It’s no secret that vitamin D is a “hot topic” vitamin lately. Of the top questions we’re receiving here on the Nutrition Expert line, one stands out among the others: How much vitamin D should I take?

Answering this question can be a struggle — one that I know quite well, from both sides of the fence.

I have always paid close attention to my nutrient intake and have done my part when it comes to eating right. Additionally, I have a dog that I take for long walks and I try to go for a nice jog 3-4 times a week. I thought for sure that between my time in the sun and my diet, I was getting adequate levels of vitamin D. So when my blood work came back informing me of a vitamin D deficiency, I was shocked.

Despite my dietary efforts and my time in the sun (mind you, it was September when I was tested), my vitamin D levels tested at 26.0 ng/mL — six points below the healthy range of 32.0-100 ng/mL! Enclosed with this bad news was a prescription for 50,000 IU of vitamin D which I was supposed to take once a week for 12-weeks.

This prescription-only amount is much higher than is generally recommended which only further confirms the frustration that many are currently experiencing. With contradicting advice from various health experts, government-run organizations and USDA charts like the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), Adequate Intake (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), consumers seem to be growing more and more confused regarding many nutrient guidelines.

Between emerging science and outdated charts, many of the numbers we rely on are no longer accurate — and the vitamin D recommendations are at the top of that list.

While vitamin D has long been known as calcium’s trusty partner in bone maintenance, research is finding that low vitamin D levels may be associated with heart disease, certain types of cancer development, immune function, behavioral or mood changes and much more. And developing at staggeringly parallel rates are the numbers of women, men and children that are testing low for this important nutrient. This has led experts to re-evaluate much of what they thought to be true about vitamin D.

At the heart of these re-evaluations are some pretty valid questions from consumers: Is the sun no longer enough? Do I need to supplement and if so how much should I take? Were health officials wrong about the levels of safety? Should I be giving vitamin D supplements to my children and grandchildren?

Although the sun’s UV rays still have the ability to stimulate vitamin D production, we are, unfortunately, becoming a sedentary society with very little sunshine time. Additionally, there have been significant environmental changes in the last 3 decades and the added pollution has influenced how many of these rays can reach us. People who live in heavily polluted areas are at even greater risk for becoming deficient. And often times these areas come complete with high-rise buildings that block the precious D-producing sunshine even further.

Not to mention, we have drastically increased our use of sunscreens, which have reduced our vitamin D production. While it is important to protect your skin if you’re going to be on a sandy beach for several hours, the need for SPF 30 in your body lotion, face cream and make up might be unnecessary if you’re just walking the dog or taking a 10 minute stroll.

But since these factors influence the majority of people, supplementation is often times advised. How much you ask? Well the long-awaited answer is: There is no hard and fast, go-to answer…yet. It varies from person to person and until more clinical trials are complete and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has completed its work, we won’t know.

Since vitamin D is a vitamin that the human body can synthesize, the amounts that should be consumed in the diet or take supplementally vary from person to person depending on their age, current blood level, environment and outdoor activity level. Other factors that can influence vitamin D levels are skin color (those with darker skin don’t synthesize it as efficiently), use of sun block which can block (which, as previously mentioned, can block the UV rays that stimulate production), dangerously low cholesterol levels, and diet.

So you see, it can really depend on many factors, making it difficult to suggest with certainty a “general” dosage of vitamin D. We know this can be frustrating. As if the fields of health and nutrition weren’t confusing enough, now we have this vitamin D puzzle to solve.

The best thing to do is to have your physician run a vitamin D test as a part of your routine blood work. Most physicians are now doing this as standard protocol but follow up to make sure, even for children. There are no definite symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency, so a blood test is the best way to go.

Once the results come in, a more definitive regimen can be established. And while most physicians will prescribe the pharmaceutical vitamin D, many welcome the idea of supplemental vitamin D3.

My doctor approved this for me in lieu of the prescription. I have been taking 6,000 IU a day (1,000 IU from my Multi Nutrient Formula and 5,000 IU from a D3 capsule) for almost 12 weeks and am due to be tested again soon. Providing that my test indicates an adequate vitamin D level, I can lower my dose to 2,000 IU a day (1,000 IU from my Multi Nutrient Formula and 1,000 IU from a D3 capsule). I’ll certainly keep you posted.

One of our readers asked:

What is your opinion of BromaCleanse, which is advertised as a colon cleanser & fat burner said to dramatically help you lose weight. Have you heard of this product & if so do you think it works?

