Vitamins and minerals really do work.

The power and protecting properties of antioxidants and minerals is determined by the laws of nature. They are the key elements for survival of all mankind and we seriously need to consider what a daily vitamin regime does for our health daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and far into the future.

We have all been told to take our vitamins, and scientific research continues to suggest including a multivitamin in to our daily regime will protect us against degenerative disease. A degenerative disease is a disease that doesn’t just spring up, it is a disease that is brought on by a life time of poor unhealthy habits from being inactive to smoking to eating fried unprocessed foods day in and day out.

Here is a true account told by Dr. Kenneth H Cooper in his book the Antioxidant Revolution about a man who didn’t realize how much his vitamins and minerals were protecting his health:

When Jeff began his vitamin regimen, he did not realize that his blood lipids were astronomically  high. It was not until the mid 70s when he was about 65 years old that he discovered through blood test that his triglycerides were consistently over 1000 mg/dl (they should be lower than 125) also he learned that his total cholesterol was over 400 mg/dl (should have been lower than 200).

Despite these high levels, Jeff had not experienced any problems  with his heart or blood vessels, but his physician put him on an early cholesterol lowering medication. But the medications did little good. His triglycerides remained very high, and cholesterol count not reduce below 300. Also during this time Jeff STOPPED his daily vitamin supplement regime.

Soon afterwards Jeff developed intermittent claudication, or pain in walking as a result of clogging of the vessels in his legs, and had to undergo surgical procedures to increase the flow of blood. For about 5 years jeff continued on his prescription medication program and discontinued his supplement regime. During that period he experience 2 transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or mini-strokes which resulted likely from the partial clogging of his carotid (neck) arteries with fatty deposits.

In 1991, Jeff starting hearing more news about the importance of antioxidant and vitamin supplements. He found out taking relatively large quantities of Vitamin E and C could provide a major defense system to protect him from the oxidation of LDL and the formation of dangerous “foam cells” (foam cells contribute to the formation of plaque on our vessels, which leads to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes.

Returning to his daily practice of taking antioxidant supplements, Jeff took a stress test to evaluate vessel blockage. The test reveals no significant blockage of his coronary arteries, which feed blood to the heart. Contrary to all expectation considering his high levels of blood lipids, jeff possess a “happy heart”.

If we want to avoid hospitals and Doctor bills, the best preventative clearly is taking a pharmaceutical grade vitamin supplement. If you are not sure which vitamin to choose check out our blog next week top 10 elements to consider when choosing a vitamin supplement.