More Thoughts on Woo - and How Doctors Don't Take Women Seriously

[El_Johns]

76. "technically those women who are chaste...don't need to take..."

Not the case at all.

A "healthy" woman of childbearing age is able to bear a child without spina bifida. It doesn't really matter whether the woman is chaste or not; she isn't "healthy" if she doesn't have the capacity to bear a healthy child -- or her diet isn't healthy. Presumably that lack of health has subclinical manifestations even if she chooses not to have a child.

For example, low levels of various B vitamins can lead to elevated blood homocysteine:

Homocysteine is a non-protein α-amino acid. It is biosynthesized from methionine by the removal of its terminal Cε methyl group. Homocysteine can be recycled into methionine or converted into cysteine with the aid of B-vitamins.

A high level of homocysteine makes a person more prone to endothelial injury, which leads to vascular inflammation, which in turn may lead to atherogenesis, which can result in ischemic injury. Hyperhomocysteinemia is therefore a possible risk factor for coronary artery disease.

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been correlated with the occurrence of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes, though it is unclear whether hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for these conditions. It can cause miscarriage and/or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, and can lead to birth defects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homocysteine

Folic acid deficiency is considered the most common cause of hyperhomocysteinemia. An adequate intake of at least 400 microg of folate per day is difficult to maintain even with a balanced diet, and high-risk groups often find it impossible to meet these folate requirements. Based on the available evidence, there is an increasing call for the diagnosis and treatment of elevated homocysteine levels in high-risk individuals in general and patients with manifest vascular disease in particular....Based on various calculation models, reduction of elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations may theoretically prevent up to 25 percent of cardiovascular events. Supplementation is inexpensive, potentially effective, and devoid of adverse effects and, therefore, has an exceptionally favorable benefit/risk ratio. The results of ongoing randomized controlled intervention trials must be available before screening for and treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia can be recommended for the apparently healthy general population.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15252738


I don't think these blanket declarations about "expensive pee" are very useful. There are so many special cases, exceptions & codicils, it's just a bullshit statement.

I take a half a multi every day or so. I consider it "insurance," & I can tell the difference when I neglect to take it for a long period -- my gums will start to bleed. Gum bleeding isn't healthy; taking a vitamin regularly stops it. It works & it's low risk in comparison with a lot of medical interventions.