Do you need antioxidant supplements?
This month's column will look at two lively health topics. The first is on calcium, a mineral that plays an important role in bone health, nerve and muscle function, and what milk has to do with it. According to the USDA, 87 percent of women and 64 percent of men aren't getting enough of it in their daily diets. Secondly, do you really need to take antioxidant supplements?
Bomb-proofing bones
Low-fat chocolate milk isn't just for kids anymore. New research shows that it is a quick, easy and effective recovery drink to refuel muscles after hard workouts. Meanwhile, regular milk has gotten a bad rap with claims that it causes mucus build-up and asthma, along with the belief that it is wrong for adult mammals to drink another animal's milk.
Dr. Christopher Mohr, Ph.D, a nutrition spokesperson and consultant, thinks that this last theory doesn't hold true for many reasons. Milk and yogurt are part of the diets of centenarians around the world, and no evidence proves the previous beliefs. One cup of skim milk contains 300 milligrams of calcium, providing, for example, a 30-year-old one-third the amount of the daily recommendation. Other good sources, like dark leafy greens, (1 cup of spinach has 245 mg. per serving) contain vitamin K, another key ingredient for bone health. Fortified soymilk, baked beans and supplements are other sources of calcium, according to The Harvard School of Public Health. All help lower the risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer.
Calcium might also play a role in losing weight. A number of clinical trials have shown that consuming 1,200 mg. of calcium a day can boost weight loss in dieters by up to 60 percent, possibly by binding to fat in the gastrointestinal tract. It seems most beneficial for those who typically don't get enough daily calcium.
For all you milk lovers, a study published in the June 2010 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise tested whether female, exercising skim-milk drinkers were leaner than those women who were given a different carbohydrate. The authors concluded that skeletal muscle, lean muscle and strength increased in the milk group, and fat mass was lost, opposed to weight gain in the control group. Milk: simple and quicker than a stir-fry, leaner than a milkshake.
Do you need another pill?
Do you really need an antioxidant supplement to reduce the damage caused by free radicals that can slow the aging process or decrease the risk of heart disease or cancer?
It will probably remain controversial for years to come, but researchers in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida have found no convincing evidence that active people need to supplement a well--balanced diet with high levels of these supplements. We all have low levels of radicals in all of our cells. Damage in our cells only occurs when there is a cellular imbalance between antioxidants and radicals, called oxidative stress. Although working muscles produce radicals, low to moderate exercise doesn't necessarily result in oxidative stress to muscles. In fact, nothing is better for the body than regular exercise, as muscle fiber contains the antioxidants that scavenge radicals, as well as dietary antioxidants that form a supportive network of cellular protection against radicals.
The two strongest arguments researchers have against antioxidant supplements are that they can prevent important exercise-induced adaptations in muscle and available evidence does not support their benefit to health. As more evidence suggests that any supplementation up to 16 times the recommended allowance might be unsafe, researchers also felt that any decision to start a high-dose antioxidant program should be discussed with a nutritionist and other qualified health-care providers.
On a lighter note, we can also turn up our grills and slather on the barbecue sauce. Recent research from the University of Western Ontario found that marinades and barbecue sauces that include allspice, ginger, hot peppers and sesame seeds are antioxidant-rich. More reasons to love summer.
Connie Aronson is a Ketchum-based health fitness specialist and personal trainer.
