There have recently been a number of newspaper that leaped feverishly upon the results of the SELECT research trial that concluded that men supplementing with 400IU of vitamin E had an increased risk of developing cancer. I would like to take a moment to examine this issue both in and with more depth.

Firstly, I think it bears reiterating first and foremost that vitamin E is an essential human nutrients and that attempts to avoid vitamin E intake entirely in an attempt lower prostate cancer risk would be misguided and cause serious health consequences, including potentially fatal disease. Furthermore, Vitamin E deficiency is the most prevalent nutrient deficiency in North America,with an estimate of over 90% of adults not meeting the daily requirements according to a 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (1).

The role of Vitamin E and prostate cancer prevention seems to be controversial and there is presently no scientific consensus. The following information is provided by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

A recently published meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials concluded that vitamin E supplementation was not associated with overall cancer incidence, cancer mortality, or total mortality(2). However, vitamin E supplementation may possibly reduce the risk of prostate cancer. A placebo-controlled intervention study that was designed to look at the effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on lung cancer development noted a 34% reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer in smokers given daily supplements of 50 mg of synthetic alpha-tocopherol (equivalent to 25 mg of RRR-alpha-tocopherol) daily(3). A meta-analysis that combined the results of this study with three other randomized controlled trials associated vitamin E supplement use with a 15% lower risk of prostate cancer (2). However, a large randomized,placebo-controlled intervention study using alpha-tocopherol and selenium supplementation (trial name: SELECT), alone or in combination, was recently halted because there was no evidence of benefit in preventing prostate cancer (4, 5). After an average of 5.5 years of follow-up in SELECT, participants taking vitamin E (400 IU/day of all-rac-alpha-tocopherol) alone had a higher risk of prostate cancer, but the increase was not statistically significant (6). A subsequent analysis (median follow-up of 7 years) after the trial was halted found that men who
took the vitamin E supplement had a statistically significant, 17% higher risk of prostate cancer compared to men who took a placebo (7).

Please note that the result of the SELECT study showing a 17% increase in prostate cancer risk are an anomaly and the reasons for these results, including potential problems with the methodology and data interpretation, are currently being debated. The form of vitamin E used in this trial was also synthetic, and there seems to be a greater tendency for synthetic vitamin E to produce negative results in trials.

Furthermore, the results of The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), also showed that group receiving either selenium or selenium plus vitamin significantly reduced their risk of prostate cancer, though this is largely ignored by the research in their conclusions on the trial, and in the media reporting.

If one were to err entirely on the side of caution, it is worth noting that many of the studies showing negative or conflicting results are with higher dosage vitamin
E (>400IU per day) of synthetic alpha-tocopherol only. There are no negative reports using mixed tocopherols that we are aware of, nor do there seem to be negative reports involving supplementation of equal to or less than 200IU per day.

Furthermore, there is ample, compelling positive research behind vitamin E supplementation for other health conditions.

Vitamin E has an effectiveness rating according to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database for the following conditions (Please note this list in not comprehensive: research citations are available though the website at http://naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com):

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Taking vitamin E 400 IU orally, plus elemental zinc 80 mg, vitamin C 500 mg, and beta-carotene 15 mg daily seems to provide a risk reduction of 27% for visual acuity loss and a risk reduction of 25% for progression of AMD in patients with advanced AMD. Some research suggests that increasing dietary intake of vitamin E, either alone or along with increasing dietary vitamin C, beta-carotene, and zinc, seems to decrease the risk of developing AMD.

Alzheimer's disease. There's some evidence that all-rac-alpha-tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E) 2000 IU per day is similar to selegiline (Eldepryl), and superior to placebo, for slowing cognitive function decline in patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's disease. But there doesn't appear to be an additive effect when vitamin E is used in combination with selegiline (Eldepryl).
Retrospective data suggest that long-term combination therapy with donepezil (Aricept) 5 mg and vitamin E 1000 IU per day may help slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Anemia. Two small studies in adults and children on chronic hemodialysis have shown improved response to erythropoietin with vitamin E supplementation. In one study, children given vitamin E 15 mg/kg in combination with erythropoietin had significantly increased hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (Hct) levels after 2 weeks of combination treatment compared to eight and five weeks in patients without combination treatment. In the other study of adults, concurrent supplementation with vitamin E 500 mg daily allowed dose reductions of erythropoietin from an
average of 93 U/kg/week to 74 U/kg/week with the same results on Hgb levels.

