Why NO Iron?

The new VITAMIN CRITERIA is most adamant about NO IRON multiples for everyone. WHY?

Iron is like fire. In a controlled fire pit, it has benefits for warmth and cooking foods. But, uncontrolled, it is capable of great destruction.  ref

The body has developed a method to help control iron. It combines it with a protein called ferritin which lowers its reactive potential. Plus, the absorption of iron is regulated to just small amounts. Iron is very reactionary with radicals, like ROS, reactive oxygen species. Food sources of iron are usually sufficient and better able to contain the possible iron /ROS reactions. Once absorbed, the body does not like to give iron up. In fact, every seven years, the body completely exchanges all the minerals in the body with new ones. The last mineral molecule to be exchanged is usually an iron.  

Why is it necessary to control iron?

Rust. Automobiles rust, and outdoor barbecues, water pipes and storm drains. This rust action also affects the body. Unprotected iron leads to "body rust." In the presence of oxygen, Iron readily oxidizes and forms radicals called ROS, reactive oxygen species. Increased amounts of ROS are capable of damaging cell structures and DNA. They are neutralized by antioxidants to protect against any DNA destruction. And yes, a controlled amount of ROS is needed and used by the body for beneficial actions.

But we need iron for red blood cell production. Why the dilemma?

It's a mystery of nature. The goal is to get just the right amount of iron and keep it protected. Only with a loss of blood do you also eliminate iron. Even when the body breaks down old red blood cells, it often recycles the iron into new red blood cells.

Iron oxidizes and creates rust. Eating red meat increases iron. In fact, the red meat itself is a dilemma. It appears the protective mechanisms of the body to prevent excess iron intake are hindered when iron arrives in red meat. High red meat eaters may assimilate too much iron.  

Type 2 diabetes is increased by 28% when iron levels are high. Even though supplements have low absorption rates, non red meat food sources are best since they allow the wisdom of the body to dictate how much to absorb. 

Note: Of course, if your Doctor tested and found you anemic, he would recommend an iron supplement. Unfortunately, Doctors usually say to take ferrous sulfate at 325 mg. This is NOT 325 mg of iron, it is only 67 mg of elemental iron. At 325 mg, iron could do immense damage to the body.  ref  This sulfate iron combination is hard on the body and constipation often results. Supplement sources are available in forms that are easier on the system and often result in quicker increases in blood counts, even though they contain much lower amounts of iron. Could be due to the inclusion of vitamins C, B12, folic acid, and a little copper which work synergistic with iron. Floradix Iron tonic is quite effective even though very low iron. A liquid liver cap also works quite well from Enzymatic Therapy. These observations are from use of these products during chemo and surgery recovery times to maintain blood iron counts so drugs or treatments would not have to be postponed. 

SPECIAL NEEDS DURING PREGNANCY

Obviously there are extraordinary demands on iron reserves when a fetus is growing inside a woman. Increased blood building demands greater iron for Red blood cell production. Nature gives iron priority to the fetus and if not enough iron is in the diet, the woman suffers. Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are major problems around the world. Iron is typically supplemented as ferrous sulfate. While this tends to work, there are many side effects from ferrous sulfate supplements at the amounts needed. For over ten years now in research studies, the supplement lactoferrin with 30% infused iron has been compared to ferrous sulfate. ref  And the results have all been favorable with equal or better red blood cell building and iron reserves plus reduced if any gastrointestinal side effects. An added bonus is that lactoferrin reduces inflammation while ferrous sulfate increases inflammation, most likely from elevated ROS actions. Infants gain the advantage of lactoferrin from breast milk.

SIDEBAR: From Wikipedia on lactoferrin, copied here: "Lactoferrin is one of the transferrin proteins that transfer iron to the cells and control the level of free iron in the blood and external secretions. It is present in the milk of humans and other mammals,^[8] in the blood plasma and neutrophils and is one of the major proteins of virtually all exocrine secretions of mammals, such as saliva, bile, tears and pancreas.^[13

The latest study by a team of researchers in Italy revealed another unexpected but welcomed discovery, reduced miscarriages in the lactoferrin iron treated women. ref  Yes, this needs expanded studies, but the simple blood work up results are pretty compelling that benefits are real. New 2015 research from India for lactoferrin including fight against parasites. ref

Here is part of the report from the preceding ref: "Iron-saturated lactoferrin protein has been shown to generate many free radical ions (ROS) which can be helpful for inhibiting a variety of tumors, intracellular parasites, and microbes." This is representative of how and where the body uses just the right amount of free radicals for positive actions before stepping in and neutralizing them to prevent radical damage to DNA and body tissues. In this case, iron-saturated lactoferrin generates ROS to stimulate immune blood cells called macrophages to surround and destroy parasites and microbes before they can grow to numbers capable of generating disease. This process is called phagocytosis.  

