CELLULAR NUTRITION
The Health benefits of Nutritional Supplements
Enhances the immune system Enhances the antioxidant defense system Decreases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer Decreases the risk of arthritis, macular degeneration, and cataracts Decreases the risk of asthma and hayfever Decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and many other chronic degenerative diseases
The final aspect of a healthy lifestyle is
nutritional supplements.
For years I told my patients they could get everything they need from
their diet. However, after researching the medical literature for the
past seven years on this subject, I am convinced that every man, woman,
and child needs to be taking nutritional supplements in order to better
protect their health.
Our bodies are created with a complicated and sophisticated antioxidant
defense systems to protect ourselves from the devastating damage of
oxidative stress. Because this generation is under greater attack from
the toxins in our environment, our stressful lifestyles, and poor eating
habits than any other previous generation, we need to optimize these
defense systems. Eating a healthy diet is a good a start. However, there
is no way we can obtain the optimal levels of the nutrients our bodies
need from our diet alone. We must supplement our diet to best protect
our health.
Physicians are usually negative about their patients taking any kind of
supplements. However, once you understand that oxidative stress is the
root cause of almost all of our major chronic degenerative diseases, you
will agree that supplementing your healthy diet with high-quality
supplements is essential and worth fighting for.
I encourage my patients to take an antioxidant tablet and a mineral
tablet that contains a wide variety of antioxidants at optimal levels.
These nutrients work synergistically together to create what I call
"cellular nutrition". I encourage you to read my book, What Doctors
Don’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You, to fully
understand these concepts of supplementation. However, the discussion
below, will give you a basic guideline of what I would consider the
optimal levels and variety needed in your supplement.
Antioxidant Tablet
The more antioxidants this tablet contains and the more varied the
antioxidants the better.
Vitamin A
I discourage the use of straight vitamin A because of its potential
toxicity. Instead I recommend a mixture of carotenoids. Carotenoids
become vitamin A in the body as the body needs and they have no
toxicity.
Carotenoids
It is important to have a mixture of carotenoids. Beta-carotene should
not be taken alone. As you learn about the power of synergy, you will
realize the importance of mixing several different carotenoids as well
as several different antioxidants.
Beta-carotene 10,000 to 15,000 IU
Lycopene 1 to 3 mg
Lutein/Zeaxanthin 1 to 6 mg
Alpha-carotene 500 mcg to 800 mcg
Vitamin C
A mixture of vitamin C is necessary, especially the calcium, potassium,
zinc, and magnesium ascorbates, which are more potent in handling
oxidative stress.
1000 to 2000 mgs
Vitamin E
A mixture of vitamin E is important (just like the carotenoids), in
order to create synergy. This should include d-alpha tocopherol, d-gamma
tocopherol, and mixed tocotrienol.
400 to 800 IU
Bioflavanoid Complex of Antioxidants—bioflavanoids offer you a variety
of potent antioxidants. Having a variety of bioflavanoids is a great
asset to your supplements. The amounts may vary but should include the
majority of the following:
Rutin
Quercitin
Broccoli
Green Tea
Cruciferous
Bilberry
Grape Seed Extract
Bromelain
Alpha-lipoic acid
15 to 30 mg
CoQ10
20 to 30 mg
Glutathione
10 to 20 mg
Precusor: N-acetyl L-cysteine 50 to 75 mg
B Vitamins (Cofactors)
Folic Acid 800 mcg to 1000 mcg
Vitamin B 1 (Thiamin) 20 to 30 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 25 to 50 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 30 to 75 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) 80 to 200 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 25 to 50 mg
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) 100mcg to 250mcg
Biotin 300mcg to 1000mcg
Other Important Vitamins
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)-----450 IU to 800 IU
Vitamin K 50 to 100mcg
Additional Essential Nutrients needed to improve homocysteine levels
and brain function:
Choline----- 100 to 200 mg
Trimethylglycine----200 to 500 mg
Inositol---- 150mg to 250 mg
Mineral Tablet
Minerals are a critical aspect of a complete and balanced nutritional
supplement program. I recommend chelated minerals. This means that the
mineral is attached to an amino acid for better absorption—minerals are
noted to be very difficult to absorb.
It is especially important that your mineral tablet be complete and
balanced because these minerals compete with one another in the
absorption process. I will often recommend additional antioxidants in
many of my clinical recommendations; however, I do not increase the
level of minerals above the following recommendations because of their
potential toxicity. You must be very careful when considering the
combination several different supplements to achieve these levels
because you will most likely get too much of certain minerals. It is
better to try to find a mineral tablet that comes close to these
recommendations. You will usually need to add an additional
calcium/magnesium tablet to accomplish these goals.
Calcium------------800 to 1500 mg---depending on your dietary intake of
calcium
Magnesium--------500mg to 800mg
Zinc-----------------20 to 30 mg
Selenium------------200 mcg is ideal
Chromium----------200 mcg to 300 mcg
Copper--------------1 to 3 mg
Manganese----------3 to 6 mg
Vanadium-----------30 to 100 mcg
Iodine----------------100 mcg to 200 mcg
Molybdenum--------50 mcg to 100 mcg
Good Mixture of Trace Minerals
Additional Nutrients for Bone Health
Silicon---3 mg
Boron----2 to 3 mg
Essentials Fats and Fiber Supplementation
Supplementing your diet with essential fats and fiber is usually
critical. 80% of the people in the U. S. and Canada are deficient in
omega-3 fatty acids. Most people are also significantly deficient in
fiber in their diet. Even though the average American only consumes
approximately 8 to 10 grams of fiber per day it is strongly advised that
you eat a minimum 35 to 50 grams of fiber each day. (See discussion of
fiber and essential fats under healthy diet)
Good Sources of Essential Fats:
Cold-pressed Flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seed oils
Fish Oil Capsules (filtered to remove heavy metal toxins are best)
Recommended Fiber Supplement
Blend of soluble and insoluble fiber-----10 to 30 grams depending on
your dietary consumption of fiber (ideal is 35 to 50 grams of total
fiber daily)
( from Releasing the Fat program, Dr. Ray Strand, www.releasingfat.com )
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