Carbohydrate-Guide

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions-and answers-about supplementation.

Where should I buy my supplements? From my nutritionist, health food store, or from a mail order catalog/Internet?

The real answer is, “Wherever you will get the best quality.” We have seen high- and low-quality supplements from all three sources, so you should buy where you feel the most comfortable. You may seek a direct recommendation, but if you know exactly what you want, you may prefer mail order. Do whatever is most convenient, as long as you are getting high quality supplements from a reputable manufacturer.

How do I know which supplements are the best quality and which manufacturers are reputable?

One thing is certain: quality is not indicated on the label. The decision requires an industry insider such as a nutritionally oriented doctor or nutritionist. Such professionals learn about quality by seeing the results of various products they have recommended in treating their patients. If you ever consult with one, be sure to ask this very question.

Should supplements be taken with or away from meals?

Most supplements should be taken with meals for the simple reason that you tolerate them better when food is in your stomach.

Herbs should ideally be taken about twenty minutes before eating, but they can also be taken with food if that is more convenient.

Buffered vitamin C powders and amino acids involved in mood enhancement should be taken before meals.

Minerals such as calcium and magnesium should he taken with only water on an empty stomach before bed, preferably in a cap­sule form that will dissolve easily. This will help you take advantage of their natural relaxant properties.

The following supplements are best taken with a meal that contains some fat or oil:

- vitamins A, E, D,
- to­cotrienols
- carotenoids
- lycopene
- lutein
- COQI0.

Why? All are fat soluble, and eating them with fat helps you absorb them better.

I started taking a high-potency multivitamin, and my urine is a bright yellow. Is this Okay?

Yes, it’s perfectly normal. The phenomenon comes from a metabolite of a B-complex vitamin, riboflavin, and is a sign that your body is metabolizing vitamins well and that you are taking enough B complex.

If I take only one supplement per day, what should it be?

This is a difficult answer, because for optimal health we should take a minimum of four to five supplements per day. (Combining the essential nutrients in one pill would make that pill the size of a hockey puck.) However, if forced to pick just one, it would be a high-quality multivitamin rich in vitamins B, C, and E, with adequate amounts of trace minerals like zinc, selenium, and chromium.

Can I take my supplements all at once, or should I try to spread them out throughout the day?

For optimization , you will probably be taking too many supplements to ingest comfortably at one sitting. Therefore it should not be surprising that the best advice is to spread out your supplement intake over the course of the day. The GI tract can absorb only so much at once, and certain nutrients compete for absorption, so the more you spread out your supplement intake, the better.

My physician told me that I can get all the nutrients I need from my diet. What should I tell him?

Tell him/her, respectfully, that you have great difficulty accepting his premise, and offer two responses.

First, how does he know you are getting all the nutrients you need? Has he ever performed nutrient blood tests or mineral challenge tests?

Second, how does he know how much enough is? Heart disease- and cancer-preventing amounts of vitamin E, for example, are not available from any food. If you do not take a supplement of E, you cannot get optimal amounts of this potent heart and immune system protector no matter what you eat.

Fortunately the discussion among physicians today is becoming more and more .pro-nutrient. It is not whether to take supplements, but how much to take.

I am on many medications, and my doctor told me not to take supplements. What should I do?

As Dr. Carlton Fredericks, often said, “Why do doctors advise people against supplements when they still let them eat food?” Supplements are concentrated, therapeutic amounts of nutrients, and that’s all, and if you can eat food, you can take supplements. If anything, taking medications increases the need for nutrients, particularly vitamin C, the B complex, and liver-supporting herbs like milk thistle.

There are occasions, however, when supplements interfere with the active mechanism of some medications.

- For example, you do not want to take calcium, magnesium, or other minerals at the same time as the antibiotic tetracycline, because minerals will bind to the drug and render it inactive.

- You should avoid vitamin K if you are depending on warfarin’s anticoagulant effect.

- And limit folic acid if you depend on methotrexate to help you. (However, taking a limited amount of folic acid when using this drug is not only harmless, but also helps counter some of its side effects.)

By and large, however, adverse drug-nutrient interactions are actually quit rare. The overwhelming majority of interactions are positive.

- Vitamin C has been found to enhance the benefits of many drugs, including chemotherapy.

- Niacin enhances the benefits of cholesterol-lowering medications.

- And in some cases, using drugs increases the need for nutrients.

- It is well known that oral contraceptives increase the need for B vitamins.

- Drugs like sulfasalazine, used to treat colitis, deplete folic acid.

- Even using aspirin regularly depletes nutrients like vitamin C and folic acid.

- Diuretics deplete minerals.

The list goes on, so your best bet is to find a physician well versed in complementary practices who can give you the best of both conventional and nutritional medicine.

Should I keep my supplements in the refrigerator?

Only a few supplements need to be refrigerated, such as fish oil liquids and capsules, flaxseed oil, and other essential fatty acid supplements like borage and evening primrose oil. COQ1lO should also be kept refrigerated to preserve potency. Keep all other supplements in a cool dark place (refrigeration may have negative effects because the moisture in the refrigerator may cause a decline in the supplement’s potency).