Vitamins and essential minerals are just that – essential to the diet. Vitamins and essential minerals must be incorporated into the diet every day of every year. Long-term failure to include enough of one vitamin or essential mineral over a long period of time will cause disease, tissue degeneration and cell death. Over time, the entire body will start to die. Clearly, this sequence of events is not consistent with the idea of Healthy Aging, since deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals is the least healthy way to age. In the model of healthy aging, guaranteeing adequate consumption of these essential vitamins and minerals is the first step. Without this necessary first step, the following pillars of healthy aging crumble quickly.
By now, in this enlightened, affluent, highly-educated era, it would seem reasonable to expect that no one in the US could possibly suffer from a deficiency of a vitamin or essential mineral. Or so the US government and the American Medical Association may have you believe. Unfortunately, it just isn’t so.
According to US government data, over 90% of all adult Americans do not consume enough calcium every day to satisfy the current government-sanctioned (that is, minimal) dietary standards. The same holds true for magnesium and vitamin E. Another 75% of all US adults are deficient in copper or zinc; half are deficient in vitamin C, vitamin D or chromium; and between 10% and 15% are deficient in one or more of the B-vitamins. Amazingly, even in the face of the current epidemic of obesity, widespread nutritional deficiencies are rampant in the US. We’re eating more than ever in the history of human existence. Yet, what we’re eating more of is empty calories. Processed foods are a high percentage of the Standard American Diet (So SAD!) and these foods are devoid of many essential vitamins and minerals. So while we’re eating more, we’re not consuming enough of the essentials.
You may ask yourself, “So what? I don’t feel unhealthy.” It’s not like we have problems with:
- Prostate Health (vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium and zinc)
- Periodontal Health (calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin D)
- Bone Health (calcium, magnesium, boron, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K)
- Memory Issues (folate/folic acid, thiamin, choline, vitamin E, selenium)
- Heart Health (selenium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin D)
- Feeling Tired (B-vitamins and magnesium).
- Healthy Blood Sugar (chromium, magnesium and vanadium)
- Gum Health (vitamin C and magnesium)
- Hair Health and rough skin (B-vitamins)
- Weak Immune Systems (selenium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D)
These matters are so common in our population that it is easy to disregard them and not think of them as serious issues. However, the more one thinks about these issues, the more one realizes the severity of the problems and what they can lead to. The irony of the situation is that these areas can be supported easily by guaranteeing sufficient consumption of essential minerals and vitamins.
Healthy consumption of essential vitamins and minerals can do the body plenty of good, in addition to their aid in the prevention of classically recognized nutritional deficiency diseases. A few key examples should confirm this point.
Go to the following sites if you want to read more on the benefits of calcium or vitamin E.
