Do vitamins and other supplements live up to their promise?

ronadams52

Article from the Harvard Medical dated May 24, 2012

As stated watch for claims that may seem extravagant or too good to be true because they probably are!

Do vitamins and other supplements live up to their promise?

Dietary supplements are wildly popular. Over one millions Americans take at least one supplement. The attraction is understandable. Many people want to optimize their health and well-being. The supplement industry has a strong financial interest in meeting this need and promoting their products. But manufacturers do not need to prove the purity, strength, safety, or effectiveness of supplements. And the law does not require proof that claims on the label are true.
A recent issue of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch gives readers an overview of the evidence (for or against) several popular supplements, including vitamin D, selenium, St. John’s wort, and multivitamins. Harvey Simon, M.D., editor of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch cautions readers, “Consumers should always keep an eye out for new study reports. Recommendations will change as scientific studies trickle in. Unfortunately, in most cases, the studies have failed to confirm our hopes, though there are exceptions.”

Despite their popularity, there is no evidence that multivitamins enhance health or prevent illness. In fact, both the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and a National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference concluded that multivitamins do not offer protection against heart disease or cancer. In contrast, research suggests that fish oil supplements may be beneficial for people with heart disease.

Dr. Simon recommends a thoughtful and careful approach. “It is often hard to balance sober scientific reports with the simple, hopeful promises of well-marketed vitamins and supplements.” The Harvard Men’s Heath Watch offers some tips for doing just that.

• Watch for extravagant claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually isn’t true.
• Take testimonials and endorsements with a grain of salt, especially those from celebrities. Even the most sincere, well-intended recommendations offered by friends and relatives without financial incentives can’t establish a product’s safety or efficacy.
• It isn’t true that “if a little is good, more is better.” In fact we have learned that even the most harmless sounding supplement can have unintended negative effects.
• Beware of meaningless terms. The list includes “all-natural,” “antioxidant-rich,” “clinically proven,” “anti-aging,” and other vague but seductive claims that a product can work wonders.

Even if you take supplements, be sure to eat well, exercise regularly, and work with your doctor to keep your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar in good control, advises the Men’s Health Watch. Tell your clinicians about any and all supplements you take; full disclosure is important, particularly since supplements can have adverse interactions with medications.

Meg_78

I have never really bought into the whole supplements thing, with a few exceptions, I admit I do take a basic daily multi-vitamin, even though I do eat well, I just want to be sure, and I like my kids to take a multi too, just cause they can be picky eaters. I also think that iron is very important for most women to take, so I take that too. I would more likely believe in the benefits of plants/herbs and herbal remedies, and things that you do your self, than the quality and promise of OTC supplements.

ronadams52

Great advice and I certainly agree with your prospective. My oldest son is a professor and teaches bio/chemistry courses and also manages the universities laboratory. He has done his own studies on many supplements especially those related to building muscle, he himself having been a competitive body builder and now a power lifter. His finding generally have concluded that most supplements may help about 10% at most, the rest being a psychological process where the person believes that they have an advantage and as a result they actually work out harder. The bottom line, in most cases, they would have come very close to the same progress without taking any supplements if they just ate properly before and after exercising. He also found that many supplements which overload the body with chemicals that enhance strength and ultimately growth also overload the body with the resulting toxins. That is why problems can occur down the road with kidneys and other organs which are not capable of processing the excessive load on them by the toxins.