Desert Messenger

January 5, 2011

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J������ 5, 2011 Effects of expired vitamins Submitted by Samantha Hess Quartzsite Community Prevention Coalition (QCPC) Recently a question was brought up to the Quartzsite Community Preven- tion Coalition about the effects that expired vitamins may have upon a per- son. Throughout research, it has been discovered that there are many effects that may happen to any vitamin. An expiration date on a vitamin simply lets the consumer know the date that the vitamin is potent till. After an ex- piration date, the vitamin begins to degrade, or lose potency. Another factor affecting the loss of potency of a vitamin is the form that it comes in, whether it is a solid pill or a gel tablet. The solid pills usually also consist of minerals, which are rock like nutrients, and they consist of no fats, so therefore they do not oxidize, which means they have a longer shelf life, and they may even last after the expiration date. Whereas vitamins that come in the gel-tab form have a much shorter shelf life, because they do oxidize. (Ox- idation is defined as the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue.) Many people believe that if you keep vitamins out of the sun or direct light they will not expire as fast, but this is false, there is no way to keep these vitamins from oxidizing. Something that a lot of people are not aware of is that when vitamins containing fats go through the oxidation process, they can become a carcinogenic. Some people believe that if they are aware of the expiration date of their vitamins, if they double up on the dose it will make up for the loss of potency, however this is not true. Doing this may be toxic to the individual taking the vitamins. Especially in vitamins such as Vitamin A, which can be very toxic to an individual if taken in excess. Excess intake of Iron can also cause cardiac complications in men. So all in all, taking expired vitamins may not be extremely dangerous to a person, but it’s not a very good idea, because it has the possibility of becom- ing toxic. Be cautious about the shelf life of products, and if you happen to have expired prescription medications or even vitamins don’t forget to drop them off at our local police depart- ment, where they are always accepting them. For more information, attend the next meeting of the QCPC on Jan. 20th at 10am at the Fire Station. Main Street Trading Post INDIAN ARTIFACTS & JEWELRY Rocky Watson will be playing Fri & Sat. • noon-4pm at the Food Court. Come see the World’s Largest Belt Buckle! Sterling Silver Jewelry 50% OFF! NEW! Rough Rock & Slabs! Beads Findings Horse Hair Pottery 1170 W. Main (across from Pilot) PO Box 4028, Quartzsite, AZ 85346 928-927-3200 www.shc.org Huge Selection! INFANT THRU ADULT ���.D�����M��������.��� FREE KNEE AND BACK SEMINAR Featuring Orthopedic Surgeons P��� 27 Stefan Tarlow, MD Orthopedic Surgeon Todd Doerr, MD Orthopedic Surgeon FREE Knee and Back Screenings Friday, January 21 2 - 4 p.m. Quartzsite Alliance Church 720 W Desert Vista Quartzsite, AZ 85346 FREE Lunch and Refreshments To RSVP, Please Call 1-800-357-6474 Presented by

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