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There has been a recent discussion on zinc lozenges or pills as a cold
medicine or preventive.  A health and safety newsletter I get (ACTS FACTS,
which gets nearly all its material from the Federal Register) had a story
recently on the FDA's "Recommended Daily Intake" (RDI) of 11 minerals,
among them zinc.  The RDI for zinc is 15 milligrams, which sounds like a
minimum amount--except that some of the RDIs may be a miniscule amount,
about 1/1000 of a mg.  It is easy to confuse a milligram (mg) with a
microgram (mcg, only 1/1000 as much).  The author says "Many metals
required by the body in very small amounts are toxic in larger amounts.
For example, children die each year from accidental overdoses of iron
supplements.  Selenium and chromium (VI) are animal carcinogens and
manganese can damage the nervous system."  So I get nervous when I read a
discussion involving large doses of minerals.  Just as a guide, the six
metals for which the RDI is 2 mg or less are copper, manganese, iodine,
chromium, molybdenum and selenium.

Fiber must act very differently on different people.  Recently someone
(I've forgotten who) said she was making her bread with a mixture of flour
and rice bran, about half and half.  I know that if I had only one slice of
that bread, I'd wind up in the hospital.  I use rice bran too, but 1/8
teaspoon every day or two is enough.


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