That's Fit

I am a slow reader. Veeeerrry slow, actually. I've always been amazed at people who can tear through a 500-page novel in a few days. I think my problem is that I read the words in real time, whereas I think more adept readers are somehow able to speed things up like the Micro Machine Man.

Because of my slow reading speed, even some of the lightest pieces of literature can sometimes feel like a ponderous tome. For this reason, I generally don't go back and read a book a second time. However, on some rare occasions I do, and one such instance involved the book "YOU: Staying Young" by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen. In rereading it, I was reminded of many important facts (the good and the bad) about some well-known vitamins, herbs, and medications. Here's a few I thought were worth mentioning:

Vitamin E: People who consume the RDA of this vitamin have been shown to have a 43-percent less chance of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Vitamin B: The authors suggest 400micrograms of folic acid, 800 micrograms of B12, and 40milligrams of B12, stating that B vitamins help your neurotransmitters work more effectively.

Ginko Biloba: Although the authors point to some promising research, there is nothing conclusive yet regarding ginko biloba's alleged brain-boosting benefits.

Aspirin: The authors state that people who take 162mg of aspirin per day have been shown to have a 40-percent decrease in arterial aging, which contributes greatly to memory loss.

Ugh, supplements. For a lot of people they're a "must have" for a healthy diet, and although I don't disagree, I'm also really bad at taking them because it's just so confusing determining what exactly I need -- the list of "recommended" supplements is at least a mile long it seems! But a nutritionally-complete diet is almost impossible to come by through food alone these days, and many supplements can give an extra boost of valuable disease and age-fighting properties to help fitness goals be that much easier to both achieve and maintain. But if you're like me and find yourself either overwhelmed or just generally intimidated by the prospect of taking regular supplements, this list of the 5 most valuable supplements compiled by experts for Natural Health magazine could be a big help! Here they are:

Having just recently written a piece on some alternative uses for olive oil (relieving constipation, cleaning household furniture, etc.), I figured it would be fitting to spend a little time talking about its more commonly known health benefits. In the process, I thought I'd also point out how many other oils measure up.

Flaxseed Oil: Good for salad dressing. Great source of ALA, a form of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: How something can be EXTRA virgin is beyond me. Nevertheless, EVOO requires minimal processing and contains high levels of the antioxidants known as polyphenols. Very, very good for your heart.

Olive Oil: The more promiscuous cousin of EVOO is perfect for grilling, sauteing, and using in a pasta sauce. It's high in monounsaturated fats (good fats) and antioxidants, so it helps prevent the build-up of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

In a surprising bit of news, researchers from Copenhagen University recently asserted that antioxidant supplements do nothing to extend life and, perhaps even more shocking, that "beta-carotene and vitamins A and E seem to increase mortality."

Even after various outside factors were taken into account, the researchers linked vitamin A supplements to a 16-percent increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7-percent increased risk and vitamin E to a 4-percent increased risk, reported the BBC news in a recent release.

Researchers speculate that taking these supplements may somehow interfere with the body's utilization of vitamins and minerals derived from food sources. Beta-carotene, for instance, is thought to change the way a body utilizes fats. As such, the researchers -- as well as the Department of Health in the U.K. -- urge people to exercise caution when using supplements and, if possible, to get the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet.

Certain lifestyle changes have been shown to affect, if slow down, the progression of age-related dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Here are some of the more common recommendations, excerpted from the website of Dr. Andrew Weil.

• Follow a diet rich in antioxidants, with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds.
• Supplement with vitamins E and C.
• Institute a program of daily exercise to improve circulation and keep the brain oxygenated.
  
• Get adequate mental exercise through reading and socializing.
• Consider taking a daily low-dose aspirin, as doing so has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
  

If age-related dementia or Alzheimer's is a concern you have for yourself or a loved one, speak with a physician about additional methods of prevention.

If you find yourself experiencing fatigue and you know you're getting sufficient sleep, your nutrition could be to blame.

Even those of us who try to eat really well occasionally come up short on certain vitamins and nutrients. Fitnessmagazine.com gave this list of five nutrients that people commonly short themselves. Don't be surprised if you find that you're not getting enough of something -- according to the study, you're in good company!

Here's another installment of what I'm sort of making an ongoing feature here on That's Fit. It's not really one of our true features (those are listed on the right hand side of this page), it's just something I felt like putting together myself. It's called Vitamins and Minerals 101, and this time we're taking a look at the very popular Vitamin E.

Name: Vitamin E

What it Is: A fat-soluble vitamin that exists in eight different forms. It's also a powerful antioxidant.

What it Does: Protects your body against free radical damage. Also shown to reduce the risk of certain diseases, and also plays a role in immune function, DNA repair, and other metabolic processes.

How Much You Should Be Consuming: Recommended Daily Allowance for adult men and women is 15mg (or 22.5 IU)

Where to Get It: Almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach, broccoli, kiwi fruit

Consuming an adequate amount of vitamin E is vital to maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet. For more information on this powerful antioxidant and disease fighter, click here to visit the National Institute of Health's website.

As a kid, I think the only time I ate almonds was when I bought the Hershey's with almonds from a local convenience store. Nowadays, I eat less Hershey's bars of any kind (except for the occasional dark chocolate variety) and often find myself picking up a package of almonds at the grocery store.

A handful of almonds can make for a great, healthy snack. Packed with good fats, vitamin E, and calcium, almonds can help protect against a myriad of physical maladies.

In fact, a recent study, conducted at the University of Toronto, led to the discovery that eating about an ounce of almonds per day can lead to a decrease in LDL cholesterol by as much as 20 percent over time. Incredibly, this decrease in LDL is comparable to the reduction caused by some medications.