What is a VITAMIN?

WHAT IS A VITAMIN?

Simply, a vitamin is a nutrient required by the body to grow and maintain health that has to be supplied from outside sources. This is to distinguish vitamins from nutrients the body can build for itself from other materials. For most mammals, vitamin C is not a "vitamin" because their bodies can make vitamin C from sugar in the blood called glucose. Humans are only one of a few mammals that cannot make their own vitamin C.

The question that is running rampant on the web is this aspect that a vitamin is much more than an isolated nutrient. It is a synergistic blend of many nutrients together and they all are required to perform the vitamin function or functions. A synthetic isolate vitamin thus would not be considered a real vitamin. This concept is promoted largely by the foodform and whole food vitamin companies. They offer as proof the studies that give a food with the vitamin in question as able to perform a function or show a benefit, while the synthetic isolated vitamin by itself sometimes does not. Read on to discover why body wisdom overrides this proof.

There are two concepts to pursue here. First, what are these other synergistic nutrients, and second, what are the functions of the vitamin as compared to these other nutrients involved in this synergism?

The quick answer is that this is mostly marketing fiction. But, this does not mean a clarifying explanation is not also needed. Oh, the synergism part is largely correct, but the deductions arrived at contain some mistakes. It is a little like this story. Automobiles need tires. The function of a tire is car movement? When the tire is not on the car, it is still a tire but has limited value. Vitamins are like the tire. They are still a vitamin when isolated, but their function or at least the actions attributed to vitamins does not occur until the vitamin can combine with other nutrients to form an enzyme. It is the action of the enzyme that is attributed to the vitamin. This is only half right. Vitamins, once absorbed and assimilated, turn into forms that combine with minerals and proteins to form co-enzymes and later into enzymes that perform these functions. All the parts that go into making the car are needed just the same as many nutrients that have synergistic or interlocking functions are needed by the body, such as the other nutrients that make up the enzyme. Are you still going to say a tire must be on a car before you can call it a real tire?

Examples: Vitamin C combines with a mineral like calcium and forms calcium ascorbate, iron with the protein ferritin, B12 with the intransic factor protein, and Vitamin D with its vitamin D binding protein, VDBP. Once inside cells, vitamin D needs to attach to a vitamin D receptor (VDR) plus also with a form of vitamin A called 9-cis retinoic acid (RXR) and then these combine with VDRE, for vitamin D response element. This combination then triggers genes to build proteins that carry out the vitamin D funcitons. One such protein is called Osteocalcin. Osteocalcin, once activated by vitamin K2, can then connect with calcium and bind into bone crystals.

Many foods have only a few or even none of the other synergistic nutrients needed to make up the vitamin co-enzyme forms. Does this mean nature made a mistake? Of course not! This is the reason a variety of foods are needed to be consumed over time. So, to be technically correct, the answer is that while it is true that vitamins need other nutrients to completely perform all functions, the body arranges for this to happen from both the consumption of a variety of food sources plus the recycling pool of nutrients already inside the body. All the synergistic nutrients do not need to be supplied with the vitamin at the same time. Plus, all the synergistic needed nutrients for complete vitamin function are not even known yet. New functions for vitamin K beyond blood coagulation have only recently been discovered.

Not all vitamins function as coenzymes. The fat soluble vitamins more or less function with only a little help to convert into an active form. But, they may have a number of different forms they could take. And sometimes they change from one form to another, like Vitamin E member gamma tocopherol can change to alpha tocopherol, and vitamin D storage form as 25-OHD3 changes into the hormone vitamin D form, 1,25(OH)2D3. These fat soluble vitamins do not combine with other nutrients to form coenzymes.

NUTS and BOLTS: A tire by itself is still a tire, just as a vitamin by itself is still a vitamin. True, a vitamin in the body does work with other nutrients such as minerals and proteins to combine and form elements like coenzymes to complete the functions that are (incorrectly) attributed to vitamins. This could be the real mistake. The functions in question are not just vitamin functions, but are the functions of the enzymes formed by the union of many nutrients of which vitamins are just one part. Yes, they are important parts and often the limited one, but all parts are necessary to work together. Most water soluble vitamins during digestion are broken down to just an isolated vitamin form. Once inside the body, they can combine with minerals or proteins that act as transportors to move the vitamins around until they are at the site of action and again break away from the transporter protein or mineral and enter into a coenzyme structure to work some magic for body processes and frunctions.

