March 2007
by Vicki Rackner MD
Lisa wants to do everything she can to keep her family healthy. She makes a point of serving healthy meals, protecting her family’s skin with sunscreen and going out for family bike rides. She also follows the health news. This month she was startled by a report on TV: New evidence suggests that health-conscious individuals like herself who take antioxidant supplements hoping to enhance their vitality and prevent disease may instead be placing themselves at increased risk of dying.
Lisa and many others like her are confused. She asks, “How do you decide whether to take supplements?”
I answer, “The same way you make informed choices about all health-related interventions.”
Smart consumers ask the right questions before investing their limited health care dollars. Whether the medical intervention involves an operation, prescription medication or nutritional supplements, the formula for making informed choices is the same: You weigh the risks and the benefits and come to the decision that works best for you.
You begin with the best information you have available. Sometimes it’s hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to medical claims. Fortunately, we doctors are collecting more scientific evidence that examines whether any given medical intervention is safe and effective. Supplements such as vitamins and minerals and herbal remedies are being subjected to the same scrutiny.
Here are some common myths about nutritional supplements:
Myth: Dietary supplements are proven to be safe.
Fact: Nutritional supplements are not overseen by the Food and Drug Administration like, well, food and drugs. Legally, manufacturers do not have to conduct research studies on people to demonstrate they are safe before they are marketed.
Myth: Dietary supplements are proven to be effective.
Fact: Manufacturers are not required to prove that supplements are effective before they are marketed. In fact, most of the supplements’ promotion takes the form of testimonials instead of scientific research.
Myth: Supplements don’t require a doctor’s prescription. So they must be safe.
Fact: Any medical intervention has the potential to help—and to harm. This includes over-the-counter remedies as well as nutritional supplements. Even something as safe as aspirin can be deadly. According to the medical literature, more people in the U.S. die each year from aspirin-related complications than from AIDS.
Myth: Supplements come from plants. So they must be safe.
Fact: Powerful medicine, like chemotherapy that treats cancer patents, comes from plant sources.
Myth: When my doctors ask about my medication, they mean my prescription medication.
Fact: A medicine is something you put in or on your body to change the way your body works. Tell your doctor about ALL your medication, including vitamins, calcium tablets, Echinacea and aspirin. These can affect the safety and effectiveness of your prescription medication.
Myth: I can rely on dietary supplements to fill in the gaps left by my fast-food diet.
Fact: We are just beginning to understand how food fuels health, and undoubtedly it’s more complex than delivering a collection of vitamins and minerals. For now, the best advice comes from your grandmother: “Get vitamins the way God intended—through food!”
Myth: If a little is good, more is better
Fact: Health is about balance, and too much of a good thing can be dangerous. Think of the premies born in the U.S. around 1950 who were blinded after being exposed to the 100 percent oxygen well-intentioned doctors pumped into their incubators. So, too, we know that overdoses of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin E can be toxic to the body. Honor the power of nutritional supplements by taking the optimal dose.
I guarantee that you will face more situations in which new medical research contradicts what we believe to be true today. Sometimes medical reports published within weeks of each other give contradictory results. You may have heard about two medical studies recently released about whether screening for lung cancer saves lives. One study says it does—another say it doesn’t. New evidence may suggest that you’re being harmed more than helped by a medication. Stay tuned, and know that you make the best choices you can with the information that’s available.
Copyright © Vicki Rackner MD, 2007
Vitamins Myths Uncovered: