their
children are healthier.' This quote is from an editorial 'Eat Right and Take a Multivitamin' in the New England Journal of Medicine. [Dr. G. Oakley from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention talking about 'standard' multi-vitamins with 400 mcg folic acid.] Here's the effect in heart disease prevention. The same major study found a 75% reduction in colon cancer risk (one of the 3 biggies) after 15 years of multivitamin use and here is an intriguing observation about long-term multivitamin use and reduced cervical cancer. Just like it takes decades to cause cancer, it may take decades of supplement use to prevent it. Here is one folic acid based theory how: J of Nutr; Feb 2000 [also: point 11 below]. Folic acid (folate, folacin or B9) may well be the most dangerous and common long-term vitamin deficiency around; liver, beans, green veggies, multi-vitamins. Anything you do to foods specifically destroys
folic acid, and
B6.
Few have a financial interest in supplements but you, your family and your insurer -but supplements are taxed and you won't get a credit on your premium. A life-time supply of folic acid (a cancer, Alzheimer's disease, birth defect & artery damaging homocysteine risk reducing vitamin) until recently cost . The average 0.2 mg/day added to N. American grain products costs only 1¢ per year. The minimum needed dose is 0.4 mg (400 mcg), 1/10th the weight of a tiny flax seed. Being low in folic acid is truly dangerous since it prevents many of life's diseases!