Coenzymes attach to and form enzymes so it can complete the activity attributed to that enzyme. B vitamins form part of coenzymes necessary for the digestion of food, and for skin health, plus brain function. Thus, while the whole food companies are correct in saying isolated vitamins need other nutrients to complete their functions, even the whole food products fail to supply all of these other nutrients as well. Plus, isolated vitamins usually end up combining with other nutrients from food and performing most if not all of the needed functions. Remember, infant formulas Enfamil and senior nutrition drinks Ensure are loaded with isolated synthetic vitamins, and they appear to work and sustain growth. Yes, they would work better if they contained more of the natural vitamin synergistic nutirents and forms, especially the whole family of vitamins E and C. Vitamin C does not form into co-enzymes but simply combines with a mineral. The fat soluble vitamins A,D,E and K ride around with fatty acids on micelles. Some like K and D act like coenzymes in that they construct proteins that carry out the functions attrituted to the vitamins. The other fat soluble vitamins A & E have ester forms that act as antioxidants to stablize against oxidation.  

During digestion, most Vitamins, whether in food or supplements, are stripped down to their isolated form, and once inside the body form into their vitamin function compound. For Example: The B1 Vitamin form mostly found in the body is thiamine pyroposphate (TPP) or diphosphate (TDP). TPP is a coenzyme form meaning it combines with other nutrients to attach to different enzymes. It is made up of three rings; pyrimidine, thiazole ( which contains nitrogen and sulfur) and a pyrophosphate ring that is the functional group of the three ring structure. There are also versions of this TPP form such as Thiamine monophosphate and Thiamine triphosphate.

"The synthesis of TPP from free thiamin requires magnesium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and the enzyme, thiamin pyrophosphokinase. TPP is required as a coenzyme for four multi-component enzyme complexes associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates and branched-chain amino acids." The preceding info from the Linus Pauling Institutte at OSU. 

None of these body ready vitamin B1 forms are typically found in supplements. B1 in supplements is mostly in the form of thiamine mononitrate or thiamine hydrochloride. During digestion, thiamine is stripped down to isolated thiamine and then once inside the body, it forms into compounds with pyroposphate or diphosphate to begin forming into enzymes that perform what are called the vitamin functions.

Here is what the US National Institutes of Health has to say about vitamin B6 forms:

"Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is the generic name for six compounds (vitamers) with vitamin B6 activity: pyridoxine, an alcohol; pyridoxal, an aldehyde; and pyridoxamine, which contains an amino group; and their respective 5'-phosphate esters. Pyridoxal 5' phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxamine 5' phosphate (PMP) are the active coenzyme forms of vitamin B6 [1,2]. Substantial proportions of the naturally occurring pyridoxine in fruits, vegetables, and grains exist in glycosylated forms that exhibit reduced bioavailability." 

The relative value of synthetic vitamins is determined by how well they end up forming into their active forms, whether that is as a co-enzyme or combined with a mineral in a compound like vitamin C. The fat soluble synthetic vitamins are very complex and each one needs to be discussed individually. Some synthetic vitamins are very effective at substituting for the natural form, like most B vitamins and vitamin C, while other synthetic vitamins, like vitamin E, are less than half as efficient as the natural form. Fat soluble vitamins can build up over a short time and caution should be exercised with higher dosages. 

Vitamin Supplements and Natural Processes

Vitamin Supplements should be designed to work with body functions and not oppose them. But, since supplements present such concentrated amounts of nutrients flooding into the body all at once, unlike foods which slowly dribble in nutrients, this aspect can upset the natural protective, digestive, and metabolic control processes. ref  This point cannot be stressed enough. While the body utilizes elaborate mechanisms to limit and control nutrient absorption to prevent overloads, taxing these controls costs energy and uses up other vital nutrients and interfere with vital tissue and organ functions. This can influence and interfere with absorption avenues of other nutrients as well. Plus, overloads still occur despite these protective processes, such as with iron.

THE MENTALITY OF TOO MANY AMERICANS, "IF A LITTLE IS GOOD, MORE IS BETTER" DOES NOT HOLD FOR ALL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, IN FACT, NOT MANY IF ANY AT ALL. 

It is not only about nutrients achieving toxic actions from higher supplemented amounts, it is also simply about how nutrients function and the ways diseases can take advantage of these functions. Diseases like some cancers hijack normal nutrient functions and use them to support rapid tumor cell growth and hinder the natural immune system defenses of the body. Nutrients like Folic acid, Vitamin B1, and Glutamine working their natural functions end up supporting many disease processes. There are balance points of nutrient amounts that needs to be respected.

Some Cancer cells develop a system to not only destroy the active form of vitamin D and speed elimination out of the body, but this system also prevents the body from activating new vitamin D.  One of the normal functions of the hormone active form of vitamin D is to prevent and destroy cancer cells. Folic acid naturally participates in normal healthy cell division, a function that helps prevent cancer cells initially, but ends up speeding cancer cell growth once cancers are growing and reach a certain size. There are cancer drugs called antifolates ref that limit the action of natural folate functions in cells. This limitation hinders cancer cells hijacking folate functions for their own destructive activities. But since normal metabolism of the body needs some folate functions, this creates a dilemma. Scientists are working on a way to target antifolate actions for just cancer cells. 

1. Do Vitamins support Body Immune System Healing?

Can vitamin supplements positively influence the body's natural healing processes?   

This is after all the fundamental question Science has been attempting to answer with research. Good info on general immunity from Harvard Medical here. Scientists still view this topic as controversial. This topic is addressed with references throughout this website is many articles such as Friendly Vitamins. The zinc deficiency research is very compelling. And the answer appears to be yes for some nutrients in the correct form and dosage ranges. The ideal immune boost is one that increases the ability of the immune cells to react but does not necessarily change the number of cells or their ratios to one another. The body is best to determine that function for itself. New research is constantly updating nutritional science while supplements largely have remained unchanged, clinging to old and now obsolete vitamin theories. Only a handful of companies are staying current with new formulations. Here is the simple condensed version: 

Vitamins (and some other nutrients) have both the ability to stimulate immune cell activity to suppress and prevent disease conditions, as well as the opposite actions to accelerate and feed disease processes after the disease is already active. These may be from direct actions, such as inflammatory and antioxidant processes, on immune cell functions or through indirect actions in other areas that influence immunity triggers. 

It all depends upon supplement dosages added with body levels, nutrient forms, sometimes whether natural or synthetic, and synergism with the levels of other nutrients already present. Genetics of course can play a significant part, usually between 20-35%. Nutrition is able to somewhat modify these percentages. Again, this modification can work in both ways. You are about to discover why these scenarios can even be true for the same nutrient...read more

Here are some examples:

• Clinics in undeveloped Countries give out the mineral zinc to children once a month that dramatically reduces their risk of deadly infections. Too much supplemental zinc, over 60 mg daily, is potentially damaging to the immune system, the very action that lower amounts of zinc enhance. Plus zinc has different implications for prostate health at both adequate versus excess or deficient levels. The ALREDS eye study revealed this action for zinc. 
• Vitamins A & D modify tissue-specific immune responses as well as reduce inflammation and control autoimmune conditions. The active hormone form of vitamin D actually is produced by immune cells and with the help of vitamin A metabolites acts on these same immune cells to control their activity, T-cells, B-cells, cytokines, lymphocytes, and macrophages. (NK cells are major part of innate immune response*)
• Excess vitamin A is associated with increased bone fractures.
• Adequate Vitamin B1 levels reduce the risk of BeriBeri.
• Excess vitamin B1 promotes cancer growth.
• Higher intakes of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate are associated with reduced risk of death from stroke and heart conditions, possibly related to lowering homocysteine levels.**
• Vitamin C in the general population slightly reduces symptoms and duration of colds but not necessarily the number of colds, except in extreme athletes who show a 50% reduction in frequency of colds. ref
• Deficiencies of vitamin B12 or Folate can cause nerve damage ref
• Excess vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage.
• See this article on nutrients that impact immunity and cancer. *NK cells, natural killer cells, mentioned in this article too.

**Vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid studies to measure effects of lowering homocysteine levels on CVD outcomes have not always shown positive results. Scientists assumed there should be positive effects from animal studies and observations. This next reference explains some of the reasons why B vitamins and vitamin E positive actions did not always pan out for positive heart disease lowering results. ref   Notice statins and aspirin use in both groups, that giving vitamin E can interfere wtih vitamin K absorption. This could interupt the blood coagulation vitamin K factors to increase bleeding type strokes.

•  Another example: Folic acid in stopping DNA damage in healthy cells to prevent cancer initiation versus Folic acid increasing the cancer cell growth rate once the tumor is established. Both of these actions are just natural functions of folates. Different amounts, forms, and synergism between nutrients all play roles. ref  And remember, there is an anti-folate cancer treatment drug to limit the action of folate that helps cells grow and divide, including cancer cells. 

