THE SHAPE OF THE UNION
(Page 3 of 4)
The AHA intends to place its chips on the
table.
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Vitamin Vigor
If when you exercise you tire more easily than usual, you
could be deficient in vitamins B1, B 2, B6, and C. Why are
these vitamins so crucial to physical performance? They
help the body use fatty acids.
"A well-nourished person derives 60% of his energy from
fatty acids in foods, and 40% from glycogen, the stored
form of carbohydrates," says nutrition and sports-medicine
expert Erik Van der Beek. "If fatty acids can't be used,
the body has to draw on glycogen stores. This causes a more
rapid buildup of lactic acid and, in turn, fatigue."
These four vitamins must be replenished daily, he adds,
because they can't be stored. Van der Beek's advice: "If
you exercise and you're not sure your diet supplies the RDA
of these vitamins, or you feel more fatigued after exercise
than you used to, consider taking a multivitamin
supplement."
PMS and Caffeine
The causes of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are not
completely understood. But the caffeine in beverages such
as coffee and cola is one suspect, fingered several years
ago by a study at Oregon State University (OSU). Dr.
Annette MacKay Rossignol, chair of OSU's department of
public health, recently studied women who indulged in only
one type of caffeine drink—tea.
Of Rossignol's 188 tea-drinking subjects, 52% experienced
premenstrual symptoms, including anxiety, fatigue, and
tender breasts. She found that women who sipped four and a
half to eight cups a day suffered almost five times the PMS
symptoms of those who drank less.
Despite accumulating evidence, a cause-and-effect
relationship between caffeine and PMS has not been firmly
established. Factors such as a possible link between PMS
and the total amount of fluids consumed must be ruled out
first.
"There's more than one cause of PMS—many women with
severe symptoms may not even touch caffeine," says
Rossignol. "But since caffeine is not a nutrient, there's
no harm in eliminating it from your diet or cutting back
your intake."
