Optimize Vitamin Choices for Maximum Health Benefits

YOU NEED GUIDANCE BEFORE YOU TAKE ANOTHER VITAMIN

CAUTION: Over 98% of Multiple Vitamin Formulas today have one or more flaws in nutrient forms, dosages, or synergistic combinations. To optimize vitamin choices and achieve maximum health benefits, these flaws need to be eliminated or at least mitigated since over time they could become significant and have a major impact on health parameters. Science is rather slow to change and adapt to research study results showing these flaws. It took over 20 years for the FDA to accept the findings that excess trans fats were damaging and 50 years for the "milk builds strong bones" theory to get a critical adjustment. ref

NOTE: These flaws might only manifest observable adverse symptoms in a small number of people plus also at different degree levels because the body has effective counter balancing mechanisms to mitigate disruptions. And it is rather adapt in covering up flaws for often quite a long period of time. But two things are in play here. First, these balancing mechanisms can use up vital nutrients, energy, and metabolic cell functions that should be available for regular body activities. Plus, these adaptive functions can create a snowball effect that influences other body parts. 

1st MAJOR VITAMIN FLAW

98% Flaw: Most Current multi-Vitamins contain only synthetic beta carotene as All-Trans Beta Carotene. 

Beta Carotene in food comes in a few different forms with these two, all-trans and 9-cis, vital for important functions.  ref The third form, 13-cis beta carotene, while having a few positive roles, also participates in some negative actions. Synergism with other carotenoid forms could play balancing roles. While all-trans beta carotene is the main and most stable form in nature, ( ref,) it is the 9-cis form that is under investigation for mitigating the vision robbing condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa. ref The all-trans beta carotene form does not participate or is very limited in preventing this condition since it does not directly act on the Retinoid X Receptors, RXR, pathway. Some all-trans beta carotene does get converted into 9-cis, but at a limited amount. Both All-trans beta carotene and 13-cis beta carotene turn into all-trans retinoic acid and attach to RARs, Retinoid Acid Receptors. 9-cis beta carotene forms vitamin A as 9-cis retinoic acid and connects to both RXR and RAR, plus VDR, vitamin D receptors. Vitamin D functions do not happen without first combining to the 9-cis receptor, RXR.  ref The two forms of Beta carotene convert to retinoic acid in the body when vitamin A is needed. ref Does it sound wise to supplement only the all-trans beta carotene of the two primary beta carotene forms? article

VITAMIN D functions do not happen without first joining with RXR after 9-cis activation.

NOTE: While 9-cis retinoic acid can be made in the body from all-trans beta carotene, it is not a first priority. 9-cis beta carotene does convert to both vitamin A forms, all-trans retinoic acid and 9-cis retinoic acid. And 13-cis retinoic acids also converts to all-trans as well. Due to the significance of the 9-cis retinoic form for vitamin D actions, it might not be wise to rely on all-trans conversion when direct methods of providing 9-cis beta carotene are readily available, such as from D. Salina algae supplements. ref

Since so many multiple vitamins DO NOT contain 9-cis beta carotene, this is a major missed opportunity. Yes, all-trans does have greater bioavailablity and numerous vital benefits. In addition, over 80% of all-trans beta carotene in multiple vitamins is synthetic, but that is not the big issue. The lack of 9-cis is potentially a critical factor. This reference explains that 9-cis beta carotene might disappear from blood plasma quicker than all-trans beta carotene because it is a more active antioxidant. See this reference for more 9-cis beta carotene areas of influence.

ANOTHER VITAL PUZZLE PIECE

Now, if protecting vision or preventing atherosclerosis is not enough to convince you, try this next one. While 9-cis beta carotene may be less active than all-trans beta carotene, after they both convert in the body into their respective retinoic acid forms, 9-cis retinoic acid and all-trans retinoic acid, the 9-cis form is 10 times more potent than all-trans retinoic acid in preventing neoplasms, an abnormal growth of tissue. When Neoplasms grow into a mass, they are often called Tumors. Not all neoplasms are cancerous, but could become, such as a mole. ref ref   Eat more vegetables and only supplement natural source Beta Carotene that contains both all-trans and 9-cis forms. Look for the algae Dunalielia Salina on supplement labels as source for beta carotene.

