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Vitamin E will boost my immune system, and B will make me think faster and Amino
acids will help me look better or fly (I can’t remember which). I tally a sizeable
bill at the register, downloading vitamins to help me feel like a champion. But I
figure I’ll save on my food bills. Maybe I don’t need real food at all with all
these vitamins.
Are We on to Something? Or Are We Being Had?
The dietary supplement industry would have us believe that supplements are an
indispensable component to a healthy lifestyle. The industry’s profits reflect
our willingness to play along. According to a Food and Drug Administration
report, half of all Americans use dietary supplements of some kind. The industry
has grown at an estimated 20 to 30% annually. Dietary supplement revenues in the
United States are at $12 billion a year, roughly half from vitamin and mineral
supplements alone. That’s $43 each year from every living American. Are we on
to something? Or are we being had?
Experts say that while vitamin supplements have their place, most people don’t
need them, and having a balanced diet is far superior to getting your nutrients
from pills.
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Resources |
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There are abundant resources available if you'd like to learn more about the
dietary supplement industry and how supplements might help or hurt you. On
the web, check out the FDA's Center For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov, The
National Council against Health Fraud at
http://www.ncahf.org, or
http://www.quackwatch.com. You can find the American Dietetic Association at
http://www.eatright.org, or
call them at 800-366-1655 to find information or a registered dietician
near you.
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Misleading Claims
Reliability is an issue too. Do you know what you’re eating when you try alternative
or “breakthrough” supplements? expert says there’s a good chance nobody does.
The FDA gave the dietary supplement industry wings in 1994 when it re-classified
supplements as parts of foods rather than whole foods. This classification granted
immunity to the usual regulatory scrutiny. “Before then you couldn’t just put
pills together and say this will help you think,” expert says.
Claims made by manufacturers of many herbal nutrients can be misleading she says,
and are often based on correlative, not causative results. “Mark McGwire says he
uses andro and look at the home runs he hits, so people think the supplement’s
got to be good,” expert says, adding that contributing factors like McGwire’s
healthy diet, abundant rest, and plentiful exercise are ignored.
“I’m a firm advocate of going to food first,” says Dr. Susan Barr, a registered
dietician and Professor of Nutrition at the University of British Columbia.
“There are so many other things in food that you don’t get from a
supplement.”
Barr stresses that supplements should be taken according to the true meaning of
the word; a supplementation of your diet that adjusts for minute nutrient
deficiencies after eating a balanced diet. They cannot compensate for a poor
diet. It’s easier for your body to absorb its needed nutrients when those
nutrients are mixed and balanced in whole foods, and active people, because they
often eat more, usually get all they need before turning to vitamins, she
says.
If you do buy vitamin supplements, Barr says, there is little difference between
expensive and generic brand vitamins. “Some people are making a lot of money
off this. Buy the cheapest one that’s put out by a reliable manufacturer,”
she advises.
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