Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Supplements; Are You Wasting Your Money?

If you were to visit me at work you would see that my desk/"office" is right in the middle of the supplement section of Giant Eagle. I really love being located right where I have access to customers looking for supplements. Many of you know how I feel about supplements, but if you don't, I will tell you that I think they can potentially play a very important role in a person's diet, but Americans know very little about the potential dangers of supplements and in my opinion we are taking way too many, and sometimes for the wrong reasons.




Nutrition Action Healthletter provided a fantastic article in their July issue, which described some popular supplements and what the data actually indicates about their reported "benefits". Here is some of what they said;



Garlic for Cholesterol?
There have been several trials testing garlic, which have let to less than impressive results. Don't count on large doses of garlic, or garlic pills to help lower your cholesterol. Enjoy garlic in your dishes as a tasty and sodium-free spice, but there are better avenues for cholesterol lowering (reduce your saturated fat intake, consume some flaxseeds, and plenty of fiber).




B Vitamins for Energy? Clearly our bodies need B-vitamins to metabolize our foods and to derive energy from our foods, but taking extra B-vitamins will do you no good. There is no credible evidence that taking B-vitamins (via a pill or other supplement) will give you extra energy. In fact, most of the supplements I've seen with > 100% DV (daily value) B-vitamins are just a waste of money, unless you eat as many calories as Michael Phelps. Even he doesn't need 3000% DV! Solution? Eat a well balanced diet and take a multivitamin if you wish. No need for >100% B-vitamins.



Want energy? Eat plenty of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.



B vitamins for your heart? This is yet another piece of advice I learned during my years in school for dietetics, but which hasn't held true since. We were taught that B-vitamins could help lower homocysteine, which is a marker of heart disease. While B-vitamins do seem to lower homocysteine, unfortunately they do not seem to lower the risk for heart disease.




Gingko for memory? Results have been mixed, but studies have more overwhelmingly showed poor evidence that gingko can improve memory. My advice? Don't waste your money! Blueberries probably provide more benefit for memory and brain health. And they taste better.


Multivitamins for immunity?
If you are well-nourished and free of disease, chances are a multivitamin will not improve your immunity. Heck, even those who are undernourished seem to obtain little benefit, if any, from taking a multivitamin. Studies are still being done in this area, but for now my best advice is to eat plenty of fruits and veggies, exercise, and get plenty of sleep (7-8 hours). These are all great ways to prevent sickness.




Biotin for hair and nails? You've probably heard this before, "Take a biotin supplement if you want your nails and hair to grow fast and stay strong!". Perhaps you even went out and bought some biotin at one time in your life. You may have noticed a difference, but chances are it was a placebo effect, "Wow! My hair really IS growing faster!...." Hmmm....I think not. The bottom line is that no credible studies have shown that biotin improves the look and speed of growth of nails or hair. My advice? Trim them both on a routine basis, find a good conditioning treatment to use on your hair (I use AVEDA), and a top coat for your nails (I use L.A. Girl Calcium. It's a clear coat and it works really well).



Question: Does any of this information shock you?! Do tell!


I'll be back on Friday. Until then, I hope everyone has a great week!

34 comments :

  1. That is so cool that your desk is RIGHT there. If I saw you, I would probably bombard you with questions! Do people do that?

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  2. I am glad to see another RD that agrees with me on this issue. Many people have no idea and many companies take advantage of this, along with the fact that they are not regulated. There are issues from taking too many supplements and I do think they should have some regulation. There are things in place to and you can research and find better products, but it is way too lucrative of a business for me to entirely trust all companies.

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  3. As Melinda said, I feel like companies just promote these products all over the place but most research says they aren't particularly helpful. Also, why don't they have regulation? Seems like a bad idea when it can be so unsafe to take them. All I take is my Calcium/Vitamin D, sometimes I think I should take a multivitamin because I might be missing nutrients due to my stomach but currently I have not found one that makes me feel better (actually they make me feel worse) so I stick to my vitamin D/calicum. Eric takes omega 3 too but I love fish so I don't :)

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  4. You've basically summed up why I don't take supplements!

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  5. This is great to know - I mainly take a multivitamin to make sure I'm getting enough iron and Vitamin D - but maybe I should pay more attention to the foods I'm eating to ensure this!

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  6. I just read an article in Consumer Reports about the (oh so unregulated) supplement industry.

    I take a multi, omega 3's, and BCAA's...good, clean, supplements. They do my body good! ;-)

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  7. I agree that supplements are not the magical cure most people think they are and that a balanced diet is more important. Just shows how America is more interested in quick fixes than making changes.

    Hope work is going well!

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  8. I take a multi/prenatal, fish oil, a probiotic (for my tummy issues), and the calcium/vitamin D combo. I don't think I could deal with any more!

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  9. I've always heard that many supplements are a waste of money...and I guess it's true!! Thanks for posting all this-- now I can throw out my garlic supplements :-)

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  10. I agree with everything you said here. I think we can get everything we need from foods, not pills made by companies that just want to make money not actually help people.

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  11. I definitely agree with you that we can get the nutrients we need from foods and drinks. It seems like sometimes people take supplements just as an excuse to eat whatever they want. That being said, I have a family history of osteoporosis so I wonder whether it would be good to take a calcium supplement. I have heard mixed studies about whether or not calcium supplements are beneficial.

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  12. Great post!! All the studies we talked about in school seemed to show that when you isolate vitamins, they don't have the same effect as they do in whole foods.