Since vitamin A in high dose can become toxic, especially on bone fractures, it is safer to consume beta carotene as it can be split into vitamin A when needed. Check out how many diseases and cancer types are influenced by retinoic acids, including 9-cis retinoic acid. ref

Yes, the body is able to convert 9-cis and another metabolite, 13-cis retinoic acid, into the all-trans form in a rather quick time frame. But, all 3 may be needed for balance and control of different health factors, especially for night blindness and neoplasm prevention. The beta carotene forms of these nutrients are more potent for some types of cell growth prevention. 9-cis retinoic acid is also more potent that all-trans for certain cancer types while all-trans gets the nod for other types. It may all depend on which pathway is involved, RAR or RXR. The actions of these pathways are reduced in disease conditions. Balance is the key for a good diet and optimized supplement program. Remember, 90% of multiple vitamin supplements only contain the likely synthetic all-trans beta carotene form and miss out on many vital body health promoting aspects. Even whole food multiple vitamins may only have limited 9-cis beta carotene, with some multiples containing none at all.

The 9-cis retinoic acid form combines with the vitamin D activated VDR on cell membranes to form VDR/RXR, the element that finishes vitamin D influence to stimulate genes. RXR and 9-cis retinoic acid have vital regulatory behaviors on vitamin D  functions, especially for vitamin D responsive elements inside cells. ref Both all-trans and 9-cis retinoic acids form with RAR, a nuclear receptor with many functions. Plus, RARs need to combine with RXRs, RAR/RXR, for many vital functions. Without 9-cis beta carotene turning into 9-cis retinoic acid (vitamin A form) and forming with RXR, many if not most of the all-trans beta carotene functions would not happen. Now do you see why synthetic beta carotene should not be used in multiple vitamin formulas, especially when natural sources with both forms are readily available.

CAUTION: Both low and excessively high amounts of these beta carotene forms and vitamin A retinoic acids may become problematic. Researchers have found that low amounts cause leukemia cells to grow faster while middle amounts prevent differentiation, another way to say they prevent cells permanently turning into tumor cells. Cell differentiation is a normal process for all cells becoming specialized by turning on just the right genes for their normal function. But once cells mutate or exhibit DNA breaks, they can use this process to lock in the differentiation process for continuous new cancer cell development. 

FYI: The appearance of 13-cis retinoic acid in references of vitamin A toxicity cause problems since it is possibly teratogenic. Teratogenic means an element can generate abnormalities during fetal development. But, it is from all-trans beta carotene that 13-cis and 11-cis develop and not so much from 9-cis beta carotene. Both 13-cis and 11-cis can reverse convert back to all-trans- retinoic acid while 9-cis is limited.

NOTE: Beta Carotene is only one of many carotenoids the body uses. Supplements with the algae D. Salina also contain many of these other forms. See this article for some of vital values from the other carotenoid family members.

When just 9-cis beta carotene is supplemented, blood levels of both 9-cis and all-trans are elevated at about an equal ratio. But all-trans beta carotene supplements only slightly increase 9-cis levels. ref ref

2nd MAJOR VITAMIN FLAW:

98% Flaw: Current Multi-Vitamins contain only the alpha tocopherol form of Vitamin E, as either the isolated natural, d'alpha tocopherol, or the synthetic form, dl'alpha tocopheryl acetate.

From day one in early 1941, Scientists made a mistake about vitamin E. They could see that the newly created synthetic vitamin E was structurally different than natural vitamin E and had to make quantity differences to balance the two forms for the one action being measured. While that difference is critical, it is not the only egregious mistake they made. Nature has 8 players in the vitamin E family, yet Scientists with the limited knowledge and tools of the time, after testing the 8 for blood levels, decided only one form, alpha tocopherol would be given E units and even allowed to be called vitamin E. Current vitamin E family research is showing this decision was very short-sighted, similar to building a child protective fence only half way around a backyard swimming pool.