Bladder cancer. Taking vitamin E 200 IU orally for greater than 10 years seems to be associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer mortality.

Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity. Alpha-tocopherol administered before chemotherapy, and continued for 3 months after the completion of treatment, seems to reduce the incidence of peripheral neurotoxicity by 55% without affecting cisplatin efficacy.

Common-cold: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in elderly nursing home residents reported that daily supplementation with 200 IU of synthetic alpha-tocopherol (equivalent to 90 mg of RRR-alpha-tocopherol) for one year significantly lowered the risk of contracting upper respiratory tract infections, especially the common cold, but had no effect on lower respiratory tract (lung) infections.

Dementia. A longitudinal cohort study of 3,385 elderly men aged 71 to 93 years found that men who consumed supplemental vitamin E and vitamin C had a decreased risk of developing vascular and mixed or other dementias; however, there was no protective effect for Alzheimer's dementia. This study did not distinguish between different forms of vitamin E.

Dysmenorrhea. Taking vitamin E 200 IU twice daily or 500 IU daily starting 2 days before menstruation and continuing through the first 3 days of bleeding seems to reduce menstrual pain severity and duration and decrease blood loss in teenage girls with primary dysmenorrheal.

Huntington's disease. RRR-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E) can significantly improve symptoms in patients with early Huntington's disease, but this benefit is not seen in patients with more advanced disease.

Infertility. In one study, males with asthenospermia or oligoasthenospermia, receiving oral vitamin E supplementation, achieved impregnation at a rate of 21% compared to none for similar patients receiving placebo. In another study, males enrolled in an in vitro fertilization program who had previously had low fertilization rates were treated with oral vitamin E for three months. Fertilization rates increased significantly from 19% to 29% after one month of treatment. In a crossover trial, males found to have elevated reactive oxygen species in their semen, which might be associated with infertility, were treated with oral vitamin E. After treatment, in vitro sperm binding to the zona pellucida was significantly increased. Interestingly, high-dose vitamin
E in combination with vitamin C does not seem to offer any benefit to sperm functionality. Vitamin E plus selenium seems to improve sperm functionality. Studies did not differentiate between different forms of vitamin E.

Ischemic stroke. Some clinical research shows that taking all-rac-alpha-tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E) might reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in male smokers with hypertension and diabetes. A meta-analysis of studies shows that vitamin E in doses of 300-800 IU daily,
including both natural and synthetic forms, does not significantly affect total stroke risk.
However, it significantly reduces the risk of ischemic stroke by 10%. This means that one ischemic stroke will be prevented for every 476 patients taking vitamin E. In contrast to this finding, the analysis also found that vitamin E increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 22%. This means that there will be one additional hemorrhagic stroke for every 1250 patients taking vitamin E.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In adults with NASH, taking vitamin E 800 IU daily for 24 months significantly improves liver enzymes, hepatic steatosis, and lobular inflammation. Other research also shows that taking vitamin E in combination with vitamin C might improve hepatic fibrosis in patients with NASH. However, it does not seem to affect inflammation. Taking vitamin E 400-1200 IU in children with NASH also seems to improve liver enzyme levels after 4-10 months of treatment.

Parkinson's disease. Preliminary evidence suggests that dietary vitamin E intake might be associated with a decreased occurrence of Parkinson's disease. But taking all-rac-alpha- tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E) 2000 IU supplements daily does not seem to have any benefit for patients who have Parkinson's disease.

Pre-eclampsia. Taking a combination of vitamin E 400 IU and vitamin C 1000 mg daily significantly reduced the risk of proteinuric hypertension in high-risk women when started in weeks 16 to 22 of pregnancy. Other researchers using vitamin E in combination with vitamin C and allopurinol beginning at 24 to 32 weeks gestation found the combination similar to placebo.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Taking vitamin E orally seems to reduce symptoms of anxiety, craving, and depression in patients with PMS.

Physical performance. Population research suggests that increasing intake of dietary vitamin E is associated with increased physical performance and muscle strength in elderly people.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Vitamin E taken orally in conjunction with standard therapy is superior to standard therapy alone for reducing pain in patients with RA.

While it may seem that the last thing the press wants is a multifaceted debate, the majority of the evidence does not support the damnation that vitamin E supplements have received in the press, and it would be far more beneficial to their readers to bear this out more in the reporting of health news.

