Kokua Line
By Hildegaard Verploegen
Thursday, June 6, 1996
'IUs' on vitamin bottles
are the same as 'mgs'
QUESTION: There have been many news reports on the study that showed vitamin E may have a part in slowing the aging of the human immune and central nervous systems. If true, it might have a part to play in Alzheimer's disease. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The reports said vitamin E can be taken with food but the dosage should not exceed 800 mg a day. The labels on the vitamin E bottles I buy at the drugstore refer to IUs, which I think means international units. My problem is: In calculating the dosage, how do I convert IUs to mg?
ANSWER: One IU is equivalent to one mg, according to Claire Hughes, Nutrition Branch chief at the state Department of Health.
If you want to eat vitamin E, rather than buying something extra, it comes in nuts, soybeans, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, meat, fish, animal fats, and whole grains, such as wheat, oats and barley, Hughes said.
Other items in today's Kokua Line:
- Don't just toss old 78 rpm records
- Craft entries dropped from Farm Fair
- Mahalo and Auwes
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686, fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802. Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com