Multi Basics 3
A Complete, Well Balanced Multivitamin
HIGHLIGHTS
Includes all recognized essential multivitamins, minerals and a few critical phytonutrients
Provides nutrients in properly balanced ratios and avoids harmful excesses
Contains nutrients in amounts indicated by current research on an optimal diet
WHY DO WE ALL NEED A High Quality MULTIVITAMIN?
Research has clearly shown that deficiency in a number of critical nutrients increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and other scourges of modern society. These nutrients are not only needed in the right amounts but also in the right proportions. However most people don’t have the time, focus or nutritional expertise to achieve this.
Even with an optimal approach to dietary planning, another problem is that the foods we now consume are not as nutrient rich as they were decades ago. This is the result of modern methods of food processing and farming practices which deplete the soil of critical nutrients. In response to this obvious need, a large number of multi-vitamin and mineral supplements are now available on the market but unfortunately the majority of these products do not adequately address nutritional requirements, and worse, may even be harmful.
Firstly, in order to produce supplements at a competitive price, companies often compromise on quality by including cheaper components which may not be adequately absorbed by the body. Secondly, the concentrations of these essential nutrients may either be too low, too high or in the wrong balance. Although you may think that taking a less than optimal supplement is better than nothing at all, consider a few examples of the possible dangers improperly formulated multivitamins:
MANGANESE: Although manganese is an essential nutrient, ingestion of excessive amounts found in some health supplements can result in neurological damage, including a significantly increased risk of symptoms mimicking Parkinson’s disease - some say up to a 70% increased risk.
ZINC and COPPER: These essential minerals share a common mechanism for absorption, so ingesting too much of one may result in a deficiency in the other. Research shows that the ideal zinc-to-copper ratio should be 10:1. However a number of supplements contain as much as 23:1or worse. This can lead to copper deficiency, resulting in increased total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and cardiac dysfunction - including rhythm disturbances and heart attacks (see more details in the Research section below)
VITAMIN E: We actually need to ingest a total of eight forms of vitamin E in the right proportions for optimal health. Virtually all multivitamin formulas include vitamin E in the form of alpa-tocopherol. While alpha-tocopherol is needed by the body, it has been shown in clinical trials to deplete the body of gamma-tocopherol, the most important form of vitamin E for cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, it can take up to two years to restore the body’s natural balance of gamma-tocopherol after chronic use of alpha-tocopherol supplementation has been discontinued.
VITAMIN B2: Too much of some nutrients like vitamin B2 can actually inhibit absorption of other nutrients, while too little is just ineffective.
THE AOR DIFFERENCE
The products offered by AOR are a result of collaboration with nutrition departments of universities in Canada and around the world. The components in each supplement are evidence-based to maximize bioavailability, correct dosing and optimal relative concentrations. In fact the term “orthomolecular” refers to the principle established by Linus Pauling who won the Nobel Prize in 1954 and 1962. It refers to the importance of "the right amount of the right substances delivered to the right place in the body at the right time."
Multi Basics 3 avoids the pitfalls of improper formulations: excessive and harmful amounts are shunned, balanced vitamin complexes in amounts that reflect biological needs are used, and superior forms that are assimilated more efficiently are a priority. For example, some nutrients like vitamins A and E are better absorbed and more effective in their natural forms, others are better absorbed in synthetic supplement form, such as folate and other B- vitamins. Most importantly, Multi Basic 3TM provides nutrients in amounts that reflect the quantities found in optimal diets which have been shown to positively impact health.
Multi Basics 3 takes all of these factors into consideration, creating a carefully formulated, balanced and effective multivitamin that delivers many more benefits than a typical one-a-day multivitamin. Multi Basics 3TM is formulated to deliver the most fundamental nutrients in active forms in the fewest capsules possible. Multi Basics 3TM includes all recognized essential nutrients and delivers them in superior forms, such as the inclusion of the complete E complex and the menatetrenone form of vitamin K.
MULTI BASICS 3 PROVIDES CRITICALLY IMPORTANT INGREDIENT LEVELS
500 IU of preformed Vitamin A, because “more is not necessarily better”. Too much Vitamin A has a negative impact on bones. Animal studies have shown that Retinoic Acid (preformed Vitamin A) suppresses the proliferation and differentiation of preosteoblastic cells. Osteoblastic cells promote bone formation, which explains why studies have shown that intakes of 5000 IU and 6600 IU of preformed Vitamin A roughly double the risk of a fracture.