Vitamin E in nature has 8 related factors: Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Gamma-Tocopherols, and Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Gamma-Tocotrienols. They all have vital roles to play in health. But the Government health agencies in 1941 decided only alpha-tocopherol would be called vitamin E and given vitamin E units. Mistake!

Go here for vitamin E forms on Alzheimer's, which will spin off into cardio support, and even neoplasms again. article ref **. These are very serious oversights that you can easily correct to protect health.

** Copied here is part of the results of this referenced study. "Treatment with RRR-gamma-tocopherol resulted in significant cell death for all cancer cell lines tested, while RRR-alpha-tocopherol did not. Further, RRR-gamma-tocopherol treatment showed no cytotoxicity to normal colon cells CCD-112CoN at the highest concentration and time point tested..."

The use of vitamin supplements serves these two functions: 

• First to augment vitamins arriving in food to prevent deficiencies. 
• Second to optimize health maintenance and disease prevention. 

The second area would include any recovery from body dis-ease as well. Some may argue about the merits of this last area, but it has already been proven long ago by the fortification of some foods with B vitamin supplements that prevented Beriberi and Pellagra, and now by the studies mentioned in the above references. While it is important to make sure the body is not long term deficient in necessary vitamins and minerals, to optimize health potential pushes vitamin usage beyond preventing simple deficiencies. 

Remember: The body has adaptive mechanisms to deal with wide swings between low and high nutrient intake levels, plus it appears to prefer lower adequate amounts over excessively high amounts. Body systems triage nutrients to most vital functions, like maintaining blood plasma calcium level over bone density.

UPDATE (July 2018): Science is not only continuing to grow and strengthen the case for the recommendations behind this new vitamin criteria, recent discoveries are adding even new areas. The fact that there are known risks to consuming certain vitamin forms and dosages currently available in the marketplace is no longer in question. The issue is these risks, regardless of size, can be mitigated or completely eliminated by following proper vitamin protocols which are not only safer but also often more effective. 

Over the last decade, the number of Vitamin research studies has accelerated. Plus, with new miraculous technological advances, Scientist have gained a deeper understanding into how vitamins and the body interact which should soon be filtering down to and updating nutritional science. Vitamin D is one example. While this new understanding is enhancing awareness into new avenues of vitamin actions, it is also uncovering the faults of many old and assumed past vitamin facts beyond the 2 mentioned that are now questionable.

CAUTION: These two flaws point out a major gap in modern nutrition and supplements. Nature puts different nutrients together, often even in the same family, that may have opposite actions and need to both be present for optimum functioning of each nutrient. This is one reason just testing one nutrient by itself can lead to adverse results, such as d'alpha tocopherol without d'gamma and the other 2 tocopherols. Or using synthetic beta carotene which is just all-trans without 9-cis as well which can be supplied by D. Salina algae.   

Unfortunately, over 98% of Vitamin Supplements in the marketplace today contain some nutrient forms and or dosages that are based on what is now old and sometimes incorrect information. This website is introducing a new vitamin criteria based on updated vitamin discoveries. An important aspect from this new research is the illumination of the consequences from errors in current vitamin dosages and forms. It is now known that some faulty vitamin choices may have significant negative effects. Yes, while it may be true that these negative aspects may only manifest in small percentages of the consuming Public, awareness should still be a priority so the Public can optimize choices to maximize health.

MORE ON OTHER VITAMIN FLAWS COMING SOON:  Folic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin A (males), Vitamin D, NAC, Chondroitin ?(Males), Ribose, Hyaluronic Acid, Selenium, Selenium 2,  Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 ...

NOTE:  Studies are referenced here just to show that both forms have valuable functions in health. They are very technical and not necessary for the Public to understand. General appreciation is all that is needed. Just read the title, and then the conclusion in the abstract.