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!
Soda Taxes Not Making a Dent in U.S. Waistlines
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Current state taxes and levies on soft drinks are slowing consumption, but not enough to curb the obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers say.
In an analysis of 16 years of data (1990 to 2006) on how various forms of soft drink taxation affected body mass index, researchers found that taxation has only a minor effect on BMI, which is a measurement based on weight and height. For example, a 1 percent tax increase causes a BMI decrease of 0.003 points -- less than a tenth of a pound for a man of average height.
Soft drink taxation had the most BMI impact among people with lower incomes, females, and middle-aged and older people. But even in these groups, the effects on obesity were very small, according to the study findings released online Oct. 15 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Contemporary Economic Policy.
"Our results suggest that the current low, hidden rates of soft drink taxation in most states are not effective in substantially changing adult consumption," study author Jason M. Fletcher, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn., said in a university news release. "Our results leave open the possibility that large taxes that are communicated to consumers are still worthwhile to consider as policy options, but small tax changes will not work."
Currently, the average tax rate on soft drinks is about 3 percent, but a number of states are considering increasing that rate.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about the causes and consequences of obesity.
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