Take Your Vitamins

From Menletter February 2003

By Tim Baehr

Almost everybody knows that one of the best approaches to nutrition is to eat a wide variety of foods. Limiting your diet to candy bars and Coke is obviously bad for you, but so is a steady diet of nothing but green vegetables and steak, or potatoes and rice.

There are a lot of things working against us: limited time, bad habits, a maxi-sizing trend, heavy snack food advertising, and so on. We do the best we can, I suppose.

I'm not a great advocate of getting the necessary nutrients from non-food sources, but there is a place for pills. Some vitamins and other supplements are good for everyone; some are particularly good for men.

One problem is that every couple of months a new study comes out telling us that whatever we've been taking is ineffective or dangerous -- followed by yet another study extolling the virtues of yet another nostrum. But some things seem to pass the test of time. Here's a rundown of the ones that seem most beneficial.

* Multivitamin. Yeah, the good ol' one-a-day pellet that Mom made us take as kids. There are good multivitamins in both branded and generic bottles, and a lot of them come with added minerals. Think of it as insurance against anything you might be missing. Note for older men: get a "senior" brand like Centrum Silver or its generic equivalent. It does not contain iron, which can be dangerous for the prostate in higher doses.

* Vitamin C. It's not proven to help with colds, but it does take care of bones, teeth, and gums, and may prevent heart disease. Especially in the winter, many fruits and vegetables lose Vitamin C in transit (which is why frozen or even canned veggies can be better nutrutionally). Don't overdo: 500 to 1000 mg a day is plenty.

* Vitamin E. Studies have shown that 400 IU (International Units) of E per day can lower the risk of heart attack and may even delay the onset of Alzheimer's. Warning: too much Vitamin E is dangerous, especially if you're taking a blood thinner like Coumadin.

* Calcium. Men need 600 to 1200 mg a day, the equivalent of about 4 glasses of milk. If you don't drink milk or eat yogurt, you may be buying yourself brittle bones later on in life. Get pills with Vitamin D; it helps you absorb the stuff.

* Magnesium. This mineral (500 mg a day) has at least two benefits: lowered heart-attack risk and more regular waste elimination (which can lower colon cancer risk).

* "Baby" aspirin. Actually, this little pill is no longer just "baby" aspirin. Since low doses have shown to lower risk of heart attack and stroke, drug companies have begun packaging low-dose aspirin just for us guys. Look for 80 mg tabs with enteric coating better for your tummy). Notes: (1) If you're taking blood thinners or other anti-inflammatories, talk to your doctor first. (2) Ibuprofin (Advil, Motrin, and the like) have been shown to negate the heart benefits of aspirin.

* Saw palmetto. Oops, one o' them new-age hippie herbals, right? Well, yes: but it's often more effective than prescription drugs for enlarged prostate (BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia). I've read that doses over 320 mg a day are a waste; save your money on the high-dosage pills. If you're traveling overseas, ask for it by its Latin name, serenoa ripens. "Saw palmetto" is its American name, as I found out in Italy last fall. If you're already under care for a prostate problem, ask your doc first.

BIG DISCLAIMER: Do not take this as absolute medical advice. These are the supplements that have worked for me. Although these are fairly conservative supplements to take, your experience may vary. Also, no pill can substitute for a good diet. Just one example is Vitamin C. While pills may be of some benefit, foods containing Vitamin C are better: they contain other chemicals and fiber that benefit the body.