Dr. Fuhrman's Gentle Care Formula Multi–Vitamin

Features:

Sincemost people's diets are not ideal and individual absorption andutilization varies from person to person, it makes sense to recommendthat all people take a high-quality multiple to assure most favorablevitamin D, B12, zinc, iodine, and selenium status, to name a few.

Evenif your diet is ideal, some people require more of certain nutrientsthan others. For example, it is not uncommon for some people to needextra vitamin D, or extra B12, even when their diets contain typicalamounts of these vitamins. This is especially true regarding vitamin Dbecause of the depletion of the atmosphere's ozone layer and subsequentincrease in skin damage from the sun. Because of this, many peoplepractice sun avoidance and wear sunscreen, which decreases theirvitamin D production.

I also took intoconsideration my recommendation to avoid all salt added to food. Saltis iodinated, making it the primary source of iodine in most people'sdiets. Therefore, a multiple will assure adequate iodine intake inthose who avoid adding salt to their diet.

Are there any problems with taking supplements?

Themain problem with taking a typical multivitamin is that it may exposeyou to extra nutrients that you do not need. Sometimes too much ofcertain nutrients can have toxic or harmful effects. For example, I donot recommend taking supplements that contain vitamin A, isolatedbeta-carotene, or iron, because there are risks associated withconsumption of these nutrients above what we receive in our diet.

Ingestingvitamin A or beta-carotene in isolation—from supplements, instead offrom food—may interfere with the absorption of other cruciallyimportant carotenoids, such as lutein and lycopene, thus potentiallyincreasing cancer risk.¹

The precursorto vitamin A, beta-carotene once was regarded as a safe and beneficialantioxidant and even recommended as an anti-cancer vitamin, but it hasrecently been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers whenadministered as an isolated supplement. Scientists now suspect thatproblems may result when beta-carotene is ingested without othercarotenoids that would have been present had it been ingested from realfood. Beta-carotene is only one of about 500 carotenoids that exist.Beta-carotene supplements are poor substitutes for the broad assortmentof carotenoid compounds found in plants.

Why did researchers think that beta-carotene had such a powerful anti-cancer effect?

Theyhad found that populations with high levels of beta-carotene in theirbloodstream had exceedingly low rates of cancer. Recently, it wasdiscovered that the reason these people were protected against cancerwas because of hundreds of carotenoids and phytochemicals in the fruitsand vegetables they were consuming. It wasn't that beta-carotene alonewas responsible for the benefit; it was merely that it had served as aflag or marker for those populations with a high fruit and vegetableintake. Unfortunately, many scientists confused the flag for the ship.

InFinnish trials, those using beta-carotene supplements failed to preventlung cancer, and there was actually an increase in cancer in those whotook the supplement.² This study was halted when thephysician researchers discovered the death rate from lung cancer was 28percent higher among participants who had taken the high amounts ofbeta-carotene and vitamin A. Furthermore, the death rate from heartdisease was 17 percent higher in those who had taken the supplementscompared to those just given a placebo.³ Another recentstudy showed similar results, correlating beta-carotene supplementationwith an increased occurrence of prostate cancer.

As a result of these European studies, as well as similar studies conducted here in the United States,⁴ articles in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute,⁵ the Lancet,⁶ and the New England Journal of Medicine all advise people to stop taking beta-carotene supplements.

How have supplement manufacturers responded?

Asa result of these studies, I expected many manufacturers to dropbeta-carotene from their vitamins and substitute plant-derivedcarotenoids, but it never happened. This is one of the reasons I feltimpelled to design my own formula.

Are there any other problems with standard formulas?

Yes.Since beta-carotene gets converted into vitamin A by your body, thereis no reason why a person eating a reasonably healthy diet wouldrequire any extra vitamin A. The ingestion of extra vitamin A (retinylpalmatate) may be even more risky than the ingestion of supplementalbeta-carotene.

There is solid research revealingthat supplemental vitamin A induces calcium loss in the urine,contributing to osteoporosis. Too much vitamin A is known to be toxicto the liver, and to cause birth defects. The most common effect oftoxic doses of vitamin A in animals is spontaneous fracture.

