Strength-Building Resources2

There are four major components of food: protein, carbohydrates, fats, and the vitamins and minerals group.  A major byproduct of the body’s metabolism, cholesterol, has in recent years taken a major role in the science because of its affect on health, so we’ll include this.

Protein

Protein is the body’s major building material.  Most body parts need protein as their building blocks, other than those that are pure fuels stores, such as fats.  Muscle, hair, skin are made of protein.  Major sources of protein in our diets are meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, grains, milk and other dairy products.  People in western nations tend to get most of their protein from animal products, which means they tend to bring in a lot of fats as well.

Carbohydrates

There are two types of carbohydrates:  simple and complex.  The names come from their chemical (atomic) structure.  Carbohydrates, along with fats, are the body’s fuel supply.

Simple carbohydrates come directly from materials – plant or animal – that contain a form of pure sugar, such as sucrose (from sugar cane, for instance, fructose (fruit juice) and lactose (dairy)  They are high in calories, have very little value beyond taste and usefulness as fat for energy.   They convert to fat very easily, and are generally regarded as something we have too much of.

Complex carbohydrates, (with a more complex chemical structure) are those regarded as having a fibrous base, and representing fruits and vegetables in their natural, unprocessed form.  They often bring us a wide range of other nutrients that are important for good health, as well dietary fibre, which helps dissolve LDL (bad) cholesterol, and cleans out our intestine.  They also have the facility to release their energy value over longer periods than simpler sugars, making their energy value less likely to go to fat stores, but to be used gradually as muscle power. 

Processed carbohydrates, such as biscuits, cakes, soft drinks, sweets tend to be turned by the liver into blood sugar quickly, as against more natural and unprocessed carbohydrates.  (The processed foods are said to have a high glycemic index; the natural foods, a low glycemic index)

Fats

Fats are a very important part of our diet, and contribute to our most critical functions, such as the brain, which is made up largely of fats.

Unfortunately, many people in the western world eat too much fat, and this is one of the major causes of heart disease, as well as a major risk factor for many other diseases.

There are two major groups of fats:  saturated and unsaturated (again named this way because of their chemical structure)  Saturated fats are the ones that at first were thought of as the only “bad” ones, come mainly from animal sources, and are in meats and butter and other dairy foods, and things made from these.  They give us high overall cholesterol, and thus cause cardiovascular (heart) disease.

Many of today’s processed foods’ key ingredients are trans fats. Trans fats are a name given to class of fat that is the result of an artificial process called hydrogenation.  Hydrogenation takes vegetable oil and converts it into a state where, as an ingredient to a finished product, it makes the product more storable and gives it a longer shelf life.  The fat in the finished product is regarded as partially hydrogenated, and importantly, carries saturated fat, with all of the negative effects of danger to arteries and cholesterol levels associated with primary saturated (animal-type) fats.

The convenience afforded by the hydrogenation process has brought a huge variety of foods to us, including cakes, cake mixes, biscuits, many soups, margarine, (we once thought margarine was wonderful because it didn’t have butter’s saturated fat), baked foods, donuts, crisps and crackers, frozen, pre-prepared foods.

While a limited amount of meat is important for protein and other nutrients, we should limit saturated fats intake, and try to eliminate trans fat-carrying products.  Note: many countries require manufacturers to clearly show the amount of trans fat on packaging; but not NZ.

Unsaturated fats are vegetable oils such as sunflower, corn, soya, rapeseed and olive oil, and are generally good for us.  Fats found in cold-water fish have properties that are increasingly regarded by nutritionists as excellent, though to consume them in a practical quantity in NZ requires supplements in pills, because we don’t have the types of fish that carry them in quantity, such as sardines, mackerel, salmon, and tuna.  (These are omega-3 oils; more on them later)

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic nutrient compounds that we obtain from food.   They come in microscopic quantities and have a very important role to play in our growth, health and immune systems at a cellular level.  Vitamins’ interaction between each other, other items we consume, and even our genes make their study very complex, and there has been some contradiction in recommendations as to how much we should use or supplement them.

We should aim to obtain most of our vitamin needs from the food we eat; they’re more effectively and efficiently used in that form.   But more and more research has shown that the best advice is that we need supplements as a safety net.

Vitamins - What Do We Need, Why, and How Much?

Vitamin A

It is generally to easily obtain what you need from foods that contain beta carotene, a natural form of Vitamin A which is found in many fruits and vegetables.  Other foods often have it added in a different form, such as breakfast cereals and dairy products.   This preformed type is less recommended, and occurs at such a level that it’s possible (but unlikely) that we can end up taking too much.  Any supplement should be based on the beta carotene form.

The recommended daily dose is 900 micrograms for men and 700 micrograms for women (3000 and 2333 International Units respectively)

Vitamin B:  Folate, B6 and B12

Too little folate in the diet is clearly linked to the incidence of spine-related birth defects, notably spina bifida and hydrocephalus.  It is very important that a woman has adequate folate during the first few weeks after conception, even before she is aware she is pregnant.  NZ has recently enacted food safety law that requires the fortifying of bread with folic acid, following a broad international trend.   This is likely to bring the average intake to around 140 micrograms per day, below the suggested requirement of 400 micrograms, and women are advised to see their doctor to obtain an appropriate supplement dose.