Reasonable amounts of Beta-Carotene, because too much Beta-Carotene is not good either. Beta-Carotene is safer than preformed Vitamin A but too much is clearly harmful. Animals given superdoses of Beta-Carotene (similar to doses found in several supplements) displayed signs of disturbances in the ability to detoxify carcinogens and showed activation of several pro-cancer genes resulting in an increased incidence of precancerous lung lesions. Similarly, high doses of beta-carotene resulted in higher lung cancer rates among smokers and those exposed to asbestos. Beta-Carotene supplementation should reflect the quantities of the vitamin found in optimal diets ‒ that is 6.8 to 11.4 mg of beta-carotene per day.
Moderate amounts of Manganese. Another case of zealous supplementation causing harm occurs with Manganese. The current evidence, although not fully confirmed, suggests that excess manganese can lead to neurological damage. Indeed, individuals with higher manganese intakes are approximately 70% more likely to end up with Parkinson’s disease.
Balanced Zinc-to-Copper ratios. Getting too much of either of these nutrients creates a functional deficiency in the other. It is therefore essential that supplementation provide a harmonious amount of each mineral. Unfortunately, many formulas contain potentially harmful Zinc-to-Copper ratios. Animal and human evidence suggests that an adequate Zinc-to-Copper ratio should be of about ten to one. Studies using a 23.5 to 1 ratio led to reductions in levels of copper-based antioxidants, increased total and LDL cholesterol and caused abnormalities in cardiac function.
From vitamin B1 for the metabolism of carbs to vitamin B12 for fatigue, Multi Basics 3TM contains a balanced ratio of B vitamins. The old expression that vitamins create expensive urine holds true for the all too common multivitamin formulas which contain an across-the-board 50mg of B vitamins. Multi Basics 3 contains a ratio of B vitamins based on an extensive review of published research to provide you with a balanced approach to both the safety and efficacy of B vitamin supplementation.
AOR™ was the first in the world to provide all 8 forms of vitamin E in a multi-vitamin formula (Ortho-CoreTM), multivitamin powder (Essential MixTM), and now in Multi Basics 3. All other multivitamin formulas currently available contain only Alpha Tocopherol which has been shown in clinical trials to deplete the body of gamma tocopherol, the most important form of vitamin E for cardiovascular health. It can take up to two years to restore the body’s natural balance of gamma tocopherol after chronic use of alpha tocopherol supplementation has stopped. Multi Basics 3 provides all 8 forms of vitamin E to ensure you get the maximum benefits and safety from supplementing with a multivitamin.
Menatetrenone, as Vitamin K2 is the form of vitamin K the body produces and utilizes. Menatetrenone is more effective than its plant-extracted counterpart (Vitamin K1) and supports superior skeletal, brain and cardiovascular benefits.
Calcium citrate-malate, with a greater bioavailability than other vegetarian forms of calcium.
Minerals such as boron, silicon and vanadium, with health benefits suggesting they may be as important as other minerals recognized as “essential”.
Phytochemicals, because there is a lot more than vitamins and essential minerals in a healthy diet. Phytochemicals are biologically active substances found in plants. Several thousand phytochemicals have been identified so far. The advantages of phytochemicals are impressive; they reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and degenerative diseases. Multi Basics 3 contains phytochemicals specific to food products with well-documented health benefits such as the garlic family and cruciferous vegetables. Such nutrients include alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin, lutein, mixed carotenoids, quercetin and mixed citrus bioflavonoids.
Choline and inositol ‒ two key cellular phospholipids found in the lipid bylayer of cell membranes. Choline is an essential nutrient that is required for normal cellular structure and function. Inositol is important for cellular defenses and exhibits anti-cancer potential. Inositol hexanicotinate, also found in Multi Basics 3 has a cholesterol-lowering effect.
MORE DETAILED RESEARCH
Vitamin A
Vitamin A in the form of β-carotene, being one of the primary ingredients in most multivitamin nutritional supplement formulas, has several well documented benefits. These include prevention of cardiovascular disease, and reduced risk of cardiovascular related death.
