Can Vitamins Really Kill You?

Recently, a study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine which stated vitamins could be harmful, or even deadly, to older women.  You may have heard about this study through the various mainstream media outlets.  Suffice to say, you don't have much to worry about.

Vitamins and mineral do not kill people.  If that were so, there would be a ban on oranges.  Truth of the matter is, this "study" was poorly conducted.  In fact, it wasn't even a scientific study, but rather a survey.  One in which the results were horribly skewed until they got the results they wanted.  This is just another case of the pharmaceutical companies attempting to steer people away from taking things that actually help people.

Take this study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition for example.  Regan Bailey, who headed the study, actually stated, "People need to choose supplements which help meet, but not exceed, the recommended daily intake levels".  This is completely backwards.  And here's why.  The recommended daily intake (RDI) level of Vitamin C is 60mg/day.  The same amount found in one orange.  So, if you had more than one orange per day, you would be in danger according to Ms. Bailey.  In fact, many types of orange juice contain over 100% of the RDI of Vitamin C in one 8oz glass.  So apparently we need to be careful at the breakfast table now?

The results from this latest study where the conclusion is "vitamins could kill you" wouldn't even pass a high school science class.  One always need to be careful of what the hear or read in the mainstream media when it comes to vitamins.  Do your own research rather than blindly believing what you read.

If you would like an excellent retort to this study, I would recommend taking a look at the post Mike Adams at NaturalHealth.com put out regarding the matter.  Reading this two-part post will open your eyes and see just how flawed this "study" was.

To Your Health

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals for over 5-years through the use of  pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements.  He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health.  For more information on these products or the unique opportunity,  visit us at www.huffster.usana.com.

Sunscreen Actually Increases Skin Cancer???

As reported in Natural News on July 14th, 2011:


A new report issued by the consumer protection organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals that many popular sunscreens contain ingredients known to spur the growth and spread of skin cancer cells, which defeats their stated purpose of preventing skin cancer.

Data indicates that the sun’s rays combine with certain sunscreen ingredients in the skin and damage skin cells, which can lead to lesions and tumors — and worst of all, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allegedly been aware of this critical information for the past ten years, but has done absolutely nothing to warn people about it.

According to a report by AOL News, about half of the sunscreens tested contained vitamin A ingredients and derivatives like retinol and retinyl palmitate, which FDA’s own studies have shown are photocarcinogenic, meaning they become toxic when exposed to sunlight. In fact, an older FDA report explains that sunscreens containing vitamin A ingredients cause tumors and lesions to develop and spread 21 percent faster than sunscreens that do not contain vitamin A ingredients.

Not to be confused with the vitamin A found in food and supplements that is absolutely essential for good health, vitamin A additives in sunscreen are different — their interactions with ultraviolet sun rays actually produce carcinogens in the skin.

 Read the full article here

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of  pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements.  He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health.  For more information on this unique opportunity,  send an email with questions to:  huffster@usana.com.

Vitamin D: My Personal Journey And Experience

I have to admit…with all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years regarding the potential health benefits of supplements, not even I was aware of the effects of vitamin D.  Sure, I knew it was called the “sunshine vitamin” because our skin is able to synthesize UV light from the sun and convert it to vitamin D.  I also knew you could receive more from dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.  But I didn’t “see the light” until earlier this year.  That was when I began to really dig into the benefits of vitamin D.

A Theory is born.

You see, I’ve had a theory for quite some time.  Here in Wisconsin, our cold and flu season begins in the Oct/Nov time frame.  And it lasts until early spring.  I started to wonder WHY we don’t see more colds and cases of influenza in the spring or summer.  The old song-and-dance from your mother may have gone something like this:  “Make sure you put a hat on and dress warm when going outside or you’ll catch a cold”.  Sound familiar?  If you think about it, it makes sense.  You get colds in the winter.  So as soon as I would get one, I would go back and try to remember when I had gone outside without a coat or hat.

