MORE IN NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

In an ideal world a well-balanced diet would require no supplements. We would be able to obtain all of the nutrients we need through the foods that we eat. Some nutritionists believe that the soils used to grow fruits and vegetables are so depleted of minerals that it is now impossible to obtain adequate nutrition through diet alone. While others encourage the use of supplements as a method of balancing out the effects of stress and smoking, reducing the symptoms and health risks of conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoporosis, heart disease, anemia, and migraine headaches and decreasing the intensity and frequency of colds and flu.

Found in a variety of forms, from vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to enzymes and herbs, nutritional supplements can be formulated to provide the body with nutrients necessary for optimal health or they can be designed to treat a wide variety of symptoms, from joint pain to memory loss to high cholesterol.

Herbal medicine makes up a significant portion of nutritional supplements. Herbs have been used in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine for centuries. Unlike vitamin and mineral supplements, which are nutrients usually found in food, herbal medicine encompasses any naturally occurring plant, flower, herb, or root that can be used to treat a medical condition.

Context

Though supplements are currently an established part of health and healing, they were not acknowledged as key players in wellness until 1906 when English biochemist Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins discovered that certain food factors were important to health. In 1911, Casimir Funk, a Polish chemist, coined these food substances “vitamines,” (“vita” meaning life) after they were found to cure many fatal diseases like beri-beri, scurvy, and pellagra.

Today, the supplement industry is booming with major companies like GNC, Rexall Sundown, and Twinlab producing a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements for a nation that has become increasingly interested in health and wellness. Though the FDA does not formally regulate supplements (a prescription has not, and probably never will be required for a bottle of vitamin C), the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was established in 1994 to ensure the safety of these products.

As with a food product, each supplement must include the name and quantity of each dietary ingredient. The product must also clearly be listed as a “dietary supplement” and products that contain botanical ingredients must list the exact part of the plant from which the ingredient is derived.

Nutritional supplements have been subject to much controversy from the established medical community. For years, the American Medical Association was strictly anti-vitamin, stating that people of normal health should not take multivitamins as it is possible to get all of the necessary nutrients from diet. The AMA even went so far as to call vitamins a waste of time and money. In 2002, the AMA reversed its stance, claiming that scientific understanding of vitamins had advanced and that it was now clear that nutritional supplements can play a key role in preventing many chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

As more and more people turn to nutritional supplements, there is growing concern about their unregulated nature. Recent research has found that supplements are often used without caution and when taken carelessly, especially in conjunction with any other medications, can have dangerous and even lethal results. Scientists have also discovered that certain vitamins are absorbed more efficiently when obtained through food than through supplements. A 2004 Oregon State University study found that vitamin E from fortified cereal had an extremely high rate of absorption while supplements alone had a negligible affect on the body’s vitamin E levels.

External Links:

Wikipedia - Nutritional Supplements

Vitamin & Herb University

NutraSanus

Herbs Research Foundation

American Botanical Council - Herbalgram

Profile of Dr. Andrew Weil

Further Reading:

Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood

Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible : 25th Anniversary

A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition : Improve Your Health and Avoid Side Effects When Using Common Medications and Natural Supplements Together

Bartrams' Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine