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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!
Sugar Shortens Life Span in Worms
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- For a certain kind of worm, the sweet life may also be the short life.
New research suggests that added sugar in their diet robs the creatures of 20 percent of their life span.
It's unclear what the findings mean for humans, but they raise questions about the impact of diets high in sugar, according to the study authors, who report their findings in the November issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.
In the study, researchers added a small amount of glucose -- sugar -- to the diet of worms known as C. elegans. The worms normally eat bacteria.
The worms had shorter lives, apparently because of the sugar's effect on the worms' insulin signals, according to the report.
One of the researchers, Cynthia Kenyon of the University of California at San Francisco, said the worms and people are actually similar in the way their bodies handle insulin.
"In the early '90s, we discovered mutations that could double the normal life span of worms," Kenyon said in a news release from the journal's publisher. Those mutations involved internal signals regarding insulin, she explained.
The researchers noted that although the research is in its early stages, it's possible that a low-glycemic index -- one that doesn't quickly boost blood-sugar levels -- could boost longevity.
Scientists are already at work on related research, trying to understand how tightly restricted diets -- in which animals eat much less than they normally would -- helps them live longer.
Humans could conceivably try to do the same thing, but it's impractical for many people to eat much less than their bodies tell them they should.
Meanwhile, as a result of her work, Kenyon has adopted a low-carb diet, giving up most starches and desserts.
More information
For more on low-carb diets, see the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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