There's been a great deal of research and an abundance of resulting data suggesting that vitamin E supplementation does not play a role in reducing the chance of heart attack. However, a somewhat recent study points to under-dosing as the reason for the vitamin's repeated failure.

Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals damage cellular proteins, fats and DNA. Though free radicals are byproducts or normal metabolism, they are also produced in excess when the body is in certain disease states, heart disease not withstanding. Researchers conducted animal studies to determine if vitamin E (and other antioxidant compounds) could offer some protection against heart attack in individuals with excessive free radical damage. However, subsequent studies on vitamin E revealed that almost no benefit came from its consumption.

But, researchers are now suggesting that in this earlier clinical trials, test subjects were not given large enough doses of vitamin E for it to show any effect. Upon upping the dosage to 1600 IU per day (which is twice that was used in the earlier studies), the test subjects showed a significant reduction in oxidative stress.

So many researchers studies, so little time.

That's sometimes how I feel when I sift through the scores of research articles on health and fitness. Some will tell you that XY and Z is healthy, while another will indicate that XY and Z are incredibly detrimental to your health. By this point, I've come to expect contradictory research, which is why I'm not surprised by the American Heart Association's recent findings that vitamin E is a poor antioxidant; having little effect on preventing coronary heart disease, stroke, or heart attack.

Again, typical of most research studies, a study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center revealed that high levels of vitamin E can help neutralize free radicals, which are dangerous chemicals produced naturally during metabolism. But, the dosage of vitamin E used in the Vanderbilt study were, as mentioned, very high (upwards of 3,200 IUs). To put that in perspective, long-term use of more than 400 IUs of of vitamin E has been linked to an increased risk of heart failure and premature death.

Doesn't anyone have any straight answers on anything?

There are many nutritional supplements on the market that claim to be able to positively effect your mental acuity. Ginko biloba, vitamin E, vitamin B, and even aspirin are supposed brain-boosters, helping to give you somewhat of a mental lift when you need it.

Skeptical? Yeah, me too. Fortunately, a new book called YOU: Staying Young clears things up a bit with regard to this whole brain supplement debate. Here's just a few of the authors' (Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen) opinions:

Vitamin E: Yes. People who consume the RDA of this vitamin have been shown to have a 43-percent less chance of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Vitamin B: Yes. The authors suggest 400micrograms of folic acid, 800 micrograms of B12, and 40milligrams of B12, stating that B vitamins help your neurotransmitters work more effectively.

Ginko Biloba: Not Really. Although the authors point to some promising research, there is nothing conclusive yet regarding ginko biloba's alleged brain-boosting benefits.

Aspirin: Yes. According to the authors, people who take 162mg of aspirin per day have been shown to have a 40-percent decrease in arterial aging, which contributes greatly to memory loss.

If any of you have ever experienced any benefits (or none at all) from some of these supplements, we'd all be interested to hear about it.

For everyone who's been popping vitamins to keep them healthy and strong, Reader's Digest recently published 'The Vitamin Hoax - What Not to Take' in their November 2007 issue.

To my friends (myself included), who have been popping pills like Vitamin A and E everyday by only following a beauty columnist's advice on how to make your skin glow (yes, I'm trying to get rid of wrinkles), the Reader's Digest article claims that studies show:

• Taking antioxidant vitamins increases a person's risk of dying by 16%.
• High doses of Vitamin E taken over 10 years slightly elevated cancer risk in smokers.
• Too much Vitamin A increases the risk of liver and lung cancer.

There's so much more to quote in the recent issue, and that doesn't mean I agree or disagree with the article. I just want to share it with you. Everyone should take the time to read it and decide for themselves about what it says because what we learn about vitamins and supplements seems to change daily.

If you are wondering, yes, I take vitamins (as do my children), and will continue to do so -- but that said -- people should stop depending on supplements and instead get their vitamins from a balanced diet consisting of real food (rather than processed). The problem: Only 3 percent of us actually eat that well, so it's much easier said than done ... and supplements can be a good option if you're not getting what you need from your diet.

Here is the list of 10 Vitamins that Reader's Digest suggests that we do not need to take and their reasons why:

Almonds are one of those things that have been around for ages but are just now gaining the notoriety they deserve. Those delicious nuts are now being lumped in with many superfoods for the nutritional value they offer. True, they're high in calories and fat, but if you consume them in moderation, they have a number of health benefits.

Like? Well, according to a new study on Almonds, almonds can help you feel full for longer periods of time, keeping you from overeating other stuff. Almonds are also a great source or protein and don't have all the bad fats that other protein sources may have. Almonds lower cholesterol and can increase your levels of a number of important nutrients, including Vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, potassium, calcium, and iron.

The best part? Studies have shown that adding up to 570 calories worth of almonds to your daily diet doesn't lead to weight gain. Why this is, I don't know. But I do know I'll be eating more almonds from now on.

Here's a great resource that I came across via Fitsugar the other day -- The Vitamin Chart. Basically, you'llfind everything you need to know about those pesky lettered vitamins (A, the Bs, C, D, E and K) that we heard so much about but have trouble keeping track of. It helps by clarifying what each vitamin does, how much you need a day and where you can find it in natural sources -- fruits, veggies and nuts.

Which ones are you not getting enough of?

Have scars? If so, you may have tried the various remedies out there for scar minimization or removal. Home remedies like onion treatments, lemon juice and even aloe vera are favorites.

What about vitamin E? It is the most widely used scar treatment but is not that effective according to many experts. In fact, rubbing vitamin E on scars can actually make things worse, according to some.

The best method for combating scars is to get the advice of a dermatologist in most cases. Looking at all the alternatives is always a great idea, right? Ask your dermatologist hard questions and demand straight answers.