Nutrition Information

Best vitamin supplements must meet high standards in three critical areas. Quality in all three areas is vital not only for health benefits but for safety reasons as well. The best vitamin supplements should excel in these ways:

1. The Design of the Supplement - the term ‘efficacy’ means ‘to produce an effect’. When combined correctly, the effects or efficacy of certain vitamins and minerals in the body can be increased several times. And substances, whether natural or synthetic, when mixed together, can form other undesired or dangerous substances if they are not combined scientifically. When creating a complex best vitamin supplement formula, the professional qualifications of the design staff is a crucial part of the process.

2. The Quality of the Ingredients - there can be enormous differences in quality and potency as well as differences in costs of the individual ingredients. Priority should be given to quality, potency and purity with the best vitamin supplements since the final product will only be as good as the raw ingredients used. The manufacturer must have a system in place to verify that the ingredients used are as the suppliers claim.

3. The Procedures Used in Their Manufacture - the vitamin manufacturers producing large volumes may use a ribbon type blender and mix ingredients for only about 20 minutes. This means that low dose substances may not be mixed properly. The time that passes after mixing before encapsulating or tableting is important — less than two hours between blending and tableting makes sure that the blend’s integrity remains intact during the manufacturing process. The only dependable way to be sure you are getting the best vitamin supplements is to buy them from a facility that meets pharmaceutical industry production standards.

Are vitamin and mineral supplements really needed? Numerous studies have concluded that because of soil depletion, the overall nutrient value of foods has been declining for decades. Also, even the best vitamin supplements cannot substitute for a poor diet. Eating mostly junk food and taking vitamins will not provide you with the nutrients you’ll obtain with vegetables and fruits. Vitamin supplements should be considered supplements, not replacements for food. For example, the latest USDA food pyramid recommends consuming 2.5 cups of vegetables a day for women and 3 cups a day for men — most people do not.

The best vitamin supplements cannot be the one-a-day type. Why? One capsule or tablet simply cannot hold all that’s needed in necessary quantities — it would be way too large to swallow. One-a-day vitamins are probably a waste of money. And on the other hand, it’s easy to end up with a dozen or more individual vitamins to take daily, requiring bottles and bottles which is both a hassle and expensive.

And finally, women need a different vitamin formula than men. A woman’s supplement should contain nutrients that are proven by clinical studies to support the balancing of female hormones before, during and after menopause. The best vitamin supplements for men should contain ingredients specifically for supporting healthy male prostate. Including ingredients proven in clinical studies for the prevention of BPH or enlarged prostate is an important part of the best vitamin supplements for men.

Yes, there are manufacturers that meet or exceed the above criteria. Learn as much as you can about what finding the best vitamin supplements really means — before spending your money, be informed about the products you’ll be taking every day.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

Read more about best women’s vitamins and best vitamins for men here. Olinda Rola is webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com a website of natural health articles. She is President of InfoSearch Publishing.

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Many people take calcium supplements to help prevent osteoporosis. They may be increasing their risk for certain cancers and infections. Taking extra calcium uses up vitamin D and lack of that vitamin impairs immunity, which can cause cancer and infections.

To prevent a deficiency, you need at least 400 IU of vitamin D per day, whether you take calcium supplements or not. You can get this by exposing a few inches of skin to sun light each day. Rich sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, eggs, liver and butter. Vitamin D-supplemented milk is a poor source of that vitamin because the calcium in milk uses up more than the vitamin D that is added.

All people need 1000 mg of calcium each day, the amount of calcium found in four glasses of milk. Many people do not meet their needs for calcium from the foods that they eat. If you take calcium supplements, take the recommended daily requirement for vitamin D of 400 international units per day.

A glass of milk contains the same amount of calcium as a cup of yogurt, an ounce of hard cheese, a cup and a half of cottage cheese, four ounces of fish, or a 600 mgm calcium carbonate pill. To check how much calcium you eat, add up the calcium in your diet in milk-glass-units from the foods just mentioned, then add an extra unit for the calcium you get from other foods. A sixty-year old woman who drinks two glasses of milk and eats an ounce of hard cheese gets three milk units. Add an additional unit for the calcium in other foods and she needs two more units, which she can get by taking two generic calcium carbonate pills. Don’t waste your money on expensive chelated calcium pills or supplements that combine magnesium with calcium. Magnesium is not necessary for calcium absorption.

Some antacids such as Tums are calcium carbonate, an excellent source of dietary calcium; but other antacids may contain aluminum, which in large doses can take calcium from your bones. Check the label.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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The choice to use supplements is personal… But in my opinion the greatest amount of performance improvement is still made by proper physical training.

Have you ever looked at a Muscle/Bodybuilding magazine or website to get workout tips?

Assuming you have… you know that you can’t turn a page without some type of ad for supplements.

It almost makes you feel that you cannot achieve any level of strength, conditioning or fitness without taking one or more of these miraculous, and expensive, supplements.

Obviously, all your physical shortcomings are due to improper supplementation.

Or are they?

If you believe the supplement ad, the reason you don’t look like that fitness model in the picture is because you have not been drinking your $40 power shake after every workout.

But most likely it is your choice of physical training methods, stresses, intensities and the frequency of your training that is keeping you from reaching your goals.

Let’s take a look at the word supplement for a minute…

These power mixes and concoctions are meant to supplement your daily diet… suggesting that strength, conditioning and fitness cannot be achieved through a regular healthy diet.

Oh, really?

I find it hard to believe that in a society that grossly overeats that the bodily changes that occur because of physical training cannot be supported by proper nutrition and diet… That the daily intake of food needs to be further supplemented by a power shake.

Well, I’m not going to dwell on the effectiveness or uselessness of these products… Ultimately, the choice to use supplements or not is a personal one.

I just want to give you something to think about…

Let’s say that there is a liquid formula that you pour into the gas tank of your car that will increase the output of the engine by 10%.

Sounds great… right?

Well, let’s also say that your car also has two flat tires, a dead battery and bad breaks.

What do you think will improve the performance of your car more… pouring the liquid formula, “supplement”, into the gas tank, or fixing the tires, battery and breaks?

The truth is, using supplements is no substitute for proper physical training… and more strength, conditioning and fitness improvements can be made by proper physical training than the use of supplements.

Your time and energy, not to mention your money, will be best spent by participating in an effective, interesting, modifiable and sustainable physical fitness program that focuses on the improvement of the 10 physical abilities needed for strength, conditioning and fitness excellence.

If you are like me, you physically train to improve performance in the physical abilities that will enable you to meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.

These type of improvements do not come in a bottle or powder… but are the result of proper physical training that reinforces your strengths and focuses on improving your weaknesses.

If you really want to become a better human being through physical training… concentrate on your choice of training methods, stresses and intensities.

My advice…

Focus on proper fitness training first… and then decide whether or not you need supplements.

Most likely you will exceed your expectations… without the use of supplements.

Coach Lomax is a strength, conditioning and fitness coach dedicated to building better humans for sport, work and life. Learn more at Optimum Physical Training or take his FREE Tabata Calisthenics Workout Mini Course. Check out Optimum Fitness Products for fitness products that get results.

http://www.optimum-physical-training.com

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