Why Erroneous Research Says Vitamins Don't Work

What You Need to Know about Key Vitamins!

Do you ever find yourself having to “defend” the fact that you routinely take vitamin supplements?

Brain Energy

Do you hear phrases such as the ones below?

“Vitamins are a waste of money.”

“You can get all the vitamins you need from the food you eat.”

“Your body makes all the vitamins it needs.”

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I suspect you disagree with those statements—and you surely know that I disagree—but do you have good information to give in reply to these statements?

Let me give you some insights into the key vitamins that protect your heart, prevent cancer, and help you live a higher quality life every day of your life.

Why Vitamins Get a Bad Rap

The media knows that bad news sells better than good news. Headlines are prone to scream the most extreme and alarming “facts,” generally without digging very deeply into the heart of the truth. Most of what is reported about vitamin supplements is at least half lie, if not a full lie.

Also the vast majority of vitamins are synthetic. That means they are petroleum based. In other words they are simply toxic chemicals your body can’t use and doesn't need. In addition most are tablets coated in shellac. They can’t be absorbed. That's why they don't work and they can actually be harmful. Health Masters supplements are powder in cellulose gel caps. They absorb almost immediately. These are the same products my wife and all my children take. I promise you if I could make a better product I would. Health Masters products are simply the best in the world. Period. That is why my guarantee is simple if you don't get the results you want you get a no questions asked refund. Our products get such incredible results that our reorder rate is one of the best in the industry. Some of you have been ordering supplements from me for decades. Many of you don't realize this but Health Masters has been in business for 30 years.

In many cases, the stories about vitamins are written by reporters who depend upon a medical center or a particular practicing physician for their information and in the vast majority of those instances, the person who is considered to be an expert...really isn’t.

Most medical doctors know very little about vitamins, vitamin research, dosages, or the best formulas and formats for vitamins. Very rarely is a medical story about vitamins linked to a peer-reviewed study in a medical journal.

What physicians and reporters generally do not know is that many of the studies involving vitamins use vitamins that are either inferior, or are known to interfere with other vital nutrients if they are used alone in high doses.

The New England Journal of Medicine, for example, reported a study called the ATBC/CARET studies. They were looking at beta-carotene and lung cancer. The study used a synthetic form of beta-carotene, which is well known in nutrition circles to drastically deplete the natural carotenoids in the liver. The study had virtually no chance of producing a positive result for beta-carotene because of the inferiority of the vitamin used.

In other studies, the Vitamin E used has been synthetic, and the worst possible form of Vitamin E possible for a study! One study that reported adverse effects of Vitamin E involved giving very large doses of intravenous alpha-tocopherol acetate, the synthetic form of the vitamin, to premature babies. No baby should ever have been given this synthetic form of Vitamin E!

In still other cases, a study may focus so tightly on one nutrient that the related condition and absence of other nutrients is ignored. This happened in a large study done in Finland that showed hemorrhages increased in men who took Vitamin E supplements...but only in those who were heavy smokers. Smoking severely depletes Vitamin C, which is needed to strengthen blood vessels. Upon careful review of the findings, no problems connected with surgery were found. The bleeding problems occurred only in those severely deficient in Vitamin C and in Vitamin K (the clotting vitamin).

Furthermore, most physicians know very little about free-radical chemistry, which is vital information to have. Individual vitamins do not neutralize all free radicals. Antioxidants must work as a network, each individual antioxidant doing its specific job and at the same time, revitalizing other antioxidants to perform at maximum effectiveness.

The majority of researchers don’t even know that antioxidant vitamins - such as Vitamin E or Vitamin C - can become oxidized very quickly and become harmful free radicals themselves. That is why the antioxidants need to be used together - each regenerates at least one other antioxidant and together, the “network” neutralizes free radicals. This has been confirmed in accurate studies using vitamin-mineral combinations.

Finally, most researchers seldom take into consideration the general diet of the subjects being studied. And, they make no effort to correct the diet of the participants. A person who is living off junk foods and then takes a poor form of vitamin E in a short-term study can’t possibly be expected to register good results!

In many cases, the subjects being studied have been exposed to a wide variety of toxins - from fluoride, mercury, cadmium lead, herbicides, and pesticides to toxins in processed food, including MSG and other glutamate additives.

One study reported that beta-carotene increased rates of lung and prostate cancer. What really happened in this study? First, the researchers used synthetic beta-carotene, with no accompanying vitamins or minerals. All of the patients had been heavy drinkers, heavy smokers, or had been exposed to asbestos - all factors that produce high amounts of free radicals. These behaviors (drinking, smoking, asbestos exposure) have been linked to lung and prostate cancer. Furthermore, there were no tests given to see if any of the subjects in this study already had lung cancer. And here’s the real bottom line: studies have shown that taking synthetic beta-carotene alone depletes alpha-carotene, canthoxanthin, and lutein - all of which play a major role in preventing lung cancer. Beta-carotene, given by itself, can quickly become oxidized in the lungs, thus raising the risk of lung cancer. But it seems so obvious: beta-carotene, in its pure and natural form, given properly with the other carotenoids, does not produce an increased rate in cancer!

