Vitamin A: Beauty or Beast?

One doesn’t have to look far to find information demonizing high levels of vitamin A as being toxic. This erroneous information is dutifully paraded about in front of pregnant women warning them about birth defects. It’s been reported that high levels of vitamin A can cause osteoporosis and be a precursor to hip fractures. Other side effects include fatigue, irritability, nausea, and excessive sweating. 

Nonetheless, vitamin A is essential to health and life. Our vision (and eye health in general) is dependent on vitamin A. Night blindness is a direct result of vitamin A deficiency. Adequate levels of vitamin A are imperative for embryonic development and proper transcription of the DNA (conflicting the data cited above). Cleft palate and harelip are results of vitamin A deficiency. Strong bones and teeth, healthy skin and mucous membranes, the thyroid and adrenal gland, rich blood, and the immune system are all reliant on vitamin A. Measles is a result of vitamin A deficiency. Wound healing depends on vitamin A. So, does vitamin A harm or heal? 

In 1919, vitamin A in egg yolks was the first fat soluble vitamin to be discovered. In 1924, it was found that vitamin A in butter or cod liver oil could help prevent xerophthalmia (dry eyes) in children. By 1947 though, science had moved in, created, and accepted a refined, synthetic chemical structure resembling vitamin A and began mass producing it in the laboratory. However, Vitamin A is not one isolated, man-made molecule. It is a family of compounds consisting of carotenoids (not just beta carotene but also alpha and gamma), and a group of retinoids. It is always found in nature buddying up to its synergistic fatty acids, enzymes, trace minerals, chlorophyll, and other vitamins. Vitamin A is really a mosaic of several interwoven complexes.

Herein lies the folly of the misguided, research claiming vitamin A can be harmful. We must make, and understand, the distinction between lifeless, isolated, inert, molecules made in a laboratory by a finite thinking man and a live, whole food, independently active, vitamin A complex perfected by an infinitely wise Mother Nature. Yes, synthetic vitamin A can be toxic as can be any artificial supplement, pharmaceutical, or additive. I would not recommend this at all. On the other hand, vitamin A from a whole food source such as raw butter from grass fed cows, egg yolks from pastured chickens, and liver and organ meats from free range animals are indispensable! 

Accutane is a synthetic form of retinol used to treat acne. It has been pulled from the market due to its mounting health concerns. Though the FDA refuses to ban the drug, they issued an alert that Accutane contributed to suicidal thoughts and actions. Some children whose mothers took Accutane during pregnancy were born with nervous system defects, brain damage, and congenital heart disease. 

The vitamin A complex, unlike the synthetic version, is so vital to life and our bodily functions that nature has created a storage system for it. Excess vitamin A gets stored in our fat cells. It is a survival mechanism. When supply becomes low (in tribal times when poor hunting conditions produced little to no yield) we have a reserve tank. Strenuous exercise, periods of physical growth, stress, infections, and pregnancy/lactation quickly deplete vitamin A stores. 

Do you eat raw butter, cod liver oil, or organ meat regularly? How many eggs do you eat in a week? In a day? Raw eggs are best. I put one in a blender with some yogurt, a banana and other fruit, and ½ an avocado. That makes a great smoothie and you will never taste the egg or feel its texture. 

Well, what about the vitamin A in a carrot, sweet potato or other orange fruits and vegetables? The difference between vitamin A in animal products and that in plants is that animal sources contain retinol and plant sources contain carotene. Retinol is converted to vitamin A and is immediately available for the cells to use. Carotene, in contrast, must be converted to retinol first and that conversion ratio is poor. The accepted ratio of how many units of beta-carotene are needed to produce one unit of vitamin A is 6:1. What this means in English is that you have to eat an awful lot of fruits and veggies to obtain even the daily minimal conversion. Carotenes also need the assistance of fat, zinc, iron, vitamin E, and a thyroid hormone called thyroxine to be converted to retinol. I am not telling you to ditch the carrots. The carrot has infinite nutritional value. The moral to the story here is that a balanced diet including clean meat/organs/fat is vital to maintaining health. 

Raw butter may be found by searching through www.realmilk.com for a farm or food co-op near you. I highly recommend cod liver oil from www.greenpasture.org. It has not been refined and does not have synthetic vitamins added to it. 

