Bone Strengthening Vitamins And Vitamin Supplements Articles & Resources

Stephen T. Sinatra, ., a cardiologist and author of Optimum Health (Bantam Books, 1997) and The Coenzyme [.10] Phenomenon (Keats Publishing, 1999) talked with Vegetarian Times assistant managing editor Andrea Mather about the most protective supplements for women. Not surprisingly, three of his choices are antioxidants, powerful disease-fighting nutrients that combat free radicals, which destroy cells and contribute to all of the major women's diseases. Of course, Sinatra's recommendations are only guidelines; before taking any supplement, check with a health professional.

COENZYME Q10

This vitamin is a great antioxidant supplement for both men and women. Also called co[.10], it helps delay aging by strengthening cell wells and producing the cellular energy needed for every bodily function. It supports the immune system to make us more resistant to disease. It staves off diabetes, lowers blood pressure and protects the heart.

But the reason it's particularly good for women--perhaps even the number one supplement for women--is because it appears to help prevent breast cancer. A recent Swedish study found that 39 percent of the female study participants with breast cancer also had low blood levels of co[.10]. Although more research needs to be done to explore this relationship, taking supplemental co[.10] will lower the risk for breast cancer in women who eat a diet that's heavy in saturated fats, drink a lot of alcohol, are exposed to toxins like pesticides or petrochemicals, take cholesterol-lowering drugs, have hyperthyroid disease or a family history of breast cancer.

Our bodies extract co[.10] from food (primarily meat and fish), so even with the most balanced, healthful vegetarian diet, women still need to supplement. There's another reason--as we age, our bodies are less able to absorb co[.10] from the foods we eat.

DOSAGE: Women under the age of 40: 30 milligrams (ms.) twice daily after meals; women over 40: 60mg. twice daily after meals. For best absorption, take an oil-based co[.10] in soft gel caps.

B VITAMINS

Across the board, the B vitamins, particularly folic acid, [.6] and [.12], are highly beneficial for women. They lower levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which can increase the risk for heart attack and stroke, and they protect women from cervical cancer.

Women need B supplements because our diet doesn't provide enough of them. Studies have also shown that women who take birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy may be deficient in [.12] although researchers aren't sure why. Some vegetarians may be lacking [.12] because it's mainly found in meat and dairy products. And women of childbearing age, in particular, need to make sure they are getting enough folic acid because it safeguards against such birth defects as spina bifida (congenital neural tube defects).

DOSAGE: A mixed B-complex that contains 800 micrograms (mcg.) of folic acid, 20mg. of [.6] and 20mcg. of [.12]. Take after meals, once daily.

VITAMIN E

This is a very important antioxidant for women. Unequivocally, supplemental dosages of vitamin E protect women against heart disease and stroke by neutralizing the LDL ("bad") cholesterol. The famous Harvard Nurses Health Study involving some 87,000 women reported a 41 percent reduction in the rate of heart disease among nurses who had been taking vitamin E for more than two years. This powerhouse also supports the immune system.

Because it's found mainly in high-fat foods, the amount of fat a woman would need to eat to get enough would be unhealthy. So it's necessary to be taken supplementally.

DOSAGE: 400 International Units (IU) after a meal, once daily. Look for capsules that contain both alpha and gamma tocopherols, the chemical name for vitamin E.

LUTEIN

This nutrient is part of the carotenoid family of antioxidants, which are found primarily in red, yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables. In fact, carotenoids, like lutein, are what give these foods their pigments.

Lutein is highly valued because it protects against free radical destruction of the retina, which causes age-related macular degeneration (blindness). A 1994 Cambridge University study also demonstrated that lutein benefits the heart. The study found that women of Belfast, Ireland, were eight times more likely to have a heart attack than women of Toulouse, France. Researchers expected that the reason would be related to the good fats and red wine found in the French diet, but what emerged as the major protective factor was actually lutein. These French women ate lots of fruits and vegetables and therefore had higher levels of lutein in their blood than the Irish women.

Studies have also shown that this very powerful antioxidant also helps prevent lung, cervical and breast cancers by combating the free radicals that can lead to these diseases.

Fruits and vegetables, especially spinach and kale, are excellent sources of lutein. But because this nutrient is so essential, you should take it supplementally, and not just hope to get enough of it from your food.

DOSAGE: 6mg. after a meal, once daily.

CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM

These two supplements need to be taken together for maximum effectiveness, especially to keep the heart healthy. Magnesium is particularly critical for the cardiovascular system, in part because low levels of this mineral cause high blood pressure, which leads to heart disease and stroke.

These nutrients also build and maintain bones to help prevent osteoporosis, a loss of bone mass that increases the likelihood of fractures later in life. An estimated 1 in 3 women gets osteoporosis in her lifetime, but taking supplemental calcium can lower her risk. Women accumulate bone mass until age 35, when it starts to decline. But research shows that women over 45 who take calcium supplements reduce bone loss. Calcium supplements will help build bone in women under 35.

Calcium is found in dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables. But because it's a difficult mineral for the body to absorb, even women who make a conscious effort to get enough calcium may be deficient and not realize it. Drinking coffee and diet soda also limits absorption of calcium. On top of that, diet sodas contain phosphoric acid, which leaches calcium right out of the bone. Women who drink four to six cans of soda a day really harm their skeletons.

DOSAGE: Premenopause: 1,000mg. of calcium and 400mg. of magnesium, taken daily in divided doses after meals. Post-menopause: 1,500mg. of calcium and 400mg. of magnesium, taken daily in divided doses with or without food. Look for soft gel capsules that include magnesium chloride and a mixed calcium complex composed of hydroxyapatite, ascorbate, citrate and gluconate forms (sometimes listed on the label as Krebs Cycle).

Andrea Mather is assistant managing editor of Vegetarian Times.