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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1986)
Vitamin supplements can be helpful — and harmful By Kathryn Reitler Of the Emerald Many health enthusiasts would have one believe that vitamins prevent the common cold, protect against heart disease and cancer, delay old age and even offset the ill effects of stress. Hut many health experts are warning consumers to be aware that their daily multivitamin supplements could endanger their health. Excess vitamins "I was sick all the time so I took vitamins, hut I only became sicker.” said |odi Styles, a part-time University student. “It's a vicious circle, but what t;an you do?" A later physician's exam revealed that Styles’ sickness was caused by a vitamin A overdose. Americans are finding themselves bombarded with messages to stay fit; everywhere one looks, people are running, -biking, exercising. And as health and fitness have become more popular, so have vitamin supplements. "There is a reason for this," said Kay Gladstone, a Pay I .ess Drug Store pharmacist. "I see many kinds of people in this business, especially those who look at health magazines and then come to me for vitamin supplements. Most vitamins are marginally effective; many of them are worthless." Iluth nutritionists and doctors insist that a balanced diet sup plies all the nutrients needed for good health "Nearly 40 percent of all Americans self-dose with one or more nutrients in multiple and single doses, in natural and syn thetic formulations, and in amounts to or more times higher than what is re< uni ntended,” Gladstone said According to a recent edition of the Reader's Digest, pur chases of vitamin supplements add up to more than $3 billion a year. People who doubt their diets am balanced often turn to vitamin supplements as in surance. And selective sup plementation does have its place. For example, vitamins can assure dieters who get by on 1,500 calories or less per day that their systems am receiving enough nutrition. Vitamins* effects Vitamins can be divided into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble Vitamins A. D. F. and K am fat-soluble, and C and H-complex vitamins are water soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins don't pass through the urinary tract as quickly as water-soluble vitamins do. And in large doses they c:an crowd the body’s storehouses and become poten tial toxins. Vitamin A is for develop ment. growth and maintenance of normal skin, mucous mem branes and bones. It is found in liver, butter, fortified milk pro ducts. potatoes, green leafy vegetables and yellow-orange fruits. People deficient in Vitamin A am prone to infection and a variety of skin disorders. Tox icity. or too much Vitamin A. can cause anorexia, headaches, blurred vision, irritability, cracked and bleeding lips, nosebleeds and flaking skin. Two large carrots contain about 22.000 International Units (Il ls). The recommended maximum is Ills per day. Vitamin I) absorbs calcium and helps build strong, healthy bone*. It is easily obtained in milk and by exposure to the sun. A lack of vitamin I) results in rickets, which is characteriz ed by a softening of the bones. Children are particularly (•raphii by |ohn Bock susceptible to the disease. Excess intake of vitamin I) causes nausea, headache, weakness, fatigue and even in jury to artery walls. About one (|uart of milk supplies a person with the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of 300-400 Vitamin E has lawn called a "vitamin in search of a disease." Gladstone said, Imm ause then1 is no known adult disorder that can !m traced to vitamin E deficiency. Ap propriate dosage is alanil 30 H is for adults. Vitamin K aids blood clot ting. An excess causes jaundice, yellowing of the skin, in newborns. Vitamin B works to make and repair tissue, and to replenish hormones. Vitamin B deficien cy causes l»eril>eri. a condition rarely seen in the United States, characterized by partial paralysis of the extremities, emaciation and anemia. The Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin It is 20 milligrams. Vitamin C helps heal wounds, build red blood cells, and maintain bones, teeth, skin. tendons and certain hormones. Deficiency causes scurvy, a disease marked by weakness and anemia. This disease also is rare in the United States because vitamin C is widely available. Eight ounces of orange juice contain 60 milligrams of vitamin C. which is enough for most adults. More can cause ab dominal cramps and nausea. Avoiding trouble “Alcoholics are a great ma jority of those who have defi ciencies," said Dr. jackson. director of the University Stu dent Health Center. “They lack thiamin and folic acid." Athletes also are prone to deficiency and toxicity, |ackson said. ‘‘They live off the notion that as far as supplements go. a lot is good, more is better,” he said. One former athlete. Bob Wilks, recalled what too much vitamin D did to him. ‘‘I developed kidney stones," he said. "It was like an alien in vading my body, and in fact it was. I could have died. "It all boils down to the buyer beware,” Gladstone said. He advises people to ask themselves if they really need vitamin supplements; and to know