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Q. A doctor told me that you don't need daily vitamin supplements if you eat right, and that they don't dissolve anyway. Is he correct?

Micronutrient Insurance

By C. CLAIBORNE RAY

Published: April 2, 2012

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A. Probably not, on both counts. Even those few who consistently eat well "may have dysfunctions that create special needs for micronutrients," said Dr. Sheldon S. Hendler, an editor of "The PDR for Nutritional Supplements," the standard reference.

For example, Dr. Hendler said, low levels of a class of carotenoids are correlated with age-related macular degeneration . These micronutrients are found in spinach, mustard greens and collard greens, which are not a large part of the typical American diet .

As for the problem of supplements that fail to dissolve, Dr. Hendler said, the situation has changed in recent decades. The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994 requires quality control for supplements, he said, and "reputable companies adhere to government standards of content, disintegration and dissolution."

Absorption, which does not occur until the dissolved material reaches the small intestine, is another matter, Dr. Hendler said. But it, too, can be improved with adequate dissolution and disintegration.

There is less of an absorption problem with hydrophilic, or water-soluble vitamins . Fat-soluble vitamins, like A, D, E and K, are better absorbed when taken with a meal that includes fats.

C. CLAIBORNE RAY

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