John Morey wrote:
> >I am very interested. I now drink copeous (sp?) (lots) of water, but how much is too much? Same for vitamins, other than A ( my seagull
story)?
John,
Water needs vary according to:
-caffeine & alcohol intake
-heat and humidity
-amount of activity
among other things. I hope the newsletter will answer your questions.
How much is too much? Well, there are documented cases of water
intoxication, but not under any normal conditions. In general, 2-4
quarts a day is fine, though I don't know your special conditions.
As for vitamins, again, I'd need more background. Age, usual daily diet,
medications used, lab reports, all play a part. B vitamin deficiency
complex and is common with certain medications, also with age. (I can
send you an article from the February newsletter on B vitamins, if
you're interested.) Zinc deficiency is also common, though more often
with women than men. Potassium deficiency can occur with several
medications, also in people who frequently eat processed foods. Certain
steriods can cause loss of calcium and increase needs for some B
vitamins. So I'd need more specific questions.
In general, supplements of vitamins A & D should be used with care, as
they are stored in the liver. Getting an excess of folate can mask a B12
deficiency.
But there are no quick and easy answers when it comes to nutrition, and
this is not surprising when you consider that each of us is unique and
has individual needs. A woman who lives in Boston, has a milk allergy,
has always had a sedentary lifestyle, drinks 8-10 cups of coffee a day,
and is of Scandinavian ancestry is quite likely at risk for
osteoporosis, while a woman in Florida with same background might not
be, simply due to greater exposure to sunlight (increased vitamin D
metabolism)--though I'd still be very concerned.
I'll try to answer questions, but an RD's tools are: age, height,
weight, serum cholesterol, blood pressure, diagnoses, medications used,
food allergies, family history of disease, religious/cultural food
restrictions, lab reports -- and that's just for starters!!
Without this kind of knowledge, we could easily give wrong or harmful
information. Instructions for a person with diabetes might be quite
different than those for a person with diabetes and PD, or PD and food
allergies, etc. That's why my newsletters are so much more generic than
one-on-one counseling.
By the way, what is your seagull story? You've got my curiousity going!
Best regards,
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
Editor-in-Chief,
"Spotlight on Food--nutrition news for people 60-plus"
Tel: 970-493-6532 Fax: 970-493-6538
http://www.fortnet.org/~fivstar
Contact Better Business Bureau of the Mountain States,
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