Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: February 23, 2009
While vitamins used to be deemed as a critical component for preventing heart disease and cancer, researchers are now swinging the vitamin pendulum to the other side. Although half of all adult Americans take vitamins, they are proving to be unnecessary for preventing chronic diseases and some may not be useful at all!
Results from an 8 year Women’s Health Initiative study tracking 161,808 participants recently revealed no convincing benefits for women using a multivitamin to lower the risk of common cancers (breast, ovarian, lung, stomach, bladder, kidney, colorectal or endometrial). Multivitamins also did not prove effective for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (including heart attack, stroke and blood clots) nor total mortality in postmenopausal women.
Now before you lock the door to your vitamin cabinet and toss the key away forever, ask yourself if you’re taking them for the right reasons. Evidently, taking a daily multivitamin is practical for those who do not consume enough recommended amounts of essential nutrients in their regular diets. Pregnant women and the elderly have additional nutritional requirements. However, keep in mind, the American diet is generally well nourished and many of our foods are fortified with nutrients. In this day and age, we no longer need to worry about common deficiency diseases like scurvy (a lack of vitamin C) and rickets (a lack of vitamin D).
But, for the many Americans who fall short of the recommended daily doses or need an extra boost, some vitamins could probably remain in your medicine cabinets. Here is the current list (subject to change) of some key supplements that show hope for being beneficial:
B Vitamins- Have some protection against cardiovascular disease when taken with small doses of vitamin C.
Multivitamins- Can’t hurt to take them, but also may not be that beneficial either. Definitely don’t bother with the ones that promote the prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease.
Calcium and Vitamin D- Yes! Bones need calcium. Women need calcium. The average woman in America consumes less than 500mg of calcium per day in her diet, which is less than the recommended amount. The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. The National Institutes of Health currently recommends adult men and women take the following recommended doses:
19-50 years old- 1,000mg
50+ years old- 1,200mg
Fish Oil- The American Heart Association recommends 1,000mg fish oil supplements for only those at high risk of, or diagnosed with coronary heart disease or those with high triglycerides.
The recently released, scientifically significant studies are not the end-all answer to the vitamin mystery. Experts are in agreement that more research needs to be conducted. Vitamin studies are tricky to investigate for several reasons. For drugs, the best, most reliable studies are randomized clinical trials where one group of people receives the drug and others (a control group) takes a placebo. Results of each group can then be analyzed side by side. For vitamins, it’s really difficult to do this because nutrients work differently depending on diet. Nutrients work together in a kind of symbiosis. It’s really tough to pinpoint precisely which ones (of thousands) are most beneficial when taken together.
So, don’t be surprised when the vitamin pendulum swings again. Where is the pendulum now, you ask? Somewhere in the middle — vitamins won’t hurt you, but they’re really not all that beneficial either. The general consensus remains convinced that no pill can come close to replacing the benefits of consuming vitamins through a healthy diet.
A balanced diet with plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and fish combined with regular physical activity is something you can’t use a vitamin pill to “supplement”. Diets rich in these foods have actually proven lower rates of heart disease and cancer. Scientists don’t know why this isn’t the case when taking the same nutrients in pill form. Definitely avoid processed foods, high calories and go light on red meat. To see if you’re on the right track, use the USDA’s MyPyramid Tracker.
References
Hobson, Katherine. “Vitamins and Supplements: Do They Work?.” US News & World Report 09 12 2008 5. 20 Feb 2009 http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/12/09/vitamins-and-supplements-do-they-work.html.
Neuhouser, Marian L., Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, et al., “Multivitamin Use and Risk of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease in Women.” Archives of Internal Medicine v.169, no.3 09 02 2009 20 Feb 2009 http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/3/294.
Parker-Pope, Tara. “Study Finds No Benefit From Daily Multivitamin.” The New York Times Well Blog09 02 2009 2. 20 Feb 2009 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/study-finds-no-benefit-from-daily-multivitamin/.
Parker-Pope, Tara. “Vitamin Pills: False Hope?.” The New York Times Well Blog 09 02 2009 3. 20 Feb 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17well.html?ref=science.
“Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good.” Medline Plus. 09 02 2009. HealthDay. 20 Feb 2009 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_75562.html.
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