Vitamins and green tea extracts

Houndmommy

Are certain types of vitamins better than others?  I have heard "whole food" vitamins are better.  They tend to be more expensive.  Also, I have been drinking a lot of green tea, which I like but I was wondering if the green tea extracts are as effective.  I'd like to cut back on the green tea for various reasons.

Thanks!

Valgirl

Try the Brassica Green Tea recommend by the John Hopkins Breast Cancer site.  I has antioxidents  SGS developed by scientists at John Hopkins.   You can order from diffenent places online and some health food stores have it.  

Husband11

Whole food source vitamins are better as a general rule.  Take Vitamin E for instance.  Vit E rich foods are associated with improved health, but science's formulation of a pill containing just 1 of the 8 isomers of vitamin E proved to be of no benefit, and possibly to the detriment of the user.  It's quite likely, based on studies of the other 7 forms, that d-alpha tocopheral, the synthetic version, has few of the properties that make vitamin E beneficial.  So in this case, natural full spectrum vitamin E stands a better chance of benefiting health than the cheap synthetic isolate of one form.

 This all points to the old adage of it being better to get your nutrients from food sources than supplements.  Until we fully understand the complex makeup of food, its hard to pick out a single substance and declare it beneficial.  Nutrients in whole foods may act synergistically, and therefore lack potency when isolated.  I'm not saying not to supplement, just to understand the potential limitations of vitamin pills, and to try as best we can to eat nutritious, healthy foods.

Yazmin

Timothy:  Thank you. Indeed, I had been wondering about d-alpha tocopheral. 

I went back to read your other (really informative) post on tocotrienols (dated October 2009, I believe). And just realized that LifeExtension has mistakenly sent me several bottles of Gamma E Tocopherol (with Sesame Lignans), instead of tocotrienols, as ordered.

Instead of going through the big hassle of returning those, etc...., do you think it might be beneficial to use my Gamma E Tocopherol?

Houndmommy

Thanks for the info.  I try to eat healthy - I juice regularly and try to eat a variety of fruits and veggies.  I just want a good supplement for just that, a supplement.

Husband11

Yazmin, one aspect that needs evaluation of that product is the sesame ligans.  It has weak estrogenic and antiestrogenic properties  (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21141889) with respect to human breast cancer cells (er positive).

So it puts it in that same confusing category as soy and flaxseed.  No clear answer.  I hate to say it, but I'd avoid taking it and return it, out of an abundance of caution.

julianna51

Hi all, I know that even the best of pill form vitamins/supplements never get fully digested or absorbed.  Several years ago I started taking a liquid form called Isotonix that I have had great results with.   I hate taking big pills!

That Green Tea sounds really good.  I've been looking at ordering some.  The orange (?) one sounds really good.

Cyborg

I sure love sesame seed oil. Guess I should say bye to that?

Husband11

Cyborg, I wouldn't jump to any conclusion.  Aside from answering the question of the impact of Sesame lignans, one would have to know what lignan content there is in sesame oil.  I've never done any searching on the subject.

Anonymous

Timothy wrote:

 "This all points to the old adage of it being better to get your nutrients from food sources than supplements.  Until we fully understand the complex makeup of food, its hard to pick out a single substance and declare it beneficial.  Nutrients in whole foods may act synergistically, and therefore lack potency when isolated.  I'm not saying not to supplement, just to understand the potential limitations of vitamin pills, and to try as best we can to eat nutritious, healthy foods"

 Black-cat gives Timothy two thumbs up.  Diet and nutrition is science or evidence based and not at all alternative. 

Yazmin

Timothy:

Thanks a lot for your link and advice; I have stopped taking this Gamma Tocopherol, and I am planning to buy the same brand Bev is using.

Unfortunately, I have noticed that Vitacost is now selling it about $29/bottle!

Yazmin

And Ladies:

If anybody has a more affordable tocomin tocotrienol than the one currently on the Vitacost web site, please let me know. 

Boyd5672

My mom has breast cancer and she takes juice plus as does my whole family. It is gluten free. All fruits and vegetables. My dad sold it, and when he died I have his business. You can order an adult and get a child for free. It is amazing:)