Medical News Today

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC, board certified in two specialties,  Editor Blogfinger.net.  Co-author of Prevention Does Work: A Guide to a Healthy Heart. Still available on Amazon–just type in my name.

The last edition of our book is from 2011  and is still largely correct in the medical part, while all of Eileen’s “heart healthy–evidence based” recipes still are wonderful.—all 35 of them.  The book is a good source to keep in the kitchen. It is about $12.00 in paperback.   If we sell one book we get about $.40.  Not bad for one year’s work.

From the AMA Morning Rounds March 7, 2023:  Vitamin D supplementation may be a viable strategy for dementia.:

“Vitamin D supplementation has the potential to be a viable dementia prevention strategy, especially when initiated early…research suggests.

“In the large prospective cohort study, people who took vitamin D were 40% less likely to develop dementia than peers who did not take vitamin D.

“The effects of vitamin D were most pronounced in women, and those with normal cognitive function.”

In our book Prevention Does Work: A Guide to a Healthy Heart, 2011, page 22, we say.  “Vitamin D is important for bone health, and recent research shows that many Americans are deficient, and deficiencies are linked to heart disease, heart failure, and hypertension in addition to many other problems. There is evidence that Vitamin D can be protective against heart disease, although more studies are necessary.

“The typical recommended dose is 400-1000 units per day, although more research is needed regarding dosing.  Many doctors urge their patients to undergo blood testing for vitamin D levels. If the level is low, they often order supplements, but the value of this approach is controversial.”

Me now:   There are many claims made for Vitamin D, but the most impressive studies show that it can prevent osteoporosis.  Vit D is necessary if your doctor has ordered calcium supplements. You need it to absorb the calcium.  Sometimes the requirement for calcium/Vit D is very specialized such as for those  who take thyroid hormone therapy.

There is reason to believe that Vit D will improve immunity.

Among the claims, mostly unproven, for Vit D  are  prevents some cancers.  Many people take  a multivitamin without a specific reason..   They figure “what the hey?”  After all, Vit D in proper doses is pretty safe. But sometimes they can cause problems. Read up on what you prescribe for yourself.

My own doctor told me to take Vit D because it will help me live longer.  Did I take Vit D because of what he said?    No—it is unproven;  if it were proven,  it would be in the water.

Preventive doses for ages 1-70 are 600 IU per day (international units.). if over 70, take 800 units.

Full disclosure:     I tend to be skeptical of beneficial claims for vitamins in general and specifically for Vitamin D.  In my professional life I never took vitamin supplements, but many of my patients did, and some were  willing to confess to me.  And I always said that many of the benefits of vitamins as a preventive were unproven.  And I also warned them to beware of possible side effects.

I now take Vit D as part of a thyroid regimen.

I also take Vit B12 because my doctor did a blood test and found my level to be a bit low.  I take his advice, but I’m not convinced of its efficacy.

Dr. Victor Herbert, a leading researcher at Mt. Sinai when I was there enjoying the upper East Side of NYC, was a famous skeptic regarding vitamins.   He use to tell the house stuff that it  “produced expensive urine.”

In our book, this is what I said, “Vitamins used to be recommended preventive therapy due to their antioxidant actions.  In recent years, however, larger trials have shown no benefit with vitamins, so these supplements can no longer be considered part of a prevention regimen.”

This conclusion does not apply to vitamins in fruits and vegetables.  For individuals who have a poor diet, they could become deficient in certain vitamins. They should be on a daily vitamin supplement. There is a blood test to detect vitamin deficiencies. Some vitamin and herbal supplements can interfere with cardiac medications as can grapefruit juice, so check with your doctor.

Many people take pills containing fruits and veggies as if they are equivalent to eating the actual foods. In our book we discuss healthy diets, but we never suggest such pills. Are they equivalent?  Well, there is no proof.   So try to get the benefits of fruits and veggies by eating fruits and veggies.

Doctors avoid discussing nutrition and diet supplements with their patients because they don’t know a damn thing about it. I wrote our book to learn about it and give my patients some reading material, because no doctor has the time to discuss these things with the patients.  When I gave lectures on prevention to medical personnel and ordinary folks, I would begin with a question: How many of you have been to a doctor who actually uttered  the words “prevention” or “nutrition” ??     No hands ever were raised.

There is a reason why they call physicians “doctor.” It’s because they are qualified to advise you on these matters. So check with him or her to see if he/she/fill in your own pronoun,  subscribes to the bs which you all listen to on You Tubes and social media.  Remember that sometimes supplements can be harmful or merely useless or just hocus pocus.  And remember that your doctor may know nothing about these subjects.   So ask them and then read our book.

My mother used to complain that our doctor used words that she didn’t understand .   But our  book is written in a way that anyone can understand..  But don’t call me for advice because I am retired and I am now only licensed in New York.

And finally here’s some musical advice for healthy living, maybe better than indiscriminate vitamin therapy:

BOBBY MCFERRIN: