To Supplement or Not?
by Mary A Drobnak RN, BSN
Millions of people believe in the power of vitamin supplements to prevent and treat disease and replace or enhance food intake. In fact, there is a staggering amount of money spent on vitamins and nutritional supplements every year. Unfortunately, the evidence is beginning to show that a lot of that money is being wasted. In the last decade, medical researchers have conducted a large number of studies on the effect that vitamins have on health. Their conclusions, so far: get your nutrients from food, not little pills.
That we need vitamins is not in dispute. Vitamins are a small group of substances that are essential in tiny quantities for growth and development. Most of them cannot be manufactured by the body and must come from our diet. But some people think that if you take vitamin pills by the handful, you don’t have to bother watching what you eat. It is easy to see the attraction of an approach whereby you can exist on junk food, have a terrible lifestyle and still be 'healthy'.
Other people recognise that they will fall short of the ideal and take vitamins as a kind of insurance policy. Doctors, too, thought this was a good idea. After all, in laboratory tests Vitamins E and C had a powerful effect on the 'free radicals' that are linked to all sorts of medical problems from cancer to heart disease. However, with further research it has been discovered that by taking these supplements, you might be impeding your immune system's ability to fight off disease or risk factors for chronic disease. A Johns Hopkins University study showed people taking Vitamin E supplements are not living longer and, in fact, may be at higher risk for some diseases.
The findings do not apply to nutrients found naturally in fruits, vegetables and other foods, researchers have stressed. But the findings are consistent with evidence suggesting that some nutrients may be harmful at higher doses or could interfere with the body's natural defences. Other researchers were cautious about concluding that the substances were dangerous, but said the study added to a growing body of evidence indicating that the hoped-for health benefits from vitamin supplements have not materialised.
Important to mention: many vitamin supplements are made with synthetic ingredients that aren't readily absorbed, or could actually be detrimental. Some studies indicate that artificial vitamin pills can actually have negative effects on health. Dieticians, nutritionists and other experts all agree that apart from small groups of people in special medical circumstances, such as pregnant women, the elderly and people with known deficiencies, most of us don't need to take vitamins or food supplements. If you feel a vitamin is essential for your daily intake, look for a brand that clearly states that the sources are whole food based or completely natural, not synthetic.
Moral: try to eat a wide variety of fresh foods and frozen vegetables, which often contain more vitamins than vegetables stored for a long time at room temperature. Common sources: carrots, mangoes, pumpkin and butternut squash (Vitamin A); avocadoes, arugula and spinach (Vitamin E); salmon and eggs (Vitamin D); spinach and broccoli (B vitamins); lean meat and potatoes (Vitamins B6 and B12); lean pork chops (Vitamin B1); asparagus and lentils (Folate); oranges, lemons and grapefruit (Vitamin C); seafood (Selenium); artichokes (Iron).
Just imagine a day at the beach – mango margaritas with guacamole and low-fat chips, salmon on the grill and a fresh green salad – all ingested while relaxing in the sun, the best source of Vitamin D.
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