    Does Giant Eagle mind that you are telling people that they may not need all the vitamins they think they do? I guess it could possibly hurt their vitamin sales if you are telling them to go buy blueberries instead. Of course you are right to tell them the truth, but I just wonder how the company feels about that!

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  13. I take vitamins..and know that my body doesn't abosorb them all...but I feel they help to fill in a small gap....but know they aren't the only way..food is!

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  14. I take calcium supplement and a multivitamin - nothing else.

    My doctor told me to take calcium because other doctors thought I was allergic to milk until I was about 12!

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  15. to be honest none of this shocks me and people taking all of these ridiculous supplements doesn't shock me either! i think people should just eat fruits veg carbs and protein and get your vits that way! and of course a multi-v which may i add i suck at taking and thank you for reminding me that i forgot to take it today hahah

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  16. I agree that people should be eating more fresh fruits and vegetables to get these vitamins and minerals. I pretty much stick to a multi vitamin, fish oil, and vitamin D...when I remember haha.

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  17. actually it does shock me yet at the same time i can say im not suprised. i know sometime vitamins can be a great option if some one KNOWS they arent going to get them from food.. like picky picky eaters or those who dont have access to good food (maybe 3rd world countries etc.) but for the regular joe or jane, supplementing with food is going to be the best option! 2 years ago when i was trying to heal myself of different health issues i went supplement crazy and spent hundreds of dollars on pills that did nothing.. theyre all in the trash and served pointless. food was my tried and true medicine <3

    xoxo

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  18. I do take a B vitamin, but I think the B12 is important for me as a pescetarian. What are your thoughts on fish oil supplements?

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  19. another great post!
    I totally agree with you on needing <100% of vitamins! Several years ago I went out and bought a female multivitamin and noticed that as soon as I took it, I would feel very lethargic and tired. I even started taking naps in the middle of the day and I am NOT a nap-person...I also noticed that my urine was a fluorescent green when I took them (TMI!?!)... I eventually asked my doctor about it and he said that nobody needs over 100% of ANY vitamin any day and that I was probably experiencing "vitamin toxicity." So weird! I definitely stopped taking them and felt better immediately.
    About the Biotin... I actually just started taking biotin about a month ago! I lose so much hair every day- it is ridiculous- in the shower, after my shower, and throughout the day. I don't know if it a placebo effect or not, but I am not losing as much hair anymore... I wouldn't say that it is growing faster or thicker, but I see a HUGE difference in the amount of hair that I'm shedding! And my nails already grow super fast so no comment there :)

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  20. er, I meant NOT needing <100%...

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  21. Doesn't shock me one bit. The thing about it, is when I try to tell people this, they for some reason, don't want to believe me. They would almost rather believe the gimmick or hype.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  22. Great Post Gina! I only take what my ND prescribes for me. Right now I am on the pre-natal vitamin pack so it is a no brainer. Simple and easy.

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  23. Thank you so much for this post! I only take a multivitamin (just in case I'm missing anything in my diet) and a calcium supplement with vitamin D. It's good to know not to waste my money on anything else!

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  24. haha I would def bombard with your questions, like Jess said!! I only take a multi vitamin and vit D and fish oil! I have wasted so much money on supps in my past, and I think I get plenty of vitamins and minerals through my healthy diet! I hate to waste money on things I dont use or NEED...thank you for this!

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  25. Great post, Gina!!

    I love that your desk is right in the middle of the supplements! I have to come visit you sometime...I'd love to see your store!

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  26. I have unhealthy cholesterol level and quite unhappy with my meds. I'm searching for a better one, I found one good for cholesterol reduce, for any other suggestion pls reply to this post. thank you!

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  27. I've seen your desk, and it really is RIGHT there!!!

    My favorite is the B vitamin myth. People think they're magical or something, I don't get it! We had soooo many patients on B12 injections. I'm like, "Get up and move during the day and you'll have more energy! Promise!"

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  28. This is a great summary, Gina, dispelling a lot of the supplemental myths in a well-written post. I've heard of most of them, although not about the biotin! I knew a girl on my XC team who was taking massive amounts of B-vitamins for energy - not good by any means. I think it's so funny that the people who take MVI are the people who need them the least. Hopefully readers will take your advice and get the bulk of their nutrition from food and not from supplements!

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  29. I'm a true believer of eating as whole variety of veggies/fruit and whole grains is enough to cover all we need. I'm so glad to know that a nutritionist back up that! :)

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  30. Yeah, not shocked. The cynic in me has always suspected that supplements are just a huge marketing ploy to scare us into peeing our money away--literally. For better or for worse, I've stopped taking supplements, and I *think* I'm doing just fine. My belly never liked em anyway. :)

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  31. Your desk is in the perfect location to help people out. I love it! I wish there was an RD in that section of my local Whole Foods. When I'm trying to remember what you've recommended, that would be extremely helpful!

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  32. Supplements and vitamins usually do not produce any clinically significant results outside of a placebo effect. HOWEVER...check out the results obtained with sleep initiation and MELATONIN (6mg for kids, 12 for adults) and FISH OILS. I often recommend these for adults....perhaps a post on that?

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  33. I can't say I'm shocked, but I will say thanks for saving me the money I might have spent on extra vitamins!

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  34. Wow, while I'm not shocked I'm sorta disappointed. I've been taking B complex and D since I'm very low in both. I was convinced the B helped my energy levels though.

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