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Supplement Wisely
by
David B. Biebel,
DMin
One of
our friends often addresses groups of doctors on the subject of nutrition. For
several years now, he’s been taking an informal poll as he launches into his
subject. “How many of you supplement?” he asks. Ordinarily, 60 to 70 percent
raise their hands. “Why?” he asks, to which he hears a variety of answers, the
main point being, “Just in case I’m not getting everything I need from what I
eat.”
Dr. Paul Williams, an ER physician, described his own experience with this
dilemma: “I used to have a shelf in my kitchen that was dedicated to my row of
bottles. And every day I would take some Vitamin A, B-Complex, Vitamin C,
Vitamin E, Zinc, selenium, chromium, dolomite, lecithin...and others I’ve
forgotten by now. I thought then, 20 and 25 years ago, that I’d better do this
because by the year 2000, I’m sure we’ll have evidence that either I should have
been doing this, or at least I did not do myself any harm. As it turns out, I
was wrong on both counts,” he admitted.
About 62 percent of Americans reported in 2002 that they had used a supplement
during the previous twelve months. This represented a 23.7 percent increase
since 1987 —a veritable windfall for companies that produce such products, for
the stores that sell them, and for the small army of entrepreneurial
distributors hawking products person-to-person, the true contents of which no
one really knows.
But for a moment, let’s forget statistics and go count the supplements on your
shelves. If you take only a multivitamin with mineral supplement, you’re rare
indeed, though you’re probably not aware of which brands of multivitamin with
mineral supplements are actually good, and not potentially harmful, to you. More
likely, you’re also taking a single nutrient vitamin such as Vitamin C or E, or
folic acid if you’re pregnant, a single nutrient mineral such as calcium or
iron, or a combination of these. You may be taking Vitamin A (beta carotene),
B-Complex, zinc, selenium, chromium, manganese, magnesium, potassium,
phosphorus, or others supplements like aloe, echinacea, garlic, ginseng, ginko
biloba, glucosamine, grape seed extract, lecithin, milk thistle, St. John’s wort,
fish oil or flaxseed oil (both sources of Omega-3 fatty acids) amino acids, or
other energy-enhancing or body-building supplements. If you’re taking all these,
plus others, you surely need a large cabinet to store them in safely, since you
would not want the kids getting into them or you’ll end up calling the poison
hotline!
One reason you’re supplementing with whatever you’re using is that you read
some-where (or perhaps heard from a friend) that a particular substance can
achieve something that you like the sound of—more energy, protection against
cancer or chronic disease, relief from symptoms you already have, improved
memory or physical or sexual performance, and so forth. Your assumption may be
that while whatever you’re popping may not prove to be the magic bullet for
anything in particular, at least it won’t hurt you. If so, one question begs to
be answered: Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
While I was working on this chapter, I (Dave) estimated the number of dietary
supplements displayed via the relatively meager shelf space in our local grocery
store (yes, there’s only one). There were more than 350 different containers of
vitamins, minerals, combinations of vitamins and minerals, herbs, botanicals,
and other supplements available. In a superstore or city supermarket, this
number might be doubled, perhaps tripled.
Yet who really knows what all these products are, what they do, and especially
how they interact with each other or with prescription medications the buyer
might be taking? So buyer beware...and be informed, because what you don’t know
might hurt you—actually, it might kill you, quickly or slowly, depending on what
the product in question is, the dose, and whether you take it in isolation or
with other supplements.
Supplement facts and fiction:
Facts:
• About 30,000 nutritional supplements are available in the U.S.A. Government
controls have been lax in some areas, and safety is a valid concern. In many
cases, the purity and concentration of a particular product’s nutrient may not
match the manufacturer’s claims.
• If your diet is rich in a variety of ripe, raw vegetables and fruit daily (or
the micronutrients of the same via some other means), you probably need no
additional vitamins or minerals except Omega 3 fatty acids (via certain fish,
supplements of fish oil or to a lesser degree, the oils of legumes such as
flaxseed).
• You should not take any manufactured vitamin or mineral in isolation or in
megadoses, except with the advice and consent of your physician;
• Vitamins, minerals, food supplements, herbs, or other non-prescribed
alternative medicine products may interact with other medicines that you are
taking and interfere with their absorption or breakdown and removal from body.
Always inform your doctor about any diet you are on or supplements that you may
be taking.
• Some products are not what they claim to be; for example, anti-aging products
claiming to be “human growth hormone” (HGH) are peddled on the Internet. These
are not true HGH, or even synthetic HGH, which is available only by
prescription, but substances that are supposed to increase your body’s
production of HGH.
• USDA scientists have developed the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC)
scale, which has identified certain “superfoods” that have up to twenty times
the antioxidant power of other foods. All the top foods are vegetables and
fruits—see Appendix 3. Artificially produced “antioxidant” supplements, even in
megadoses (see warning above) cannot provide what these simple foods provide
because...
• Many artificial supplements are not very “bioavailable,” which means that the
body does not actually absorb or use them efficiently, possibly because they are
not natural. For example, while a small apple contains only 5.1 mg of Vitamin C,
the effect of its beneficial food compounds (polyphenols and flavonoids) equals
the effect of 1,500 mg of Vitamin C. Without doubt, getting your vitamins and
minerals from natural foods is always better than avoiding real food and trying
to cover your nutritional backside with a potpourri of pills.
Fiction:
• If you can buy a supplement in a natural food store or on online, it must be
safe.
• You can believe what you read about supplements in “health” magazines. One
such “magazine” markets hundreds of supplements, many supposedly for specific
conditions.
• “Thermogenic” products, meal replacement products, and diet shakes can “burn
off” fat.
• Cellulite can be effectively treated with pills, creams, or other supplements.
Though some creams may have temporary effects, none has been shown to have a
permanent effect. One of the more humorous claims related to this was made in
2004 by an Italian jean manufacturer, which touted “jean therapy” for cellulite
as a result of friction during wear releasing anti-cellulite cream imbedded in
the fabric—for a mere $139 per pair.
David B.
Biebel, DMin, BTB, is a minister, medical editor, and author or coauthor of 15
books including Simple Health and New Light on Depression. He and
his colleagues offer the seminar: “Wellness, Plain and Simple.” For information
about this seminar, or other health-related matters, visit:
http://www.crosshearthealth.com.
To contact Dr. Biebel, e-mail:
dbbv1@aol.com.
This material is
copyrighted, 2005. See:
http://www.crosshearthealth.com for similar health information. None of
the statements or information in this section is intended as medical advice.
Medical advice regarding diets and supplements specific to yourself should be
obtained from your personal physician
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