Question

Read the Chapter 8 Nutrition Debate, “Antioxidants: From Foods or Supplements?” answer the questions below and post your responses to the Week 4 Discussion Questions thread on Canvas: -With everything you’ve learned in this chapter, how do you plan to ensure that you regularly consume appropriate levels of antioxidants?

-If a friend or family member decided to take antioxidant supplements as “health insurance,” what advice might you give them about this decision?

-Go to your local drugstore and research various brands of vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene supplements, recording the amount of each nutrient in the recommended dose. Estimate if, and how much, the recommended dose exceeds the RDA for each nutrient and list some potential long-term outcomes of taking exceeding amounts of these supplements.

Answer 1

Q1

how do you plan to ensure that you regularly consume appropriate levels of antioxidants?

You can get most of these antioxidants by eating a healthy diet. This includes a mix of colorful fruits and vegetables. Whole grains, seeds, and nuts also provide good nutrients.

Vitamin A is in milk, butter, eggs, and liver.
Vitamin C is in most fruits and vegetables. Eat fruits such as berries, oranges, kiwis, cantaloupes, and papayas. Eat vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale.
Vitamin E is in some nuts and seeds. For example, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, and peanuts. You can find it in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. You also can find it in soybean, sunflower, corn, and canola oils.
Beta-carotene is in brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Eat fruits such as peaches, apricots, papayas, mangoes, and cantaloupes. Eat vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli, squash, and sweet potatoes. It also is in some leafy green vegetables such as beet greens, spinach, and kale.
Lycopene is in pink and red fruits and vegetables. This includes pink grapefruits, watermelon, apricots, and tomatoes.
Lutein is in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collards, and kale. You also can find it in broccoli, corn, peas, papayas, and oranges.
Selenium is in pasta, bread, and grains, including corn, wheat, and rice. You can find it in animal products, like beef, fish, turkey, and chicken. You also can find it in nuts, legumes, eggs, and cheese.

#Q2

And:

Some people choose to take antioxidant supplements. However, many are not balanced. They are also not approved or regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that the ingredients and suggested dose listed on the bottle may not be correct.
Each antioxidant has a different chemical makeup. Each one provides different health benefits. Too much of one antioxidant can be harmful. Most of the vitamin and mineral requirement can be met with right diet. If you badly want to take vitamin capsules along with that then do it under medical supervision. Because beyond the advised limits it's very harmful to the body.

#Q3

the National Academy of Sciences released their new recommended dietary allowances for antioxidant nutrients. These include vitamins C and E, the mineral selenium, and carotenoids (like beta-carotene).

RDA for Vitamin C has been increased to 75 mg/day for women and 90 mg/day for men. The recommendations are based on the amount of vitamin C that maintains near maximal tissue levels without excess loss of the vitamin in the urine. To obtain 90 mg of vitamin C, drink 6 fluid ounces of orange juice or eat a large orange.

The upper limit for vitamin C for adults is 2000 mg/day from both food and supplements combined. In our opinion, this UL value is extremely liberal and very recent studies may cause this value to be revised downward.

The Vitamin E RDA for adults was slightly increased to 15 mg/day. This translates to 22 International Units of natural vitamin E or 33 IUs of the synthetic form usually found in dietary supplements. This recommendation was based on the amount of vitamin E necessary to maintain normal antioxidant function of vitamin E dependent systems in the body.

THE adult UL for vitamin E applies only to the upper limit for dietary supplements and does not include vitamin E from food. The UL is set to 1,100 IUs of synthetic vitamin E. Vitamin E can act as an anticoagulant in the blood, increasing the risk of internal bleeding. Anyone taking anticoagulant drugs such as coumadin should realize these values are much too high for them. This is an especially good example of why these recommendations are meant only for healthy people.

The adult RDA for selenium is now 55 micrograms per day, the UL is 400 micrograms a day. Exceeding this can cause hair loss and fingernail problems.

The RDA panel decided not to set RDAs for beta-carotene and other carotenoids. Research is inadequate to set specific numbers. However, the committee cautioned against high supplemental doses.

Nonspecific symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash, are common with any acute or chronic vitamin overdose

Vitamin A
In acute vitamin A toxicity, a history of some or all of the following may be present:

Nausea
Vomiting
Anorexia
Irritability
Drowsiness
Altered mental status
Abdominal pain
Blurred vision
Headache
Muscle pain with weakness
Seizures
In chronic vitamin A toxicity, a history of some or all of the following may be present:

Anorexia
Hair loss
Dryness of mucus membranes
Fissures of the lips
Pruritus
Fever
Headache
Insomnia
Fatigue
Irritability
Weight loss
Bone fracture
Hyperlipidemia
Hypercalcemia
Anemia
Bone and joint pains
Diarrhea
Menstrual abnormalities
Epistaxis
Carotenemia, the ingestion of excessive amounts of vitamin A precursors in food, mainly carrots, is manifested by a yellow-orange coloring of the skin, primarily the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. It differs from jaundice in that the sclerae remain white.

Do not forget to evaluate for ingestion of other potentially toxic substances, such as other vitamins, aspirin, and acetaminophen. Inquire about the intake of other supplements and evaluate for possible overdose accordingly.

Isotretinoin (Accutane), a drug used for the treatment of severe forms of acne, is closely related to the chemical structure of vitamin A and therefore has similar pharmacologic and toxic attributes (see Pathophysiology and Etiology). A careful drug history to uncover possible isotretinoin use is important in patients presenting with manifestations suggestive of vitamin A intoxication.

Vitamin C
The effects of vitamin C toxicity can include the following:

Renal colic (ie, nephrolithiasis)
Diarrhea
Nausea
Rebound scurvy - In infants born to women taking high doses
Hemolysis - If glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is present
Dental decalcification
Increased estrogen levels
Occult rectal bleeding

The effects of acute vitamin E toxicity include the following:

Nausea
Gastric distress
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhea
Headache
Fatigue
Easy bruising and bleeding - Prolonged PT and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)
Inhibition of platelet aggregation
Diplopia - At dosages as low as 300 IU
Muscle weakness
Creatinuria

The symptoms of chronic selenium toxicity or selenosis first appear as a garlicky odor in the breath, and a metallic taste in the mouth. This is followed by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea, tiredness and irritability, and joint pain, in more than 70-75% of patients.

Other characteristic features include loss of mentation, paresthesia, hyperreflexia, nail changes resulting in brittleness, deformation and loss of nails, alopecia, discoloration and loss of teeth, and skin rashes. These are seen in more than 60-65% of patients.

Acute selenium toxicity
Acute toxicity presents with acute respiratory distress syndrome, myocardial infarction, renal failure, vascular symptoms such as tachycardia and flushing of the face, neurological features including tremors, irritability, and myalgia. ECG abnormalities such as T-wave inversion and QT prolongation are often seen, and death is due to refractory hypotension