The problem is, it’s not true.   Even Mythbusters debunked it in one of their shows.  The fact is, these are spread through germs and contact with people.  Someone sneezes into their hand, then grabs a doorknob, shakes someone’s hand, and passes a glass around.  Everything that person touches becomes a little time-released germ bomb.

So if colds and influenza are actually spread around from these germ bombs and NOT cold weather, then why wouldn’t we see more cases in the summer.  If they truly have nothing to do with the temperature outside, we shouldn’t have a cold and flu season…it should be a year-round thing.  But that’s not the case…WHY?

Getting Closer to the Truth.

I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  I knew we absorbed vitamin D from the sun.  I also knew, in order to accomplish this, we needed our skin exposed while outdoors.  Outside of a couple crazy fans watching the Packers play at Lambeau Field in December…without shirts on…the odds are pretty slim one would have much of any skin exposed during the harsh Wisconsin winters.  Not to mention the fact people tend to stay indoors more often.  Could this be the reason we have colds in the winter?  That’s when I started researching.

It turns out, I wasn’t far off.  While skin exposure to the sun is very important, the main issue here is the angle of the sun in the sky.  During the fall, through the winter, and into spring the sun is at such a low angle in the sky that our bodies do not absorb the UV rays critical for the creation of vitamin D.  You could sit outside in a swimsuit for 3hrs with snow blowing around you and it wouldn’t help your vitamin D creation one bit.

Upon listening to presentations by Dr. Myron Wentz and Dr. John Whittcomb, I felt compelled to write multiple blog entries on vitamin D.  And as you have probably noticed, this is the topic I have written about the most.  Namely because I feel it is information everyone should have.  But this time, I wanted to pass along my own personal experiences.

Using Vitamin D to Change Lives.

Following my research, I began to supplement my diet with additional vitamin D.  I am already receiving 2000IU from the multi-vitamin and fish oil I take.  I began taking an additional 2000IU back in early October when I knew I wouldn’t be receiving any more from the sun.  Since then, I have increased that amount and have been taking 6000IU every day.  My wife also began taking an increased amount of vitamin D.  And after watching Dr. Whittcomb’s presentation and reading the research from Japan regarding children taking vitamin D, I started giving my 2 children 2000IU/day.  The tablet we use is about the size of a Tic-Tac and is chewable, so it’s easy enough for them to take.

Regardless of the recent FDA ruling to limit yourself to only 600IU of vitamin D/day, based upon the scientific studies I had read, my belief was, and still is, that we are perfectly safe.  In fact, physicians are recommending their patients take 5000IU/day in lieu of receiving the flu shot.  Suffice to say, my personal opinion is that the FDA ruling was either a matter of being overly cautious or an attempt at protecting the pharmaceutical industry.  Perhaps both.

Here we are with January coming to a close.  To date, we have had no sickness in our household this winter.  An occasional runny nose, sure.  But no colds or flu.  An amazing feat considering my wife works in a hospital and my children attend daycare, which is a germ-bomb factory.

How Well Has It Been Working?

Now, am I saying my family’s results are typical and you should immediately go out and start taking vitamin D?  Yes and no.  It is my opinion that it can only help…there are no negative effects that I am aware of.  But I’m also not a doctor and can’t “officially” give out that type of advice.  So it’s up to you to make your own decision.  If you want to base it off my family’s experience, or the various other posts I’ve made is entirely up to you.  But before you start up on something, you may also want to consider consulting with your family physician and looking into a pharmaceutical grade supplement.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of  pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements.  He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health.  For more information on this unique opportunity,  send an email with questions to:  huffster@usana.com.

Best Vitamins: What Is Your Supplement Rating?

You've made the choice to take a supplement.  But what are the best vitamins out there?  Where does your supplement Rate?  The answers may shock you.  As you saw in one of my previous posts, all supplements are not the same.  In fact, the vitamins you take to improve your health may, in fact, be doing absolutely nothing for you.

