The 6 Best Vegan Supplements

The 6 Best Vegan Supplements

As a vegan, making sure you get adequate nutrition is very important. Since many vitamins and minerals http://www.dreddyclinic.com/vitamins/vitamins-index.php are more readily available from animal sources, it’s important to know how taking certain supplements could affect your health. Fortunately, a vegan diet can be quite nutritioushttp://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=31926 and contain most of the essential nutrients you need. Still, there are some minerals and vitamins you may be missing. Here are just a few of the best supplements every vegan (and non-vegan) should know about.



Six Vegan Supplements You Should Have

Being a vegan has its share of benefits, but there are also some drawbacks you should be aware of. Vegan diets are missing crucial nutrients, like vitamin B12 and even vitamin D, so supplementing should definitely be on every vegan’s mind. While plant foods do provide an assortment of nutrients, some of them may be on the low end. Here’s six supplements you should be considering taking if you’re following the vegan lifestyle:

1. B12

One of the essential B-complex nutrients, B12 maintains brain and nervous system health. But getting enough is crucial, since low levels could also lead to anemia or even pregnancy complications. [1] [2] Unfortunately for vegans, it can be difficult getting enough B12 from plant sources; however, a vegan B12 supplement could be a great option. I highly recommend supplementing with VeganSafe™ B12, a vegan-friendly formula that contains two of the most bioactive forms of the vitamin.



2. Iron

Since your red blood cells use iron to transport oxygen and nutrients, not getting enough could lead to anemia. Of the two types of iron, non-heme, found in plant sources, is harder for the body to absorb. What this means is that vegans and vegetarians can have lower iron stores in the blood. This is why supplementing with iron is so important. Also, keep in mind that eating non-heme iron foods with vitamin C foods can actually increase absorption!

3. Zinc

Found in every cell in the body, zinc helps with everything from maintaining your immune system to aiding reproduction. [3] And, while zinc can be found in vegetable sources, phytates in plants can actually bind to the mineral and weaken absorption. Taking additional zinc is highly recommended for vegetarians and vegans because of this. Since the body lacks any kind of zinc storage system, zinc orotate is one form that passes quickly and easily through cell membranes, allowing the body to get the most of the mineral.

4. Enzymes

No matter what your diet, supplementing with enzymes can provide your body a great deal of help. There are some studies that suggest proteolytic enzymes could reduce irritation in the body, while digestive enzymes help digest food molecules into nutrients. [4] [5] For example, someone who is lactose intolerant could take the enzyme lactase in order to better digest dairy. As a vegan (or vegetarian), it’s especially important to make sure your enzyme supplement isn’t sourced from animal products; a high-quality, full-spectrum supplement like VeganZyme could be just the thing you need. Read more

Dr. Fuhrman Discusses Vitamins and Supplements

Dr. Fuhrman Discusses Vitamins and Supplements

In his books and in his practice, Joel Fuhrman, M.D. advocates eating foods that deliver optimal health. Yet he also recommends taking certain vitamins and supplements, like his Gentle Care Formula multiple. Here he discusses that recommendation.

Why Take Vitamins and Supplements?
Since most people's diets are not ideal and individual absorption and utilization varies from person to person, it makes sense to recommend that all people take a high-quality multiple to assure most favorable vitamin D, B12, zinc, iodine, and selenium status, to name a few. 

Even if your diet is ideal, some people require more of certain nutrients than others. For example, it is not uncommon for some people to need extra vitamin D, or extra B12, even when their diets contain typical amounts of these vitamins. This is especially true regarding vitamin D because of the depletion of the atmosphere's ozone layer and subsequent increase in skin damage from the sun. Because of this, many people practice sun avoidance and wear sunscreen, which decreases their vitamin D production.

I also took into consideration my recommendation to avoid all salt added to food. Salt is iodinated, making it the primary source of iodine in most people's diets. Therefore, a multiple will assure adequate iodine intake in those who avoid adding salt to their diet.

Are there any problems with taking supplements?
The main problem with taking a typical multivitamin is that it may expose you to extra nutrients that you do not need. Sometimes too much of certain nutrients can have toxic or harmful effects. For example, I do not recommend taking supplements that contain vitamin A, isolated beta-carotene, or iron, because there are risks associated with consumption of these nutrients above what we receive in our diet.

