VITAMINS: NOT JUST FOR NUTRITIONAL BACKUP ANYMORE.

According to the March issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, vitamins are taking on a new role in health care – to help manage or treat disease:

B vitamins to manage cardiovascular health: A lack of certain B vitamins is thought to influence increased homocysteine, which is linked to heart disease and stroke.

Niacin (vitamin B3) to improve ‘good’ cholesterol: Taken at prescribed levels, niacin can potentially boost high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the ‘good’ cholesterol by 15-30%, and occasionally up to 50%.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) to help prevent migraines: Very preliminary evidence has found that high doses of riboflavin might help prevent migraines for some people.

Taking vitamins as medicine should be done under a doctor’s supervision. The recommended doses can be significantly higher than those in a multivitamin and may cause side effects. (HealthWorld/NewsWise/Medical News, 3/05)