 

 

Isolating one particular vitamin and putting it up against a major disease is bad science. Diseases are multifaceted, and so is the work of supplements.

We need to be careful in our weighing what is reported. Often, the whole story is not being told.

Let me give you another example.

Night blindness, which is caused by a lack of Vitamin A, was one of the earliest diseases linked to a vitamin deficiency. Ancient Egyptians found that they could treat night blindness by squeezing a little cod liver oil into the eyes. In some parts of the world, that practice is still used. The Greeks recommended treating the disease by eating liver, which we now know is rich in vitamin A. Neither the Egyptians nor the Greeks knew, of course, that they were dealing with vitamin A.

Vitamin A was not isolated until 1913. Scientists have since discovered that it has many functions other than visual health. It impacts the development of cells, helps prevent cancers, protects cell membranes, boosts immune health, impacts bone maintenance, and is involved in reproductive health. The vitamin is oil soluble, which means it is stored in the body for long periods of time, and severe deficiencies are rare in developed nations.

Doctors are taught in medical school that high doses of vitamin A can be toxic, especially during pregnancy. What do scientific studies actually say?

The most acute vitamin A toxicity has occurred in infants given large doses, and I do mean large: from 50,000 to 4 million units over a short period. Adults that experienced vitamin A toxicity were given 100,000 IU a day over a period of months. What is the recommended dose for vitamin A? 3,000 IU a day! For those with a serious disease, very low body weight, protein malnutrition, liver disease, high alcohol consumption, or a vitamin C deficiency, 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day of vitamin A would not be harmful. There is very little harm generated by too much vitamin A. In fact, a study done in between 1975 and 1987 found fewer than ten cases of vitamin A toxicity a year reported in the United States.

 

The Good News Is Rarely Reported

On the flip side of this issue, there are literally hundreds of studies that have shown dramatic benefits from high-quality vitamins - as well as minerals and other nutraceuticals - but are almost never reported. They especially go unreported if they contradict stories generated by pharmaceutical companies and their associates.

While we are on the topic of vitamin A, let me tell you some of the known benefits of this vitamin.

Vitamin A is usually taken into the body in the form of carotenoids. These are chemicals found in leafy green, yellow, and some of the “white” vegetables, as well as many fruits. There are more than 600 carotenoids in nature - 50 of them are used in the human body. Beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-crytoxanthin, and gamma-carotene are converted by the body into vitamin A. In the transformation, only the amount of vitamin A needed for health is generated - the rest remain as original carotenoids. This makes the carotenoids a very safe way to get vitamin A. Health Masters’ GHI Cleanse has these safe carotenoids.

Mixing vitamin A supplements with carotenoids supplementation is especially beneficial for immune function and for preventing cancer. Each of the various types of carotenoids has a different function in the body, and also accumulates in different concentrations in various tissues and organs.

The carotenoid astaxanthin plays a role in restoring immune function in the elderly. Lycopene (Health Masters’ Immune Support DF) is efficient in preventing breast cancer. Lutein (Health Masters’ Eyesight) helps protect the eye and improve vision. A combination of lycopene, beta-carotene, and alph-carotene concentrate in the cervix, helping prevent cervical cancer. Alpha-carotene, but not beta-carotene, helps protect the lungs, and to prevent lung cancer. I hope you are getting an insight into why it is very helpful to take both carotenoids and vitamin A! (Health Masters’ GHI Cleanse, Immune Support DF, and Eyesight)

The carotenoids also stimulate detoxification, which is vital in preventing degenerative brain disorders and cancer.

The good news is that extensive tests have shown no toxicity from even very high doses of carotenoids.

As a final note on this: studies have shown that low stomach acid can impair absorption of beta-carotene. Stomach acid tends to be lower as we age, so people who are taking acid-lowering medications may not have sufficient acid to absorb beta-carotene.

I recommend that you take 25,000 IU of mixed carotenoids (from algae forms such as D. Salina) (Health Masters’ GHI Cleanse has mixed carotenoids). This supplement can be taken as a meal replacement or between meals. It provides good antioxidant protection and helps prevent disease.

 

Many Benefits from Vitamins B, C, D, and E

We have touched upon Vitamin A. Let’s continue with the vitamin alphabet....

The B Vitamins (Health Masters’ B Vitamins) All of the B vitamins are vital, and they should be taken in balanced proportion.

