pa href=http://hayesjeff.typepad.com/.a/6a00e00986beda8833010536f7f24e970b-pi style=FLOAT: rightimg alt=Vitamins class=at-xid-6a00e00986beda8833010536f7f24e970b src=http://hayesjeff.typepad.com/.a/6a00e00986beda8833010536f7f24e970b-320wi style=MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px 5px //a Popped in chewable bill form and chugged in glasses of orange juice, vitaminC has long been relied upon as a cold-fighting weapon. But what most people don#39;t know is that they need over three times the current recommended daily dose of C to get the vitamin#39;s full protective effect./p div p class=textA study conducted last year by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that subjects who took 30 mg of C a day, or half the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 60 mg, reported generally feeling tired and irritable. The blood and tissue of people who took 200 mg daily were nearly saturated with the vitamin. However, that is the#0160;optimal dose for#0160;reaping the vitamin#39;s benefits, which include reducing artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, decreasing your risk of cancer and promoting skin healing. Indeed, a study published last fall found that guinea pigs given mega-doses of vitamin C before surgery healed more strongly than those given moderate doses. The vitamin also helps the body absorb iron, build strong bones, keep teeth and gums healthy and, of course, fight infection./p p class=textOne reason vitamin C is so important? We don#39;t produce it naturally, and must depend on our diets to get the amounts we need. C is found primarily in citrus fruits and vegetables such as broccoli and peppers. Eating at least five fruits and vegetables a day is the best way to get all you need, but people who don#39;t should take a 200 mg supplement, says the NIH./p p class=textspan style=FONT-SIZE: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdanastrongspan style=COLOR: #bf5f00; FONT-FAMILY: VerdanaAnd its partner E.../span/strong/span/p p class=textA steady level of antioxidants—including vitamins C and E—has previously been linked to strong memories. Studies suggest that simply taking supplements of vitamins C and E can prevent the risk of Alzheimer#39;s disease and slow the progression of memory loss. The two vitamins appear to act synergistically to prevent age-related dementia. Together they cut the risk of the disorder by more than 60 percent./p p class=textExperts agree that there is little risk to taking the vitamins. The dosage found to be helpful is well within the range of safety./p p class=textstrongThe recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin E is 22 international units (IU)/strong. (Recommendations for C are above). Multivitamins typically contain amounts of the two antioxidants that are in this range; individual supplements may contain up to 1,000 IU of vitamin E and even more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C./p p class=textResearchers have examined the relationship between use of antioxidant supplements and Alzheimer#39;s disease in nearly 5,000 closely followed Utah residents. The greatest reduction in Alzheimer#39;s disease incidence occurred among people who took individual supplements of the two vitamins in combination, with or without an additional multivitamin. Taking either of the vitamins alone#0160;did not appear to provide any protective effect./p p class=textstrongBottom line: Get your vitamins in either pill or food form, but make sure you#39;re combining them and getting enough./strong/p p class=text#0160;/p/div