Interesting Facts

Never mind the vitamin C, new research carried out at the University of Alberta in Canada, and the University of Auckland, New Zealand, suggests that the best way to avoid the common cold is to wash your hands. (If you insist on paying for supplements, a daily dose of 10 or 15 milligrams of zinc sulphate has been shown to lower rates of colds. Probiotics, which boost the amount of friendly bacteria in the gut, may help prevent colds too, and our old friend honey had a slight effect in relieving cough symptoms, but vitamin C and antibiotics showed "no benefit". I notice they said nothing about the medicinal effects of a hot toddy.)

Hungarian physiologist Albert Szent-Györgyi, discovered Vitamin C and the components and reactions of the citric acid cycle. (He won the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for 'his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to vitamin-C and the catalysis of fumaric acid.  He would have been 118 today if only he had drunk his orange juice.) Source

Marmite has been banned in Denmark. (Not because of the taste though, it has been removed from supermarket shelves as part of a clampdown in Denmark on foods fortified with vitamins and minerals. And it's not just Marmite, British hot drinks Horlicks and Ovaltine, along with Farley’s Rusks – made by the US food giant Heinz – have also been placed on the blacklist.  Vegemite, Marmite’s Australian rival, has also gone, and Kellogg’s cereals, fortified with B vitamins, have been banned since 2004.  I can foresee a vitamin smuggling ring setting itself up in Denmark, can't you?) Source

powered by ODEO According to the Observer, four ingredients have been added to bread by law since WW2 – niacin, thiamine, iron and calcium. (There is now a campaign underway to have folic acid added to bread in the UK. The FSA (Food Standards Agency) is going to advise the Department of Health to introduce the mandatory fortification of white and brown flour, but to exempt wholemeal flour. In America a wide range of products have to include set amounts of the vitamin - bread, corn meals, rice, noodles, macaroni and other grain products. A total of 39 countries now add folic acid to flour, including Canada, Israel and Mexico. The Republic of Ireland, Australia and Canada are considering doing the same. But, folic acid is found naturally in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. So, just eat your greens. )

According to a survey by life assurance firm CPP, only 3% of UK adults get the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. (The survey also reported that Britons are spending £6.7bn a year on quick fix rejuvenating cures such as coffee and vitamins to help them cope with the effects of a bad night's sleep. It's silly really, but I do it too.)