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Vitamin C: Tips For Increasing Your Intake
A new RDA?

According to a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the National Institutes of Health is taking another look at the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C. The current RDA for vitamin C is 60 milligrams per day—about the amount you get from one orange. Due to recent findings on the potential health benefits of this wonder vitamin, the NIH is now considering boosting the RDA to somewhere between 100 and 200 milligrams per day, two to three times the current recommendation.
Why all the hype?

Vitamin C has long been known for its value as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are natural compounds found in many of the foods we eat. The most well known antioxidants are vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene and vitamin E. Antioxidants work by inhibiting toxic substances in the body (also known as "free radicals") which may lead to the development of cancers, heart disease and the aging process. There has been a strong correlation between diets high in fruits and vegetables (which are rich in antioxidants) and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Vitamin C may account for much of this protection. However, we are also finding numerous other compounds within fruits and vegetables, collectively called "phytochemicals", that may also play a preventative role. Phytochemicals are defined simply as chemicals found in plants. They occur naturally in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. These substances, many of which also have an antioxidant effect, may protect our bodies from cellular damage that can lead to cancer and other chronic diseases.

Due to the strong correlation between diets abundant in fruits and vegetables and disease prevention, The National Cancer Institute launched the "5-A-Day" program. The basis of this campaign promotes the intake of a minimum of five fruits and vegetables daily as a good defense against cancer and other diseases. A specific recommendation of this program is to include vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables in the diet each day since vitamin C is a particularly well-researched antioxidant. The mainstay of the program, however, is that by eating five servings of produce daily we can easily take in not just a good dose of vitamin C, but the minimum amount of protective plant chemicals shown to be effective in reducing risk of chronic diseases. Remember, five is the minimum amount. In the case of fruits and veggies it's definitely a situation where more is better!

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E. Coli Declines, but Other Foodborne Illnesses a Worry

THURSDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. officials report a continuing decline in food-related illnesses caused by several common bacteria, including the most virulent form of E. coli.

But Vibrio, a pathogen most often acquired from oysters which can cause severe illness or even death, is on the rise, while rates of Salmonella infection have remained flat in recent years.

"Overall, this year's report shows a reduction in the number of illnesses due to many of these important pathogens over the past 10 to 15 years," said Dr. Chris Braden, acting director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"This reflects the impact of measures to prevent foodborne illness, but additional measures are needed," he said at a Thursday press conference.

The preliminary 2009 data comes from the interagency FoodNet system, which tracks laboratory-confirmed illness from nine bacteria in 10 states. The findings are published in the April 16 issue of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Infections caused by Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) 0157, Shigella and Yersinia, have declined overall since 1996.

But decreases in the incidence of infections caused by Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter have essentially plateaued since 2004, causing some concern.

"Salmonella continues to be a challenge. It is the most commonly diagnosed foodborne illness," Braden said. "Its incidence has declined by 10 percent since 1996, but it is the furthest of any of the pathogens for the goals we have set for reduction."

Not all Salmonella infections are transmitted by food. Some occur from direct contact with baby chicks, turtles, frogs or their environment and from drinking contaminated water, Braden added.

Shigella and E.coli infections have decreased significantly since 2006.

"Infections of STEC 0157 [E. coli] , which causes one of the most severe forms of illness, showed an early decline, then plateaued," Braden said. "Then, in 2009, it decreased by 25 percent compared with the previous three years and has reached its lowest level since 2004. The decrease may be due to continuing efforts to decrease contamination of ground beef and leafy green vegetables consumed raw."

Although the incidence of Vibrio-related illness is up, the pathogen causes only a small percentage of overall foodborne illness, Braden said.

"The illnesses are typically attributed to temperature exposure of the shellfish after they're harvested so we have been trying to improve the practices in the industry in that regard," said Donald Kraemer, deputy director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Food Safety. "States have, within the last couple of years, implemented some controls but unfortunately we haven't seen the numbers come down so we are taking a look at why that is."

But officials emphasized that consumers can implement protective measures in their own homes.

"Consumers can always protect themselves if they follow our four safe-handling guidelines: clean, separate, cook and chill," said Dr. David Goldman, assistant administrator of the Office of Public Health Science, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "This provides some extra measure of safety."

More information

There's more on foodborne illness at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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