Q: I don’t know what to believe about vitamin C! It was always promoted as safe and helpful for flu and colds, and now I hear that it may increase the risk of cancer and heart disease. Is it worth that risk just to take care of a cold?
A: In the past five years there have been several reports blaming various antioxidants for creating rather than preventing health problems, starting with a higher rate of lung cancer found in Finnish smokers taking beta carotene. Later reports allege that vitamin E does not protect against heart disease and vitamin C does not protect against cancer. Why, after such an illustrious beginning, are antioxidants now getting such bad press?
The answer probably lies in a concept Dr. Roger J. Williams advocated 30 years ago: Nutrients work as a team. We are only beginning to understand how antioxidants work to protect us against damaging free radicals, but visualize this:
When a free radical erupts inside a cell (perhaps a cosmic ray hits a molecule), the nearest antioxidant will combine with that free radical to neutralize it. In the process, the antioxidant actually becomes a free radical itself, so it must pass the free radical on, like a hot potato, to another antioxidant. In fact, many antioxidants must form a chain to lead the free radical to glutathione (our “homemade” antioxidant), the “sink” down which we dump all free radicals.
Glutathione can be made and recycled, but many of the other antioxidants are nutrients, which we cannot make. If the balance among these nutrient antioxidants is upset by adding one (but not several) supplemental antioxidants, the transportation of free radicals to glutathione is hampered. Research trials show that supplementation with several antioxidants produces excellent results. Even adding just two additional antioxidants greatly improves the outcome.
Antioxidants are most concentrated in vegetables and fruits, and the more variety the better. When supplements are used, taking antioxidants together — like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, bioflavonoids, and selenium — increases their effectiveness.
Q: Urinary tract infections are the bane of my existence. And I always get a vaginal infection after taking antibiotics for the urinary tract infection. Are there some natural alternatives?
A: For ages, conventional wisdom specified cranberry juice as the best natural remedy for urinary tract infection. It was thought that acid in the cranberry was the active agent, which acidified the urine and discouraged the growth of bacteria. Then other fruit juices (black cherry, for instance) were found that do not produce acid and yet help with urinary tract infections, so another explanation was needed.
A promising candidate is a simple sugar, D-mannose, found in cranberries and other fruits. Investigation has revealed that many bacteria attach to our membranes by way of a long arm, called a pillus, with a place on the end that attaches to the D-mannose in our membranes. By covering that attachment site with D-mannose that is not part of our membrane, the bacterium can be more easily flushed away.
Cranberry juice is well documented to reduce the duration of urinary tract infections, but not everyone likes the tart taste and not everyone benefits from more acidic urine. The alternative juices may do as well as cranberry, with less discomfort from acid. Another option is to use D-mannose itself, which is available in powder form. As a bonus , it can be used as an alternative sweetener for foods and liquids.
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.