Do Supplements Work? (JR 182)
Introduction
Vitamins and minerals are essential
nutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin C that your body needs in small amounts
to work properly. The global dietary supplements industry is worth
an estimated $133 billion. Over-the-counter vitamins, minerals and nutritional
supplements don’t provide much — if any — additional health benefits if you’re
already eating a well-balanced diet. Vitamins themselves are essential to our bodies and contribute to growth, digestion, nerve function
and a whole host of other things. “Our diet should
be what’s supplying all of the nutrients that our body needs. That being said,
we need to be eating a variety of foods. There is no one major miracle food
that supplies absolutely everything.”
Take
apples and oranges for example. Apples supply nearly a quarter of your daily
fiber but not much by way of vitamin C. An orange, on the other hand, provides
a fair amount of fiber and almost your entire amount of daily vitamin C.
Different types of fruits give us different benefits. In that same vein,
seafood offers health perks that fruit doesn’t have, vegetables are unique from
grains and so forth. By incorporating variety into a well-rounded diet, you’re
able to get the nutrients you need — no vitamin-infused gummy necessary. The
only exception is vitamin D. We can’t get enough of the
“sunshine vitamin” from the food we eat, and our bodies rely on sun exposure to
make enough of it.
For decades, it was assumed that
multivitamins were critical to overall health. Vitamin C to "boost your
immune system", Vitamin A to protect your vision, Vitamin B to keep you
energized.Not only do you already get these ingredients from the food you eat,
but studies suggest that consuming them in excess can actually cause harm. A
large 2011
study of close to 39,000 older women over 25 years found that
women who took them in the long term actually had a higher overall risk of
death than those who did not.
Why most supplements don’t work
While
multis do contain practically every nutrient on the planet in a convenient
little pill, that doesn’t mean they’re as effective as eating a diverse diet.“Multivitamins
can have nutrients like calcium and iron in them that don’t absorb well together;
it all takes you back to thinking about food as your best resource.” Along with
pairing ingredients that don’t play well together, vitamin manufacturers are
guilty of luring in buyers with misleading claims.
Supplement
companies often market their vitamins as being nutritionally complete, but if
you really take a look at the labels, many times they’re not even close. On the
opposite end, certain supplements might say they provide 400 percent of your
daily vitamin C, leading you to think you’re getting four times the nutritional
boost each day. But that’s simply not the case. “Your body hits tissue
saturation at some point, after that, you’re just feeding the salmon out in the
sound.”
Large number of women over 50 is taking calcium
supplements to strengthen their bones. But calcium supplements are now linked
to an in-creased risk for heart attacks. And calcium isn’t the only supplement
that’s come into question. You do need more calcium as you age. But, the
problem is your body can’t process the large amounts found in supplements. The
best way to get it is in doses less than 500 mg—like the calcium you’ll get by
enjoying three fat-free or low-fat servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt
throughout the day. If you don’t do dairy – go for non-dairy sources made from
soy or almonds, or fill up on kale and broccoli.
. Millions of people take omega 3 pills for heart
and brain health benefits. But the latest research shows you may not get these
amazing health benefits. For example, daily doses of up to 4,800 milligrams of
EPA and/or DHA (types of omega-3 fatty acids) per day showed no heart health
benefits. Even a full gram of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did nothing to
reduce the number of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. Scientists
now say that omega-3 supplements may increase men’s risk for prostate cancer by
71%! You’re better off getting omega-3s from foods instead of supplements.
Research shows that you can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by 36%
when you get those omega-3s by eating fish regularly. Research links the
benefits of omega-3s to the treatment of depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Take omega-3. For
many people, these golden capsules are a way to get the essential fatty acids
we are told our bodies need without having to consume oily fish. Yet recent
studies indicate that – unlike eating fish – taking omega-3 or fish oil
supplements does nothing to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke or early
death.
Supplemental vitamin E
Vitamin E
supplements may not provide the same benefit as eating foods rich in vitamin E,
and it too, may increase the risk of prostate cancer. CLA (conjugated linoleic
acid)—the popular weight loss supplement that’s also said to prevent diabetes
and cancer—may actually increase harmful cholesterol levels. Even daily
multivitamins may be a waste of your hard-earned money. A recent review of scientific
trials found the evidence that fish oil pills
protect the heart was flimsy at best.
When taking a vitamin can help
Despite
all this, there are certain situations when bending the no-supplements rule
makes sense if you simply can’t get all the nutrients you need from your diet
alone.
While
you’re ideally soaking up a few minutes of midday sun throughout the year to
make enough vitamin D, that’s simply not possible during winter in some places above
35 degrees latitude. The problem isn’t just overcast skies — it’s that the sun
isn’t able to get high enough during winter months for its UVB rays to penetrate the
atmosphere. “If your shadow is longer than you are tall, you aren’t making
vitamin D, even if you go out and sunbathe on a sunny January day,”
There
are also people who need to avoid sun
exposure for medical reasons, as well as people who spend most of the day
inside and aren’t able to get their daily sun allotment. In these situations, taking
a vitamin D supplement year-round can help ensure you’re staying topped up on
the sunshine vitamin. Talk with your doctor to see how much you should take.
