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Anti-caking agents in powdered products may hasten degradation of vitamin C instead of doing what they are supposed to do: protect the nutrient from moisture.
Lisa Mauer, a Purdue University professor of food science; Lynne Taylor, a professor of industrial and physical pharmacy; and graduate student Rebecca Lipasek study deliquescence, a reaction in which humidity causes a crystalline solid to dissolve. They wanted to understand how anti-caking agents protect substances such as vitamin C from humidity.
In Mauer's laboratory, different anti-caking agents were blended with powdered sodium ascorbate, a common form of vitamin C, and were exposed to different relative humidities. Normally, sodium ascorbate deliquesces, or dissolves, at 86 percent relative humidity and is stable below that level. Some anti-caking agents, however, caused the degradation to begin at lower humidity levels.
"The additives that the food industry puts in to make these powders more stable didn't help the vitamin C, and in some cases actually made things worse," Lipasek said.
Once vitamin C changes chemically, it no longer holds its nutritional value.
The findings suggest that foods made with powdered vitamin C may lose the vitamin's nutrients at a lower humidity than once thought. The team's findings were published in the current issue of the Journal of Food Science.
02:41 PM on 7/10/2010
Try coconut juice.
01:15 PM on 7/10/2010
I also take a B100 complex that does wonders for my eczema, and potassium which, with the calcium and magnesium prevents/minimizes nighttime charlie horses in legs and ankles.
01:19 PM on 7/10/2010
"The Lewin Group" caught my eye. They were referenced during the healthcare debate by opponents. They are owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation’s largest insurers, according to the Washington Post. Two related posts:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/22/AR2009072202216.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/22/the-lewin-group-gop-healt_n_243089.html
Just a curiosity — don’t know if it taints the info presented somehow. Always of fan of Dr. H.
07:50 PM on 7/10/2010
with very little concrete evidence and a mixed bag of results, including some evidence of worsening outcomes in certain types of cancer. oh bless linus pauling, but he was confused about this. just because you know what medline is doesn’t mean you know how to use it obviously.
07:14 PM on 7/10/2010
Do the research yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine online (Medline) and search on "vitamin C" and "cancer" – you’ll be surprised at the thousands of studies that have been done…
01:21 PM on 7/10/2010
There is value in getting the daily nutrients that promote but supplements do not prevent cancer or many other illness. Lewin group = greedy.
03:25 PM on 7/10/2010
check out vitamin c in cancer.
02:38 PM on 7/10/2010
This is too broad a statement. Vitamin E and Vitamin A may be counterproductive in large doses. I haven’t read any negative statements about the many other antioxidants, including the many plant polyphenols that are antioxidants, such as those found in green tea.
01:25 PM on 7/10/2010
There is value in getting the daily nutrients to promote health but supplements do not prevent cancer or many other illnesses. Some cancers thrive on antioxidants and they are contraindicated for people with cancer. A a health care professional, I reviewed the literature.
01:26 PM on 7/10/2010
Anyone who relies on the Lewin Group for information should be read with a grain of salt. Better make that a 50 lb. block of salt.
The Lewin Group is NOT an independent organization, but a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. Did they resist the urge to pick and choose which studies to study?
Yes, taking care of yourself can decrease health care costs. But will the reduction of an individual’s costs be FULLY and TOTALLY reflected in the premiums charged by for-profit insurance companies? Most likely, a 25% reduction in health care costs of individuals will turn out to lower premiums charged by the for-profit insurance by, at most, a couple of percent, if that.
01:27 PM on 7/10/2010
You need to be careful with supplements. The FDA is not required to prove that supplement is safe before goes to market. I am citing the DSHEA. You should also look for the label of United States Pharmacopeial (USP) label to guarantee purity.
01:29 PM on 7/10/2010
I’ve taken these supplements, for years, now. It amazes me how so many of the people I know in my age group are on all kinds of different pharmaceuticals for various things.I rarely get sick,and take no proscriptive drugs.I’m often told I look 10 years younger than my age.You only have one body, take care of it.
07:44 PM on 7/10/2010
the really disgusting part is the folic acid is the only supplement where the science is clear either way. For pregnant women, folic acid supplements decrease the probability of neural tube defects 4-5 times, which is incredible.
03:46 PM on 7/10/2010
Are you referring to the (BS?) that Hyman wrote about a few weeks ago? You remember the column where he slimed Folic Acid supplements as being anything from useless to dangerous, don’t you? So who’s lying? The "doctor" who says we should be taking supplements because they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread? Or the one who says supplements are a dangerous racket because you can’t reliably know exactly what you’re taking?
Oh wait. It’s the SAME guy lying in both of them.
03:37 PM on 7/10/2010
there isn’t a lot of evidence either way on this issue. On the other hand, if you are pregnant or may become pregnant, folic acid is EXTREMELY important in preventing birth defects. In fact, folic acid supplementation for pregnant women is about the ONLY dietary supplement that good science consistently supports.
The amount of folic acid you get in a healthy diet very probably will not give you cancer, so if you’re worried (and not thinking about getting pregnant), you should probably cut the supplements.
01:34 PM on 7/10/2010
Dr. Hyman, what about suspicions in the news that folic acid (not folates in foods) contained in vitamin supplements might indeed be feeding certain cancers? For more than fifteen years I have taken a multi-b complex capsule that also contains 400mg folic acid, and I stopped taking it because of what I have recently read in the news.
Please comment on why these recent reports should be ignored.
12:22 AM on 7/11/2010
Yes, eating food is no way to get vitamins and minerals.
Jesus Christ.
07:11 PM on 7/10/2010
Bull crap. Fortified foods are no way to get vitamins in bio-available forms. Most people eat junk. They need supplements just to get basic nutrition.
01:40 PM on 7/10/2010
Vitamin D and fish oil, yes. Pretty much everything else gets pissed into your sewer system. Taking a multivitamin is no substitute for a good diet, and even if your diet is less than ideal, many, many foods are already vitamin fortified.
04:29 PM on 7/10/2010
Proof enough for me and if you saw me, I think you would agree. But, I feel gret and enjoy life and that is enough for me.
03:33 PM on 7/10/2010
that’s not proof, that’s anecdotal evidence. There is no evidence for taking supplements except perhaps fish oil and folic acid (if you’re pregnant)
01:44 PM on 7/10/2010
I totally agree and am proof that it works. I am almost 70 and most people assume that I am, at most, early fifties. I have been taking supplements since I was 30 and although I was taking vit E , I added fish oil at 40 and glusoamine and am now on the full range. I know that my cognitive skills have even increased with age.
01:25 PM on 7/10/2010
for a plant based omega source, Chia seeds can’t be beat.
01:20 PM on 7/10/2010
Thanks. Cod liver oil, however, provides very little in terms of omega-3 content. It is primarily a source of vitamins A & D. If you take too much, it can potentially lead to hypervitaminosis A. Better to stick with a molecularly distilled fish body oil (not fish liver oil). Specifically, look for a content of EPA and DHA that totals around 1000 mg. Notice this is not the same as the content of the oil itself, which typically will be much higher. Below the oil total, there should be a total for EPA and a total for DHA. You should take enough capsules to ensure that those two numbers add up to 1000mg or more.
12:51 PM on 7/10/2010
Hemp Oil has also the EFA’s you need. It may become important as our fish supply comes to an end. Also, I would stick to blue green algae from american lakes. Chlorella comes from the ocean and again we need to start minding the serous poison and damage happening there and look for alternatives.
12:25 PM on 7/10/2010
I highly recommend chlorella and spirulina. These are incredible, greener-than-green natural supplements.
As for omega fatty acids, I cannot recommend highly enough Carlson cod liver oil. Look it up on Amazon — the highest quality cod liver oil there is.
01:13 PM on 7/10/2010
I’m noticing that too.
12:31 PM on 7/10/2010
I used to think Diet Supplements were quackery until I started taking them when I turned 45 six years ago
Now I would not think of missing my daily vitamins and supplements I take.
Makes a huge difference in the quality of my life
12:48 PM on 7/10/2010
Dr. Hyman,
The information you provide is consistently excellent.
I do notice that almost all multivitamins do not have nearly sufficient magnesium in the mix.
There is a lot of scary information on vitamin A out there, but I, personally, have found it to be a wonder vitamin after many, many years of use. I understand that vitamin D helps vitamin A work. Perhaps that’s part of the good statistics on vitamin D?
One of my concerns is chlorine in the water.
Again, thank you for your ongoing sharing of valuable information with us and your pioneering approach to medicine.
12:51 PM on 7/10/2010
I used to take quite a few supplements. I no longer take any. I have however dramatically improved my diet and lifestyle. I feel much better than I ever did when I ate less selectively and took supplements.
I no longer believe that taking supplements is wise. Even if taking some supplements may be helpful, I think they provide a disincentive to effectuate real and lasting lifestyle changes.
I know some argue to the contrary as evidenced by Dr. Hyman’s article; yet diet and supplements intuitively must reflect a holistic approach to life and culture. "Nutrient" based eating simply fails on this front. To truly reduce healthcare costs, we must all embrace a respect for our bodies and wellness that no miracle pill can provide.
I am pleased to see by the studies cited by Dr. Hyman that the nutrients I obtain naturally in my diet are healthy- nutrients I note that were obtained from delicious meals with friends and family not pills.
Peace, Andrea
General Manager, Litchfield Farms Organic & Natural
http://www.LitchfieldFarms.net