There are doubtless people are more at risk of the adverse effects of supplementing any substance, but knowledgeable healthcare professionals who are intimately familiar with their patients are the best people for assessing these risks, not the media.

And fear mongering has no place in patient care.

References:

1. Maras JE, Bermudez OI, Qiao N, Bakun PJ, Boody-Alter EL, Tucker KL. Intake of

alpha-tocopherol is limited among US adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104(4):567-575.

2. Alkhenizan A, Hafez K. The role of vitamin E in the prevention of cancer: a meta-
analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ann Saudi Med. 2007;27(6):409-414. (PubMed)

3. Heinonen OP, Albanes D, Virtamo J, et al. Prostate cancer and supplementation with
alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene: incidence and mortality in a controlled trial. J Natl
Cancer Inst. 1998;90(6):440-446. (PubMed)

4. Klein EA, Thompson IM, Lippman SM, et al. SELECT: the next prostate
cancer prevention trial. Selenum and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial. J Urol.
2001;166(4):1311-1315. (PubMed)

5. National Cancer Institute. Review of Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Shows No Benefit
for Use of Selenium and Vitamin E Supplements. [Web page]. Available at: http://
www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/SELECTresults2008. Accessed 10/28/08.

6. Lippman SM, Klein EA, Goodman PJ, et al. Effect of selenium and vitamin E on risk of
prostate cancer and other cancers: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial
(SELECT). JAMA. 2009;301(1):39-51. (PubMed)

7. Klein EA, Thompson IM, Jr., Tangen CM, et al. Vitamin E and the risk of prostate
cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA.
306(14):1549-1556. (PubMed)

Therefore, it comes as little surprise that people are thirsty and receptive to nutritional information when readily available. The following in an excerpt from a Science direct article:

People Will Make Healthier Choices If Restaurants Provide Nutritional Data, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Mar. 31, 2009) — As more and more Americans eat meals outside the home, the country also faces an epidemic of obesity. An association between eating out and weight-related diseases has led to demands for nutritional labeling of restaurant foods. A new study examines the potential benefits of such labeling.

"Using only the sense of taste, smell, and sight to accurately estimate the levels of calories, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium found in a typical restaurant food serving is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for most consumers," write authors Elizabeth Howlett (University of Arkansas), Scot Burton (Sam M. Walton College of Business), Kenneth Bates (University of San Diego), and Kyle Huggins (James Madison University).

The authors set out to examine how providing calorie and nutrient information on restaurant menus and menu boards influences consumers' food-related evaluations and choices. They looked at how participants' prior expectations came into play and whether providing calorie and nutrient information after the consumptive experience changed their subsequent food choices.

The researchers found that providing nutritional information can influence subsequent food consumption, especially when consumers' expectations are not fulfilled when they examine the information. "When a 'great taste' claim was used to describe a restaurant menu item, the provision of calorie information did not affect consumers' perceptions, presumably because foods that claim great taste are typically expected to be relatively high in calories," the authors explain. "On the other hand, when a 'low calorie' claim was presented but the menu item was higher in calories than expected, the provision of nutritional information increased the perceived likelihood of 1) gaining weight and 2) developing heart disease."

The study shows that nutritional information can help consumers moderate their eating over time. In one study, participants ate a sandwich that they later found was unexpectedly high in calories. After this discovery, the participants consumed fewer snacks throughout the rest of the day.

This research further highlights the need for a governmental directive to require this information to be readily available. Please don't hesitate to add your voice to the many in demanding that this be legislated so that Canadians can make healthier choices more easily. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq can be reached via http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/contact/ahc-asc/minist-eng.php

We talked about the various roles of water is human physiology, including some of the side effects of chronic dehydration, vulnerable populations, bottled water, and related health issues.

Click on the link to the podcast to hear all the latest.

With the cold and flu season arrived yet again, I have gotten a few questions about whether or not iron supplements should be continued if you get sick. This is the long answer:

Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most prevalent nutrient deficiency problems in the world, and although it is much more serious public health is many areas of Africa, which bears 71% of world cases of iron deficiency anemia, it is also a problem in Canada, especially among children and disadvantaged communities.

Iron is an essential nutrient and iron deficiency anemia reduces the capability of the immune system to fight many types of infections, and is convincingly linked ear infections, and upper respiratory infections, including pneumonia; however, they is some evidence that iron supplements exacerbate infections like malaria, hepatitis C, strep throat, and several types of cancer; though there is also evidence that iron deficiency is a risk factor for the development and spread of breast cancer in younger women.  Chronic iron excess also causes heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver, so although iron is essential, it is a nutrient to be used in precise dosages; 60mg a day is enough to kill an infant.