Newborn babies
Newborn
babies should get a vitamin K injection shortly after birth. This prevents
something called vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a form of uncontrolled bleeding
in the brain or intestines. Placenta transfer of vitamin K from mama to baby in
utero is poor, and babies aren’t able to get enough from breast milk alone.
Pregnant woman
Expecting moms need more folic acid,
omega-3 fatty acids, iron and other nutrients than other women do to aid the
healthy development of their little one. For that reason, many doctors
recommend that pregnant women take a prenatal
vitamin. All
women thinking of having a baby should have a folic acid supplement, as should
any pregnant woman up to week 12 of her pregnancy. Folic acid can help to
prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Vitamin D supplements
Some groups of the
population are at greater risk of not getting enough vitamin D, and the
Department of Health recommends these people take daily vitamin D supplements.
These groups are:
All babies from birth to 1 year of age (including
breastfed babies, and formula-fed babies who have less than 500ml a day of
infant formula)
All children aged 1 to 4 years
old
People who are not often exposed to the
sun – for example, people who are frail or housebound, are in an institution such
as a care home, or usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin
when outdoors
For the rest of the population, everyone
over the age of 5 years (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) is advised
to consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
But most people aged 5 years and above
will probably get enough vitamin D from sunlight in the summer (late
March/early April to the end of September), so you might choose not to take a
vitamin D supplement during these months.
Supplements containing vitamins A, C
and D
All children aged
6 months to 5 years should take a supplement containing vitamins A, C and D.
This is a precaution because growing children may not get enough of these
vitamins, especially those not eating a varied diet – for example, fussy
eaters. Your GP may also recommend
supplements if you need them for a medical condition. For example, you may be
prescribed iron supplements to treat iron deficiency anaemia.
If
you’re taking certain medications
Some prescribed medications can affect your ability to absorb or
produce certain nutrients. For example, a popular diabetes drug is known to
cause a vitamin B12 deficiency. In situations like this, it’s
important to understand the side effects of your medications and to ask your
doctor if taking a supplement can help.
People
on vegetarian or on dietary restrictions
“If you’re eating a few specific foods and not getting a variety
or if you’re eliminating a whole group of foods, then yes, you might need a
supplement,”. Vegetarians, for example, might be deficient in vitamin
B12 because
it occurs mostly in animal products like fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy
products. Although there are plenty of vegan-friendly foods fortified with B12,
taking a supplement is another option. Even if you have dietary restrictions
causing you to avoid certain types of foods, it’s still best to chat with your
doctor or a dietitian to find natural, food-based ways to stay healthy.
Antioxidants:
An
excess of these has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, and
you can eat berries instead. Vitamins A, C, and E are antioxidants found in
plentiful form in many fruits - especially berries - and veggies, and they've
been touted for their alleged ability to protect against cancer.
But studies suggest that when taken in excess,
antioxidants can
actually be harmful. A large, long-term study of
male smokers found that those who regularly took Vitamin A were more likely to
get lung cancer than those who didn't.
And a 2007 review of
trials of several different types of antioxidant supplements put it this way:
"Treatment with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase
mortality."
Vitamin C:
Vitamin C supplements probably won't help you
get over your cold, and you can eat citrus fruits instead. Plus, mega doses of 2,000 milligrams or more
can raise your risk of painful kidney stones. So
get your Vitamin C from your food instead. Strawberries are packed with the
nutrient.
Vitamin B3:
Skip it
and eat salmon, tuna, or beets instead. For years, Vitamin B3
was promoted to treat everything from Alzheimer's to heart disease. But recent studies have called
for an end to the
over-prescription of the nutrient. A large
2014 study of more than 25,000 people with heart disease
found that putting people on long-acting doses of Vitamin B3 to raise their
levels of 'good', or HDL, cholesterol didn't reduce the incidence of heart
attacks, strokes, or deaths. Plus, people in the study who took the B3
supplements were more likely than those taking a placebo to develop infections,
liver problems, and internal bleeding.
Probiotics: .
Probiotics - pricey bacterial supplements that
can cost upward of $1 per pill but are found naturally in smaller amounts in
yogurt and other fermented foods - have become a big business with a market of
roughly US$23.1
billionin
2012. The idea behind them is simple: Support the trillions of bacteria
blossoming in our gut which we know play a crucial role in regulating our
health. .
Zinc:
Take it - it's one of the only ingredients
linked to shortening a cold. Unlike Vitamin C, which studies have found
likely does nothing to prevent or treat the common cold; zinc may actually be
worth it. The mineral seems to interfere
with the replication of rhinoviruses, the bugs that cause the common cold.
In a 2011
review of studies of people who'd recently gotten sick,
researchers looked at those who'd started taking zinc and compared them with
those who just took a placebo. The ones on the zinc had shorter colds and less
severe symptoms.
