DEAR DR. BLONZ: My diet is questionable, and I was recently persuaded to start using the antioxidant Pycnogenol by some friends (and a bunch of online advertisements). I thought that this antioxidant might be the best for whatever ails you, but I was wondering what you thought. -- A.S., Puma, Ariz.

DEAR A.S.: I am not certain what you might have heard about Pycnogenol. It is indeed an antioxidant supplement, but I wouldn't say it is "the best" for anything that might ail you. In fact, I wouldn't say that of any one type of antioxidant or supplement.

The body relies on a number of antioxidants, many of which it manufactures from the raw materials present in your diet. Others come from the foods themselves, such as the naturally occurring antioxidant substances found in grains, fruits, greens and other vegetables. These are the precise substances those plants rely on as living organisms, and many are able to be absorbed and work for us, as well. The most important message here is that the key to good health, good nutrition and effective antioxidant protection is to have an entire team working together. Supplements might be able to pitch in if needed, but they cannot do it all. Think of the interactions between the nutrients and phytochemicals in various combinations of whole foods as being like music performed by a symphony orchestra. A "questionable diet" plus a "whatever ails you" supplement should never be thought of as a reasonable alternative.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I have read of the many health benefits of drinking tea. Are the same benefits derived from iced tea? Also, does the decaffeination process change the beneficial characteristics of the tea? -- D.S., San Diego

DEAR D.S.: There should be no difference in the health benefits between a tea that is consumed iced and one that is taken hot. The decaffeination process, however, is a mixed bag. Some use a steam process, while others remove the caffeine through the use of solvents. One factor to consider is the potential loss of the tea's beneficial phytochemicals, and I would expect there to be a greater loss with the solvent extraction.

One study using animals reported that regular black tea was the most effective in preventing skin cancer, followed by green tea, decaffeinated black tea, and finally decaffeinated green tea. They all had beneficial effects; it was just a matter of degree. Of interest was the suggestion that the caffeine itself might have some anti-cancer properties. There have been studies that have found that adding caffeine back to the decaffeinated tea restored much of its anti-cancer abilities. Indeed, caffeine was even found to have an ability to prevent certain cancers on its own. Please understand that these are specialized research studies where relatively large amounts of tea extracts or solids are given for a short period of time. It is unclear how much we can generalize from these studies.

The bottom line is that tea is a beverage to be enjoyed however you like it.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I am looking for general advice: I am 70 years old, in good health and hope to stay that way. I do my best to get five or six fruits and vegetables each day and a lot of cereals/grains. I also take a multivitamin that contains between 100 percent and 200 percent of my recommended nutrients. I am at the top end of the normal bracket for cholesterol, so I am very careful with fats. Most of the vegetables I eat, and a lot of the fruits, are raw. Is that good, bad or does it matter? -- J.W., Phoenix

DEAR J.W.: What you are doing sounds great! Having your vegetables raw is neither good, bad nor indifferent; having them at all is what's most important. The way they are prepared is a matter of taste. If you are going to take a supplement, it is best to take it with a meal. The choice of the meal is up to you, but it should contain fat, protein and carbohydrates. As regards your cholesterol, what you are doing with your diet sounds good to me. The one item you haven't mentioned is physical activity, and I would try to stay as active as possible. If you have not previously been active, you should touch base with your doctor before you start.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I want to know about the no-calorie sweetener called Splenda. What is it? Have studies shown that it is safe for long-term use? -- B.B., Chicago

DEAR B.B.: Splenda is the brand name for the compound known as sucralose, which is a modified form of sucrose, or table sugar. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose. It's not absorbed to any appreciable degree, and that means no carbohydrate grams as well as no calories. It does not contribute to tooth decay. It does contain a small amount of a carbohydrate as a bulking agent in packing, but it is less than one gram per serving -- not enough to provoke the release of insulin by the pancreas. The sweetener has been in use in Europe and in Canada since 1991, but only approved for use in the U.S. since 1998.

Sucralose is made through a multi-step process that substitutes chlorides in three places along the sucrose molecule. These tightly bound chlorides change the character of the molecule to the point that it is not recognized as a carbohydrate. Sucralose gets the green light for cooking because, unlike other artificial sweeteners, it does not lose its sweetness when heated.

As for your second question: Is sucralose safe? Safety studies to date reveal no cause for concern. A review in the October 2009 edition of the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology has affirmed this fact. As an artificial sweetener, this one looks like a winner, but our history with novel food additives would dictate that it pays to be prudent with this or any artificial sweetener.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: My wife and I really liked your recent column that answered a question on protein. We are vegetarians. You mentioned that vegetarians "can easily meet their daily protein requirements by combining different foods so that sufficient amounts of essential amino acids are consumed during the day." Our question is: What are those food combinations? Please help us with some examples of vegetarian foods that form a complete protein when eaten together. -- P.G., Freemont, Calif.

DEAR P.G.: From a vegetarian perspective, the concept of a protein requirement can be misleading. It's not the complete protein the body needs as much as the amino acids the proteins are made from. When we eat protein foods such as meat, poultry or fish, the human digestive process breaks down the "complete" protein to its individual amino acid parts. This is an essential prelude to absorption.

Once inside, the body can custom-make its own protein according to what is needed at the moment. Need more muscle? Time to make a few new red blood cells? Have to replace some organ tissue? Whatever is on the body's build/replace/repair menu, the on-site construction team goes to work by grabbing essential amino acids out of bodily fluids to assemble the desired protein substance. The message here is that we have to eat in a way that ensures our body has all the amino acids available. We are able to manufacture most amino acids from scratch, but the essential amino acids (EAAs) are those we have to get from the foods we eat.

Vegetarians can easily meet their daily protein requirement by combining different foods so that sufficient amounts of all the EAAs are present during the day. There are three basic types of vegetable protein: whole grains, such as rice, corn, oats and barley; legumes, such as beans and lentils; and nuts and seeds, such as almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. By combining foods from different groups, you end up supplying the EAAs the body requires, the same as if you had eaten a complete protein. For example, bean protein, from the legume group, has most of the EAAs, but comes up short with tryptophan and methionine. Nuts, grains and seeds are relatively short in lysine and isoleucine, but they have higher levels of the EAAs that legumes lack. By having foods from both groups during the day, you can satisfy your protein requirement.

Factors that often drive people towards vegetarianism include health, the environment, cost, religion and animal welfare. Health statistics for vegetarians include lower rates of heart disease, obesity, obesity-related diabetes, colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones and diverticular disease. Though some of these gains can be attributed to a healthier lifestyle that's frequently adopted with new eating habits, the data are certainly impressive.

As regards cost, I recommend reading an article in the October 2009 issue of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (available online in pdf format here: tinyurl.com/cxfq6ms). Vegetarianism does not have to be thought of as an all-or-nothing proposition. Having one or more vegetarian days during the week can get you thinking more about what you eat and effectively expand the selection of healthful foods on your table. 

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.