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There are 31 essential vitamins and minerals that we need to eat regularly to stay healthy. The Food Standards Agency says, 'Most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.' But there are problems with this:
The World Food Program states, 'Hidden hunger affects more than two billion people. Even when a person consumes adequate calories and protein, if they lack one single micronutrient - or a combination of vitamins and minerals - their immune system is compromised, and infections take hold. [Back to Top] So, if I don't or can't eat healthily, can I rely on popping a pill instead? Fortification or supplementation of a defective diet with micronutrients in the form of chemical isolates is now commonplace, but cannot solve the problem because:
The US National Institutes of Health states, 'The present evidence is insufficient to recommend either for or against the use of multi-vitamins and minerals to prevent chronic disease.' But the science of micronutrition is poorly understood by health professionals, many of whom believe that different forms of vitamins and minerals are the same. But isolates and food nutrients:
Despite this, most researchers ignore dose and form and continue to study individual micronutrients, whereas nutrition is a multi-dimensional issue. As well as vitamins and minerals, foods contain lots of natural beneficial components, such as fibre, carrier proteins and the antioxidant flavonoids found in fruit and veg. You risk missing out on these if you rely on supplements. [Back to Top] Is it true that Vitamins A, C and E are a waste of time and may even shorten your life? After reviewing 67 studies involving more than 230,000 men and women, the experts say there is no convincing evidence that taking supplements of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E can make you healthier. Indeed, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E actually seem to increase mortality. But with all the benefits of antioxidants already well known, how did the experts at the Cochrane Library arrive at such a conclusion? The researchers considered 452 studies and rejected all the studies where nobody died. From this biased selection, they concluded that antioxidants increase mortality. HETN believes that taking any vitamin as a chemical isolate or at a high dose is likely to be toxic. [Back to Top] Selenium is an essential trace element, required for an extensive range of biochemical functions within the body. These functions are mediated by some 20 selenoproteins, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), that play a key role in antioxidant systems, thyroid hormone metabolism, immune function and reproduction. Selenium deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of certain chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, inflammatory diseases, infertility and infections. The Reference Nutrient Intake for selenium is currently set at 75μg for men and 60μg for women. The lower limit of the World Health Organization safe range of the population mean intake to meet selenium requirements is 40μg/day. In the UK, mean intakes have fallen from 60μg/day in 1974 to 33μg/day in 2000. Despite this, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition claims there is currently insufficient evidence from randomised controlled trials investigating selenium and chronic disease. They argue that the evidence suggesting a preventative association comes mainly from epidemiological studies that could be subject to confounding. They do agree that there is evidence of a decline in selenium intake and status in the UK, but argue that the health consequences of this, if any, are currently unclear. HETN believes that if a so called balanced diet is deficient in selenium, it is prudent to take a supplement. [Back to Top] Is the form of nutrient important? The form and dose of micronutrient supplementation is of crucial importance. HETN believes that taking any vitamin as a chemical isolate at a high dose is likely to be toxic. In mixtures, they often interact with each other and compete for absorption. Many health professionals believe that different forms of vitamins and minerals are the same, but isolates and food nutrients:
With supplements or fortification, the crucial consideration is bioavailability:
In summary, we need our vitamins and minerals as food or in a food form. When the discoverer of Vitamin C, Szent-Györgyi, tried his crystalline ascorbic acid on patients with scurvy, he expected a strong reaction. But it did nothing. The concentrated whole foods he used in his research were far more effective. He attributed this to complex food factors such as bioflavonoids present in the food. [Back to Top] How much of charitable giving actually goes to benefit the neediest in society? According to recent studies, much less than most people expect. Not quite one-third of the money donated by individuals in 2005 (30.6 percent) went to help the economically disadvantaged, according to a 2007 study sponsored by Google. And only 15.7 percent of foundation funds were given to aid programs in low-income communities. With HETN, you can change that. HETN has access to crèche children, and patients with TB and AIDS receiving home based care, in an impoverished urban setting in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Each participant will receive a daily meal of e'Pap - a novel, pre-cooked, MVM-fortified, wholegrain maize / soya / sorghum mix (with fats, fibres, vitamins and crucial trace minerals intact), plus all required vitamins and minerals added at the RDA level in a form that is bioavailable (chelates or food form). The average cost is a mere £1 per participant per month. For every pound donated to HETN, we spend one pound on these meal portions. [Back to Top] Isn't Plumpy'nut Africa's miracle food? Many international agencies seem to think so, but please read the following and judge for your self. Plumpy'nut is a combination of powdered milk (30%), sugar (28%), peanut butter (25%), cottonseed oil (15%) and vitamins and minerals (as chemical isolates) that has the consistency of a paste. The dangers of high levels of refined sugar and fat for young children are now so well understand that the British Government recently banned all advertising to young children of such products. This ban would include Plumpy'nut. Furthermore, high levels of protein in malnourished children can cause diarrhoea. André Briend, the French scientist who created this food product in 1999, states that Plumpy'nut does contain a lot of sugar and fat, but adds that it is designed to be used for just a few weeks in severely malnourished children. In fact the WHO recommend that Plumpy'nut should only used for 2 weeks and must be stopped immediately if it causes diarrhoea. Médecins Sans Frontières are clear that Plumpy'nut is being promoted as a treatment for acute malnutrition in such emergency situations. They are adamant that it is not being promoted as an infant food. Nevertheless, it is being seen by many as a suitable food children, and this is wrong. Children everywhere, malnourished or not, need a diet that is based on whole grains. It should be low in fat and sugar. It should contain all the vitamins and minerals that would ideally be sourced from fruit and vegetables in a form that is bioavailable. Such a product, e'Pap, has been available in Africa for years, it has been used successfully with malnourished children and it costs £1 per month (Plumpy'nut costs over £9 per month). [Back to Top] e'Pap is a pre-cooked, MVM-fortified, wholegrain, maize / soya / sorghum mix.
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