Good news was recently published in a medical study¹ regarding individuals who regularly consume vitamins. The study appeared in the August 15, 2009 edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology and involved more than 77,000 men and women between the ages of 50 to 76 years old. Interestingly in this group, 67% of the individuals had never used multi-vitamins and about half had never used either vitamin C or vitamin E supplements. Researchers found that those who took multi-vitamins, including vitamins C and E regularly for 10 years, had a slightly decreased risk of mortality resulting from poor heart health.

When researchers looked at vitamin C use, those who took more than 322 mg per day had a slightly decreased overall risk of mortality within five years compared to those who did not take vitamin C. Likewise, those men and women who took more than 215 mg a day of vitamin E also experienced a slightly decreased risk in overall total mortality and in risk of mortality related to poor heart health. The risk reductions were in the 16 – 28% range; if you consider there are over six billion people on the planet and everyone took these supplements, many millions of lives could benefit each year.

An interesting article², also published in the August 15, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, examined the benefits of vitamin C. For those of you who are not aware of vitamin C's history, a deficiency in this vitamin leads to a condition discovered by British sailors in the 1700s that causes the body to greatly weaken. By consuming limes and other citrus fruits, they were able to get rid of this condition. Consequently, British sailors were labeled as being "Limeys". One would think that in Western populations, vitamin C deficiency would be a thing of the past, although this is apparently not so.

The authors of the article, researchers from the University of Toronto, reviewed blood test results of nearly 1,000 men and women living on a university campus. The blood tests showed that just more than half (53%) had adequate levels of circulating ascorbic acid (vitamin C). About 1/3 of those sampled had sub-optimal levels and about 14%, representing 1 in 7, actually had deficient levels of vitamin C. There are apparently similar results noted in a 2004 study in adults in the United States. The team that did this research found that those who had deficient blood levels of vitamin C had higher average levels of C-reactive protein which is an important indicator of inflammation in the body. Low vitamin C levels put the body at increased risk of infection, poor immunity, poor cardiovascular health and overall poor health.

The prestigious journal Annals of Internal Medicine published a study³ in its September 1, 2009 edition evaluating the effectiveness of a Mediterranean-style diet versus a typical low fat diet in overweight patients recently diagnosed with elevated blood sugar. In the study, researchers randomly assigned 215 patients to follow either a low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet or a low fat diet for a total of four years. At the end of the study, 44% of patients who followed the Mediterranean-style diet required medication for elevated blood sugar, compared to 70% in the low fat diet group who required medication. Additionally, patients who followed the Mediterranean-style diet experienced greater weight loss and also some improvement in healthy heart function. The key items in this diet that we need to consume more of seem to be olive oil (heart healthy monounsaturated fat with antioxidants), red wine in moderation (loaded with antioxidant polyphenols and resveratrol), green tea and white tea, dark chocolate (also loaded with antioxidants), vegetables, fruits and nuts (all loaded with fiber, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins).

Finally, a study⁴ appeared in the July 22, 2009 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry regarding Kudzu root. This vine is apparently considered a nuisance and overgrows on millions of acres throughout the southeastern part of the United States. However, Kudzu root extract apparently has shown some potential beneficial effects in people with unhealthy weight, as well as those with unhealthy blood pressure, cholesterol and difficulty adequately utilizing insulin. When Kudzu root extract was used with lab rats during the study, it was found that after two months, those rats given the extract had lower cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin levels compared to a control group.

NSI® (Nutraceutical Sciences Institute®) offers Kudzu root extract concentrated at a 5 to 1 ratio. Two capsules contain a total of 1,200 mg of Kudzu root. NSI also offers a superior form of vitamin C called Advan-C®. Two capsules contain 1,000 mg of Advan-C mineral ascorbate complex along with 100 mg of calcium, 200 mg of citrus bioflavanoids and 200 mg of quercetin. The reviews on this product are excellent. The average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars and 99% stated they would recommend this product to others.

As a result, this places Advan-C not only as the #1 selling vitamin C chosen by tens of thousands of Vitacost.com customers, but also makes it a top tier supplement ranked by our customers, which is very typical of NSI. It is pH neutral - non acidic, and the quercetin and bioflavonoids are derived from apples and other fruit containing very powerful antioxidants that are synergistic with vitamin C. In fact, they may be more important than vitamin C alone. Of course, Advan-C and quercetin are also included in the NSI Synergy brand of multi-vitamins. In addition, NSI has a great lemonade tasting liquid form of vitamin C with quercetin that is great for children and those that cannot swallow capsules. I recommend taking 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day of vitamin C for optimal immune and overall health.

I also strongly recommend that you visit our NSI Synergy section online and choose a Synergy for yourself and every member of your family. Synergy multis are far superior to others on the market. If the Synergy you choose does not include NSI Mega EFA, I also recommend that you add this supplement to your core daily supplement program as well.

1. Pocobelli G, Peters U, Kristal A and White E, Use of Supplements of Multivitamins, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in Relation to Mortality, American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2009, Pp. 472-483.

2. Cahill L, Corey P and El-Sohemy A, VitaminC Deficiency in a Population of Young Canadian Adults, American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2009, Pp 464-471.

3. Esposito K, Maiorino M, Ciotola M, et al., Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, Annals of Internal Medicine, September 1, 2009, Pp 306-314.

4. Peng N, Prasain J, Dai Y, et al., Chronic Dietary Kudzu Isoflavones Improve Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, July 22, 2009, Pp 7,268–7,273.