The reason for this is that bacteria, virally infected cells, and cancerous cells, like all other cells in your body, need iron in order to replicate and multiply. Because they replicate more rapidly that healthy cells, they use up more iron - which is why chronic idiopathic anemia can occasionally be a sign that the body is fighting some kind of infection. This is sometimes the case when anemia accompanies gastric ulcer like symptoms, since the bacteria responsible for some ulcers, Helicobacter Pylori, not only uses up iron that your cells need, but also reduces iron absorption from all sources in the stomach.

However, iron that we ingest is not meant to float around in our blood for any old cell to pick up as it chooses. Iron transport and storage is controlled by a number of proteins, including transferritin and lactoferrin - a promising anti-cancer agent present in whey protein - that binds to free iron and ferry to the appropriate cells, and iron is essentially "stored" as haemoglobin in red blood cells, keeping it away from infectious agents. Some of the ways our body fights infections also involve mechanisms for denying viruses and bacteria access to iron: fevers induce temporary anemia for this reason, while also turning up the heat to destroy many types of pathogens.  

Unfortunately, there does not appear at present to be a clear consensus on the affect of iron supplementation not in gross excess on free iron in the blood. Therefore, to the question of whether or not iron supplements make infections worse, the answer at the moment is maybe; however, iron deficiency is unquestioningly detrimental to immunity. Therefore, it is probably advisable to keep taking iron up to 18mg a day supplemental if you are iron deficient,namely, if you have anemia, but to take a break from it for the duration of your cold or flu if you do not. Lactoferrin is a good alternative for those suffering from chronic infections, since it not only denies pathogenic organisms iron, but also helps improve iron status in people with deficiency. 

And most importantly: get some rest and avoid stressors! Stress hormones can actually liberate iron from transferritin and lactoferrin and them available for use by bacteria and other harmful creatures.

Add rest and relaxation to the "apple" list of things that keep the doctor away.

Children and teenagers get stigmatized for their emotional behaiviour.  Fits of depression, lethargy, aggression, and crying are ascribed to "raging hormones" and the natural emotional vulnerability of youth that hasn't hardened up against the increasing burden of regrets and heartbreaks that has, unfortunately, come to characterize  adulthood.

However, I believe it is one of the great misconceptions of Western medical philosophy, which is based neither wholly in philosophy nor wholly in medicine, that body and mind are so seperate that one should be "in control" of the other. The thoughts and feelings that every human being holds dear to his/her identity are produced by biological processes; those very same processes are also affected by emotional triggers. The Journal of Psychosomatic Research is dedicated to elucidating those connections, which we all know intuitively on some level, when we feel our hearts beat quickly at the sight of a disaster or a loved one, but that we forget are also the result of very physical reactions, and not just floating ethereally above our heads in mystical emotion clouds.

One example I wanted to draw some attention to is breath-holding spells in children. Maybe you remember having done this yourself; getting so annoyed at your parents that you threatened to hold your breath until you passed out? Parents would be tempted to write this off as being cursed with a difficult monster of a child, who would hopefully grow out of it soon. However, research from as early as 1943 has linked breath-holding spells to iron-deficiency anaemia. This is hypothesized to be because of several functions of iron in the body, including oxygen transport to the brain and central nervous system, the neuro-protective effects of erythropoietin, a hormone related to red blood cell production.

So if your children are acting out, don't be too quick to judge them as just trying to cause trouble. Many nutrient deficiencies express themselves almost as mental diseases: Pellegra, or vitamin B3 deficiency, causes dementia, and even just common old hypoglycaemia causes increased irritability, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms very much of the moody variety.

It is always important to bear in mind that our minds are a function of our bodies. If someone appears to be going a bit crazy, it is important to look first at their physical health, because the body is more than a robotic transport vessel that thauls your brain around; the mind is the sum and miracle of the body it inhabits.

References

Bridge EM, Livingston S, Tietze C. Breath-holding spells: their relationship to syncope, convulsions and other phenomena. J Pediatr 1943;23:539–61.

8. Holowach J, Thurston DL. Breath-holding spells and anemia. N Engl J Med 1963;268:21–3.

9. Bhatia MS, Singhal PK, Dhar NK, et al. Breath holding spells: an analysis of 50 cases. Indian Pediatr 1990;27:1073–9.

10. Colina KF, Abelson HT. Resolution of breath-holding spells with treatment of concomitant anemia. J Pediatr 1995;126:395–7.

