Filling the Void

A recent report put out jointly by UNICEF and the Micronutrient
Initiative reveals that a full third of the world's population suffers
from a critical lack of vitamins and nutrients. This deficiency
impairs intellectual development, compromises immune system
function, contributes to birth defects, and condemns some 2 billion
people to lives that fall short of their physical and mental potential.

Deficiencies in iron, folate, vitamin A, iodine and selenium lead
the list of problem vitamins and nutrients.
 
We have our own share of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies here at
home too -- as Dr. Wright has pointed out numerous times in
Nutrition & Healing. But at least here we have access to the foods
and supplements that can correct our nutritional shortcomings (at
least for now -- but that's another topic). Unfortunately, that's just
not the case in many other areas of the world. However, the
UNICEF report revealed that resolving this issue for good in other
countries would only cost pennies per person affected. Of course, a
few pennies times 2 billion still adds up to a whopping bill. 

This is obviously a global health crisis that must be solved. And
what has already worked here should ultimately work there with a
concerted effort. But I fear there's a shark in the tank -- and it
smells blood. A little further research into this issue and you run
smack into proponents of genetically modified (GM) foods holding
up their "products" as the beacon of hope: A "cheap alternative to
supplements and organic foods.

"Saving" 2 billion people who suffer from vitamin and mineral
deficiencies would certainly be a powerful claim to fame for the
GM food industry. But I'm afraid it could be yet another profit-
based story with a tragic and unnecessary ending.

If we're going to help other countries get the nutrition they need, it
should be through the real sources of vitamins, minerals, and
nutrients -- foods and supplements -- not through "Frankenfoods."
They just haven't proven themselves to be safe or effective. But
Mother Nature HAS.

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Lithium longevity

Q: My father has bipolar disorder, and I am happy to say that for
30 years, it has been inconsequential as long as he took lithium.
However, we are all getting a little nervous lately -- especially my
father -- as the lithium doesn't appear to be working as well as it
once did. Do you know of any natural other solutions he can try?

JVW:  Lithium is a blessing to many sufferers of bipolar disorder,
and there's no reason it shouldn't continue to be a viable option for
your father. There are two things you might want to investigate in
order to explain and correct the problem.

First, lithium toxicity is always something you want to watch out
for if you take lithium in high doses for long periods of time. Signs
of toxicity include hypertension, tremor, nausea and proteinuria.
Luckily, there's a simple solution that should enable him to remain
on his current dose. Because lithium can inhibit a vital step in fatty
acid metabolism, supplementing with extra quantities of these
essential nutrients can solve the problem in many cases. I generally
recommend that people begin by taking one tablespoon of flaxseed
oil three times a day along with 800 IU of vitamin E. Once the
negative side effects subside, the doses can be cut back to one
tablespoon once a day of flaxseed oil and 400 IU of vitamin E. 

Another thing to check, especially since lithium worked for your
father for so long, is his stomach function. It is quite common for
older adults to have less stomach acid, and thus to absorb less of
the vitamins and nutrients they need. If he isn't already, he should
be working closely with a natural medicine physician who can
check his stomach acid levels. Once this problem is solved, the
dose he's used for 30 years will very likely work just fine again.

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What is...lipidomics?

There are a couple of popular lipids these days: HDL and LDL –
also known as the "good" and the "bad" cholesterol. Recently, a
reader thought I was implying these were the only two lipids, and
corrected me to say there were actually five. Being the curious
type, I did a little research into the scope of lipids and uncovered
an entire emerging field of research called "lipidomics" -- the
study of lipids.

According to The Scientist magazine, scientists believe that more
than a thousand major lipids exist in the human body, along with
an unknown number of less prevalent, minor species. Major lipid
classes include triacylglycerols, phospholipids, glycolipids,
sphingolipids, sterols, waxes, and fatty acids. Apparently, they
play a powerful role in cellular functioning. "Without lipids, DNA
would never be decoded into life forms," says Zheng Cui, a
biochemist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.  
With the growing prevalence of lipid-associated disorders such as
obesity, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes, I suspect the term
lipidomics is about to become much more commonplace.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources: 
"Vitamins & minerals for children fortifies economic development
in China," UNICEF (press release, www.unicef.org), 9/3/04

"More iron and vitamin A from GM rice," The European Food
Information Council (www.eufic.org), accessed 11/01/04

Sobczak S, et. al. "Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and
increased omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in first-degree
relatives of bipolar patients." Psychol Med. 2004; 34(1): 103-112

Wilson, Jennifer. Long-Suffering Lipids Gain Respect. The
Scientist, March, 2003.

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