We have heard of that formula, however, its hard to say if it “works.” Many colon cleanse products may have the ability to clean the walls of the intestinal track but further promises, such as weight loss and detoxification, are questionable. Often times if any weight loss occurs it is in response to decreased caloric intake — not the formula itself. And proper detoxification requires more effort than popping a daily pill.

BromaCleanse touts itself as a gentle cleanse and detoxification that can revitalize your colon and your body while flattening your tummy and helping you to shed pounds. The ingredients don’t directly contradict this concept, but they certainly don’t support it either.

In fact, the ingredients contained in many of these ”detox” formulas, including BromaCleanse, have not been scientifically proven to influence weight loss at all. Acai berry weight loss claims tend to be the biggest on the market right now. While acai berry has been proven to have tons powerful antioxidant properties, there is no scientific evidence to support its fat burning claims. And, unfortunately, many companies are trying to profit on the trend.

Furthermore, BromaCleanse contains two probiotic strains, however they do not list which ones — which is troubling since certain probiotic bacteria are significantly more effective than others. Aside from that, the formula is essentially fruit extracts which lack the fiber needed to cleanse the colon wall. Also, being in a capsule form, many of the enzymes necessary to effectively cleanse and detoxify cells are destroyed. Lastly, there are no dietary changes recommended for the cleansing process associated with the BromaCleanse which just strikes me as a little odd.  Generally, to cleanse and detoxify your body, dietary habits need to be altered for a period of time.

You should also be careful when ordering from a company you don’t know very well as they often times have fine print agreements that can be frustrating to the consumer. Bromaclense, for example, locks you into a subscription agreement upon placing a request for a “free” trial. So after 12 days, if you haven’t called to cancel your subscription, you get billed $79.95! You can read more about that on their site. But always read the fine print and be aware of what you’re signing up for.  It’s often times better to order from a company you know and trust.

The good news is, there are other cleanses you can do that are less complicated, more natural, just as effective and less costly. Many people have great success with simple do-it-yourself plans. One of my favorites is the raw fruit and vegetable cleanse accompanied by some psyllium husk. For 5-7 days you simply eat raw fruits for breakfast and fruits and vegetables throughout the day. When this is done in conjunction with psyllium husk capsules and plenty of water, the walls of the intestinal track are swept clean and the body is given an opportunity to cleanse itself.

Best of all, this is done without robbing the body of any valuable nutrients. In fact, you’ll probably increase your vitamin and mineral intake! You can also add freshly juiced fruits and vegetables along with plenty of water to ensure that your fluid needs are met (which are higher when taking psyllium husk capsules). Some people opt to consume an all-juice diet on days 3 and 4, and then return to the raw fruits and veggies for days 5, 6 and 7. Then, just make sure you ease back into your normal diet slowly as not to shock your system.

If this type of a cleanse is something you’re interested in, get more details before giving it a go. You’ll need a daily plan and more detailed instructions depending on which specific cleanse you try. There are tons of books on the market that give helpful advice and be sure to speak with your physician before doing any cleanse to ensure that you are a good candidate for completing a cleanse.

Do you have a question for one of our Nutrition Experts?  Visit the Nutrition Experts area of our site and get helpful advice!

Once again, drug interactions are in the spotlight. And for a good reason! A number of people are discovering that many medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, can interact with each other and result in unwanted side effects.

For example, many woman aren’t aware of the interactions that can occur between certain substances and oral contraceptives. Both St. John’s wort (an herb commonly used to treat depression and mood swings), and antibiotics can interfere with the efficacy of birth control pills, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy.

Other people are unaware of the fact that warfarin (also known under the brand name Coumadin) should never be taken with aspirin. While they act upon different mechanisms- warfarin being a vitamin K antagonist and aspirin being in the anti-platelet class of drugs along with drugs like Plavix- both cause thinning of the blood. When taken together, these drugs can lead to excess bleeding.

And in the spotlight most recently is acetaminophen. This pain and fever reducer is most commonly taken in the form of over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol and experts are now finding that too much of it can be very dangerous. What many people don’t know is that it is also in widely used prescription pain relievers such as Percocet and Vicodin. This causes people to unknowingly combine medications that contain acetaminophen in a 24 hour period- taxing the liver and possibly causing liver damage.

Lois Parker, senior pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital, was interviewed by both CNN and the Boston Herald and reported that dangerous drug combinations has been a concern of hers for quite some time. She stated that, in addition to many pharmaceuticals being too readily available, “there isn’t as much awareness as there needs to be.” Furthermore, the problems and consequences associated with drug interactions aren’t always apparent, causing people to continuously pop pills.

