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Healthy Aging By Sharon Johnson Vitamins make up for defects in our diet I spent last week with a vitamin expert. John Block is a learned, lanky, sixtysomething Oregon State University pharmacy professor who presented a series of seminars on vitamins, antioxidants and nutritional supplements. Block could be called a "classic academic." He has a formal teaching style: With Block, you feel like you are back in the classroom. But he also displays a very practical nature and, unexpectedly at times, a wry sense of humor. He knows that most of us get our information on vitamins and nutrition from magazines. He could even cite the confirming study. Done in 1999, by the American Dietetic Association, it concluded that 87 percent of respondents thought magazines were a valuable information source on nutrition. Block even knew which magazines were the most reliable sources. Parents� Magazine, Cooking Light, Good Housekeeping and Consumer Reports were at the top of the list. He was asked, "Do vitamins protect us against cancer and cardiovascular disease?" The answer was "probably, yes." But it is a complicated calculation. Conclusions cannot take into account individual lifestyles and varying genetic histories. It is also important to recognize that cancer, in his words, is "a family of disorders" and not a single disease. (For example, there are four different kinds of breast cancer.) Block knew a lot about the role of vitamins in our diets, but confessed that he did not personally take any nutritional supplements. He seemed to suggest "why spend the money" when you can (and should) obtain your nutrition through the food you eat. Despite the professor�s personal decision not to take vitamins � and for reasons that range from too many calorie-restricted diets to the nutritional challenges of disease management � there does seem to be increasing support for a daily multivitamin tablet. If we all would consistently eat three well-balanced meals a day, we would not need that vitamin. However, when pressed, few of us can attest to a plate half full of vegetables at our evening meal and fruit throughout the day. How much of a particular vitamin is needed? Using Block�s references, I concluded that I should continue taking my daily multivitamin, with folic acid. I also realized that if I would eat more wisely, I would not need it. He prompted me to rethink my calcium intake and consider starting a food diary. People attending the seminars were fully engaged in learning, asking lots of good questions. When Block wanted to supplement (a small pun) his response, he routed the query to one of several Web sites that provide further exploration in a particular area. My favorite reference was Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, www.barc.usda.gov/bhnrc. I also liked the advice I got when I checked out another of the nutritional Web sites he recommended. It reminded me that chocolate is an antioxidant and implied it should be consumed � often, and without hesitation. Now my only remaining decision is: Do I have the chocolate with my vitamin tablet, or save it for dessert? Sharon Johnson is an assistant professor in family and community development at OSU Extension and a member of the Senior Advisory Council. Reach her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.