Dr. Mark’s Patient Information Series
Vitamins / Minerals
Vitamin A (Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate) or Beta Carotene
(dietary precursors to vitamin A)
Fat-soluble nutrient DV: 5,000 IU, UL: 20 mg for heavy smokers (Carotenoids
are remarkably devoid of toxicity. Massive over consumption of carotenoids
can result in yellowing of the skin)
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
Night blindness. Helps form and maintain healthy eyes,
hair, teeth, gums, skin, mucous membranes, kidney, bladder and lungs.
Helps fat metabolism. Antioxidant. Fights infection. |
Prevents night blindness. Stimulates the immune system,
reduces risk of some tumors, including lung, colorectal, prostate and
breast. It’s the “skin” vitamin. Aids in cataracts
and other eye problems. |
Dark green leafy veggies, carrots, cantaloupe, sweet
potatoes, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, yellow and orange veggies and
fruits. Fish liver oils but these are high in mercury. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
Prevents rickets and osteomalacia. Improves immune
function. Helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, strengthens
bones and teeth. Regulates heart beat. |
Fights osteoporosis, osteomalacia, breast, prostate
and colon cancer, some deafness, diabetes and acne. High amounts are
strongly anti-cancer |
Fatty fish, fortified milk, liver and egg yolks. Sunlight
(you make with exposure). |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| One of the most potent antioxidants. Forms RBCs, muscle and tissue. Protects against damage from smoke and pollution. Improves circulation, speeds healing. | Anti-cancer, cataracts, heart disease, neuralgic disorders, breast disorders, sexual and athletic prowess, slows aging. | Whole grains, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, meat, cereals, eggs, vegetable oils, enriched flour, and leafy greens. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Essential for formation of prothrombin, which helps to clot the blood. Promotes liver function and helps absorb calcium into bone. | Helps improve immune function. Helps fight osteoporosis and osteomalacia. | Leafy greens, kelp, alfalfa, milk, yogurt, molasses, fish liver and egg yolks. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| All the B vitamins function as co-enzymes in energy production. They are also essential for healthy hair, shin, eyes, nervous system, liver, mouth and GI functioning. | They are the stress vitamins. Under stress you need more. May aid in fighting PMS and depression. Protection from neurological disorders. Vital for weight loss and metobolism. | Brewers yeast, meat/fish, whole grains, cereal, eggs, and some nuts. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Prevents beriberi. Promotes metabolism of sugars, starches and digestion. Nerve function, heart and brain. Antioxidant. | May stop foot pain in diabetics. And water retention. Enhanced muscular endurance in athletes. Seasickness. | Whole grains, Brewers yeast, brown rice, seafood, soybeans, oatmeal, meat and beans. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Essential for carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. For healthy vision, mucous membranes and brain function. Energy production and muscle tone. | Esophageal cancer, acne, arthritis, confusion, baldness, mouth and GI ulcers. Immunostimulant. | Chicken, fish, kidney, liver, pork and eggs, brewers yeast, peanuts, walnuts, rice, soybeans, oats, green leafy veggies and whole wheat. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Pellagra, the classic niacin deficiency disease. Helps appetite and digestion. Helps convert food to energy. Protects nervous system Aids in circulation. Used to make sex hormones. | Reduces cholesterol and triglycerides. Acne, dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia, increasing sex hormones, canker sores, diabetes, migraines and baldness. | Lean meats, fish, poultry, peanuts, brewers yeast, avocados, dates, figs and prunes. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| B6 is one of the most versatile enzyme cofactors. Antibody formation, anti-oxidant action, maintains blood sugar levels. Cellular metabolism. Anti-stress vitamin. Helps form hormones. Involved in more than 100 different metabolic pathways. | Boosts athletic ability, lowers cholesterol, pro¬tects the heart, slows aging, speeds healing, gray hair, Alzheimer's disease. | Lean meats, fish, poul¬try, egg yolk, nuts, and cereal. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Hormone balance. Protein and fat metabolism, RBC forma¬tion, protects nerves. | Cancer, PMS, cataracts, infertility, skin disease, baldness, arthritis, CTS, seizures, dermatitis, glossitis, cheilosis, angular stomatitis and anemia. | Chicken, fish, kidney, liver, pork and eggs, whole grains, soy, cabbage green leafy veggies and brewers yeast. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Helps build genetic material, RBCs, function of all cells and mental health. Energy vitamin. Essential for protein synthesis and carbohydrate and fat metabolism. | Energizes the body, halts some brain disor¬ders, prevents some birth defects and neu¬ropsychiatric disorders. | Fish, dairy products, organ meats, eggs, beef and pork. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Forms body proteins and genetic material (DNA, RNA), builds RBCs. | Cancer, birth defects (neurologic defects), treats mental retarda¬tion, dermatitis, anemia. | Dark green leafy veg¬gies, oranges, beans, rice, brewers yeast, and liver. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Lipid synthesis, metabolism of fats, carbs and proteins – amino acids. For healthy skin, hair, bones and nerve tissue. | Boosts athletic energy, for hair health, prevents graying and baldness. Treats redness and rash around mouth, nose and eyes. | Nuts, hole grains, milk, veggies, organ meats, brewer's yeast |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Aids in nerve transmission. Basic part of lecithin. Lipotropic factor used in fat and hormone production. Memory nutrient. Maintains kidney and bladder function. | Heart disease, treats & prevents memory loss, anti-aging. | Egg yolks, soybeans, meat, legumes, cauliflower and cabbage. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Vital for brain cell nutrition and hair growth. Used in metabolism of lipids and cholesterol. | Healthy hair, baldness, memory and maintaining good cholesterol levels. | Citrus fruits, brewers yeast, meat. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Prevents scurvy. Binds cells together (collagen), strengthens blood vessel walls, promotes healing, antibacterial, forms RBC’s, and one of the most powerful antioxidants. | Anti-cancer, immunostimulant, lowers cholesterol, good vision, male fertility, asthma, shortens colds and flu, heals soft tissue injury, reduces pain and is anti-stress. | Green and red peppers, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, citrus fruits and strawberries. (Many fresh fruits and veggies.) |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Part of the C-complex, helps the body absorb and use C properly. Supports immune function. Strengthens capillary walls and prevents bleeding. | Anti-cancer, immunostimulant. Can help prevent nose bleeds and bruises. | Citrus fruits, cherries, grapes, plums and buckwheat. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Builds strong bones, teeth, fingernails, helps blood clot, nerve and muscle (including heart) function, helps change food to energy. | Lowers BP and choles¬terol, treats leg cramps, protects against colon cancer and osteoporo¬sis, PMS, and helps with weight loss. Regulates heart rate. | Sardines, salmon, green leafy veggies, peanuts, yogurt , cheese and soy (tofu). (Studies show milk is not a good source – not bio-available.) |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Helps control carbohydrate utilization and thus blood choles¬terol, synthesis of fatty acids, appetite. Helps with protein transportation. Ptoteniates the action of insulin. | Treats/prevents diabetes, and hypoglycemia, protects the heart. Helps control appetite. May aid fat loss and muscle growth. Can lower triglycerides. | Whole grain cereals, black pepper, cinnamon, shellfish, chicken , meat products and cheeses. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Helps absorb and carry O2 in hemoglobin, forms bone, immunostimulant. | Anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, helps heal ulcers, colitis, arthritis, anemia, and supports thyroid function. | Shellfish, nuts, fruits, dried legumes. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Aids in the control of metabolism, and function of thyroid (prevents goiter). Forms an essential component of the thyroid hormones, thyroxin (T4) and triiodothyronine. | Relieve pain in fibro¬cystic breast disease, supports mental clarity. Essential for proper growth in children. Mental retardation. | Seafood (fish and sea veggies). |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Helps absorb and carry O2 in hemoglobin and in myoglobin (muscles). Prevents anemia. | Resistance to cold, improves attention span in children and cooperativeness. | Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, brewers yeast. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Activates enzymes to transfer and release energy in body. Regulates heart and muscle function. Magnesium acts as a calcium antagonist and interacts with nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin B6, and boron. | Epilepsy, blood clots, migraines, lowers BP, treatment of tachycardia and electrolyte depletion, PMS, anti-stress, epilepsy, diabetic retin¬opathy, prostate, polio. | Meats, seafood, nuts, soy, dried peas and beans, green veggies, and dairy products. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Nourishes the nerves and brain. Bone mineralization and thus skeletal development, production of sex hormones and carbohydrate metabolism. | Schizophrenia, PMS, osteo arthritis, sexual function and reproduction, weight loss and brain functioning. | Whole grains and nuts, egg yolks, sunflower seeds, dried peas and beans, brewers yeast, pecans, peanuts, pineapple fruit and juice, oatmeal, shredded wheat and raisin bran cereal. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Builds strong bones and teeth, essential in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, transfer and release of energy in body. | Endurance in athletes, fights fatigue, good tonic. | Meat, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts and seeds. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Nerve conduction and muscle (heart) contraction. Electrolyte essential for mineral balance in blood – blood pressure regulator. With sodium for body’s water retention/balance. | Treats high BP, pro¬tects against stroke, improves athletic ability, treats cancer. |
Tuna, fresh veggies and fruit. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Antioxidant, prevents breakdown of body chemicals by Free Radicals. New study indicates it turns on a gene to fight cancer. Essential part of the thyroid hormone to regulate metabolic rate. | Protects against cancer, heart disease, increases male potency and sex drive, anti-inflamma¬tory, and beneficial for the skin. Could aid in weight loss. | Broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, cu¬cumbers, onions, garlic, radishes, brewers yeast, grains, fish, and organ meats. |
Why You Need It |
Potential Benefits |
Dietary Sources |
| Antioxidant. Works with RBCs to move carbon dioxide, forms bone, essential for prostate function, smell and taste, and healing. | Heals cold sores, boosts immunity, reduces cold / sore throat symptoms, prevents cancer and blindness, infertility, increases male sex drive and helps prostatitis / prostate cancer. | Whole grains, brewer's yeast, wheat bran/germ, seafood (oysters), beans, nuts, and meat. |