Boning Up On Calcium Supplements

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our body. We all know that it is important for the health our bones but did you know it is essential for the function of the immune system, muscle contraction, cell signaling, blood clotting, activating certain enzymes, and nerve function?  As an electrolyte, calcium helps maintain a regular heartbeat and balances our pH.

Today, we will focus on Grandma's bones as she has just been diagnosed with osteoporosis. The doctor wants her to take a calcium supplement. There are seemingly endless forms of calcium available in the stores: Citrate, carbonate, oyster shell, lactate, gluconate, phosphate, coral calcium, dolomite, and bone meal, to name a few. Which do you pick? How can you choose? Aren't they all the same?

Let's start by first stating that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Living a healthy lifestyle complete with a nutritious diet rich in organic greens fresh from the garden is one of the best ways to fill our bodies with calcium and maintain our defenses in preventing chronic or "aging" diseases like osteoporosis.

Humans get their energy (and all their spare parts) from whole food. This is, after all, the purpose of eating. Supplements of any kind must also originate from a whole food source. Only food complete with co-factors, enzymes and bursting in infinite complexities, can supply us with the building blocks of life. Synthetic vitamins, those made in a laboratory, are lifeless inert molecules and because they are not imbued with the "essence of life" they cannot feed, heal, sustain, or repair our bodies. Synthetic chemicals are no different than a pharmaceutical drug. They can only alter body chemistry so that we perceive a different sensation.

That being said, in terms of supplements, eliminating chemicals and fillers that have nothing to do with Grandma’s bone formation or health in general becomes our next focus. We must read the label. I would not buy any supplement that lists polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, talc, Sorbitol, MSG, soybean or corn oil (most assuredly filled with GMOs), titanium dioxide, or artificial colors. None of these items promotes health. They are included on the label as fillers, binders, excipients, and marketing gimmicks. Basically, if the ingredient looks and sounds like a chemical, don't use it.  Magnesium stearate, parabens, microcrystalline cellulose, and artificial flavors are a few more to shy away from.

Fractionalized vitamins have food as its original source (and are therefore not considered a synthetic vitamin) but the extraction process has eliminated all of the synergistic co-factors leaving only the pure organic nutrient. You may see this printed on the front label as vitamin C from Rose Hips but the ingredients list says Vitamin C as ascorbic acid. The motivation behind this is to concentrate the organic nutrient and thus increase the milligram levels for marketing purposes. The problem with this type of vitamin is that they are only of value to the body if all the associated synergistic micronutrients are intact. Only then will it become bioavailable to the cells of the body.

What about the source of calcium itself? What should we look for there? The most common form of calcium used in supplements is calcium carbonate. This form of calcium is limestone, chalk dust. It is taken from the earth. Natural Law (basic physiology) says that we humans are not designed to eat dirt so this form of calcium is a poor choice. Our bodies need high concentrations of stomach acid to break down this mineralized rock.  The irony here is that calcium carbonate is an antacid. It DECREASES stomach acid. This is the form found in TUMS. 

Calcium lactate is calcium carbonate treated with lactic acid. This makes the calcium digest easier as it is in a sense “pre-digested” or already broken down. However, Calcium carbonate, whether in its original form or as lactate, is still rock dust. Humans are not meant to eat rocks. 

We need to exercised common sense when it comes to eating rocks, egg shells, coral, or sea shells. Hard, indigestible forms of calcium can result in serious adverse health effects. If the calcium is not bioavailable, if the body cannot use the calcium, it will be forced to store it in the tissues. This build up can lead to kidney stones, hardening of the arteries, gallstones, bone spurs, dental plaque, cataracts, cysts, and tumors.

Now that Grandma has made her choice in supplements and has picked a whole food form, we must also educate her on the reality of bone health. Calcium is a soft mineral. Though it makes up the mass of bone, it is not necessarily responsible for its hardness. That role is delegated to trace minerals such as boron, zinc, copper, silica, manganese, and chromium. Phosphorus, potassium, essential fatty acids, vitamins K, D, A, and C also play roles in directing calcium to its destination. If Grandma is taking a calcium supplement without the addition of these co-factors, she will not improve her bone density. 

I am proud to recommend http://www.phporder.com/?ID=ntaveras.

Tell Nicky that Dr. Mark sent you.