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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2011)
O ctober 19, 2011 (Ehr ^lordanti (Obaeruer Page 17 Worried about the Safety of Vitamins? Health experts offer advice (AP) - Two studies last week raised gnawing worries about the safety o f vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Should any one be taking them ? W hich ones are most risky? And if you do take them, how can you pick the safest ones? V itam in s have long had a "health halo." Many people think they're good for you and at worst might simply be unnecessary. The industry calls them an insurance policy against bad eating. But our foods are increasingly pumped full of them already. Even ju n k foods and drinks often are fortified with nutrients to give them a healthier profile, so the risk is rising that we're getting too much. Add a supplem ent and you taking high doses of vitam in E — may exceed the upper limit. 400 units a day — for five years "W e're finding out they're not had a slightly increased risk of as harm less as the industry m ight prostate cancer. have us b eliev e," said D avid As many as one-third of Am eri Schardt, a nutritionist at the con cans take vitamins, and nearly half sum er group Center for Science in of people 50 and older take m ulti the Public Interest. vitamins, surveys suggest. A m eri Last week, a study of nearly cans spent $9.6 billion on vita 4 0 ,0 0 0 o ld er w om en found a mins last year, up from $7.2 billion slig h tly h ig h e r risk o f d eath in 2005. M ultivitam ins top the list a m o n g th o s e ta k in g d ie ta r y at nearly $5 billion in sales. supplem ents, including m ultivi Yet there is no clear evidence tam ins, folic acid, iron and cop that m ultivitam ins lower the risk per. It was ju st an observational of cancer, heart disease or any study, though, not a rigorous test. other chronic health problems. No A nother study found that men governm ent agency recom mends Local HIV/AIDS Services Boosted The Portland Housing Bureau has received $1.4 m illion in new funding from the U.S. Department o f Housing and Urban D evelop m ent to fund a variety o f housing services, including short-term rent assistance, em ploym ent services, and perm anent housing for people living with HIV and experiencing hom elessness. This new funding will provide hom es for up to 60 more people living with HIV/AIDS per year and connect them to em ploym ent op portunities. M ore than 600 people living with HIV/AIDS are experi encing hom elessness, or on the brink o f becoming homeless in the Portland m etropolitan area, offi cials said. Seventy percent of people liv ing with HIV/AIDS have incomes below the federal poverty level. Lack of em ploym ent and benefits income presents a major barrier to securing housing. The new funding will support the work of Cascade AIDS Project in providing rent assistance, case management and employment ser vices, with the em ploym ent and tr a in in g s e rv ic e s o ffe re d at W o rk S o u rc e P o rtla n d M etro funded by W orksystem s, Inc. Multivitamins are poured from a bottle. disease in people with too little of a certain vitamin can be misleading: Correcting a deficiency so you have the right daily amount is different from supplementing beyond recom mended levels. The best way to get vitam ins is to eat foods that naturally contain them, said Jody Engel, a nutrition ist with Office o f Dietary Supple ments. "Foods provide more than ju st vitam ins and m inerals, such as fiber and other ingredients that may have positive health effects." Schardt adds: "It's virtually im possible to overdose on the nutri ents in food." Some folks may need more o f certain nutrients and should talk with their doctors about supple m ents, such as calcium and vita min D. Dentures Worth Smiling About! them "regardless o f the quality o f a person's diet," says a fact sheet from the federal Office o f Dietary Supplements. And vitam ins aren't required to undergo the strict test ing required of U.S.-approved pre scription m edicines. Some fads, such as the antioxi dant craze over vitamins A and E and beta-carotene, backfired when studies found more health risk, not less. And studies that find more • Professional Services • Affordable Prices • Over 20 years experience • Full & Partial Dentures • Natural Appearance • Full Service Lab • Accepting Oregon Health Plan Melanie Block, L.D. D enturist 503-230-0207 200 NE 20th Ave., Suite 100 Portland OR 97232 Free parking Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC Zchon R. 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