Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Berthold · 09-11-2005, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaelcarp

I always find it fascinating that we can figure out information about particles smaller than atoms, put people in space, and program semi-intelligent machines, yet we can't figure out what we should be eating.

If you eat what you like, you will usually not be tremendously wrong. Evolution "saw to that."

Donkey_Popsicle · 09-12-2005, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berthold

If you eat what you like, you will usually not be tremendously wrong. Evolution "saw to that."

Though today's environment is much, much different than that of our evolutionary ancestors, so that advice might not be the best.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/index.html might be a good place to start.

Undercurrent · 09-12-2005, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by repoman

Speaking of milk, vitamin A has been taken out because too much will cause boneloss..

Vitamin A is a fairly interesting case because it is fat-soluble and as such the body can't excrete it as easily as vitamin C, for example, which is water soluble. As a result, there is a dangerous level that is something like five times the recommended daily allowance. There has been some concern that with so many foods "enriched" with vitamin A it is possible to get to the dangerous level fairly easily.

Some of the early euopean arctic explorers died because they ate polar bear liver and overdosed on vitamin A.

Schneibster · 09-12-2005, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioBeing

By "average, healthy adult" I infer someone without any major outstanding health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, severe infections etc.

Heh, just teasing.

ohwilleke · 09-12-2005, 04:19 PM

Vitamins are mostly know because they have been identified with diseases if you don't get enough. Scurvy is the textbook example.

The theory behind is a multi-vitamin is that it mitigates the down sides of a nutrition poor diet, which lots of people have. If it does no harm, it may be beneficial if you have a poor diet, and you have a poor diet, why not?

Berthold · 09-13-2005, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undercurrent

Vitamin A is a fairly interesting case because it is fat-soluble and as such the body can't excrete it as easily as vitamin C, for example, which is water soluble. As a result, there is a dangerous level that is something like five times the recommended daily allowance. There has been some concern that with so many foods "enriched" with vitamin A it is possible to get to the dangerous level fairly easily.

Some of the early euopean arctic explorers died because they ate polar bear liver and overdosed on vitamin A.

The calciferol is Vitamin D, a steroid derivate. I do not know definitely about Vitamin A, but carotene (from which the body can make it) may be taken in overdoses with impunity.
Part of an excess of Vitamin C may be degraded to oxalic acid, a component of kidney stones. Taking several grammes a day (what Linus Pauling recommended) may be not entirely harmless.
In modern times, scurvy has ceased to be an issue, since most soft drinks contain an adequate amount of Vitamin C.

Mike Elphick · 09-13-2005, 01:30 PM

The best marketing guru in the world could not have come up with a better name than 'vitamin'. Had they been called something else, I doubt they would be so popular (and breakfast cereals would not have taken off).

mrzyphl · 09-13-2005, 02:02 PM

I just started taking a multi vitamin last week. I didn't notice any effect until Jackalope mentioned brittle nails. Everytime my nails grew out a bit they always split. Now I just looked at them and they're solid.

I don't know how the vitamins had anything to do with it though.

(

I need a manicure.)

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

09-12-2005, 04:19 PM	#25
ohwilleke Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Denver, Colorado, USA Posts: 4,834	Vitamins are mostly know because they have been identified with diseases if you don't get enough. Scurvy is the textbook example. The theory behind is a multi-vitamin is that it mitigates the down sides of a nutrition poor diet, which lots of people have. If it does no harm, it may be beneficial if you have a poor diet, and you have a poor diet, why not?

09-13-2005, 01:30 PM	#27
Mike Elphick Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Nottingham, UK Posts: 2,151	The best marketing guru in the world could not have come up with a better name than 'vitamin'. Had they been called something else, I doubt they would be so popular (and breakfast cereals would not have taken off).

09-13-2005, 02:02 PM	#28
mrzyphl Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 962	I just started taking a multi vitamin last week. I didn't notice any effect until Jackalope mentioned brittle nails. Everytime my nails grew out a bit they always split. Now I just looked at them and they're solid. I don't know how the vitamins had anything to do with it though. ( I need a manicure.)

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.