Ingesting vitamin A or beta-carotene in isolation--from supplements, instead of from food--may interfere with the absorption of other crucially important carotenoids, such as lutein and lycopene, thus potentially increasing cancer risk. 1

The precursor to vitamin A, beta-carotene once was regarded as a safe and beneficial antioxidant and even recommended as an anti-cancer vitamin, but it has recently been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers when administered as an isolated supplement. Scientists now suspect that problems may result when beta-carotene is ingested without other carotenoids that would have been present had it been ingested from real food. Beta-carotene is only one of about 500 carotenoids that exist. Beta-carotene supplements are poor substitutes for the broad assortment of carotenoid compounds found in plants.

Why did researchers think that beta-carotene had such a powerful anti-cancer effect?
They had found that populations with high levels of beta-carotene in their bloodstream had exceedingly low rates of cancer. Recently, it was discovered that the reason these people were protected against cancer was because of hundreds of carotenoids and phytochemicals in the fruits and vegetables they were consuming. It wasn't that beta-carotene alone was responsible for the benefit; it was merely that it had served as a flag or marker for those populations with a high fruit and vegetable intake. Unfortunately, many scientists confused the flag for the ship. Read more

Nutritional Approaches to Mental Health

Nutritional Approaches to Mental Health


Food nourishes both the body and mind, offering the nutrition required for keeping the whole self energized and functioning at its best. You might, or might not, be surprised to learn that the brain is actually the first site that receives incoming nutrients. It makes sense, it is the organ that directs the other organs, cells, and metabolic processes. So what happens if we’re nutritionally deficient, can it affect our brain?



While nutritional deficiencies do not always exhibit grand mental or psychological symptoms, lesser subclinical indications can pop up. Minor deficiencies of certain nutrients are sufficient enough to change mood and brain chemistry, especially in sensitive individuals. Antidepressants, including natural anti-anxiety herbs like St. John’s wort, may not be enough to alleviate depressive-like symptoms in people who are also suffering from underlying nutritional deficiencies.

Holistic Approaches to Mental Health

Holistic medicine is an approach that addresses the whole self by incorporating nutritional, biological, genetic, emotional, and mental aspects. When dealing with mood disorders, a sometimes serious and debilitating disorder, all of these aspects must be taken into account. One angle often taken is the use of herbs like kava kava and St. John’s wort. Some herbs are seeing a great deal of research from reputable scientific organizations, all demonstrating positive results in promoting a positive mood and mental agility. Some herbs include:

B vitamins – May provide protection against brain atrophy and cognitive impairment, especially in older adults. [1]
Omega-3 fatty acids – Fatty acids, specifically omega-3 fatty acids, play a large role in brain health and may be helpful for improving mood. [2]
St. John’s wort – A popular herb shown to promote a pleasant mood. [3]
Kava kava – Herb from the South Pacific used to relieve stress. [4]
Psychotherapy and conventional medical therapies are often more successful when the patient is thinking clearly and is in a positive mind set (or “mood set”). By increasing certain nutrients and utilizing natural approaches, like St. John’s wort and kava kava, mental health may be improved dramatically when combined with conventional therapeutic approaches.

A Closer Look at Nutrition and Depression

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is typically low in many of the nutrients our brain (and the rest of our body) needs to stay healthy. A diet high in processed carbohydrates and low in essential fatty acids is common among many people today, and this nutritional factor may be impairing the quality of the mind and body in adults, teens, and children. Everyday individuals do not often understand or even think about the importance nutrition plays on mental health. With many people currently overfed and undernourished, it’s no wonder why we are seeing a constant bombardment of disease and mental disorders plaguing our Western world.

Here’s a quick overview at the nutrients that are crucial for mental health.

Amino Acids

Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are necessary for transmitting electrical impulses and messages between brain cells. These essential electrical conductors are also important for keeping mood elevated, and a decreased amount in the brain can result in depression or depressive-like symptoms. Many conventional antidepressants work by increasing neurotransmitter levels, an action that is also attributed to St. John’s wort.