Vitamin E:
Skip
it - an excess has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, and you
can eat spinach instead. The antioxidant Vitamin E was popularized for
its alleged ability to protect against cancer. But a large
2011 study of close to 36,000 men found that the risk of
prostate cancer actually increased among the men taking Vitamin E compared to
the men taking a placebo. And a 2005
study linked high doses of Vitamin E with an overall higher risk of
death. So if you're looking for more Vitamin E, make yourself a fresh spinach
salad and skip the pill. Dark greens like spinach are rich with this stuff.
Folic acid:
Take
it if you're pregnant, or if you might want to get pregnant. Folic
acid is a B vitamin which our bodies use to make new cells. The National
Institutes of Health recommends that women who are currently pregnant or who
want to get pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily because their
bodies demand more of this key nutrient when they are carrying a growing fetus.
Additionally, several large studies have
linked folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy with decreased
rates of neural-tube
defects, serious and life-threatening birth defects of the baby's brain,
spine, or spinal cord.
Role of supplements
Supplements were never meant to be food
substitutes the way some marketers sell them today. Supplements were intended
to be exactly what their name says: a “supplement,” or addition, to your
already healthy diet. When scientists first
isolated vitamins and nutrients in foods that were essential to normal health
and vitality, as well as disease prevention, they thought the magic was in the
nutrient alone—allowing sales of specific supplements to skyrocket.
But we now know nutrients don’t work alone. They
work with your body, and the whole food to bring you life saving health
benefits.
Take broccoli. It’s loaded with a
phytochemical called isothiocyanates. ( it’s linked to a lower incidence of tumors).
But you’d never get the same benefit by taking a supplement, because without
the enzyme found in whole broccoli sprouts your body absorbs about 8 times less
of the tumor-fighting nutrient.
Look at vitamin E. Eat foods
rich in this vitamin and you’ll help fight age-related diseases like cancer,
Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. But as a supplement it won’t deliver. That’s
because supplemental, synthetic forms of vitamin E only contain one chemical
compound—fat soluble, alpha tocopherol. However, the natural forms of vitamin E
found in foods, contain four types of tocopherol and four tocotrienol
compounds.
And the latest research also suggests that many
nutrients, plant chemicals and even dietary fiber join forces and work together
to bring you more health benefits than they do alone. Lab studies show that
tomatoes help block cancer development. But combine tomatoes and broccoli
together and you reduce cancer risk even more!
Diet
Healthy bacteria in your gut use dietary fiber and
resistant starch (a type of fiber in dried beans) to produce a fatty acid that
seems to protect colon cells from cancer. Some foods are so powerful, research shows they can actually deactivate
carcinogens or cause abnormal cells to self-destruct. They’re called
phytochemicals and they’re found in garlic, broccoli, and other cruciferous
veggies. Other recommendations related to dietary control and prevention of disease are:
·
The easiest
way to avoid diabetes—drink water! Just two glasses a day reduced chances of
developing high blood sugar by 28%.
·
What to eat
to help beat osteoporosis, breast cancer, pump up your heart health, and get
relief from menopause!
·
Nutrient not
found in your body that you need to protect your eyesight as you age! Especially
helpful at keeping your macula and lens healthy. (You’ll find it in pistachios
and spinach…)
·
Popular
yogurt that cheats you out of 30% of calcium (and it’s usually more expensive!)
·
Run away from
breast cancer. New studies show postmenopausal women with high physical
activity levels have a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer.
Although lots of people will try to
convince you carbs are bad for your health, did you know filling up on whole
grains can slash risk of heart disease by up to 30%?
·
People from Asia typically don’t get
wrinkles until they are in their 50s? The secret may be soy. It turns out
that genistein—an isoflavone and antioxidant found primarily in soybeans, helps
guard the skin against sun damage. Scientists think the high amount of soy in
their diet helps to fight wrinkles.
·
You gain a lot—when you lose just a
little? It turns out, you don’t have to fit into your skinny
jeans or look great in a bikini to reap big benefits from weight loss. Losing
just 10% of body weight slashed the risk of getting type 2 diabetes up to 58%!
And the health benefits of losing lasted up to 10 years even if you gain the
weight back!
·
Trans fats (like those found in baked
goods and some margarines) can shrink your brain? Seniors with high levels of trans fats in their blood scored
poorly on tests and scans showed their brains were actually smaller—a trait
linked to Alzheimer’s disease. However, seniors with higher levels of vitamins
B, C, D, and E, and those with higher omega-3 fatty acids scored well on the
same tests and had larger brains.
·
Excess body fat is especially
dangerous after menopause? Excess fat actually sends out
chemical signals that increase your risk for certain types of cancer—including
breast cancer.
·
Probiotics
won’t work unless you have enough live bacteria in your system? By eating foods like fiber
(a prebiotic), you help guarantee that disease-fighting probiotics can survive
the acidity of your stomach and make it to your large intestine where they do
their work.