Tailor-made food supplements disputed by Science

From A to zinc, the choice is endless.
Should you choose single vitamins or a multivitamin? Or how about a special formula for stress, fitness, women, men or seniors?

Wouldn't it be great to know exactly which supplements are right for you?
That's what laboratories that specialize in 'body chemistry balancing' promise.
For several hundred dollars, they claim to identify vitamin and mineral deficiencies from a simple blood and urine test.

For David and Cheryl Solomon of Dollard des Ormeaux, nutritional testing takes the guesswork out of the perennial question of whether they're getting the proper vitamins.

Six months ago, the couple and their three sons, age 6 to 11, underwent testing by NutriChem, an Ottawa company founded by pharmacist Kent MacLeod that sells personalized nutritional supplements.

"The beauty of it is he'll customize the vitamin for the individual," said David Solomon, 38, who takes 20 capsules a day, containing vitamins, minerals, fish oils and amino acids.

Cheryl and the boys each take between seven and 10 capsules a day of custom-made supplements.

"This is not a jack-of-all-vitamins," said Solomon, an advertising manager for the Suburban newspaper.
"Until you get tested, you don't know what's right and what's wrong."

The family spends $1,000 a month on supplements. The initial test cost $600 per person.

"In the last few months I've been taking it, I feel fabulous," said Solomon, who used to suffer from chronic indigestion.

"Several doctors said, 'You're getting older. Your body is changing.' "

Solomon, who also takes prescription medication for his digestive problems, said the nutritional supplements have helped him digest food better and boosted his energy.

MacLeod provides personalized care that is sorely lacking in the health care system, according to Solomon, who regards the cost of the vitamins as a long-term investment in his health.

"It's about get in, get out as fast as possible," he said of mainstream medicine. "We wait until we break down before we take care of something."

"This is the future," said pharmacist MacLeod, who founded NutriChem in 1981 and now provides nutritional testing and supplements to 20,000 families around the world.
The company mails out kits for blood and urine samples, which customers return to Ottawa for testing.

Many people are vitamin-deficient because of poor diet or problems absorbing nutrients from food, said MacLeod, whose customers range from middle-aged women with depression to professional hockey players.

They hear about NutriChem from the Internet, referrals by alternative health practitioners and word of mouth.

"Ninety percent of the Canadian population is not getting one or more essential micronutrients," he said.
"There are people running around with no gas in the tank."

MacLeod got into the nutritional-supplement business 27 years ago by creating vitamin cocktails for children with Down syndrome.
He later expanded his practice to include children and adults with conditions from autism to depression, high-performance athletes and people simply seeking optimum health.

But experts dispute the claims of companies that perform nutritional testing......................

Read the full story here

Depression linked to Osteoporosis

"Thinning of the bones makes fractures more likely

Study suggests: depression can increase the risk of the bone disorder osteoporosis for pre-menopausal women

A US study found 17% of depressed women but just 2% of those not depressed, had thinner bone in a part of the hip.

It found depressed women had overactive immune systems, making too many chemicals that promote inflammation including one that promotes bone loss.

The Archives of Internal Medicine study compared 89 depressed women with 44 non-depressed women, all aged 21 to 45.

Depressed women are more likely than other women to approach menopause already at higher risk of fractures Dr Richard Nakamura of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD - USA

Osteoporosis affects half of all women, and one in five men, over the age of 50.

After bone mass reaches its peak in youth, bone-thinning continues throughout life, accelerating after menopause.

Hip bones are among the most vulnerable to fracture in osteoporosis patients.

The researchers, from the National Institute of Mental Health, found these bones were particularly susceptible to thinning in depressed pre-menopausal women.

Dr Richard Nakamura, NIMH deputy director, said: "Osteoporosis is a silent disease. Too often, the first symptom a clinician sees is when a patient shows up with a broken bone".

"Now we know that depression can serve as a red flag - that depressed women are more likely than other women to approach menopause already at higher risk of fractures."

No drugs link

Other risk factors for osteoporosis - such as calcium and alcohol intake and contraceptive use - were similar in the two groups.

The depressed women were taking anti-depressant medications, which have previously been linked to an increased risk of fracture.

However, the current study found no link between these drugs and bone-thinning.

The researchers found 17% of the depressed women had thinner bone in a vulnerable part of the hip called the femoral neck, compared with just 2% of those who were not depressed.

Low bone mass in the lumbar spine, in the lower back, was found in 20% of depressed women, but in only 9% of non-depressed women.

The level of bone loss was at least as high as that associated with known risk factors such as smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise.

Blood and urine samples revealed that the depressed women had overactive immune systems, producing too many chemicals which promote inflammation, and not enough that keep it in check.

One of these chemicals - a protein called IL-6 - is known to promote bone loss.

The National Osteoporosis Society said much was still unknown about the disease, and said it would monitor further developments closely.

Editor's tip:

"Just don't be depressed if you brake an arm or leg, it won't contribute to the healing process!"