what they're taking off the shelves. People taking supplements should follow these guidelines: •The safest and most prac tical insurance against vitamin deficiency and toxicity is to eat a good, balanced diet through the foods you eat, not pills. •If your diet is haphazard and unbalanced, a multivitamin can lx; used in moderation. •Never take vitamins in doses higher than the Recommended Daily Allowance. •Promptly see a doctor if a deficiency is suspected. Stnke Continued from Pago 1 president sot the pattern tor cor porate handling of major strikes. . . during the first half of this decade," wrote University sociology Professor David Milton in his recent article. "Late Capitalism and the Decline of Trade Union Power in the United States.” Professor Jim Gallagher of the University’s education and Research ('enter, echoes Milton, "The crushing of the (Professional Air Traffic Con trollers Organization) strike was so blatant and harsh, it sent an encouraging message to anti union employers, and en outraged those on the fence to lake a harder position." Two other factors have added woes to latter unions in their battle to stay healthy. Gallagher said. The deep recession at the beginning of the de< ade com promised labor because unemployment tends to weaken laltor by making it more readily replaceable And the labor movement also was hurt by the hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in its most highly organised sector, manufacturing, he said Trends nationwide have shown a steady slip in the labor's popularity rating. Gallagher said. "There has been a growing misconception as to labor's power. It's a not Infrequently held view that lalxir has too much power." he said. Milton's article cited a recent poll in California, "a tradi tionally strong labor state, (which) revealed that 44 percent oi Californians believe unions do more harm than good." Gallagher said he is unaware of any polls of public attitudes toward unions in Oregon or in areas where Weyerhaeuser Oregon Daily Emerald The Otegon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. at the University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently ol the University with ottices on the third Hoot ot the Erb Memorial Union and is a member ol Ihe Associated Press The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use ol papers is prosecutable by law General Stall Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Classified Advertising Assistant to the Publisher Alyson Simmons Jean Ownbey Diane Eassler Editor; Editorial Page Editor Managing Editor Night Editor News Editor / University Allans Photo Editor Graphic Design Editor Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michelle Brence Michael Rivers Ross Martin John Bock Associate Editors Community l Higher Ed i Administration Chris Norred Student Government Stephen Maher Student Activities Tonnie Dakin General Assignment Yvette Jefferson Advertising Sales John Boiler Sales Manager Production Kelly Alexandre. Manuel Flores Ross Martin. Mary May. Rob Miles. Michele Ross Alyson Simmons News and Editorial 686 SSI t Display Advertising and Business 686 3712 Classified Advertising 686 4343 Production ' 686 4381 Circulation 686SS11 workers are striking. but he believes attitudes in these areas may Im* more supportive of unions. "If wage rollbacks come about and the profit-sharing plan doesn't make up the dif ference. it will have an impor tant. maybe devastating effect on the local economies." he sail! "Absent any profit sharing. we’re talking about the effect on local businesses of los ing 2()-2.r> percent of all timber related jobs. "Economically. Eugene. Spr ingfield and Cottage drove have a terribly important stake in these negotiations. That is not passing judgment on the equity of Weyerhaeuser's demands, but simply speaking to the economic effect,” Gallagher said. tabor unions on the national and local levels, realizing the importance of public opinion, have been attempting to brighten thoir images through media advertisements and public relations campaigns. Ux:al television has been car rying union-sponsored instruc tions by Vicky tawrence and "Mama." who advocates sup port for unions and boycotts The July 3 New York Times carried a full-page ad from the Independent Federation of Flight Attendants calling for a boycott of Trans World Airlines. The airline fired near ly ti.000 1FFA strikers and hired younger, i n e x p e r i e n c e d workers to fill their jobs. "The unions should use TV — they legitimize themselves." said University political science Professor |im Klonoski. Professors do not identify with the working class and tend to believe they don't need unions but (.an make better liv ings on their own. klonoski said. Portlund State University is the only major state universi ty with an organized faculty union. Nevertheless, "most pro fessors still would not walk through picket lines, and some are even more radical than most people," klonoski said. Students' attitudes tend to be more similar to "the yuppies who've come into lieing in the '60s and '70s,” klonoski said. ''Tektronix Inc., (a Beaverton-based high-tech firm), is laying off thousands of workers, and yet they won't unionize." klonoski said.
