Just the Facts About Supplements

A patient who recently started a supplement he had read about online came in with an acute episode of eye pain and vision disturbance. As we talked, I realized the culprit was a combination of a new supplement he began and medications he was already taking, and I knew I had to share this ASAP.

FACT:

Dietary supplementation is approximately a $30 billion industry in the United States.

FACT:

Supplements are NOT regulated by the Food and Drug Administration the same way that medications are.

We have a surprising lack of any evidence based facts about these supplements we are spending billions on! Most of the “evidence” is anecdotal:

“My friend swears by Vitamin X to make her hair grow beautifully…”

“My yoga instructor only takes supplement X instead of eating X…”

Since supplement manufacturers aren’t required to provide you with science or fact, here are some facts I’d like everyone to take home from this:

When it comes to supplements, more is NOT better

Too much of certain vitamins and minerals can be dangerous.

When choosing a multivitamin and other supplement, look for ones that contain no more than 100 percent of each ingredient. Also, take in account combining a multivitamin with another vitamin supplement.

As always, tell your doctor about everything you take, in addition to your prescribed medications. She can help you figure out what may be working for or against you!

A supplement cannot replace your meal

Wish a pill could give you all the goodness in that salad or fruit?

Simply put, supplements cannot make up for your nutritional deficiencies. There’s just no way around not eating/drinking your fruits and veggies.

Our bodies are designed to absorb nutrients from real food, not supplements. A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables gives you little need for supplements.

What’s more, lots of manufacturers add toxic chemicals to increase our intestinal absorption. (See below!)

Remember, a healthy and well-rounded diet provides us with phytonutrients that just aren’t available in even the best supplements.

The claims on supplement labels are often meaningless

The claims on most supplements are not based on any research based evidence. In fact, various studies of non FDA approved supplements found up to 30% of multivitamins do not have the ingredients they list on the label!

If no one is checking (like the FDA), they can say whatever they want on the label as a great marketing tool. It is up to you the consumer to believe it blindly, or do your own research to find what is approved and backed!

A negative impact on your wallet may not be all you get. Random testing of vitamins have found some contain potentially dangerous ingredients like heavy metals (fluoride, arsenic!) and carcinogens (titanium oxide, sodium benzoate).

Bottom line…..

Of course, everyone would like to live longer, healthier lives by taking a pill. About one out of every three Americans takes some sort of nutritional supplement each day. After billions of dollars spent, we are still battling chronic obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Clearly this isn’t working for us.

The right diet packed with fruits and vegetables is the answer. Save your hard earned money!