetrician. There is no risk of toxicity when taking vitamin A in this form. Vitamin A promotes healthy skin, a strong immune system and helps maintain good vision. In addition to vitamin A lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are carotenoid antioxidants which are involved in protection against damage done by free radicals in the eyes and other organs. A few of the producers of vitamin A include these additional carotenoids.

In lesson 3 we will move on to less well known antioxidants that our bodies need for protection against free radicals.