Vitamins & Supplements

Q. I take 50 milligrams of zinc daily, but it looks like you should take only 40 milligrams per day. Is it OK to continue? What are the consequences of too much zinc?

Q. Is the Daily Value (DV%) for elemental calcium or calcium in combination with other things - like calcium lactate or calcium citrate? Which of these combination forms is best?

Scientists who succeeded in sequencing the genome of carrots have identified the gene, dubbed DCAR_032551, responsible for carotenoids, which make carrots and other produce orange and provide humans with vitamin A.

After a two-year review period, the US Food and Drug Administration formally adopted changes to the Nutrition Facts panels that appear on some 800,000 food products. The updated labels will be required on products by July 26, 2018, except for small producers who will get an extra year to comply.

While losing weight can protect you against chronic diseases, it does come with a downside - especially for postmenopausal women: Studies have shown that obese older women who lose weight also lose lean muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD), particularly if they are inactive, potentially putting them at greater risk of frailty and falls.

Dont count on extra vitamin D to improve arthritis in your knees. Although some observational studies have suggested that vitamin D supplements might benefit knee osteoarthritis, a new clinical trial published in JAMA proved disappointing.

Your immune system weakens as your body ages, making older adults more susceptible to infections. But the mineral zinc may play an important role in staving off such infections. Previous research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts has shown that 30% of nursing-home residents have low blood levels of zinc, and that those low in zinc were at significantly higher risk of pneumonia.

A dietary pattern high in vegetables and fruits such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peppers, cantaloupe and dark leafy greens might help protect you against breast cancer. According to a new analysis of data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, women with higher blood levels of alpha- and beta-carotene were significantly less likely to have breast cancer.

If you've got your AARP card but you're still eating the way you did in your 20s, it's time for your diet to act your age. While most nutritional guidance is "ageless," you do need to make some adjustments to fit the changing needs of your aging body.

Q. How do the nutrition and probiotic benefits of kefir compare with those of Greek yogurt?