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!
High-Dose Zocor Boosts Muscle Injury Risk
FDA
FRIDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- People taking the highest approved doses of the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor (simvastatin) may be at increased risk for muscle injuries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Friday.
Although muscle pain and weakness, called myopathy, is a known side effect of all cholesterol-lowering drugs classified as statins, such as Zocor, the FDA said that people taking the 80 milligram dose face an especially high risk of developing muscle problems, including rhabdomyolysis, the most serious form of myopathy, which can lead to kidney damage, kidney failure and even death.
Reacting to the warning, Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that patients shouldn't lose sight of the benefits of statin use.
"Statins, including simvastatin, have been shown to lower the risk of heart attack, strokes and premature cardiovascular deaths, and in most patients the benefits of statin treatment greatly outweigh the risks," he said.
While doses of simvastatin of 10 milligrams, 20 milligrams and 40 milligrams have side-effect profiles similar to other statin medications, the 80 milligram dose has been shown to have a higher risk of skeletal muscle injury, particularly in patients on other medications that may interact with simvastatin, Fonarow said.
"There are other statin medications which lower LDL -- bad cholesterol -- levels as well or better than the simvastatin 80 milligram dose and without the same degree of muscle injury risk," he said. "Patients should discuss with their physician which statin regimen and dosing is most appropriate for them."
The agency is advising patients taking the drug to talk with their doctors, before stopping or changing their medication.
"Review of simvastatin is part of an ongoing FDA effort to evaluate the risk of statin-associated muscle injury and to provide that information to the public as it becomes available, Dr. Eric Colman, deputy director of FDA's Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products, said in a statement. "It's important for patients and health care professionals to consider all the potential risks and known benefits of any drug before deciding on any one therapy or dose of therapy," he said.
In issuing Friday's warning, the agency took into account new data from clinical trials, observational studies, adverse event reports and prescription data.
In addition, the FDA is looking over data from the Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine (SEARCH), which studied heart attack, revascularization and cardiovascular death in patients taking 80 milligrams of Zocor, compared with patients taking 20 milligrams. The trial also included data on muscle injury.
Zocor is sold as generic simvastatin and also as the brand-name Zocor. In addition, the drug is sold in combination with other drugs in Vytorin and Simcor.
More information
For more information on statins, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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