A study, conducted as a population-based, cross-sectional study in 374 men aged 40‒80 years, found that higher intake levels of total carotenoids were associated with a lower incidence of metabolic syndrome, as well as reduced levels of adiposity and serum triglycerides in men of middle and elderly age. Metabolic syndrome was present in 22 of the men taking part in the study. The presence of metabolic syndrome was determined using measures such as fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. After confounding factors were adjusted for, total intakes for carotenoid and lycopene were found to be inversely associated with metabolic syndrome [relative risk (RR) quartile 4 vs. quartile 1 (95% CI) 0.42 (0.20‒0.87), P-trend 0.02; and 0.55 (0.28‒1.11), P-trend 0.01, respectively]. A decreased risk was observed for each quartile of intake compared with the first in the case of beta carotene [RR quartile 4 vs. quartile 1 (95% CI) 0.58 (0.33‒1.02)]. Total intakes of carotenoid, b- carotene, a-carotene, and lycopene that were higher, were associated with waist circumferences that were lower as well as lowered visceral and subcutaneous fat mass. Lower serum triglyceride concentrations were associated with higher lycopene intakes..
Vitamin E
Although Gamma-Tocopherol is the main form of vitamin E found in the seeds of plants and most people’s diets, alpha-tocopherol is the primary form of vitamin E found in the tissues and supplements; little attention has been paid to the gamma form. However, recent studies indicate that gamma-tocopherol may be important to human health in that it possesses unique features that distinguish it from alpha-tocopherol. Gamma-Tocopherol is well absorbed and accumulates to a significant degree in some human tissues. Some human and animal studies indicate that plasma concentrations of gamma-tocopherol are inversely associated with an incidence of cardiovascular disease and abnormal cell growth in the prostate. These distinguishing features of gamma-tocopherol and its metabolite suggest that gamma- tocopherol may contribute significantly to human health in ways not recognized previously.
Zinc-Copper Ratio
Zinc and copper are essential minerals critical to health. An ongoing study tracking the nutritional intake of Americans found that 75% of older American adults were found to be failing to reach the RDA for zinc, and none of them achieved even the minimum recommended intake for copper. Yet while the importance of zinc is widely recognized, copper’s crucial role in our health has often been discounted. An overemphasis on zinc has resulted in widespread, unbalanced zinc supplementation, which has serious implications for your long-term health.
Zinc and copper are so similar in their atomic structure that they can actually compete with one another, not only for absorption, but also for utilization in the body’s biochemical pathways. When your intake of zinc is too high relative to your copper intake, the excess zinc actually interferes with the activity of enzymes which depend on copper for their biological function. When copper is not properly incorporated into these enzymes, they can’t fulfill their biochemical duties.
Both animal and human evidence suggests that, for optimal utilization of both minerals, the balance between zinc and copper should be about ten-to-one. But it’s common for supplements containing these nutrients to include too much zinc, and little or no copper, with the result that many ‒ perhaps most ‒ zinc supplements and multivitamin and multimineral formulas contain potentially harmful zinc imbalances.
This isn’t just a theoretical concern. In a series of human studies, putting volunteers on a diet and supplement regimen in which the ratio between zinc and copper was 23.5-to-one (and sometimes lower) ‒ common zinc-to-copper ratios, found in many multivitamins on health food store shelves ‒ resulted in wide-ranging metabolic disturbances, including reduced levels of the copper-based antioxidants enzymes, increased total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, anemia, reductions in the body’s levels of enkephalins (natural pain-killing molecules), and cardiac dysfunction (including rhythm disturbances and even heart attacks!).
At the extreme, out-of control zinc supplementation impairs immune function, despite the fact that an adequate intake of zinc is necessary for normal immune function. One reason for this may be copper’s important role in immune function: one of the classic signs of ‘simple’ copper deficiency is depressed levels of white blood cells.
Over the long term, it seems that other problems linked to long-term, subclinical ‘simple’ copper deficiency ‒ such as impaired bone metabolism, poor glucose metabolism, arthritis, neurological dysfunction, and increased levels of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGE) ‒ would also manifest from a functional copper deficiency created by excessive zinc intake. The problem, of course, is not zinc supplements ‒ but excessive or unbalanced zinc supplementation.
Excessive Zinc and Prostate Health
Many men take zinc supplements to support the health of their prostate, because the prostate has the highest levels of this mineral of any organ of the body, and most studies have found that low levels of zinc in the prostate are associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and more serious prostate disorders. But one large new study found that extreme zinc oversupplementation is associated with a more than doubled risk of developing prostate problems, especially if continued for more than 10 years.
This doesn’t mean that men concerned about prostate health should stop making sure that their zinc intake is adequate: there was no association of zinc supplement use and prostate problems in men with more reasonable intakes of the mineral. But it does mean that the targets that we should aim for are the kinds of intakes typical of a healthy diet.
