Don't go above safe limits with vitamin, mineral pills
Q. Your informative column on zinc and copper intake made me wonder about the combination of minerals my wife takes: Centrum Silver plus Bausch & Lomb's PreserVision with Lutein. One Centrum pill contains 11 milligrams of zinc, and one PreserVision contains 34.8 milligrams of zinc, but two PreserVision gels per day are recommended. Is this cause for concern? And can you tell me of any source for a list of "tolerable upper limits" of minerals and vitamins? Thank you for your help.
B.N., via e-mail
A. People often find themselves taking more than one type of dietary supplement, and each can have its own lineup of ingredients. It becomes a dilemma when there is an overlap, especially if it involves a nutrient in which there is an upper limit or other cause for concern.
The answer is that we should never make a product decision based solely on the name of a product, or any other promotional suggestion, without first looking at what is in the bottle. Make a note of the component ingredients and make note of duplications. If you find yourself deciding between multiple products that have some of the same ingredients, find out whether there is an upper limit or some other cause for concern. Check the fact sheets on dietary supplements from the National Institutes of Health at www.tinyurl.com/4hmpw.
Check the labels of the products you are taking to be sure you are not over the line. "Tolerable upper limit" refers to the maximum level of daily intake unlikely to result in an adverse effect (for 98 percent of the population). For zinc, the upper limit is 40 milligrams per day for adults. You should not stray above these limits on a regular basis without reason. Touch base with your personal physician or health professional.
Q. Recently, I have read that cloned meat will be available on the market and that labeling "cloned" will not be required. I was wondering, since I recall the original research on the cloned sheep, Dollie, and how the other sheep aged quicker than normal: Will this fact affect the safety of eating cloned meat? Has this issue been corrected and I have not seen the research? What do you feel about this cloned meat for human consumption?
L.V., Jacksonville, Fla.
A. In this election year, we will have a chance to vote for distinct issues and candidates. We should never lose sight of the fact that every day we have opportunities to "vote" with our pocketbooks. Granted, we may not have all the food options we'd like, but we can make things happen through purchases and by making our preferences known to the stores that want our business.
From a purely objective point of view, using the tests available to us and focusing solely on the safety of the meat on the plate, there does not seem to be any additional safety risk from eating meat from a cloned animal. But, while I understand the scientific drive to make things like this happen, I question the need. It is not something I am interested in encouraging.
I would prefer to have cloned beef labeled, much in the same way that I appreciate dairy products being labeled "from cows not treated with growth hormone (rBST)." Whether or not we decide to go for these products, at least we'll have the choice.