Many people build up a dangerous tolerance to painkillers and, consequently, end up taking significantly more than is safe. This, coupled with the way these and certain other drugs are metabolized, can mean devastating long term effects. Since some drugs use the same pathways for metabolism in the liver, combining them can result in decreased absorption, decreased efficacy, or worse, they can become severely toxic.

While the FDA continues its efforts to inform the public of certain interactions, there is still little public knowledge about certain harmful combinations. In fact, a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 1 in 25 older adults (ages 57 - 84) were taking drug combinations that were potentially dangerous. Additionally, more than half of these potentially hazardous mixtures involved seemingly harmless over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or aspirin.

So why aren’t consumers more aware of the potential side effects and dangers associated with these combinations? Is it a lack of industry knowledge? Drug company intervention? Or simply abuse on the consumer’s end?  Its possibly a combination of all three.  What are your thoughts?

Quercetin is quickly becoming the new “in” antioxidant and we can see why!

This plant-derived flavonoid is found in a number of fruits and vegetables such as onions, capers, apples, leafy greens and red grapes. Many researchers agree that the consumption of quercetin rich foods is associated with reduced risk for a number of chronic diseases. Additionally, it has been known to protect blood vessels, fight allergies, and decrease one’s risk for metabolic syndrome. And adding to that impressive list, a new study indicates that quercetin may have the ability to influence exercise stamina like researchers have never seen before.

The study, conducted at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, examined participants who were split into two groups. Half of the individuals took 500 mg of quercetin twice a day and the other half took a placebo. After just seven days, the group taking the quercetin supplement had a 13.2% increase in endurance in addition to a 3.9% increase in VO2max (a measure of the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently and one of the most useful tests for physical fitness).

All participants were healthy individuals but none of them were trained, leaving researchers to conclude that quercetin can positively influence one’s ability to shape up — and fast! Research leader, Dr. Mark Davis, enthusiastically noted that his team believes that “this could be a major breakthrough in nutrition.” He goes on to say that, “While there’s no magic pill to make people get up and move, or to take the place of regular exercise, quercetin may be important in relieving the fatigue that keeps [people] sedentary and in providing some of the benefits of exercise.”

More clinical trials need to be conducted before health officials can determine the mechanisms by which quercetin is able to increase endurance, however, pre-clinical data suggests that it may increase the mitochondria activity in both the brain and muscle cells, which is one of the most important biological mechanisms for increasing endurance, Davis said.

This study sheds new light on natural supplements for exercise enhancement and offers some exciting news for those who are currently taking, or interested in taking quercetin supplements. The findings are appealing to a broad spectrum of individuals in the health field and people are eager to give this new technique a “go.” Whether you’re an athlete, or just somebody looking to gain the upper hand in exercise endurance, this antioxidant compound might do just the trick.

Finally, the hard clinical evidence we’ve been waiting for, confirming the cholesterol-lowering benefits of red yeast rice, has surfaced in one of the nation’s most prestigious medical journals. The results of a breakthrough clinical trial reported this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicate that red yeast rice supplements may indeed be a viable, natural alternative to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Best of all, red yeast rice does not seem to cause the side effects that are problematic for many statin users.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine followed 62 individuals with high cholesterol for 24 weeks. All of the subjects had recently stopped taking a statin drug due to unpleasant side effects such as muscle pain. Half of the subjects received red yeast rice supplements and the other half received placebos. Additionally, all 62 patients were given counseling on how to make dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol. The results: Thanks to proper diet and exercise, all patients saw a reduction in their cholesterol levels. However, the patients taking the red yeast rice had a 21% greater reduction in their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels after just three months! Furthermore, all but three patients reported no adverse side effects associated with their use of red yeast rice, despite their previous intolerance to statin drugs! These results parallel those of another study we reported on last year. Those researchers found that red yeast rice in combination with fish oil reduced LDL levels by 42.4% and resulted in a greater reduction in triglycerides when compared to a group taking a common statin drug.

However, these research findings do not come devoid of controversy. Many health officials have called into question the safety of red yeast rice products due to the lack of FDA oversight with regard to over-the-counter dietary supplements. They caution that this may make it difficult to know with certainty the contents of a given product. Some have warned that the amounts of monacolins — the cholesterol-lowering, statin-like compounds naturally occurring in red yeast rice — may vary among products. Further complicating the matter is the long and convoluted history of the FDA’s attempts to require manufacturers to remove a naturally occurring compound, lovastatin, from red yeast rice products. This compound, originally isolated from a strain of yeast, went from being a natural remedy used in Eastern medicine for centuries, to the first FDA approved statin drug in 1987. The FDA’s well-meaning, albeit misguided efforts to protect consumers from supplements containing what is considered a regulated drug, have been the source of great confusion among many health seekers in search of a safe, natural alternative to statin drugs.

