The Vitamin Supplement Double-Cross

This topic fails to get the significance it deserves. Intrigued?

• The Double Cross occurs when a vitamin or mineral supplement is taken for one beneficial health aspect while at the same time the product also influences another function or process. This other function might be beneficial, neutral, or it might exhibit adverse actions, often ones that could go unnoticed for some time. The Double Cross is when the other function is adverse. Below are some examples.

EXAMPLE:   Low vitamin B6 levels are associated with nerve damage. ref But, also excessive levels exhibit nerve damage potential as well. Many vitamins and minerals have this same biphasic issue. While Government Health Agencies give recommended ranges, accumulative totals from different dietary and supplement sources often can reach excessive cumulative amounts. 

EXAMPLE:  Calcium is often recommended to help build bones. But, the mineral that can become suspect from overloading, especially when ratios with other minerals are not respected. Eating a variety of different food usually serves to balance ratios. Magnesium and phosphorous are two prime related minerals to calcium. Anyone consuming dairy products on a daily basis could quickly exhibit a higher and potentially detrimental calcium to magnesium balance ratio. ref Dairy has a 10 to 1 ratio, while almost all other foods averaged together have close to a 1 to 1 ratio. When might such a high calcium to magnesium ratio be needed. Only when a baby needs to solidify the cartilage bending bones needed for easy delivery into the strong high calcium supported bones for upright walking. The Double Cross is when calcium ends up in the wrong places, like arteries or other soft tissues instead of just going into bones. Food for Thought!

EXAMPLE:  Vitamin D consumed for maintaining bone health could also generate this same bone building process in artery walls, leading to vascular calcification and resulting arteriosclerosis. Both an excess and a deficiency of vitamin D can increase vascular calcification. ref ref  There are other nutrients that work to prevent this process from occurring in artery walls, such as vitamin K2 and proper calcium / phosphorous / magnesium ratios. Protecting artery integrity is paramount as well as limiting oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

EXAMPLE: Folates, and the synthetic form folic acid, work to prevent cells from turning cancerous during normal cell division. But, after a tumor has formed, this same process is hijacked by the cancer cells to help them grow with faster cell divisions. Excess synthetic folic acid also reduces the activity level of the immune response cells. article

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