Shelf after shelf of strangely named bottles can fill an entire aisle at the supermarket or drug store. There are "CoQ10" softgels, "charcoal" pills and mysterious "hoodia" tablets. But why would anyone take charcoal? What exactly is a CoQ10? And can you eat a hoodia?
Look closely at the labels: CoQ10 pills help your heart work; charcoal absorbs all those unfriendly gases and toxins; and hoodia aids in shedding those pounds. Going down the aisle, you can find a natural sex enhancement, a memory booster and a vitamin to help eyesight.
Should you be taking them all? Some nutritionists and doctors say you shouldn't be taking any of them.
The supplement craze has gone into overdrive: Everyone seems to be sipping fish oil or popping multivitamin pills in the pursuit of healthful living. But for all the boastful packaging, there is no conclusive proof that supplements work the professed magic.
Even Veda Woodland, the healthy eating specialist at a Whole Foods Market store in Washington, says that supplements should only be a short-term addition to someone's diet: "It should be food first."
Supplements try to reduce food "to a single component, such as one nutrient or one antioxidant," said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, but no study or test has proved what exactly makes food, such as fruits and vegetables, so healthy. "It may not be one thing; maybe it's the combination."
Others see dietary supplements as a type of insurance: "There is a big discrepancy between what people think they eat and what they actually are eating," said Kelly Dorfman, a nutritionist in North Potomac, Md. "Taking nutrients just makes good sense."
And for certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, supplements are highly recommended. Benjamin Caballero, a professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said he does not think any "healthy person with a healthy diet" should take dietary supplements, with a few exceptions: "pregnant woman; children under the age of 6 months who are being breast-fed, as breast milk is not rich in vitamins A, C and D; and people with gastrointestinal problems." And, in those cases, he believes a doctor would have already been consulted.
A quick blood test at the doctor's office can determine a person's vitamin levels. Washington nutritionist Mindy Block Feirman recommends asking for the test during your next physical. "Many individuals are coming back with their blood work low on Vitamin D," Feirman said. "We don't want to sit in the sun because we don't want to get skin cancer, so we don't get enough Vitamin D." She takes Vitamin D and calcium supplements every day.
Consumers should research brands before they buy. Siobhan DeLancey, a spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, said that the FDA can take action against a manufacturer only after a supplement is on the market and complaints have been filed. Because of this lack of oversight, many labels are misleading.
"Vague claims, which make no mention of a disease but offer generalizations such as 'improves heart health' or 'builds strong bones,' have no FDA stamp of approval," Dorfman said.
Nutritionists and doctors emphasize that people concerned about their diet should vary their food, not their food supplements. As a whole, Nestle says, Americans are not vitamin-deficient: "These (products) are for the worried well."
Comments
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merrill (anonymous) says…
Taking a multi vitamin is not a horrible horrible matter. Neither is vitamin C for that matter.
If a person is very social and likes to spend time around a lot of folks who may have colds or other contagious problems such as the flu.... Why not give your immune system a boost.
Should supplements replace fruits,veggies,whole grains,nuts,legumes,cheese,eggs,sleep,exercise etc etc etc? Of course not. Let's not forget plenty of water.
Could the LJW have searched for other people who would strongly support a whole food multi vitamin,Vitamin C and digestion of herbs(food) lifestyle to help keep illness away? Yes.
With so much cancer on the planet it might indicate that an ordinary healthy diet might not be quite enough. What's up with that. Are we simply exposed to more carcinogenics
by way of yard care,smoking and coal power plants? Could be. With cancer critters in our bodies maybe a boost to our immune systems is not such a bad idea?
Remember most food we buy is harvested early = not allowed to ripen on vine then shippped a few thousand miles to our stores.
Want healthier foods? Demand more from our local growers and support them with your dollars. Maybe some will expand. Local growing may well become an up and coming industry because California had it's water supply
cut back. Price Chopper/Hen House people are intensely searching for more local product to meet demands.
The Merc,Checkers,Free State Brewery,Central Soyfoods and The Casbah(downtown) are known for local food products. Ask around.
Do doctors cure illness? No way. They only treat symptoms.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
"Do doctors cure illness? No way. They only treat symptoms."
If you've ever wondered if merrill's posts were totally full of wild blueberry muffins, wonder no longer.
Mariposa (anonymous) says…
I adore blueberries and buy them to eat out of hand as a snack.
I take a mult-vitamin, calcium with D, flax-seed oil and potassium.
There are ten people in America who are living their lives the way the experts think they should.
Mariposa (anonymous) says…
snap_pop_no_crackle Could you explain your reference to "merrill"?
Thanks.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
"full of wild blueberry muffins" is a euphemism.
merrill (anonymous) says…
Doctors do not cure illness. They treat symptoms. Ask them.
Sometimes they are wrong. Should one ever seek a doctor? Certainly....
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FYI:
By Street Saint on November 9th, 2009
How to Cure any Illness
There are hundreds of methods one can use to prevent or remedy any given disease or illness. There are even more theories as to how the body combats illness. That being said, it is ultimately your choice as to which of these mindsets and methods you take. I would like to humbly suggest my own since it has not yet failed me and offers no negative side-effects.
Power of the Pill
In America (and many other developed nations), the notion is that if you are sick, there is a pill that can solve your problem. I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with taking medication; however, the problem with this mentality is that there is no emphasis on prevention. If there is a pill that can magically rid me of all of my problems, why do I need to worry about anything else?
Unfortunately, most people don’t consider what kinds of effects the pill has. To many people, it actually is almost as if the pills can “magically” rid the body of complications.
However, the body is a self-sustaining machine. If there is a malfunction within the machine, it does not mean the design is flawed, it means that something else has gone wrong and the machine must implement a new (often uncomfortable or painful) system in order to repair or compensate for this error.
further Food for thought and FYI
http://healthmad.com/children/how-to-...