While the FDA and health officials puzzle over just what to do with these new study findings, you might be wondering whether red yeast rice is an option for you, especially if you want to avoid or stop taking a statin drug due to its side effects. If you do decide to give red yeast rice a try, it’s important to keep your doctor in the know. Because they work in a very similar manner, red yeast rice and statins should not be used concurrently. Learn more about how to use red yeast rice safely before you make the switch, if you decide to.

It’s very important to purchase red yeast rice from a company you trust, to ensure that you are getting a safe and effective product. It should be tested and guaranteed to be free of heavy metals, pesticides and specifically, a contaminant known as citrinin, which was once found in certain red yeast rice products.

Source: Becker D, et al “Red yeast rice for dyslipidemia in statin-intolerant patients” Ann Intern Med. 2009; 150: 830-39.

Turns out, lycopene does a lot more than health officials thought possible!  To those of us already immersed in the field of natural health, this news isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the new research is exciting nonetheless.

For over eight years, we’ve been reporting on the health benefits that can be obtained from lycopene. While this antioxidant compound can be found in watermelons, grapefruits and red peppers, it is most commonly known for it’s high concentration in tomatoes. So it’s no surprise that London based scientists have formulated a concentrated lycopene supplement and nickname it “The Tomato Pill.”

According to their research, the lycopene based supplement can reduce the oxidation of LDL so significantly that within eight weeks, the results are better than those seen in studies using statin drugs.  While more clinical trials are needed, British health officials such as Anthony Leed, trustee of the cholesterol charity Heart UK, maintain that “[This] represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of high blood cholesterol.”

What’s most exciting about this research is that members of the medical community are beginning to open up to, and closely examine, the possibilities for these more natural remedies. Hopefully, just as we Americans tend to follow European fashion and food trends, we will soon catch on to this in the States and begin further research.

In a recent article, we reported on the results of a recent study which indicated that the combination of fish oil and red yeast rice may be more effective than statin drugs at regulating cholesterol levels. So why don’t many doctors inform their patients of this natural alternative?

One reason could be that many physicians find that it’s easier to write a prescription than to assist patients in creating a healthier lifestyle. Another reason may be that some doctors aren’t too knowledgeable about alternative, more natural remedies, therefore they shy away from recommending them. However, a more disturbing reality is that many doctors are accepting perks from pharmaceutical companies that want them to prescribe their drugs. [Via Natural News.]

Is it possible that these perks could influence a physician’s decision to, against your best interest, prescribe a more expensive drug, instead of a less expensive but equally effective one? Furthermore, could it deter a doctor from recommending natural treatments that have been clinically proven to be as effective? While some physicians uphold a strong code of ethics and refrain from such practices, many experts believe that perks from drug companies may still have too strong of an influence. [Via Yahoo! Health.]

Even worse than that, we’ve recently learned that the pharmaceutical industry stretches far beyond the scope of the doctor’s office. The trusted doctors of the future are trained early on to push prescription drugs instead of nutritional or natural treatments. (more…)

As part of our ongoing effort to keep our formulations current with the latest scientific research and to offer the very best products possible, we’ve made 4 improvements to our Multi Nutrient PLUS Eye Support multivitamin. The best part about these improvements is that we’ve made them with no increase in the price!

This exceptional formula (which already contained double doses of lutein and zeaxanthin, now also features:

If you have any questions about this new formulation, feel free to contact us. Our Certified Nutrition Experts are here to help! You can reach them by calling 888-552-4464 (M-F, 9am to 5pm, EST), via email or by clicking on the Live Help feature at the top of our website.

Okra is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of vegetable — actually its one of those fruits (like tomatoes) typically eaten as a vegetable. The okra plant is a member of the mallow family, along with plants such as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. (Who knew?)

In addition to providing healthy doses of vitamins A and C, calcium and zinc, okra is a great prebiotic, meaning it can help create an internal environment that is welcoming to friendly microorganisms. Plus it’s a low in calories, high in fiber, and may help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Why We Love It: Okra is a quick and easy ingredient that can be added easily to many recipes. Deep fried okra is a Southern classic (and delicious), but we’re on a mission to find a healthier way to enjoy this nutritional wonder. Do you have a favorite healthy okra recipe?