RDA & DRI

I am a 53-year-old nursing student at a local college. Prior to taking a nutrition course, I was an avid naturopath with an extensive library of reputable journals, publications and medical books and cabinets full of supplements, herbal remedies, "all-natural" health and beauty aids. I frequent several health food stores in my area and...

I have been taking Lasix, a high blood pressure pill, every other day. Now, my doctor, has me taking one every day. The bottle of pills says I should drink orange juice or eat a banana every day for potassium. I like bananas, but orange juice is too acid for my stomach. What else...

I've just been put on 400 mg of B2, daily, for headaches and was trying to get more information. New treatment for migraines includes 400 milligrams of riboflavin per day. Ask your doctor before beginning as this is a very large dose of riboflavin. You also want to make sure your doctor eliminates other possible...

Does niacin give a clean urine test? If so what kind of dose should be taken? Don't know what kind of clean urine test to which you are referring? If you mean a clean drug test, no vitamin or mineral supplement or food can create a clean urine test. Only going drug-free after a period...

Folate. I have been unable to find it in the store. Is folate-related to niacin? That is my concern as niacin caused me to have a severe skin breakout. The doctor seemed unsure of my question and I didn't want to press him. Thank you for your response. Your page is great. Thank you, Folate is...

I am taking a nutrition course this semester and my professor mentioned that the RDA is doubled what is actually required for a few reasons, one being to ensure there are no deficiencies and the other because some vitamin supplement manufacturers lobbied to keep it high, so we will purchase their product. Her second reason...

I've seen Chromium Picolinate advertised recently as a "metabolism boosting" diet supplement. Is there any merit to this claim? No. Initially there was some speculation that since chromium is a component of the hormone insulin that additional chromium would enhance insulin's ability to break down glucose. Research has not supported this theory.

I'm concerned about getting enough calcium and am only 34 years old. The other day, I was watching a popular television program and they were discussing osteoporosis in women after menopause. Osteoporosis is characterized by a loss of calcium from bone, especially the spine and deterioration of bone tissue to the point it looks like...

I read in a parent's magazine that cooking spaghetti sauce in a cast iron pot adds a lot of iron. Is that iron the kind that is absorbed? It is true that foods cooked in cast iron skillets are higher in iron. However, the form of iron is not absorbed as well. Laboratory nutrient analysis...

Does cooking destroy vitamin C? Vitamin C is the most easily destroyed vitamin there is. It is destroyed by oxygen, heat (above 70 degrees) and it leaks out into the cooking water because it is a water-soluble vitamin. To preserve vitamin C in food, store citrus fruits, tomatoes, juices, broccoli, green peppers, cantaloupe, and strawberries in...