Vitamins Information
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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!
FDA Warns of Skin-Numbing Drug Dangers
FRIDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned consumers and health-care providers about serious and life-threatening risks associated with improper use of topical anesthetics available in over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription forms.
These skin-numbing products in cremes, ointments or gels contain anesthetic drugs such as lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, and prilocaine that are used to desensitize nerve endings near the skin's surface. If used improperly, the FDA said in an agency news release, the drugs can be absorbed into the bloodstream and cause reactions such as irregular heartbeat, seizures, breathing difficulties, coma or even death.
Women considering using a topical anesthetic before a mammogram should talk to their physician first, the FDA said. The agency also recommended against using these products over large areas of skin, especially irritated or broken skin, and not to wrap the treated skin with dressings or apply heat to the treated area. Raising the skin's temperature, the agency said, increases the amount of anesthetic reaching the blood stream, and its effects can be unpredictable.
The FDA said it had received several "adverse events accounts" and reports of two deaths in women who had used topical anesthetics before laser hair removal.
The agency, which had issued a public health warning in February 2007 about the drugs, urged consumers to consider using topical anesthetics that contain the lowest possible amount of medication to relieve their pain and for health care professionals to consider alternative treatments when feasible.
More information
To read the full advisory, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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