First and foremost, a complete understanding for vitamin physiology is needed to avoid these possible adverse effects. i.e. What is called Vitamin E today represents only one out of four tocopherols found together in nature. In isolating out just the one form, at certain amounts a natural synergism is upset and this can cancel out benefits and potentially create adverse effects as well. ref   article 

CAUTIONARY NOTE: It is nearly impossible to discuss vitamins and supplements without overlapping into disease states. While the FDA and other Government agencies view this as prescribing or practicing medicine, it is really just discussing vitamin functions in their given body capacity. Many vitamins were first discovered in attempts to overcome a particular disease, such as vitamin C over scurvy, vitamin D and rickets, vitamin B1 and beriberi ref, plus calcium and bone fractures. Any such discussions or research reported on this website should only be viewed as educational. Talk with your Medical Doctor regarding any disease states and nutritional supplement usage. Although, yes, there exists a serious gap in nutritional education for Doctors. Doctors have to research this topic themsleves. 

Best Multiple Vitamin and Mineral supplement

What or which is the Best Multiple-vitamin? There are websites that appear to give criteria and advice for this question. Some offer up examples. They mostly fail! 

Here is the only appropriate answer. The Best Multiple-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement is one that most closely fits into a person's lifestyle, diet, and genetics. That is really just another way to say the one that achieves the most benefits for the body with the least disruptions. This website contains many of the basics to support this search. Plus, a general vitamin criteria is offered that was developed with current vitamin scientific research. This serves as a good beginning point until Nutritionists recognize and incorporate this new criteria into recommended vitamin protocols. Why do you think the professionals have been so slow to update faulty theories about vitamins and minerals?

FACT: Over 98% of current multiple vitamin and mineral supplements fail to satisfy this new vitamin criteria. To FIND OUT WHY, go here and use this guide to find your best multi> Vitamin Criteria

CONFLICT WITH MULTI-VITAMINS

A number of studies have found that vitamin consumers exhibit increased mortality rates over people who do not take supplements. Other studies of course find just the opposite. A positive for vitamins study found that vitamin consumers had cells with longer telomeres, a sign indicating longer cell life, as well as better DNA repair. This means healthier cells with less DNA damage potential leading to disease.

Some of the negative study results can be dealt with in a positive approach using the correct information in the new vitamin criteria offered on this website. Remember, 90% or more of multi-vitamin supplements have faults in nutrient forms, improper dosages, missing synergistic family members, exhibit interferance with other nutrients and body processes, or have improper nutrient to nutrient ratios. Minerals come into play with this last aspect. Vitamin E represents one of the largest dilemmas for analyzing study results. There are many negative aspects to using vitamin E as either synthetic or just the isolated natural of only d'alpha tocopherol. See here.

A meta-analysis of many studies out of Johns Hopkins University found that vitamin E over 400 IU was associated with higher mortality. Of course the Public did not see that behind the scenes other scientists worked the same data using different scientific methods and didn't find this negative result. But, there are other studies that have found slightly negative effects using vitamin E such as the SELECT study looking at Selenium and vitamin E on prostate cancer. At the midway analysis, the vitamin E group exhibited slightly more cancers and the selenium group had slightly higher diabetes rate. The SELECT study used the synthetic form of vitamin E and thus the only true conclusion is that the synthetic form of vitamin E is not effective to prevent prostate cancers. It turns out it is another vitamin E family member, gamma tocopherol, that is needed with alpha tocopherol to completely protect prostate tissue. Alpha T works on oxygen radicals, but it is gamma T that is needed for nitrogen radicals, which alpha T does not touch.

Too much Selenium, an antioxidant, simply worked to quickly to neutralize a vital free radical. This radical is used by the body for a positive function. It has to switch on glucose insulin uptake by cells before it is neutralized or destroyed. Thus, in the study people who were already higher in selenium, adding extra increased the selenium antioxidant function so much that the free radical was neutralized before it could turn on glucose insulin uptake into cells, and this increased the diabetes effect.

Now, these are just two examples of nutrients in a multi-vitamin that have to be in the correct form and within a given window of dosage to be sure they do not exhibit these negative aspects that might increase mortality. There are more. Calcium to magnesium, zinc to copper, vitamin C family, natural source Beta carotene complex, Vitamin C with family, should be iron free, limit Vitamin D, watch for excess vitamin B1, B6, and folic acid, which should rarely be consumed since it is fortified in many foods. Folate should be OK at or below 250 mcg. There is a class of cancer chemo-drugs called anti-folates. Cancers use folate to grow faster. Plus cancers also abuse vitamin B1. Vitamin B6 is associated with nerve damage at both too low as well as excess. Vitamin D and calcium, used by many for bone health, is also associated at higher amounts with greater brain lesions, as well as the aggressive form of prostate cancer.

These are just the tip of the iceberg for why this newly developed vitamin criteria is an important base to follow for safe and effective multi-vitamin choices.