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Micronutrients

Multivitamins featured article

Introduction

Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread. Up to 70% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin D, nearly 50% fall short of their magnesium needs, and 35% have an insufficient intake of calcium.

These deficiencies and insufficiencies ravage our health. Inadequate vitamin D increases mortality risk. A magnesium deficiency can accelerate biological aging. Folate deficiency by itself can produce a level of DNA damage that is equivalent to or in excess of an acute exposure to radiation (although this occurs at levels uncommonly seen in human populations).

Addressing these deficiencies seems to hold a remarkable benefit. For example, correcting...

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Q&A #65 with Dr. Rhonda Patrick (12/7/24)

Posted on December 10th 2024 (5 months)

Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses _Akkermansia muciniphila_, vitamin B1's effect on blood sugar, emulsifiers in food, and electrolyte supplements.

micronutrients

Rhonda Patrick's Smoothie Recipe (and why she stopped adding bananas)

Posted on September 2nd 2024 (9 months)

In this clip, Dr. Rhonda Patrick details the smoothie recipe she has 4-5x/week and explains why she stopped adding bananas.

aging

How Micronutrients & Exercise Ameliorate Aging | Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Posted on February 21st 2024 (about 1 year)

In my keynote at LongevityFest 2023, I share powerful habits to delay aging and improve healthspan, presented at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

Topic Pages

  • Multivitamins

    Multivitamin and multimineral supplements are used by nearly one-third of adults to improve health and mitigate disease risk.

  • Sodium (Salt)

    Sodium plays a crucial role in human physiology, yet its consumption remains a topic of ongoing debate in health and nutrition science.

  • Ultra-processed Foods (UPFs)

    UPFs are formulations of mostly cheap industrial sources of dietary energy (calories) and nutrients plus additives that have negative effects on human health.

News & Publications

  • Nearly half of people with type 2 diabetes have multiple micronutrient deficiencies—the most common being vitamin D. nutrition.bmj.com
    Vitamin D Diabetes Micronutrients Magnesium Vitamin B12 Insulin Metformin

    Micronutrient deficiencies contribute to insulin resistance, a key driver of type 2 diabetes, but researchers still don’t fully understand their role in the disease’s progression. A recent study found that nearly half of people with type 2 diabetes suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, with vitamin D being the most prevalent.

    Researchers analyzed data from studies investigating links between micronutrient deficiencies and type 2 diabetes. Their analysis included 132 studies and more than 52,000 participants.

    They found that 45% of people with type 2 diabetes had multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Women with the disease were more likely to have deficiencies, with 48% affected compared to 41% of men. Vitamin D deficiency was the most common, affecting 60% of participants, followed by magnesium (42%) and vitamin B12 (28%)—the latter being especially prevalent among people with type 2 diabetes who were taking metformin. The prevalence of deficiencies also varied by region.

    These findings suggest that micronutrient deficiencies are widespread in people with type 2 diabetes, particularly among women. Check out our many resources on micronutrients, including vitamin D and magnesium, and the long-term health consequences of deficiencies.

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  • Women consuming five eggs weekly experience less decline in verbal fluency, a measure of semantic memory, highlighting the potential role of eggs in preserving cognitive function. www.mdpi.com
    Brain Diet Aging Cholesterol Memory Micronutrients

    Eggs are a dietary paradox: high in cholesterol but rich in brain-boosting nutrients, including choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin. While some studies indicate that eggs maintain cognitive health, others report the converse. A recent study found that eating eggs may help women preserve semantic memory—crucial for language comprehension and factual recall—as they age.

    Researchers analyzed data from 890 adults aged 55 and older. Participants reported their egg consumption using a food frequency questionnaire, and researchers measured their memory and thinking skills at two clinic visits about four years apart.

    They found that women who ate five eggs weekly experienced less decline in verbal fluency, a measure of semantic memory, than those who ate fewer eggs. In men, researchers found no clear relationship between egg intake and changes in cognitive performance. Eating eggs did not appear to harm cognitive function in either sex.

    These findings suggest that eggs play a small but beneficial role in preserving memory in women. They also align with other research demonstrating that people with moderate choline intake—roughly the amount in two eggs—are about half as likely to have low cognitive function than those with the lowest intake.

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  • Multivitamin/mineral supplements enhance memory and cognitive function in older adults, a finding from the COSMOS trial. www.sciencedirect.com
    Brain Alzheimer's Aging Micronutrients Dementia

    As the global population ages, the number of people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia increases. A robust and growing body of evidence indicates that lifestyle influences the risk of developing dementia. A recent study found that multivitamin/mineral supplements improve memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults – roughly equivalent to reducing cognitive aging by two years.