In humans, excess vitamin A is potentially a problem, even in ranges not normally considered toxic.⁷One study found that subjects with a vitamin A intake in the range of1.5 mg had double the hip fracture rate of those with an intake in therange of .5 mg.⁸ For every 1 mg increase in vitamin Aconsumption, hip fracture rate increased by 68 percent. Physiciansdon't permit expectant mothers to take more than 5,000 IU's of vitaminA (retinyl palmatate) because too much vitamin A has been linked tobirth defects. These are some of the reasons why—for years—I haverecommended supplements with the lowest possible dosage of vitamin A.

A recent study warns of the increased mortality caused by excessive beta-carotene

Is vitamin A still included in most formulas?

Yes.In spite of a huge volume of solid information documenting thedeleterious effects of vitamin A, it is still impossible to findmultiples without it. That is why it was important for me to recommenda multiple that included a wide range of natural, plant-foodcarotenoids (containing the entire family of carotenoids and not justbeta-carotene). It was important for me to create a multiple with noisolated vitamin A.

What about vitamin C? How much is too much?

Thecurrent popularity of high-dose vitamin C supplementation is a possibleconcern. Researchers at the University of California found that men whotook 500 mg of vitamin C daily had thickening of their arterial walls2.5 times greater than men who did not take the supplement.⁹ Increased arterial thickening increases risk of hypertension and heart disease.

Keepin mind this is only one study. Hundreds of others have shown benefitsof supplemental vitamin C for those on the vitamin C deficient dietthat the vast majority of Americans eat. Other studies are needed toconfirm these findings. However, healthy diets are already rich invitamin C and contain over 500 mg just from their food. Since people onhealthy diets need so little extra, I have included only 100 mg ofvitamin C in each of my tablets.

Is excess a problem with any other nutrients?

Nutritionalimmunologists have shown that nutrient supplementation beyond what canbe obtained from the diet is often necessary to optimize immunefunction, especially in the elderly.¹⁰ The downside tosupplementation has been the potential risk present from consuming toomuch of certain nutrients. These include B6, iron, vitamin A, andbeta-carotene. Iron is an oxidant and can contribute to infection andeven increase heart attack risk. It only should be taken as asupplement when a deficiency exists, which is almost always due toblood loss.

Care to avoid consuming too much ofcertain nutrients is just as important as too little. I frequently findthat patients who take an assortment of nutritional supplements consumepotentially harmful levels of iron, vitamin B12, and even selenium,copper or zinc.

Recent studies have shown that excess copper could be associated with reduced immune function and lower antioxidant status.¹¹Recently published research also indicates that high copper intake anddiets high in saturated and trans fats could lead to an acceleratedrate of mental decline in older adults.¹²

Idesigned my own multiple with special care to avoid issues from toomuch of potential risky nutrients, while utilizing quality whole-food,plant sources of those nutrients that offer nutritional insurance. Itis unique for what it contains and for what it does not contain.

Becauseof these features, Dr. Fuhrman's Gentle Care Formula is an excellentprenatal vitamin as well. It also is designed so an elderly individualwith increased vitamin D needs can take three or four a day (instead oftwo a day) and still not be concerned about the toxicity issues fromtoo much of certain nutrients.

Do vegetarians have any special nutrient needs?

Atotal vegetarian (vegan) diet is deficient in meeting the nutrientneeds of most individuals for vitamin B12. If you choose to follow avegan diet, it is essential to consume supplemental B12. My multiplesupplies the extra B12 and vitamin D that vegan patients almost alwaysneed, while still maintaining the vegan purity of the product. This wasnot easy. I was extremely careful and diligent to make my supplementtotally vegan because I have become aware that the vast majority ofsupplements advertised as vegetarian or vegan are not vegan. Forexample, the vitamin D in most "o-called" vegan supplements is madefrom sheep wool fat. Similarly, many supplement ingredients use fishemulsion as a stabilizer. The documentation of ingredient sources andmethods of manufacturing was carefully researched.

Can supplements make up for an unhealthful diet?

Itis critical to recognize that all dietary supplements are supplementsto and not substitutes for a healthful diet. To the extent that theyoffer some people the confidence to eat less wholesome vegetation, theyare hurtful, not helpful. The point to be emphasized is thatsupplements alone cannot offer optimal protection against disease, andyou cannot make an unhealthy diet into a healthy one by consumingsupplements.

My Gentle Care supplement is theonly one I know that has been designed to be gentle on the digestivetract, non-stimulating, and formulated to be added to a relativelyhealthy diet. It was not designed to take the place of healthful eating.

Here are the ingredients in Dr. Fuhrman's Gentle Care Formula, as shown on the bottle: