Nutrition From Supplements,
Or From Our Diet
Or Both?
Do I really need
supplements
?
Can't I get everything I need from my
food?
By Dr. Ladd McNamara
No, not really; and it depends upon how you define "need." Although many doctors and nutritionist still maintain that we can get everything we need from our diet alone, medical research shows this is not the case. Also, it depends upon how much you "need" to do what. Most people think that getting 100% the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) is all that we need, or that it is "enough." In fact the RDAs were first established by the National Academy of Sciences during World War II (and revised in 1968) to determine the MINIMUM levels deemed necessary to prevent the soldiers from acquiring the classical nutrient deficiency diseases, such as night blindness, beriberi, pelegra, rickets, and scurvy (a disease that claimed the lives of many sailors before the 1800's). It is indeed possible to prevent night blindness, beriberi (a neurological disease), pelegra, scurvy, and rickets by eating 5 to 7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. Is this all you "need," or even want? Most people are not too concerned about the classical nutrient-deficiency diseases. People are concerned about the chronic degenerative diseases:
heart disease
, stroke, atherosclerosis,
cancer
, diabetes
, lung disease, Alzheimer's disease, autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, etc. These diseases are associated with increased oxidative damage,
inflammation
, and a lack of nutritional supplementation.
In addition, due to processed foods, poor eating habits, and the depletion of nutrients in some of our foods, people are getting less than the minimal recommended doses of vitamins and minerals. Our lifestyle choices, including inadequate nutrient intake has led to the rise of
chronic degenerative diseases
. The RDAs have been updated several times, and have been replaced by the Recommend Daily Intake (RDI). Also, a new term, "Daily Value" (DV) has entered the lexicon of nutritional science as a means to help us understand what we should attain. However, medical research shows tremendous health benefits for obtaining vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants above any and all these "recommended" levels and values. Due to the chronic vitamin, mineral, and omega-3 fatty acid deiciency epidemic in North America, in June 2002 researchers published their conclusions and recommendations in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association that everyone should take vitamin supplements to prevent disease and optimize health. However, most multi-vitamins contain only 100% the RDAs (or RDIs) of many nutrients. Although this sounds "healthy," as mentioned above, these are the levels that prevent the classical nutrient deficiency diseases. These are NOT the levels that can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, lung diseases, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, or slow the aging process. The remaining answers to your questions about nutritional supplements are answered below, but the concept that we can get "everything we need from our food" is absolutely erroneous. (Also refer to the Wellness Movement page on this website.) If you want to maintain and optimize your health you MUST supplement. And, if you are going to supplement, we recommend that you supplement with a proven high-quality brand that truly contains the ingredients that it claims. Which of the numerous nutrients do I need, and how much should I take? It is certainly prudent for everyone to be on a basic multi-vitamin, mineral, and omega-3 fatty acid supplement program at minimum to help maintain health. There are certain vitamins and minerals that are ESSENTIAL!
Fish oil
(containing omega-3 fatty acids) is also effective in maintaining the health of the heart, cholesterol, brain, breasts, prostate, etc. There are many other supplements, e.g., antioxidants, such as grape seed extract, resveratrol,
co-enzyme Q10
, and other natural products that are all quite effective (if all the quality standards apply) in helping to optimize your health. Many of these supplements come combined, so that there is no need to have 30 to 40 bottles of supplements sitting in your cupboard. Everyone should seek the advice of their physician or qualified health professional before starting a nutritional supplement program. That being said there are several supplements that are commonly used that are both safe and extremely effective in maintaining health, and very few interfere with medications. (In fact, we should be much more concerned about the negative effects of medications more so than any possible negative effects of nutritional supplements.) What benefits can I expect by using quality nutritional supplements? True health! That's the bottom line. Quality nutritional supplements, if taken regularly, in proper doses and balance will help maintain your health and longevity along with a proper diet and exercise program. If you smoked cigarettes you can expect more oxidative damage to the cells and organs throughout your body. Disease and death are increased and accelerated. The more you smoke, the longer you smoke, the more the risk of disease and death. Pretty simple to follow. Just as simple to follow is that the proper use, doses, spectrum, and balance of quality nutritional supplements, that work the exact opposite on the cells and organs of your body as cigarettes, will help maintain your health more than you could possibly imagine; and certainly more than you've been told. With cigarettes you get disease and death mostly caused by oxidative damage. With nutritional supplements you can expect improvement and maintenance of health from many biological pathways, including the antioxidant effect. One word of common sense; nutritional supplements are not a panacea. They cannot make up for a poor and negligent lifestyle. One should never expect to have true health simply by taking nutritional supplements. True health only comes through a combination of proper eating, avoiding toxic substances, regular exercise, and a properly balanced, quality nutritional supplement program. ALL these components are necessary. None can be eliminated if you want optimal health. Even then, there are no guarantees in life. Disease and death can come at any time no matter what we do. However, disease and death are less likely, and can be postponed as long as possible by following the principles of TRUE HEALTH.
Reprinted with permission from Dr. McNamara. Please do not reprint without permission from the author.
More articles on this site by Dr. McNamara
Ladd McNamara, M.D., practiced medicine in Atlanta for over ten years as a board-certified medical doctor, before retiring and moving back to his home town of San Diego, California. Dr. McNamara created and served on the Medical Advisory Board of USANA Health Sciences, Inc. for ten years, and is an international speaker and author on health and nutritional supplementation. His most well-known works are the book, "The Cholesterol Conspiracy" and audio CD, "The Power of Cellular Nutrition."
More information on the vitamin brand recommended by Dr. McNamara
Dr. McNamara's website
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Information presented is of a general nature for educational and informational purposes only. Products and information presented herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.
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