Megavitamins vs Nutrivene

Since I said I would post this article up, I thought I'd put it up right now, since I don't have enough time to finish some of the other posts I have started ;).

Megavitamins vs Nutrivene
by Qadoshyah Fish

One of the biggest concerns parents have with giving their child Nutrivene-D is the “mega-dose” of vitamins they think they will be giving their child. Nutrivene-D is nothing remotely close to “mega-doses” of vitamins.

This stems from the 1950’s to the 1980’s when the idea of vitamin treatment for the population with Down syndrome was very new. The medical literature of the time referred to this as “mega-vitamin therapy”. Dr. Turkel was the first doctor to start this idea. He received much opposition and harassment from the medical establishment of the time, largely due to the “mega-doses” he was using.

Because of this past history, when Nutrivene-D was designed in the 9o’s, the vast majority of people were adamantly opposed to the idea of nutritional supplementation for those with Down syndrome. Sadly, there is still this misconception, which makes many people opposed to TNI still.

Dr. Turkel was working in a time when they did not know what was going on with the 21st chromosome; this was long before the Human Genome Project was done in the 1990’s.  Because of this, Dr. Turkel put huge amounts of supplements in his U Series; amounts that are much higher than the RDA.

Later in the 80’s Ruth Harrell and others did a study using mega doses of vitamins. The doses they used were extremely high; doses were 50 to 300 times the RDA²⁻³ (Recommended Daily Allowance); these are “mega-doses”. The doses in Nutrivene-D are nowhere near the amounts that were used in Dr. Turkel’s formula, or in the GTC formula which Ruth Harrell used.  While there were a few initial results seen with the “mega-dose” formulas, they generally did not work. Two studies done after Dr. Harrell’s study tried to replicate what she found, but only found that the “mega-doses” did not work⁴⁻⁶.

Nutrivene-D is “targeted” to meet the specific nutrient needs due to the extra 21st chromosome of individuals with Down syndrome. This is something very important to realize. The “mega-doses” of vitamins were in a start in the right direction, but they were not the answer. The amounts of nutrients in Nutrivene-D are carefully researched and calibrated before being added to the formula. The scientists who create the Nutrivene formula have much more advantage than the scientists and doctors who were using the “mega-doses” of vitamins. The scientists of today have the advantage of the Human Genome Project and much more research to guide them as to what needs to be done. The scientists back in time past did not have the advantage of all the medical research and literature that is available today.

1.    Medical Treatment of Down Syndrome and Genetic Diseases. Henry Turkel, M.D., Ilse Nusbaum, M.A. Copyright 1985
2.    RF Harrell, RH Capp, DR Davis, J Peerless, LR Ravitz. Can nutritional supplements help mentally retarded children? An exploratory study.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. Jan.1981; 78(1):574-578.
3.    Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Intakes for Individuals. Food & Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies. http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/4574.aspx
4.    Medical Treatment of Down Syndrome and Genetic Diseases. Henry Turkel, M.D., Ilse Nusbaum, M.A. Copyright 1985
5.    RF Harrell, RH Capp, DR Davis, J Peerless, LR Ravitz. Can nutritional supplements help mentally retarded children? An exploratory study.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. Jan.1981; 78(1):574-578.
6.    Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Intakes for Individuals. Food & Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies. http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/4574.aspx
7.    M. Hattori A. Fujiyama T. D. Taylor H. Watanabe T. Yada H.-S. et al. The DNA sequence of human chromosome 21.  Nature  405, 311 - 319 (2000).