To supplement or not, that is the question - Macon Telegraph (blog)

Few people in the United States suffer from vitamin-mineral deficiencies.

About 68 percent of American adults take a multivitamin supplement each day because they think the food they eat lacks needed nutrients. With the quality and variety of food available in the U.S., healthy people can get the vitamins and minerals they need from food.

Our food provides a unique balance that cannot be duplicated by taking any combination of supplements. In addition, eating is one of life’s pleasures. With supplement sales totaling more than $23.7 billion annually, many are investing in the hope that supplements will help them.

If you don’t eat a nutritious variety of foods, some supplements might help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. However, supplements can’t take the place of the variety of foods that are important to a healthy diet.

A nutrient supplement provides a single nutrient. Most nutrients work in tandem with one or more nutrients. The body needs a variety of nutrients supplied by a healthy diet every day. For most bodily functions, it takes more than one nutrient, so taking a single supplement won’t get the job done.

Scientific evidence shows that some dietary supplements are beneficial for overall health and for managing some health conditions. For example, calcium combined with vitamin D are important for keeping bones strong and reducing bone loss. Folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils might help some people with heart disease. Other supplements need more study to determine their value.

In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. This act defined a supplement as any product that is taken by mouth and contains some “dietary ingredient” that is meant to add to what is consumed in the diet. These dietary ingredients can include vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, organ tissues, glandular and metabolites.

While supplements come in pill and capsule form, they are regulated as a food rather than a drug. Unlike drugs, supplements do not need FDA approval before being sold to the public.

Large doses of either single-nutrient supplements or high potency vitamin-mineral combinations may be harmful. These megavitamins may contain 10 to more than 100 times the Dietary Reference Intake for a vitamin and mineral. They can act like drugs with potentially serious results.

When taken in high amounts, some supplements may produce undesirable effects such as fatigue, diarrhea and hair loss.

Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and D are harmful in high doses.

Excesses of one nutrient may cause nutritional imbalances or increase the need for other nutrients.

Certain groups of people may benefit from nutrition supplements. The most obvious are pregnant and breast feeding women. Usually, they take a pre-natal multivitamin containing extra amounts of iron, folate and vitamin B6. Infants older than 6 months also need extra iron, but this is usually supplied by iron-fortified infant formula or iron-fortified baby cereal. People who are pure vegetarians (called vegans) eat no animal products, so they may need calcium, iron and vitamin B12 and D supplements. People who do not consume any dairy products also may need a supplement of calcium and vitamin D.

When taking supplements, it is recommended that you not take more than 100-200 percent of what is listed as the Daily Value. Vitamins A and D are the exceptions to this rule. More than 100 percent of these two nutrients can be toxic. Also, doses of zinc above 100 percent of the daily value should not be taken because it can interfere with the absorption of copper.

For most nutrients, taking more than 100 percent of the daily value is not necessary. Breakfast cereals are fortified with nutrients. Eating a bowl of cereal can provide you with many of the nutrients you need; it’s like eating a multi-vitamin. Read the cereal label to see how many nutrients have been added.

Some nutrients are better absorbed from food than supplements. For example, calcium from food is better absorbed and used than calcium from pills.

Getting nutrients from food has other benefits. Food will have more than one nutrient in it and often those nutrients work together to provide more benefits for the body.

Jan Baggarly is Bibb County Extension Coordinator with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension working in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences. Contact her at 751-6338.