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Health
Headlines
Get
the latest news in prevention and health matters. This
feature includes daily postings and recent archives to
keep you up to date on health reports and wires around
the world. |
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Weekly
Wellness
Get
informed with weekly wellness facts in a diversity of
health topics from prevention to fitness and nutrition. |
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Tips
Great
tips on what you need to know about keeping healthy and
active all year round. |
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Water-Soluble
Vitamins
| Thiamin
(B1) |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called vitamin B1, vitamin F, thiamine. |
| Recommendations: |
Men
ages 14-70+, 1.2 milligrams/day
Women
ages 14-18, 1.0 milligrams/day
Women
ages 19-70+, 1.1 milligrams/day
|
| Benefits: |
Important
for producing energy from carbohydrates, and for proper
nerve function. |
| Food
sources: |
Pork,
liver, legumes, nuts, whole grain or enriched breads and
cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
1
broiled pork chop (0.66 mg) PLUS 1.25 cups corn flakes
(0.36 mg) OR 1 baked potato with skin (0.24 mg) PLUS ½
cup lentils (0.17 mg) PLUS 1 cup raisin bran (0.60 mg) |
| Watch
out: |
Deficiency
is becoming more common among the homeless and malnourished
people, and can result in edema and heart arrhythmias. |
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| Riboflavin
(B2) |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called vitamin B2. |
| Recommendations: |
Men
ages 14-70+, 1.3 milligrams/day
Women
ages 14-18, 1.0 milligrams/day
Women
ages 19-70+, 1.1 milligrams/day
Ages
71+, 15 micrograms/day (equivalent to about 600 IU)
|
| Benefits: |
Contributes
to energy production. |
| Food
sources: |
Lean
meats, yogurt, milk, cheese, egg, broccoli, whole grain
or enriched breads and cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
1
cup raisin bran cereal (0.7 mg) PLUS 1 cup milk (0.34
mg) PLUS 1 egg (0.25 mg) OR one small extra-lean hamburger
(0.36 mg) PLUS 1 cup plain yogurt (0.49 mg) PLUS ½
cup fresh cooked spinach (0.21) PLUS 1 cup cottage cheese
(0.36 mg) |
| Watch
out: |
Light
can destroy riboflavin, so purchase milk in opaque containers. |
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| Niacin
(B3) |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, vitamin B3. The human
body can make niacin from the amino acid tryptophan, so
any food high in tryptophan, such as turkey, will contribute
to niacin intake. |
| Recommendations: |
Men
ages 14-70+, 16 milligrams NE/day
Women
ages 14-70+, 14 milligrams NE/day
(NE=niacin
equivalent)
|
| Benefits: |
Contributes
to energy production. Important for health of skin, digestive
tract and nervous system. |
| Food
sources: |
Protein-rich
foods, including milk, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts
and enriched cereals and grain products. |
| Day's
supply in: |
One
small extra-lean hamburger (6.63 mg) PLUS ½ cup
Grape Nuts cereal (9.98 mg) OR 1 cup rice (2 mg) PLUS
4 ounces broiled salmon (7.5 mg) PLUS 1 tablespoon peanut
butter (4.22 mg) PLUS 1 bagel (3.1 mg) |
| Watch
out: |
In
high doses, nicotinic acid can cause dilation of blood
vessels and a potentially painful tingling called a "niacin
flush." High doses of niacin can cause diarrhea, nausea
and vomiting. In the long-term, liver damage may result. |
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| Biotin
|
| Good
to know: |
Because
biotin is contained in many foods and requirements are
so small, virtually no one needs to worry about deficiency.
|
| Recommendations: |
Ages
14-18, 25 micrograms/day
Ages
19-70+, 30 micrograms/day
|
| Benefits: |
Contributes
to energy production and metabolism of proteins, fats
and carbohydrates. |
| Food
sources: |
Found
in many foods, especially liver, egg yolks and cereal. |
| Day's
supply in: |
Any
combination of healthy foods. |
| Watch
out: |
Although
deficiency is rare, it can be caused by eating high quantities
of raw egg whites, which bind biotin and make it unavailable
to the body. |
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| Pantothenic
Acid |
| Good
to know: |
Deficiencies
are rare among people with a healthy diet. |
| Recommendations: |
Ages
14-70+, 5 milligrams/day |
| Benefits: |
Contributes
to energy production |
| Food
sources: |
Found
in many foods, especially meat, poultry, fish, egg yolk,
legumes and cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
Any
combination of healthy foods. |
| Watch
out: |
No
Warnings |
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| Vitamin
B6 |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called pyridoxine. |
| Recommendations: |
Men
ages 14-50, 1.3 milligrams/day
Men
ages 51-70+, 1.7 milligrams/day
Women
ages 14-18, 1.2 milligrams/day
Women
ages 19-50, 1.3 milligrams/day
Women
ages 51-70+, 1.5 milligrams/day
|
| Benefits: |
Helps
the body make red blood cells, converts tryptophan to
niacin, and contributes to immunity and nervous system
function. Used in metabolism of proteins and fats. |
| Food
sources: |
Meats,
fish, poultry, legumes, leafy green vegetables, potatoes,
bananas, fortified cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
1
chicken breast (1.0 mg) PLUS ½ cup cooked spinach
(0.22 mg) PLUS 1 cup brown rice (0.28 mg), OR 1 baked
potato with skin (0.69 mg) PLUS 1 banana (0.66) PLUS 4
ounces lean sirloin (0.51 mg) |
| Watch
out: |
High-dose
vitamin B6 supplements have been recommended to help PMS,
carpal tunnel syndrome and sleep disorders. However, taking
very high doses for months or years can cause permanent
nerve damage. Recommended upper limit is 100 milligrams
per day for adults. |
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| Folate
|
| Good
to know: |
Also
called folic acid or folacin. |
| Recommendations: |
Ages
14-70+, 400 micrograms/day |
| Benefits: |
Critical
for all cell functions, since folate helps make DNA and
RNA. May protect against heart disease by lowering homocysteine
levels. In pregnant women, lowers risk of neural tube
defects in the baby. |
| Food
sources: |
Leafy
green vegetables, especially spinach and turnip greens,
legumes, broccoli, asparagus, oranges and fortified cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
6
asparagus spears (131 mcg) PLUS 1 cup orange juice from
concentrate (109 mcg) PLUS ½ cup lentils (178 mcg)
PLUS 2 slices whole wheat bread (28 mcg) OR 1 cup Total
cereal (465 mcg) |
| Watch
out: |
To
prevent spina bifida and other neural tube disorders in
their babies, all pregnant women-and women who have the
potential to become pregnant-should be on folate supplements.
For all adults, too little folate can result in anemia. |
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| Vitamin
B12 |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called cobalamin.
Although
vitamin B12 injections have been rumored to increase
energy, there's no scientific evidence that this is
true.
|
| Recommendations: |
Ages
14-70+, 2.4 micrograms/day |
| Benefits: |
Important
for proper nerve function. Works with folate, converting
it to an active form. Helps make red blood cells, and
helps metabolize proteins and fats. |
| Food
sources: |
Only
found in animal foods, such as meats, fish, poultry, milk,
cheese and eggs; or in fortified cereals. |
| Day's
supply in: |
1
chicken breast (0.6 mcg) PLUS 1 hard-boiled egg (0.55
mcg) PLUS 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (1.37 mcg) OR 1 cup
milk (0.92 mcg) PLUS 1 cup raisin bran (1.64 mcg) |
| Watch
out: |
Vegetarians,
especially vegans who eat no animal foods, need to look
for fortified sources, such as fortified soy milk, or
supplements of vitamin B12. The elderly often have difficulty
absorbing vitamin B12, and can easily develop deficiencies.
Deficiency may result in anemia, nerve damage, and hypersensitive
skin. |
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| Vitamin
C |
| Good
to know: |
Also
called ascorbic acid. Cigarette smoke depletes vitamin
C, so smokers need 100 milligrams per day. |
| Recommendations: |
Ages
15-51+, 60 milligrams/day |
| Benefits: |
Important
for immune function. Acts as an antioxidant to keep the
body healthy. Strengthens blood vessels and capillary
walls, makes collagen and connective tissue that hold
muscles and bones together, helps form scar tissue, keeps
gums healthy, and helps the body absorb iron from foods. |
| Food
sources: |
Many
fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, dark
green vegetables, strawberries, papaya, cantaloupe, peppers,
broccoli, potatoes and tomatoes. |
| Day's
supply in: |
1
cup grapefruit juice (72 mg) OR 1 kiwi fruit (74 mg) OR
1 cup chopped broccoli (116 mg) OR 1 baked potato with
skin (26 mg) PLUS 1 cup tomato juice (45 mg) |
| Watch
out: |
Very
high doses of vitamin C supplements (over 1000 milligrams)
can cause diarrhea and may cause kidney stones. |
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