11. Daoud AS, Batieha A, al-Sheyyab M, et al. Effectiveness of iron therapy on breath-holding spells. J Pediatr 1997;130:547–50.

12. Mocan H, Yildiran A, Orhan F, Erduran E. Breath holding spells in 91 children and response to treatment with iron. Arch Dis Child 1999;81:261–2.

The major sources of methylmercury in the diet are large fish like tuna, shark, king mackerel, swordfish, and shellfish.Canned light tuna tends to have somewhat less mercury in it, but pregnant women are still advised to consume it less than 3 times per month. Other major sources of mercury are dental amalgams, and halogen light bulbs; in fact, inhaled mercury vapor is approximately 60% higher absorbability than ingested mercury, so it is very important to be cautious of broken fluorescent lights.

The reason for the exception caution for pregnant women is the affect mercury has on the developing nervous system. In this video from the University of Calgary, you can clear see the regression of the developing nerve ganglia when exposed to even small amount of mercury. Please follow the link below:

http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/554.cfm

I hope you find the following video both as fascinating and terrifying as the subject it evidences.

There are things you can do to help detoxify accumulated mercury in the body though:

1) Ensure adequate zinc status. Zinc is needed to make metal-binging protein, one of the bodies main heavy metal chelating proteins. Zinc deficiency is usually detectable in the presence of white spots in the middle of the finger nails, and in low stomach acid production.

2) Take supplemental NAC or Glutathione, and/or R+ Alpha lipoic acid. Both a powerful antioxidants that can help negate the oxidative damage mercury does, and also help neutralize it so that it can be excreted.

3) Limit your exposure to mercury as much as possible. Also, whenever financially feasible, get your silver dental amalgams replaced by composite ones by a dentist with experience in replacing mercury fillings.

Take care, and stay on the ball.

Friendly flora, or probiotics, are defined as “live microorganisms which when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health effect on the host”. There are between 400-700 different species of literally trillions of organisms living throughout the intestines; the greatest concentration of bacteria is in the colon, building up from the end of the small intestine in the ileum. The organisms referred to as intestinal probiotic bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. Plantarum, and the bifidobacteria Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. longum, and B. infantis. Friendly flora also includes organisms such as the yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii, which is very effective (more so than Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria) in controlling the proliferation Clostridium difficile (C-diff) – a bacteria that is rampant in hospitals and causes potentially fatal ulcerating diarrhea.

The impact of bowel flora on health continuously being examined by medical researchers, and journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition are constantly giving us new food for thought on their importance. One recent issue to crop up and further complicate bowel health is the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply. GMO’s are present in 60% of processed, pre-packaged, and fast foods – all staples of Standard North American Diet.  Many believe with good reason that they pose grossly under-researched potential dangers. Processed food giants Nestle, Quaker, Kraft, Nabisco, Kellogg’s, Heinz’s, Pepsi, and Coca Cola (to name a few) use common GMO ingredients and derivatives from soy, sugar, corn, canola, and cotton in virtually all of their products . Even in the EU, which has banned GMO’s for human consumption, copious amounts of GMO feed are given to livestock all over the world which are consumed by humans, and tests confirm the presence of GM DNA in animal feces, casting doubt as to the presence of any truly GMO-free food left in the world.  All GMO’s have an antibiotic marker gene for identification which could confer antibiotic resistance to pathogens, and may have antibiotic properties, causing speculation that these genes could have the same negative impact on bowel flora that medicinal antibiotics do, though proper research is still pending. University of Newcastle research found that patient who had undergone a colostomy retained GM DNA in their small intestines, while those with complete bowels were able to remove all detectable traces of it, illustrating again the importance that bowel flora have in detoxifying even altered genetic material.
 

Probiotic bacteria are the foundation of long-term health. If you are at all concerned about your bowel and immune health, or have done a course of antibiotics, consult your health professional about your probiotic status.

Farmers markets are a great place to buy locally grown, sustainably harvested, and in many cases completely organic food. Their prices are also usually more affordable than major grocery stores, and you have the comfort of knowing that ALL of that money is going right back to the farmers. Between 1996-2006, small farm income averaged negative $10'000, while giant agricultural conglomerates, many of which, like Monsanto, are also heavily invested in genetically modified products, posted 1.88 billion dollars revenue in 2009.