    Researchers investigated the effects of multivitamin/mineral supplementation on cognitive function in a subset of participants enrolled in the COSMOS study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving more than 21,000 older adults (60 years or older) in the U.S. Participants in COSMOS were randomly assigned to receive one of three interventions: cocoa extract (providing 500 milligrams of flavanols daily, including 80 milligrams of epicatechin), a multivitamin/mineral supplement, or both, daily for two years. A fourth group received a placebo. In the subset, called COSMOS-Clinic, 573 participants underwent extensive brain function tests before and after the study and again two years later.

    They found that multivitamin/mineral supplementation conferred modest improvements in overall cognitive function over two years in participants enrolled in the subset, particularly in episodic memory – the ability to recall specific events, experiences, and contextual details from one’s past. They did not observe improvements in the participants' executive function or attention. However, a meta-analysis involving more than 5,000 participants from the COSMOS-Clinic, COSMOS-Mind, and COSMOS-Web studies demonstrated that multivitamin/mineral supplementation markedly improved overall cognition and episodic memory.

    These findings from the COSMOS trials suggest that multivitamin/mineral supplementation – a low-cost, low-effort intervention – improves cognitive function in older adults. They also highlight the role of adequate nutrition throughout the lifespan and support the “micronutrient triage theory” – the idea that the body prioritizes the utilization of micronutrients for metabolic pathways needed for survival and reproduction over those used for long-term health. Learn more about micronutrient triage theory in this clip featuring Dr. Bruce Ames.

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  • Higher potassium and magnesium intake – not lower sodium – cuts heart disease risk. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    Micronutrients Magnesium Blood Pressure

    Experts have long believed that high dietary sodium intake increases a person’s risk of adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, including high blood pressure. However, other dietary minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, likely influence cardiovascular health too. Findings from a study published earlier this year suggest that dietary potassium and magnesium markedly decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

    Potassium is an essential mineral that plays key roles in cardiac function. It is found in a wide range of whole foods, especially potatoes, bananas, winter squashes, and some legumes. Processed foods are typically low in potassium. Nutrition experts have not established a recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for potassium, but intakes above 4,700 milligrams per day are considered optimal. Most people living in the United States consume roughly half this amount.

    Magnesium is also an essential mineral. It participates in many aspects of cardiovascular health and helps maintain normal heart rhythm. Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The RDA for magnesium varies according to age, life stage, and sex, ranging from 310 milligrams per day for a young adult female to 420 milligrams per day for an older adult male.

    The authors of the study drew on data from the Framingham Offspring Study, an ongoing cohort study of cardiovascular disease risk among people living in the northeastern United States. During multiple visits over a period of four years, the authors collected information from more than 2,300 adult participants (30 to 65 years old) regarding their overall health, lifestyles, and cardiovascular risks. Participants completed a food diary in which they recorded types and amounts of foods they consumed over a three-day period.

    The authors' analysis revealed that even after considering sex, body mass index, dietary fiber intake, and blood pressure, lower sodium intake (less than 2,500 mg/day) did not decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, higher potassium intake (3,000 milligrams or more daily) decreased risk by 25 percent, and higher magnesium intake (320 milligrams or more daily) decreased risk by 34 percent. Higher calcium intake (700 milligrams or more daily) decreased cardiovascular risk by 19 percent, but this finding was not statistically significant.

    These findings suggest that potassium and magnesium play important roles in cardiovascular health. Public health efforts to reduce sodium intake have been largely unsuccessful, with most Americans consuming nearly 3,400 milligrams every day, considerably more than the recommended 2,300 milligrams per day. Focusing efforts on increasing the intake of potassium and magnesium may have greater returns on improving cardiovascular health.

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  • Folate reduces risk for Alzheimer’s disease. www.frontiersin.org
    Brain Alzheimer's Micronutrients Folate Neurodegeneration

    Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of neurodegenerative disease in older adults, causes a progressive deterioration of cognitive function. Recent research indicates that folate (vitamin B9) deficiency may play a role in Alzheimer’s pathology along with other micronutrients, such as vitamin A. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis reports that folate deficiency increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

    Folate is an essential nutrient used by the body to create new DNA and RNA and to metabolize amino acids, all of which are necessary for cell division. Good sources of folate include legumes, such as peanuts and chickpeas, and green vegetables such as spinach and asparagus. Previous research has shown that folate supplementation improves cognitive function in older adults through mechanisms that are not well-understood, but likely involve reduced inflammation. Because dose, population characteristics, and testing methods often vary among clinical trials, coming to a consensus about the efficacy of an investigational treatment presents challenges; however, review articles can be a valuable way to combine and report existing data in a new and helpful way. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis, meaning that the authors searched existing literature for studies related to folate and Alzherimer’s disease, collected studies based on a set of criteria meant to select for high-quality design, and then combined the data and reanalyzed it.