Amino acids are the precursors for neurotransmitter production, and the majority of us receive all the amino acids we need from dietary protein. The three amino acids that are directly linked to mood and depression include phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Phenylalanine and tyrosine produce norepinephrine and tryptophan, two neurotransmitters necessary for maintaining a stable mood.

Some research has indicated that amino acid therapy may be as effective as traditional drug approaches to depression, with phenylalanine and tyrosine being two of the amino acids demonstrating similar antidepressive results compared with a popular pharmaceutical. [5] Amino acids have also been shown to reduce pain levels in the body by maintaining healthy levels of endorphins, the body’s natural pain reliever.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Thiamine is necessary for converting glucose (blood sugar) into fuel for cells in the brain and body. Without this conversion, the brain can’t access its preferred energy source, and symptoms like fatigue, depression, impaired thinking, irritability, and anxiety can manifest. Memory loss, anorexia, and insomnia are also symptoms related to a vitamin B1 deficiency. [6]

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

There is a strong correlation between B6 deficiency and depression, as this nutrient is also necessary for creating neurotransmitters. [7]

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Vitamin B12 has seen a lot of attention in recent years, often heralded by many as a powerful energy enhancer and mood booster. This vitamin, which is derived primarily from animal sources, is important for red blood cell formation. Without it, pernicious anemia can result, [8] a condition that can lead to mood swings, irritability, paranoia, confusion, anorexia, and depression.



Folate

Another B vitamin, folate also assists in the production of neurotransmitters. Deficiencies of this vitamin can lead to anemia, resulting in the same mental symptoms related to B12 deficiency. Orthomolecular psychiatrists have used folic acid (folate) supplements for years to reduce the frequency of memory lapses in dementia patients, and some research suggests that the vitamin may be helpful for fighting depression. [9]


Vitamin C

The benefits of vitamin C are often related to its antioxidant capabilities, one of the leading contributors to brain protection. Some research has shown that vitamin C may reduce mania and depression symptoms, with one study showing that a single 3-gram dose of vitamin C was all that was needed to accomplish these benefits. Vitamin C is water soluble and must be consumed every day in order to receive benefit.

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Vitamin D

People with depression often show lower levels of vitamin D compared with individuals displaying little to no symptoms. [10] While this is a mere correlation, other studies have consistently replicated this relationship. Sunlight, the main avenue through which natural vitamin D is produced in the body, has been associated with regulating serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain, and one study indicated sunlight as a potent mood and cognitive enhancer for depressed individuals. [11]



Minerals

There are around 15 minerals that are essential for human health, with 5 of them being crucial for maintaining mental agility. While all nutrients work synergistically to create a dynamic state of health, the following nutrients have seen the most research in relation to mental and emotional stabilization. Read more

Some genetic defects treatable with supplements

Some genetic defects treatable with supplements

An article published early online on June 3, 2008 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports the prediction of Jasper Rine and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley that soon-to-be-available personalized genome sequencing will uncover minor genetic flaws that can easily be corrected with nutrition, enabling people to personalize their supplement routine.

"Headlines for the last 20 years have really been about the triumph of biomedical research in finding disease genes, which is biologically interesting, genetically important and frightening to people who get this information," Dr Rine. "I became obsessed with trying to decide if there is some other class of information that will make people want to look at their genome sequence."Variations in genes responsible for the production of enzymes involved in metabolism affect the efficiency of these enzymes.

While having two copies of a defective gene can result in one of many rare metabolic diseases that can be treated with vitamin supplements, many individuals have only one copy, or have two copies of only slightly defective genes, whose subtle effects on enzymes, Dr Rine’s team found, could also be remedied by vitamin supplementation. The current study examined one human enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which requires the B vitamin folate to function properly.

The enzyme plays a role in DNA nucleotide synthesis. Among 564 individuals, 3 common variants and 11 minor, uncommon genetic variants of MTHFR were found. When these gene variants were synthesized and inserted into yeast cells, the most common variant and 4 of the uncommon variants were found to affect the enzyme's function, yet supplementation of the yeast with folate restored full functionality to all but one of these. Continue Reading