Vitamins and Mineral Absorption – Part 2
Earlier this week, Dr. Saunders shared about vitamins and other nutrients that are required for life and health. Because it’s easy to become anxious about which ones to take, are Vitamins too much of a good thing?
Dr. Saunders now addresses Part 2 in this 3 part vitamin series: inhibiting mineral absorption.
Mineral Absorption
Supplements may interfere with each other by interacting and inhibiting other nutrients in the body. This is especially problematic if we take large doses of particular supplements.
Selenium has proven to be a great cancer prevention supplement. As a result, a trail was started to test the power of selenium against the threat of malignant melanoma. Unfortunately, this test named the “Nutritional Prevention of Cancer” did not indicate selenium was a promising malignant melanoma prevent. But, it did decrease all other cancers by about 50%!
But, one side-effect was not expected by those who were taking 200 mcg of selenium daily: the occurrence of diabetes. How did the risk of diabetes increase? Because the daily supplementation of selenium inhibited the absorption of another mineral chromium, which naturally lowers blood sugar.
Other minerals compete for absorption, such as:
- Calcium will inhibit magnesium, if taken in large amounts.
- Zinc will inhibit copper, if taken frequently.
It is proven that the excess of one mineral may cause deficiency in another mineral by competing for absorption, which can lead to a deficiency disease and general immune suppression.
Stay tuned for Part 3 about antioxidant vitamins!
Further Related Reading:
- Vitamins – Too Much of a Good Thing?
- Vitamin Supplements Tested
- Benefit of Selenium is Cancer Protection
Dr. Scott Saunders is the Health and Nutrition Advisor of Barton Publishing, a company that promotes natural health through teaching people how to cure themselves using alternative home remedies instead of expensive and harmful prescription drugs. Saunders is the director of The Integrative Medicine Center of Santa Barbara, which balances conventional medicine witfh alternative healing modalities to achieve optimal wellness.
Comments
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This news about selenium”s cancer preventing properties is amazing. However it seems unfinished.
If 200mg a day can lead to the diabetes risk, what is the reccommended dosage….Surely, one exists?
Could Dr. Saunders could give us some advice about that.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNO483f2UFU
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