sumer eports On Health JUNE 2006 8 SPECIAL REPORT Headaches The hidden dangers 2 soror’s NoTE Lowering cholesterol without medication 3 In-Home cane What if your relative doesn’t want help? 7 sharin uP Coffee hazard; workout prescription; what thin people need 10 WOAL MATTING Avoiding surgery for hernia and fibroids 1 cornce viser Seeing spots 12 ON YOUR MND Toothpaste concern; radiation risks; soda ‘and your bones Expert | Independent | Nonprofit | V lume 18 Number 6 | $3 Minerals matter: The wrong amounts can harm you he ever-shifting messages from advertise- T= and news reports have made it increasingly difficult to know whi minerals you need and generation ago Gerifol ads touted iron tonics; today, many people are still worried about “iron poor” blood. Moreover, television and the net are swarming with pitches for mega- doses of less-familiar minerals such as chromium, selenium, and zinc. Even the seemingly rock-solid advice to get plenty of calcium is now under attack: headlines reported that the mineral doesn't prevent frac tures or colon cancer after a To put that information in perspective and determ your requirements for v minerals, it helps to divide them into three groups, based ‘on typical consumption in the United States: ‘Inadequate intake. reading of the clinical trial that sparked the February 2006 headlines reveals that calcium is still a vital nutrient. However, the less than what amounts. A February 2006, ne rious average person consumes substantiall the recommended amounts of calcium and two other bone-bolstering minerals, magnesium and potassium, all of which work synergistically to fight osteoporosis as well as high blood pressure. Moreover, they may each offer additional bene kee etary sone $088—hough the bedy dose absorbs the mineral slightly better from meat. fits, such as helping to prevent diabetes, premenstrual syndrome, or kidney s Excessive intake. Some 75 percent of women and nearly all m¢ amounts of sodium that can undermine the benefits of calcium, magnesium, and ple consume nmended pot slightly more than the rec amount of iron, 2 potential risk to the hundreds of thou- sands of Americans with a relatively common but often undetected genetic disorder that can cause dangerous iron buildup in the body. Adequate but possibly not optimal intake. Extra doses of three minerals in this group deserve special attention: chromium, because weight loss and diabetes-prevention claims have made it @ top seller; selenium, because stud ies suggest that supplemental doses may ward off prostate and zinc, marketed for treating the common cold, because it may have serious adverse effects, The zinc evidence includes the results of our Freedom of Information tted to the Food and Drug ninistration for this report that link nasal sprays to impairments in the sense of both taste and smell m. And most pe cance nntinued on Page 4