Also, organic fresh fruits and vegetables have considerably higher levels of antioxidant phyto-nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins start to degrade very quickly after a vegetable is picked. Potatoes for example are actually a good source of vitamin C (British Ship men used to use them to prevent scurvy when limes were scarce); however, they lose about 50% of their vitamin C within 2 months after picking, and they keep well. Green peas lose 77% of their vitamin C within a week of being harvested. Many types of produce may have been picked between 1-6 months prior to being put out for sale in a supermarket.

The farmers markets also have humanely raised, drug-free animal products like beef, chicken, fish, eggs and cheese for sale, home-made preserves, as well as natural cosmetics, clothing items, and delicious eat out items like crepes and smoothies.

Head out to your local market and taste, smell, and see the difference that fresh produce lovingly reared makes. Available at the following locations:

Trout Lake Farmers Market Saturdays, May 8 – October 23
9am – 2pm each week
North Parking Lot of John Hendry Park at Trout Lake
Between Templeton and Lakewood south of the 13th Avenue Alley
Please note: There is no parking in the North Lot and no parking on 13th Avenue. Please park away from the area & walk in. Or better yet: walk, cycle or take transit if you can!
 Map of Market Location  Interactive Market Map

West End Farmers Market  Saturdays, June 5 – October 23
9am – 2pm each week
1100 Block of Comox Street across from Nelson Park at Mole Hill
Map of Market Location    Interactive Market Map

Main Street Station at Thornton Park Wednesdays, June 2 – September 29
3pm – 7pm each week
1100 Block Station Street along Thornton Park across from the VIA Rail Station and near the Main St Skytrain Station
Map of Market Location  Interactive Market Map

Kitsilano Farmers Market  Sundays, May 23 – October 24
10am – 2pm each week
2690 Larch Street at 10th Avenue, Parking Lot of Kitsilano Community Centre
Map of Market Location   Interactive Market Map

One of the most interesting talks in my opinion, and the one that has the most implications for proper nutrition was Dr. Bruce Ames talk on micro-nutrient deficiencies and longevity.

Aging has yet to have a definitive labeled cause, and there is constant debate around the inevitability of the process: proponents of the senescence theories believe that it is impossible to extend health and life beyond a certain age regardless of what interventions are taken, because our genes have pre-programmed our cells to eventually stop dividing. Once cells stop dividing, there is no rejuvenation, and the organism will soon die. This is what realists call  inevitability, and just like taxes, it gets us all in the end.

However, the stochastic theory of aging blames our environment, and the effects environmental toxins like mercury and other heavy metals, pathogenic microbes like parasites, fungus and bacteria, viruses and oxidants have on our cells. Essentially, the stochastic theories point to the damage exposure to these substances causes builds up and is what causes the cells to eventually stop dividing. Some interesting evidence for this is apparent in the fact that experimental germ-free animals live twice as long as their counterparts, because they have no bacteria in them generating internal toxins.

Dr. Ames talk focused on the evidence that his team of researchers discovered at the Oakland Research Institute, when treating a man with a folic acid deficiency. He was found to have chromosome breaks in his red blood cells, which is evidence of DNA damage. Normally, red blood cells should have no DNA in them, since they don't divide, and are churned out by bone marrow. Dr. Ames tested his blood regularly for these breaks, and found out there were many more of them when the man wasn't taking folic acid supplements. He then went on to test several other nutrients on several hun, including zinc, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, selenium, B12, B3, and found that deficiencies of any of these nutrients caused evidence of DNA damage to appear in peoples red blood cells.

Even if a nutritious diet isn't a guaranteed pass to immortality, this evidence does relate known vitamin deficiencies in disease, i.e., cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, to the larger picture of how the homeostatic mechanism of the whole body are functioning, and really hammers home how much each nutrient is absolutely critical for the proper health and function of our entire selves.

According to the USDA  2001-2002 study "What we eat in America", in the United States, over 56% of the population is deficient in magnesium, 93% are deficient in vitamin E, 31% are deficient in vitamin C, and 12% are deficient in zinc. That means that over 1 in 10 people in the US, and likely Canada as well, are chronically getting less of at least one essential nutrient that they need to prevent disease and premature aging.

If you are worried that you may not be eating a diet that provides you with a solid nutritional foundation for good health, make sure you are taking a good quality multi-vitamin, and speak to a professional about how to maximize the nutritional quality of your daily meals.