In this post I'm going to use the "Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements" by Lyle MacWilliam, both the 3rd and 4th editions.  This book came about at the request of Canadian Parliament so as to provide the public with information in order to make good decisions when it came to supplements.

I am going to go through some of the more popular vitamins on the market...vitamins YOU may be taking now...and showing you how they hold up to scientific study.  Are they as good as they say?  Do they actually do anything for you?  You'll find in this top 10 list.

The Top 10

1.  Centrum.  In the 3rd edition, it rates a 3.2 out of 100, and in the 4th edition...0-stars out of 5 possible.  And yes, there are several "versions" of Centrum out there, but they all rate essentially the same:  low.  The reasoning for the low rating comes down to several facts.  First, they do not always use natural ingredients.  For instance, if you have a bottle in the house, take a look at the type of vitamin E they use.  It will be the dl-Alpha Tocopheryl  form.  This is the synthetic form, and as such, it does not absorb as well into the body.  Fillers and additives are also allowed in these types of supplements, meaning if they advertise 60mg of vitamin C on the bottle, you may only be receiving a portion of that.  Suffice to say, these vitamins are not doing much for you and are probably not even breaking down and absorbing into your body.

2.  One-A-Day.  In the 3rd edition, it rates a 5.1 out of 100, and in the 4th edition a mere 1/2 star out of 5.  Again, there are several versions of this supplement, but they are all essentially the same.  And as in the case of Centrum, it runs into the same issues about synthetic ingredients and absorption.

3.  GNC.  Here we run into our first decent supplement, the MegaMan.  However, it still only rates a 21.1 out of 100 in the 3rd edition and a 2.5 out of 5 stars in the 4th edition. 

4.  Nature Made.  Weighing in at 17.9 in the 3rd edition and 0-stars out of 5.  A decent supplement when compared to the "well known" products, but still falls short of acceptable.

5.  Shaklee - Basics With Iron.  Weighing in on our first network marketing supplement, Shaklee comes up with a 30.5 rating in the 3rd edition, but was not rated in the 4th edition.  As you can see, even though the product is a comes from a network marketing company, it is rated higher than the previous store bought supplements available on the market.

6.  Melaleuca Vitality Pack.  Another network marketing company, but it doesn't fare as well as Shaklee.  A 6.2 ranking in the 3rd edition and a 1-star in the 4th edition.

7.  Herbalife - Formula 2.  Again, another network marketing company that falls a little short.  This rates at a 14.8 in the 3rd edition and a 1 star in the 4th edition

8.  Mannatech.  So far, the highest rated network marketing supplement coming in at a rating of 33.1 in the 3rd edition and a 2.5 star rating in the 4th edition.

9.  Nature's Way - Alive.  The highest rated supplement so far, at a 60 in the 3rd edition and 3 stars in the 4th edition.

10.  Pharmanex LifePak.  Rated at a nice 52.7 in the 3rd edition, and a 3 stars out of 5 in the 4th edition.  A fairly decent supplement.

So if these well-known supplements are not rated very well, then what ARE the top rated supplements?  When it comes to "stand alone" products, these are the top 4 according to the 4th edition.  All of these are rated at 5-stars.

1.  Usana Health Sciences (96.1 in the 3rd edition)
2.  Creating Wellness Alliance (not included in the 3rd edition)
3.  Douglas Laboratories (75.1 in the 3rd edition)
4.  TrueStar Health (not included in the 3rd edition)

So as you can see, what you are taking now may not be what you expected.  As I always say, you want to look for a pharmaceutical grade supplement so you can be certain of the ingredients and bioavailability. 

Is there another you are currently taking which was not included in the ranking above?  Add a comment or send me an email and I will provide you with the ranking of what you are taking.

Scott Huff has been helping people obtain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals through the use of  pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements.  He is also experienced in helping people create an alternate source of income, simply by educating and helping others with their health.  For more information on this unique opportunity, please watch this short video tour, or send an email with any questions to:  huffster@usana.com.