One of the main benefits of the B vitamins is the control of homocysteine. Homocysteine is associated with a number of diseases, and homocysteine levels increase as we age. Even moderate homocysteine levels are associated with birth defects, increased stroke and heart attack rates, higher cancer rates, and higher risk of developing ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. High homocysteine levels almost always seem to go hand-in-hand with deficiencies in vitamin B-6, folate, and vitamin B-12. Large doses of these three vitamins are often required to return homocysteine to safe levels.

The functional form of B-12 is methylcobalamine. Cheaper B-12 products are made from cynaocobalamin, which can be useless in a significant number of people, especially people with chronic diseases. When methylcobalamine B-12 is combined with folate, they form a powerful force against cancer, especially in preventing colon, breast, and prostate cancers. The recommended dose for B-23 is 1,00-0 micrograms three times a day, with or without food; the recommended dose for folate is 800 to 1,000 micrograms a day, with or without food.

Both vitamin B-6 and riboflavin are vitamins that are converted before they are used by the body. Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) is converted to pyridoxal-5-phosphate and riboflavin is converted to riboflavin-5-phosphate. Many elderly people have difficulty converting these vitamins; mercury toxicity is often a root cause for the failure to convert pyridoxine.

Sadly, children with autism have high vitamin B-6 levels in their blood, but are deficient in pyridoxal-5-phosphate because the enzyme critical for converting B-6 has been destroyed by the mercury from vaccines.

Low levels of folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 have been linked to DNA damage, often caused by radiation exposure. (Zinc deficiency is another common deficiency that increases DNA damage.)

Low levels of folic acid can reduce sperm counts by 90 percent. (Low vitamin C has also been shown to increase the numbers of abnormal sperm.)

All of the B vitamins, as well as acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid are important for mitrochondrial function—in other words, energy production at the cellular level.

Niacin is yet another important B vitamin. Both inositol hexaniacinate and niacinamide forms are safe in high doses. Niacin dramatically improves blood flow and it has been shown to be especially helpful in those recovering from a stroke. A basic dose for maintenance of health is 500 mg a day, and for stroke recovery, 500 mg three times a day. I do not recommend time-released forms of niacin—they can cause liver damage.

Vitamin C (Health Masters’ Excellent C) Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is found in all plants and in animal meats. The highest levels are in fruits and vegetables. Human beings use ascorbic acid in an “ascorbate” form,” which means that it has been combined with a mineral. I recommend either calcium or magnesium ascorbate forms of C. When combined with either of these minerals into ascorbates, the ascorbic acid is “buffered” and is no longer an acid.

A number of years ago, a scare story circulated linking vitamin C to leukemia. Here are the facts: when vitamin C was used alone and in low doses, it increased the growth of leukemia cells. BUT...again, a very big but...in higher doses (from 600 mg to several grams), the exact opposite was true—vitamin C killed leukemia cells. In all likelihood, the low dose of C, taken alone without vitamin E to revitalize it, led to increased oxidation of the C and more free radicals, which in turn, killed healthy cells fighting the cancer cells. Here are the known benefits of vitamin C—well tested in properly conducted studies:

• Vitamin C kills leukemia cells.

• Vitamin C, when combined with other vitamins, strongly suppresses the growth of many cancers, and can also keep cancers from developing.

• Buffered Vitamin C lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Vitamin C (as magnesium ascorbate) helps prevent kidney stones.

Unbuffered C increases the risk of the oral herpes virus, but buffered C lowers the risk.

Is there any danger with vitamin C? Yes. Iron is a major catalyst for cancer, as well as neurodegeneration and other free radical diseases, such as diabetes. Vitamin C can increase the absorption of iron from vegetables. The iron in vegetables is normally kept from absorption by the flavonoids found in vegetables (such as quercetin, hesperidin, and curcumin). To avoid the potential for too much iron absorption, take Vitamin C on an empty stomach.

Vitamin C can also further a negative condition called hemochromatosis, in which large amounts of iron is accumulated in the tissues of the body. Those who take a lower dose (500 mg or less) of vitamin C do not experience this potential negative result. The vitamin C should be taken between meals and with other antioxidants and flavonoids to naturally chelate the iron.

Much higher doses of vitamin C are needed by smokers.

I recommend a powder form of vitamin C taken in a veggie capsule, at a dose of 1,000 mg twice to three times a day for non-smokers. Smokers should take 2,000 milligrams three times a day, and let me quickly add, until they quite smoking!

Vitamin D (Health Masters’ Ultimate D3 5000)The vast majority of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D. Why? As Americans, we don’t get enough sun exposure, tend to be obese, and tend to sleep poorly (and suffer from insomnia or sleep apnea. A growing number of Americans have atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes. All of these are associated with vitamin D deficiency. We also know that those with multiple sclerosis tend to have very low vitamin D levels.