Folate, B6 and B12 reduce levels of homocysteine.  High levels of atherosclerosis (clogged arteries and the cause of many heart attacks and strokes) have been linked to a high presence of an amino acid called homocysteine, though no proper trials have proven that homocysteine actually causes atherosclerosis, or that lowering one will reduce the other, but the strong link is drawing considerable research.  Increasing intake of folate, vitamin B6 and B12 decreases homocysteine levels.  Homocysteine is also implicated in other illnesses including diabetes, dementia and osteoporosis, so it is the subject of considerable focus. 

A B12 deficiency can also be indicated by memory loss, hallucination, disorientation, and numbness or tingling in the limbs.

Folate is also believed to reduce breast and colon cancer risk in people who take supplements for long periods, possibly because of its DNA-building properties.  On the other hand, there are views that in high doses it may increase intestinal cancer risk, so individual advice from a medical professional is imperative.

Daily intake should include a supplement of each of the Vitamin B components.

Recommended dose for folate is 400 micrograms per day, with 600 micrograms for people who regularly drink alcohol, as it blunts folate’s effect.  Most people who have a healthy intake of fruits vegetables and cereals, together with other foods that have been fortified with folic acid are likely to get their requirement naturally, but some 30% of people over 50 have difficulty absorbing B12 from food, so a 400 microgram dose as is contained in standard multivitamin tablets is a worthwhile assurance for everyone, and not harmful.

Vitamin C

Many people think of vitamin C as preventing colds, but this has not been clearly proven, though it has been shown to alleviate symptoms.  Vitamin C is found in citrus fruit, berries, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and other fruit and vegetables.  Other prepared foods are fortified with it, such as breakfast cereals.

The main function is its infection-fighting properties, and its role as a powerful antioxidant. (Antioxidants are chemical substances that help protect against cell damage from free radicals – unstable oxygen atoms – which naturally occur as a function of daily life, and additionally by pollution, smoking and a variety of other things)   Related to this is its strength in helping the body fight infection.  It is understood, for example, to be the nutrient that was missing from the thousands of sailors who died of a disease called scurvy in past centuries – they went without fruit for weeks on end.   It also helps create collagen, a tissue in gums, teeth, bones and blood vessels.

Recommended dose is a multivitamin tablet and a reasonable diet.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is formed by the interaction of sunlight and skin, so you need to be outdoors for 15-30 minutes each day.  In practical terms this is less of a problem for us in New Zealand than it is for people in the northern hemisphere, where large proportions of populations don’t get enough.  We should still consider a supplement, especially seeing our ability to process the sunlight diminishes with age.  Vitamin D can also be found externally in fortified foods, nutrient-dense foods such as fish, and complex carbohydrates.

Vitamin D ensures the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus, and deficiency can bring brittle or soft so it is associated with osteoporosis.  It plays an important role in controlling infection, and has been clearly linked to weight gain, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression; indeed an analysis of multiple studies reported in the Archives of internal medicine (US) showed that taking modest amounts of vitamin D supplements reduced overall mortality from any cause.

It is also believed to help increase muscle strength, which helps reduce falls, a common cause of ongoing problems, and indeed eventual death, in older people.

Daily supplements for vitamin C can range from 200 International Units (IU) to 1000 IU per day, but there are wide ranges of vitamin D take-up between individuals and your doctor’s advice, (as with all decisions, but especially this) and maybe a blood test, is recommended.

Vitamin E

In earlier times, vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, was thought to offer a significant preventive effect against cardiovascular disease.  Later randomized tests proved this incorrect, however; in fact – apart from an indicated reduction in cardiac events for older women – test results appear complex and ambiguous and it appears there is little specific reason to promote it.

It is found in leafy greens, almonds, peanuts, and oils such as safflower and sunflower, amongst other things.

Daily intake from food is recommended at about 15 milligrams or 22 IU for natural food or 33 IU in synthetic form.  Recommended total supplemented intakes range up to 200 IU.  Something for your doctor to advise.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is best known for its very important role in blood clotting, and it is therefore important that vitamin K levels are managed when anti-clotting agents such as warfarin are prescribed.

Vitamin K has also been shown to be involved in promoting bone density, with studies proving that people with higher K levels have added bone strength and are subject to fewer breakages, a very important matter as we age, considering all the flow-on risks to health from, say, a broken hip at an advanced age.

Leafy greens and vegetables are primary sources of vitamin K.

Multivitamin contents of vitamin K vary; general recommendations of daily supplementation are 120 micrograms for men, 90 for women.

Summary - Vitamin Supplementation

Check your daily natural intakes with your doctor; include multivitamin intake and consider other supplementation.  It is often very inexpensive insurance.