I don't understand the system governing the names of vitamins. Why do they go from A to E and then to K?
ANSWER - It's not surprising that you don't understand the system, because there really isn't one. Part of the explanation is that in the early days of vitamin research, different investigators working on the same compound gave it different names, in some cases related to a particular function. For example, thiamin, the first of the B vitamins to be isolated, was known by at least five different names. In addition to "vitamin B" or "water-soluble B" and "vitamin F," it was called "the anti-neuritic factor," because it could prevent the neuritis caused by a deficiency. And, in recognition of its ability to ward off full-blown nutritional deficiency, it was also called "the anti-beriberi factor." The British system added yet another dimension, designating the B vitamins by numbers, beginning with B-1 for thiamin.Riboflavin, the first heat-stable member of what we now call the B vitamin complex, was originally called vitamin G. Biotin, yet another in the B complex group, has had at least three other names, among them, vitamin H.
In days past, the vitamin alphabet didn't stop at K, as it does today. At one time, in honor of its ability to prevent a particular anemia in monkeys, folacin was named vitamin M. Some compounds labeled as vitamins were later found to have no vitamin activity. Vitamin P, for instance, was designated to include a group of compounds called bioflavonoids, which have not been shown to function as vitamins. But that was not the only use of the letter "P." Even today, some countries designate niacin as vitamin PP, the pellagra-preventive vitamin.
QUESTION - While making spaghetti sauce recently I wondered about the nutritional value of tomato paste. Can you tell me?
ANSWER - Theoretically, tomato paste should be rich in nutrients, because it contains a high concentration of tomato solids. But when you use it in a recipe you generally need only a very small amount, so you can't count on it to provide much in the way of nutritional value.
There are about 30 calories in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. That same portion contains about 5 percent of the day's iron for an adult woman, some vitamin A and small amounts of ascorbic acid. However, prolonged periods of cooking will destroy much of that.
You can buy tomato paste with or without salt. Two tablespoons of the salt-free type has only 20 milligrams of sodium. The regular variety contains nearly 260 milligrams.
QUESTION - I read and hear so much conflicting information about nutrition, and I know some of it has to be false. Aren't there laws to prevent people from giving out misinformation when it comes to matters of health?
ANSWER - The Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, and that means a lot can be said in print and on television and radio that simply isn't true. The price we pay for this important freedom is that we have to learn to sift through all the misleading information and find out the truth for ourselves.
Some protection does exist in the fact that false claims cannot legally appear on labels and in advertising, but it's impossible to enforce this to the letter. The Federal Trade Commission has the power to act against deceptive advertising, but it lacks the resources to prosecute every case and must focus only on the most blatant examples. The post office likewise is authorized to protect against deceptions and frauds offered through the mail, but this, too, is easier said than done. Many health schemes are conducted through the mail, and to prosecute them, not just inaccuracy but actual intent to defraud must be proved.
Those who sell nutrition supplements are especially clever at pushing their products while remaining within the law. Consequently, sales are booming, even though many supplements are both expensive and unnecessary.
Our advice is to view it all through a skeptical eye.
1992, Washington Post Writers Group