References
Melhus H, Michaelsson K, Kindmark A, et al. Excessive dietary intake of vitamin A is associated with reduced bone mineral density and increased risk for hip fracture. Ann Intern Med. 1998 Nov 15;129(10):770-8.
Russell RM. The enigma of beta-carotene in carcinogenesis: what can be learned from animal studies. J Nutr. 2004 Jan;134(1):262S-268S.
Huang HY, Appel LJ. Supplementation of diets with alpha-tocopherol reduces serum concentrations of gamma- and delta-tocopherol in humans. J Nutr. 2003 Oct;133(10):3137-40.
Jiang Q, Christen S, Shigenaga MK, Ames BN. Gamma-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet, deserves more attention. Am J Clin Nutr 2001 Dec; 74(6): 714-22.
Sandstead HH. Requirements and toxicity of essential trace elements, illustrated by zinc and copper. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Mar;61(3 Suppl):621S-624S.
Slattery ML, Benson J, Curtin K, Ma KN, Schaeffer D, Potter JD. Carotenoids and colon cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Feb;71(2):575-82.
Whanger PD. Selenocompounds in plants and animals and their biological significance. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Jun;21(3):223-32.
Ivonne Sluijs, Joline WJ Beulens, Diederick E Grobbee, Yvonne T van der Schouw. Dietary Carotenoid Intake Is Associated with Lower Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men. J Nutr 2009, 139:987-992.
Brian Buijsse, Edith JM Feskens, Lemogang Kwape, Frans J Kok, Daan Kromhout. Both α- and β- Carotene, but Not tocopherol and Vitamin C, Are Inversely Related to 15-Year Cardiovascular Mortality in Dutch Elderly Men. J. Nutr. 2008, 138:344-350.
Jacques van rooyen, Adriaan J Esterhuyse, Anna-Mart Engelbrecht, Engene F du Toit. Health Benefits of a natural carotenoid rich oil: a proposed mechanism of protection against ischaemia / reperfusion injury. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2008, 7(S1):316-319.
Wolfgang KÓ§pcke, Jean Krutmann. Protection from sunburn with beta-carotene ‒ A Meta-analysis. Photochemistry and Photobiology 2008, 84: 284-288.
Haskell CF, Scholey AB, Jackson PA, Elliott JM, Defeyter MA, Greer J, Robertson BC, Buchanan T, Tiplady B and Kennedy DO. Cognitive and mood effects in healthy children during 12 weeks’ supplementation with multi-vitamin/minerals. British Journal of Nutrition. 2008.
Wilhelm Stahl, Helmut Sies. Bioactivity and protective effects of natural carotenoids. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 2005, 1740:101-107.
Helmut Sies and Wilhelm Stahl. Carotenoids and UV Protection. Article © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2004.
Helmut Sies and Wilhelm Stahl. Nutritional Protection Against Skin Damage from Sunlight. Annu. Rev. Nutr. 2004, 24:173-200.
Astley SB, Hughes DA, Wright AJ, Elliott RM, Southon S. DNA damage and susceptibility to oxidative damage in lymphocytes: effects of carotenoids in vitro and in vivo. Br J Nutr. 2004 Jan; 91(1):53-61.
Barringer TA, Kirk JK, Santaniello AC, Foley KL, Michielutte R. Effect of a multivitamin and mineral supplement on infection and quality of life. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Mar 4;138(5):365-71.
McKay DL, Perrone G, Rasmussen H, Dallal G, Blumberg JB. Multivitamin/mineral supplementation improves plasma B-vitamin status and homocysteine concentration in healthy older adults consuming a folate-fortified diet. J Nutr. 2000 Dec;130(12):3090-6.
Telford RD, Catchpole EA, Deakin V, McLeay AC, Plank AW. The effect of 7 to 8 months of vitamin/ mineral supplementation on the vitamin and mineral status of athletes. Int J Sport Nutr. 1992 Jun; 2(2):123-34.
Benton D, Roberts G. Effect of vitamin and mineral supplementation on intelligence of a sample of schoolchildren. Lancet. 1988 Jan 23;1(8578):140-3.
J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Feb;6(1):31-5. The effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on juvenile delinquency among American schoolchildren: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Feb;6(1):31-5.
Schoenthaler SJ, Bier ID, Young K, Nichols D, Jansenns S. The effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on the intelligence of American schoolchildren: a randomized, double-blind placebo- controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Feb;6(1):19-29.