 

 

Vitamin D has tremendous benefits to the body:

• It helps calm the immune system.

• It plays a major role in preventing a number of cancers—including colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

• It can help reduce the risk of developing multiple schlerosis.

The effective form of vitamin D is vitamin D-3. The form used in most vitamin formulas and the form used to “fortify” foods, such as milk, bread, and cereals, is not D-3, and does not have the same protective benefits.

I recommend 2,000 to 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D-3. This dose has been shown to be completely safe.

Vitamin E (Health Masters’ Super Potent E) Those who have studied vitamin E know that this vitamin has eight subtypes: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. They are designated as alpha, beta, gamma, and delta for each type. Gamma-tocopherol is the only form that has anti-inflammatory properties. This is vital to know since neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s), cancer, and many chronic diseases are all inflammatory. Vitamin E formulas with high amounts of gamma-tocopherol have been shown to reduce cancer development and to protect the brain and cardiovascular system.

Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant. It protects cell membranes, the lining of arteries, and is incorporated within LDL-cholesterol molecules to help prevent cholesterol from oxidizing. In nature, all oils contain vitamin E, but—and this is a huge but—cooking oil manufacturers have removed vitamin E, making their oils much more likely to oxidize. This means that these vitamin-E-stripped oils increase a person’s risk of heart attacks and strokes, a well as degenerative brain diseases. For this and other reasons, you are wise to add vitamin E to a good brand of fish oil to prevent oxidation of the oil.

Vitamin E also boosts immunity, especially when taken with 200 mcg of selenium a day. Since the brain is composed of 60 percent lipids, most of which are polyunsaturated (high risk for oxidation), vitamin E is especially critical to brain protection.

Vitamin E works with vitamin C. A number of studies have shown that their ability to prevent disease is even greater when taken together. They work very well in both body and brain.

The tocotrienols are vitamin E components found in high concentration in palm oils. They play a special role in cancer prevention and reducing free radical damage. They should be taken separately—at a different time of day—from vitamin E.

I recommend a dose of 1,000 IU of natural vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) with high gamma-E and 50 IU of tocotrienol. This can be taken with meals or between meals. You can also take E-400 with selenium.

And then there’s Vitamin K! In addition to the vitamins mentioned above, don’t forget Vitamin K-1 and K-2. These are sometimes called the “forgotten vitamins” but they each play a vital role in metabolism and should be taken together.

 

Take Vitamins in Combination

Let me repeat a general theme: Take your vitamins together, and with minerals. The vitamins and minerals work together to slow progression of diseases, generate higher immune function, and lower concentrations of viruses in the bloodstream. Formulations with high-potency multivitamins and minerals are available here on our website. Take multivitamins and minerals daily!

Quality is very important in choosing vitamins. Poorly compounded or poor quality vitamins are poorly absorbed.

In general, powered supplements or liquids are best. The vitamins should be compounded in their natural form. All herbs should be evaluated closely for quality—in general, they should be labeled “Guaranteed Potency Herb.”

Oil-soluble vitamins and many other supplements should be kept refrigerated.

And one final note: Don’t panic if your urine turns bright, almost iridescent yellow. This means you are getting enough riboflavin in your supplement!

Tips for Boosting Immunity

1. Eat at least five servings of fresh vegetables a day. Wash the vegetables thoroughly to make sure you have removed any herbicides or pesticides.

2. Drink plenty of pure water to flush out urinary bacteria (six 12-ounce glasses a day). (What is "PURE WATER"? Find out here!)

3. Avoid foods that have immune-suppressing oils (such as corn, soybean, peanut, sunflower, safflower, and canola oils).

4. Take 1,000 mg of Excellent C (buffered in calcium ascorbate or magnesium ascorbate form) three times a day.

5. Take Ultimate Multiple vitamins. If you are having surgery, you might want to select a vitamin that has vitamin K and iron.

6. Take at least 400 IU of Super Potent E (mixed tocopherols, the natural form). 

7. Take 500 mg of Magnesium Glycinate twice a day. (If you have heart blockage or kidney disease, consult with your physician first.)

8. If you are over age 50, or have a history of heart disease, take 300 mg CoQ10 Ubiquinol in extra-virgin olive or rice oil each day, to boost immunity and strengthen your heart.

9. Take 30 mg Zinc Glycinate each day to stimulate immunity and help improve the body’s ability to heal wounds.

 

10. Take Beta 1, 3/1, 6 glucan. This is a potent immune stimulator extracted from the cell walls of baker’s yeast. (Health Masters’ Immune Support DF)

All of these high quality supplements can also be purchased by calling my office at 1-800-726-1834.

I remain sincerely,

Dr. Ted Broer

*This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Neither the information, nor any formula(s) mentioned are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.