    The authors selected 59 studies that met their criteria for high-quality design. In a sample of more than 2,000 participants from a collection of case-control studies, participants with folate deficiency (less than 13.5 nanomoles per liter) were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to participants with normal folate status (greater than 13.5 nanomoles per liter). Likewise, data from a collection of five cohort studies revealed that participants with folate deficiency were 88 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to individuals with sufficient folate status. Finally, in a sample of 11 cohort studies, participants who consumed less than the recommended dietary allowance (400 micrograms) were 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who consumed 400 micrograms of folate per day or more.

    This review of the evidence supports a relationship between folate intake and serum folate concentration in reducing risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Future studies should utilize an interventional design to investigate the mechanisms of folate in Alzheimer’s pathology.

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  • Micronutrient supplementation before pregnancy improves children’s long-term intellectual functioning. academic.oup.com
    Pregnancy Micronutrients Development

    Pregnancy and early childhood are periods of human development when the body has an increased requirement for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Animal studies have shown the importance of preconception nutrition for offspring development; however, long-term human trials are lacking. Investigators aimed to determine the long-term effects of preconception micronutrient supplementation on children’s intellectual functioning.

    Several micronutrients play critical roles in fetal development. For example, folic acid supplementation during pregnancy prevents neural tube defects, and iron plays an important role in brain maturation, promoting cell division, myelination, and synaptic development. Less is known about the importance of other micronutrients, however.

    The researchers assigned over 5,000 female participants to take folic acid (2,800 micrograms) only, iron plus folic acid (60 milligrams iron and 2800 micrograms folic acid), or multiple micronutrients (15 micronutrients including iron and folic acid) for an average of 33 weeks between baseline and conception. Researchers tracked 1,300 of the participants' children from birth to the age of six. They tested the children on multiple domains of intelligence and collected information regarding maternal health and home life.

    Compared to children whose mothers received only folic acid, children in the iron plus folic acid and mixed micronutrient group performed better in multiple domains, including verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. This effect was strongest for children whose mothers consumed the supplements for greater than 26 weeks before conception. The effects of supplementation were also stronger for children born to households with low socioeconomic status.

    The authors concluded that preconception micronutrient supplementation is important to optimize child development and recommended the promotion of supplementation to all females of child-bearing age.

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  • Including mushrooms as part of a healthy dietary pattern provides many essential nutrients. www.eurekalert.org
    Nutrition Micronutrients

    Current dietary guidelines for people living in the United States recommend following a health dietary pattern that is rich in nutrient-dense foods to promote health and prevent chronic disease. Findings from a recent study demonstrate that including mushrooms as part of a healthy dietary pattern provides many essential nutrients.

    Mushrooms are edible fungi, generally categorized as vegetables in the human diet. They are rich sources of many vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, potassium, and selenium. When grown in the presence of ultraviolet light, mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D2. Mushrooms also contain a variety of bioactive compounds, including the antioxidant molecules ergothioneine and glutathione.

    The authors of the study conducted a dietary modeling analysis to investigate the effects of adding a serving (84 grams, about ½ cup) of a combination of white, crimini, and portabella mushrooms or oyster mushrooms only to three healthy eating patterns: US style, Mediterranean style, and vegetarian style. They obtained nutrient data for the mushrooms from the USDA nutrient database, and nutritional profiles for the three dietary patterns from USDA dietary analyses.

    The assessment revealed that a single serving of mushrooms added approximately 2 to 3 percent more fiber, 8 to 12 percent more potassium, 12 to 18 percent more riboflavin (a B vitamin), 11 to 26 percent more niacin (a B vitamin), 11 to 23 percent more selenium, and 16 to 26 percent more copper, depending upon the dietary pattern under comparison. Eating mushrooms that had been exposed to sufficient ultraviolet light to increase vitamin D levels to 200 IU per serving increased vitamin D intake by 67 to 90 percent. A single serving of oyster mushrooms added 8 to 11 percent more vitamin D and 10 to 16 percent more choline to the dietary patterns. Data from other studies suggest that a single serving of mushrooms would add 2.2 milligrams of ergothioneine and 3.5 milligrams of glutathione to the three dietary patterns.

    These findings suggest that mushrooms provide many key nutrients and can be part of a healthy dietary pattern. This study was supported by the Mushroom Council.

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