DEAR DR. BLONZ: I was recently doing some remodeling, using an electric sander on about 20 windows and doors. When I was just about through, I learned that my house had been painted with lead paint. I recall that every time I took off my dust mask, there was a line of paint in the mask and even a bit in my nose. Is there some kind of nutritional process to remove any lead dust that might have gotten into my body? I don't have the best diet, but I do try to include good foods and have one high-fiber meal every day. My neighbor recommended I do a colon flush, but that did not sound appealing. Is there anything that you might recommend? -- S.F., Chicago

DEAR S.F.: It was excellent that you were wearing some type of dust mask; this is important even if the paint was lead-free. The fact that you found paint around your nose would suggest that the mask wasn't fitted properly, or it wasn't the correct one for that type of job.

Lead can enter the body in a number of ways, the most common being the consumption of substances containing lead and the inhalation of lead dust. Lead poisoning in children, for example, often begins with the consumption of leaded paint chips that peel off the walls, or with putting their hands in their mouths after touching something with lead dust on it. In adults, common problems are leaded water pipes, cooking or eating on pottery rich in lead, the consumption of food or liquids that have been stored in leaded containers, or working in industries where lead-containing compounds are used.

The symptoms of lead poisoning in adults are quite wide-ranging and can include anemia, fatigue, depression, high blood pressure, heart failure, abdominal pain, gout, kidney failure, wrist or foot weakness and reproductive problems. In children, lead poisoning symptoms include anemia, fatigue, decreased appetite, a variety of digestive problems, sleeplessness, learning problems and lowered I.Q. As you can see, it is nothing to trifle with. More information is available at epa.gov/lead.

There is a blood test that can determine if there is excessive lead in your body, so I recommend that you speak with your physician for a precise evaluation. The good news is that the body is able to rid itself of lead, but it can take a while. Forget that colon flush: There is no evidence that it is beneficial, and no reason to think it will do anything to help remove the lead distributed throughout your body. The first priority with a treatment for lead poisoning is making sure lead exposure has stopped. Time, at this point, is probably your ally. Dietary fiber is great to include in a healthful diet, but it is uncertain that it has any special powers to help your body rid itself of accumulated lead.

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: What part does palmitate play when added to powdered milk? -- A.P., Sonoma, Calif.

DEAR A.P.: Palmitate is a salt of palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid. It is found in a number of foods, but its name comes from the fact that it comprises about 45 percent of the fats found in palm oil. Palmitic acid becomes "palmitate" when combined with other compounds. In milk, the vitamin A, or retinol, is combined with palmitic acid and the resulting compound can be called vitamin A palmitate, or retinol palmitate. You can also see palmitate in other compounds, such as ascorbyl palmitate, which is a combination of palmitic acid and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). In the human body, palmitic acid makes up about 25 percent of the fats found in breast milk. It's also present in lung surfactant, a substance that coats the insides of our lung surfaces and allows us to breathe. The amount of palmitate added to powdered milk is negligible. It is only there as an escort for the small amount of vitamin A added to the product.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: Do you have any preference of dietary supplement forms -- for instance, capsules vs. tablets? For someone getting up in years, can the body absorb one form better than the other? -- R.R., San Diego, Calif.

DEAR R.R.: It really comes down to a matter of personal preference. There are good powdered supplements, as well as products that are in capsule and tablet form. With few exceptions, taking supplements at mealtime makes sense. The mixing that goes on during digestion should give either form sufficient opportunity to dissolve and be absorbed. I have heard that some people don't "trust" tablets because they feel they will pass through without dissolving, but companies formulate their products to dissolve. You can always pose questions to a company you are considering, asking them to provide data on these issues. Such information should be readily available.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I have some questions relating to sweeteners. I read that fructose is sweeter than sucrose, and so fewer grams of fructose would be needed to achieve an equivalent sweet taste. Is this the case? What is the difference between sugar, invert sugar and honey? -- K.E., Walnut Creek, Calif.

DEAR K.E.: There are definite differences in the level of perceived sweetness between the various sweet-tasting substances. Sucrose, or table sugar, is a double sugar made up of glucose linked to fructose. It is used as the sweetness standard, being assigned the value 1.0. Fructose, also called fruit sugar, has a relative sweetness of 1.7, which means it is 70 percent sweeter than sucrose. When compared to sucrose, less fructose would be needed to achieve the equivalent level of sweetness. This highlights one of the health advantages of eating fresh fruits: You get more sweetness per calorie, plus all the other nutrients found in the fruit. Glucose by itself is less sweet than sucrose, having a relative sweetness of 0.7. Invert sugar, honey and sucrose are similar in that they are all made up of glucose and fructose. The difference is that with invert sugar and honey, the glucose and fructose are not linked. This affects the degree of sweetness, with invert sugar and honey having a relative sweetness of 1.3, or 30 percent greater than sucrose.

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 recently watched a video on YouTube saying that the pasteurization process destroys critical enzymes needed to assimilate calcium from milk. Do you have any information as to whether this is true? -- E.B., Puma, Ariz.

DEAR E.B.: There are enzymes in raw (unpasteurized) milk, and some are indeed destroyed by the process of pasteurization. The question, though, is whether these enzymes are essential for the assimilation, or absorption, of the calcium in milk. The answer here is no -- or at least it has never been demonstrated in any study I have been able to find.

The enzymes in raw milk -- and there are a number of them -- come either from the cow or from bacteria that might be present. One of the main cow enzymes in milk, for example, is called plasmin. It is a protein-digesting enzyme that, if left to act, will eventually degrade the milk protein, leading to clumping and the development of "off" flavors and odors.

Please understand that while the pasteurization of milk does not make it a sterile product, it does help destroy potentially harmful microorganisms that can cause spoilage or disease. It does this by knocking out some, but not all, of the enzymes and bacteria. Pasteurized milk still needs to be refrigerated because the cold serves to slow bacterial growth and enzymatic action. All this explains why milk goes bad if it is allowed to sit too long or is stored at the wrong temperature. The storage time of milk can be extended if the milk product is processed with a higher temperature (ultra-pasteurized) and then packaged in aseptic containers.

The YouTube video you cite was incorrect if it stated that the enzymes in raw milk are needed for us to absorb calcium and other mineral elements. What you are hearing smacks of an unscientific milk attack. There are those who really do not like milk, and feel it is an unhealthy food.

It is up to each individual to decide whether he or she wants to consume milk or any dairy product. Not everyone wants to drink milk, and not everyone has to. Our freedoms allow us to make our own food choices. There is a growing amount of nonsense online, so when you encounter new information, I encourage you not to be influenced before checking out the facts from a reliable source. A good way to debunk claims is to investigate whether there is any scientific foundation to the concepts. Often, you can do this by searching among reliable sources such as government websites (ending in .gov) or academic ones (ending in .edu). I have a list of reliable sources at my blonz.com site (blonz.com/nut.htm).

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.