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We live in an age when good nutrition practices—eat lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables; hold the fatty meat and hydrogenated vegetable oils—are simple, straightforward and widely available. But visit a well-stocked health food store, pharmacy or supermarket, and you’d never know it. The variety of dietary supplements can be overwhelming, with dozens of vitamins, minerals and extracts offered alone and in combinations targeted at every possible intersection of age, sex and activity. And that selection is a nutritional desert compared to the tropical rain forest–level diversity of supplements at more specialized stores.
Dietary supplements are big business in the U.S.: consumer sales in 2006 were estimated at $22.5 billion, with some 60 percent of Americans taking at least a daily multivitamin. But thanks to a regulatory structure designed more to promote the availability of supplements than to ensure that they deliver on their promises, it can seem impossible to figure out what—if anything—you should be taking. The options range from the almost appetizing juxtaposition of garlic, cranberry and soy concentrates to the downright macabre “glandulars.” And if cramming pituitary, prostate and pancreas extracts into a single pill doesn’t count as overkill, then surely another product containing vitamins, minerals and most of the biochemical intermediates of the cellular Krebs cycle must. The skeptical browser could be tempted to ask where to find the snake oil aisle.
This article was originally published with the title Getting to Know Nutraceuticals.
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11 Comments
Add CommentOmega-3 fatty acids seem to me to be a posssible source of mercury & other heavy ambient environmental metals. I think the unintended outcomes of ingesting such a nutraceutical outweigh the possible benefits. If children & pregnant women are warned against eating too many fish products, how do we know that the omega-3 complex is safe??
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am vegan so I don't consume fish products. I get my omegas from Flax seed oil pills as well as other nut sources. Things like flax oil, olive oil, canola oil, hemp oil and others have all of the omegas one needs without the heavy metals found in fish.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo, if you are worried about the mercury, take the plant based supplements instead.
Good morning,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI thought reading this article was going to be enlightening! Because it Was Scientific American, I purchased the magazine last night in Stop N Shop!
How can a writer label something macabre without discussing the benefits of glandulars in organotherapy. At least he could have called the suppliers of these materials for some clarification.
In the Gait study, did they test to see how soon the pains came back for those suffering with arthritis? I don't think so. If you take the Cosamin DS regularly for a couple of weeks and then forget for a day or two the pain doesn't return readily. With the others that I've tried, pain is back the next day!!!
Arthritis is a multi-causal illness. We have to determine which root cause is active in each individual and then choose appropriate therapy!
I would take anything that the Tufts University CV research team has done with a large grain of salt. My experience is they're more interested in getting publishing a trial than reporting quality information. They take prior trials do a Meta-Analysis and leap to conclusions which they've done with statins in the past, It is inherently hard combine large numbers of trials with diffent populations and designs etc.. and get a quality result. However, they will hang their hat on it. Otherwise I found this article to be very informative. Thank You!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOmega 3 from fish liver oil, especially cod liver oil, is a very safe supplement as the oils are tested very thoroughly for toxins as is required by GMP, and you will find no heavy metals ( usually mercury is the concern).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCanola oil is a trans fat and toxic to the liver so it should be avoided.
EPA in flax often does not concert to DHA, so you would need to take additional fish based vitamin A to get the conversion for Omega 3s. Many vegans do not know the problems of deficiency in their diet and how to correct the losses.
It's quite easy to eat a balanced diet as a vegan, thanks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDon't hop on the "we need to eat animals" bandwagon because I would suggest re-researching that.
You even misspeak vegan as viigan. As if you would know how wrong you are.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://google.com/groups?q=retardarianism
http://google.com/search?q=site:gaxonline.com+lysdexia+fries
I think the jury is still out as far as nutraceuticals are concerned! A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is one way of maintaining a healthy life! Whether nutraceutical supplements are useful remains to be seen! Till then we ought to stick to friuts and vegetables!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWha? Lysdexic... you lost me. Perhaps it's because my poor vegan brain can't understand your obviously superior intelligence (as seen in your posts).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen we think of oil, the first thing that comes to mind is the oil in our automobile, which keeps the moving metal parts well lubricated and running smooth. We are well aware that if we neglect the oil level and the oil runs out, the motor will stop running.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOmega 3, Life's Miracle Oil
Why vitamin A from fish?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAren't there enough of this stuff in carrots (for instance)?
Or are you talking about a different kind of Vitamin A?
Please enlighten us.