Written by Patrick Massey M.D., Ph.D. With between 10 percent and 25 percent of “healthy” young Americans getting less than the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals, mitochondrial failure could be contributing to our overall poor health.
It is a common belief in the medical community that supplemental vitamins and minerals are not necessary. You get all you need from your food and anything extra ends up in the urine, the thinking goes.
This belief persists because there are only a few diseases that are caused by a profound vitamin deficiency. However, what about chronic diseases? What if low levels of vitamins contribute to chronic illness and even aging?
Although we know that minimum levels of vitamins are needed to prevent diseases like scurvy, surprisingly limited research has been done on the health-related effects of low vitamin levels. However, one recent study in the medical journal Molecular Aspects of Medicine suggests optimal levels of vitamins might boost metabolism and improve health, especially in those at risk of having lower levels of vitamins – the elderly, poor and chronically ill.
The key, the researchers said, might be how mitochondria function.
Mitochondria are among the “organs” of the cell. They are very complex and even have their own DNA. Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell. They make the energy that a cell lives on. They also help to protect the cell from oxidation damage. Low levels of vitamins and minerals, in mitochondria, inhibit a number of metabolic processes involved in the production of energy. This accelerates DNA damage, cell aging and even cell death.
As we age, mitochondria naturally begin to fail and, as a result, the cell ultimately dies. If mitochondria do not have the proper amounts of minerals and vitamins, they begin to fail at a much earlier age, resulting in premature cell death. Premature cell death might not result in a specific disease, but it might contribute to chronic disease, increased susceptibility to illness and premature aging.
Even though we are living longer than our parents (77 years for the average American), we have significantly more chronic disease. Considering that between 10 percent and 25 percent of “healthy” young Americans do not get the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals, mitochondrial failure could be contributing to our overall poor health.
Will a multivitamin help? The answer is yes. Although there is little evidence that vitamins reverse complex and serious conditions like heart disease and cancer, regular use of multivitamins might prevent mitochondrial death, promote healthy cells, slow the aging process and make the body, on the whole, more resistant to disease.
Not all multivitamins are the same. Some makers have higher manufacturing standards. Liquid vitamins might be absorbed faster, but there is no data to say that they are better than capsules or tablets. Check for expiration dates and the USP (United States Pharmacopea) or GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) symbol on the bottle. These are indicators of quality manufacturers. And put the vitamins where you’ll remember to take them daily.
Posted November 19, 2008.
