It often starts with an elegantly shaped package, which you see next to the accountant while you are in the pharmacy, as well as in large markets, it says that the mixture of vitamins inside helps improve intelligence and health in general, especially if you are a university student during exams, and can It can also help you in matters related to fertility if you are married. The same situation may happen when a friend recommends these pills that end with the syllable "Max" or perhaps "Power", saying that it has really helped him in his exhausting work.
Chemistry has always been a serious subject for us, when we hear or read that something, especially medicines, contains chemical compounds with strange names in its composition, we start to get nervous and cautious and do not easily accept to deal with it without a doctor's order, and this is really necessary, but on the other side We are easily attracted by nutritional supplements, we think that the term "dietary supplement" necessarily means that they are very safe products that can not be harmful, and they are contained in a box similar to medicine boxes, which means that they have a wide degree of government control.
Dr. Erin Donnelly Michos, associate professor of cardiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told Meydan: “Add to that another important reason for our overconfidence in this type of product, which is that we basically think we don't. We eat and do not practice our daily lives in a healthy and good manner, so we imagine that nutritional supplements are a compensation for that shortcoming.”
Rather, it extends to more than that, as we imagine that these supplements can help us improve our performance at work and at home and prevent us from cardiovascular diseases, and we imagine that they can help us stay up late, reduce weight and perhaps sexual ability, this extends to the evening conversations. Cute ones with sentences like: "Oh my God! Did you see the muscles of this guy from the gym? He must be very strong, he takes a supplement called Lion Power and says he's awesome."
But it seems that this is not true, according to a research analysis released only a few days ago (1), it was found that most vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements have nothing to do with improving our lives, protecting against heart disease or extending life, and although research has found that there are Potential health benefits of some substances such as omega-3 and folic acid, this benefit was minor and combined with a home diet, and some of it may in fact be linked to an increased risk of stroke, and here is meant the mixture of calcium with vitamin D.
“People should not trust nutritional supplements,” Mikos says in her interview with Meidan, adding that “vitamins and nutritional supplements are a multibillion dollar industry marketed globally. Although there is very little evidence of their usefulness, only one person in every Two adults, in the US only, taking some form of nutritional supplement!"
The source of the strength of this analysis comes from the sample size (2), where Mikos and her companions examined the results of 227 clinical trials on 24 vitamins circulating among people, these experiments included about “a million” individuals, which means that their results are of great importance. About it a lot in pharmacies and conversations among friends, such as antioxidants, carotene, vitamin B complex, multivitamin combinations, selenium, vitamin A, C, D, E, either separately or in a compound form, folic acid, iron and fish oil (omega 3) .
But what is more remarkable about this study is that it found that the effect of a simple activity of daily activity, such as reducing the proportion of salt in your meals, is actually able to reduce the risk of death - from cardiovascular disease - by starting from 10% and up to 33% in some experiments, meaning That a healthy diet - according to the study - has always been more effective in the body than nutritional supplements, at that point Mikos says in her conversation with "Maidan": "Most individuals can get all the nutrients they need through a healthy diet rich in fruits. and vegetables, and they don't need to take multivitamins or supplements."
However, at this point there is a degree of risk. According to a study (3) issued several years ago by Sun Yat-Zen University in Taiwan, those who received nutritional supplements during the experiments were more inclined to be lazy and to choose harmful fast food than those who did not eat Nutritional supplements, and the study concluded that people taking nutritional supplements give them an incorrect idea of themselves, the idea that they are in a “better” situation, so that in the study’s investigations, the groups that took nutritional supplements indicated more on statements such as “I feel like a strong person.” “I feel that I cannot easily get sick.” This prompted the group that takes "nutritional supplements" to turn to harmful foods and refuse to exercise, with rates exceeding 80% compared to 40-50% of those who did not take nutritional supplements, as they thought that nutritional supplements protect them from harm!
Dr. Irene Mikos of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (communication sites)
Speaking to Meidan, Mikos said, "This is not the first time that results have been issued indicating that the use of nutritional supplements is not beneficial, contrary to what pharmaceutical companies are preparing for people."
For example, last April, a previous study, from Tufts University (4), had indicated that nutritional supplements do not extend life and do not protect against heart disease, as its advertising claims, and the study also indicated that the vitamins we obtain It directly from food is always best able to influence the quality of our lives.
As for the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States of America, (5) in another study it funded several years ago and included 27,000 people, indicated that nutritional supplements containing vitamins “K”, “D” and “E”, As well as magnesium, zinc and copper, they do not extend life and do not prevent diseases as it spreads among people. Rather, the study indicated that calcium intake of 1,000 mg per day, for supplemental purposes, may be associated with higher rates of death due to cancer.
The study also indicated that most of those who take nutritional supplements are from higher social classes who live - of course - a healthy life, so people think that nutritional supplements are the cause, while the nature of life is what affects more.
Ultimately, the study results suggest that regular use of dietary supplements should not be recommended for the general population.
On the other hand, there are more dangerous types of nutritional supplements, we are talking here about those products that help in slimming or muscle building programs in sports centers, or in order to obtain more energy during exercise, or in order to improve sexual performance. At that point, we can consider a study issued only a month ago (6) from the Harvard School of Public Health, which indicates that, by looking behind the negative reports issued towards nutritional supplements between 2004 and 2014, there were 977 (nine hundred seventy-seven) reports of significant risks related to With this type of supplement, 40% (forty) of them reached reports of death and hospitalization! "You just don't know what you're taking. It's estimated that there are 23,000 emergency department visits each year caused by adverse effects from nutritional supplements in general!" Mikos comments on when speaking to the Meidan editor.
The results of the study also stated that nutritional supplements used in cases of slimming, building muscle and supporting energy were three times more dangerous (7) than taking vitamins, and those related to improving sexual condition and cleansing the colon were twice more dangerous than taking vitamins, and worst of all Is that the most used category for this type of supplement is the period of adolescence to young people up to the age of 25 years, which raises critical questions about the nature of this type of business.
In fact, Mikos says in her interview with "Maidan": "Many do not know that nutritional supplements are not subject to (8) the supervision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," and Mikos explains that "they are placed on pharmacy shelves or contained within a box that resembles medicine boxes. Or just because a doctor writes it in his prescription does not mean that - legally - they are treated like drugs, but rather that they are treated as belonging to the food domain, which is not subject to pharmaceutical quality control policies.” That is, in fact, the main point through which nutritional supplements seep into our homes, people thought they were safe just because they were found in pharmacies.
Worst of all is that the authors of the Harvard study we talked about a while ago noted (9) that only reputable doctors do not recommend the use of any of those nutritional supplements for which there were negative reports in their study. On the other hand, the study authors reported They found many supplements, in the areas of slimming, muscle building, energy, sexual abilities and colon cleansing, that contain a lot of adulterated products, banned substances, heavy metals, pesticides, and other dangerous chemicals!
In her interview with Meydan, Mikos says, "I add to this another important point that nutritional supplement companies rely on in promoting themselves, which is saying that nutritional supplements are completely natural, this is not true."
For example, in a study published (10) in October 2018 in the well-known “JAMA” journal, and analyzing about 800 popular nutritional supplements, most of them were for improving sexual performance, losing weight, and building muscle, it was found that 80% of those supplements contain contain at least one pharmaceutical ingredient, and 20% of them contain more than two pharmaceutical ingredients, while about 33 nutritional supplements from that group contain three or more pharmaceutical ingredients.
By pharmaceutical ingredients, we mean substances used for therapeutic purposes, such as erectile dysfunction drugs, weight loss drugs, antidepressants, or painkillers.
Many nutritional supplements have drug interactions when combined with certain prescription medications
Mikos adds at that point, during her dialogue with “Meidan” that “some of the supplements in this study were mixed with unauthorized drugs from the ground up.” Mikos continues her talk, saying: “Indeed, another previous study found that nutritional supplements containing fish oil They are highly oxidized (which is bad) and contain levels of EPA and DHA - the main agents you buy these supplements for - in much lower quantities than what is on the label!"
On the other hand, it appears that one of the main problems that we face with this type of preparations is that people think that they do not need to be sufficiently aware of its risks, according to a large survey (11) in 18 (eighteen) European countries conducted by researchers from the “D” Foundation Gurier" one year ago, and in addition, the survey showed that those who take nutritional supplements tend to think that it is not even necessary for the doctor - or the laboratory performing the medical analysis - to know that they are taking these supplements, for them they are "mere supplements."
However, according to Mikos, while speaking with Meidan, "many nutritional supplements have side effects of drug interactions when combined with some prescribed medications."
For example, many people do not realize that both fish oil and ginkgo biloba - which are very popular supplements, even here in the Arab world - can cause an increased risk of bleeding, especially when combined with taking some blood medications, as for St. John's wort. It is a well-known nutritional supplement that interacts with antidepressant medications.
Never trust nutritional supplements, and always remember that "natural" does not mean "safe".
In addition to the fact that it has reached the point where more than 65% of people, mainly in Europe and the United States (12), have reported using at least one type of nutritional supplement, this means that we are standing on the brink of a major crisis that could be serious, especially with The percentages of its users worldwide have increased among adults and children as well. A study from the University of Illinois (13) concluded that children’s use of herbal nutritional supplements has doubled from 2003 to 2014.
In the end, it is basically about the extent to which people are aware - especially the age groups most exposed to the use of nutritional supplements - of the dangers of these products, and a survey was published several months ago from Binghamton University in New York State (14) that educating college students about nutritional supplements The nature, types, and degree of control they obtain, prompted them to better regulate their use, and the most influential information among students was that nutritional supplements are not subject to the supervision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which raised their levels of caution towards them.
The Food and Drug Administration itself advises (15) people to go to official online platforms for informational support for purchasing nutritional supplements and not to commercial platforms, and the organization also advises to beware of commercial claims that nutritional supplements “cure” or are “better of the medicine called (sic)” or that it is “completely safe” or “without any side effects”, and Mikos advises - in her conversation with “Meidan” - not to try to choose a nutritional supplement from yourself, but to ask your health care professional ( doctor or pharmacist), and ask them to check the product.
"I repeat, never trust nutritional supplements, and always remember that the word 'natural' does not mean 'safe,' some natural substances may be harmful such as tobacco or arsenic," Mikos tells Meydan's editor. There is only one thing that everyone in this field of research agrees on. It is that regular exercise, a healthy diet, and learning mechanisms to control stress are the most supportive of all your body functions, from extending life, to preventing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or Cancer, down to our sexual as well as mental health, then Mikos ends her conversation with "Meidan" saying: "It's not like a birth control pill, there is no magic pill from nature's products that can make your health better, your lifestyle is what does it."
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Sources
Save Your Money: Vast Majority Of Dietary Supplements Don't Improve Heart Health or Put Off Death
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Dietary Supplements Fuel Bad Health Habits
Association Among Dietary Supplement Use, Nutrient Intake, and Mortality Among US Adults: A Cohort Study
Study Finds No Benefit for Dietary Supplements
Taking Stock of Dietary Supplements' Harmful Effects on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults
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FDA - What You Need to Know about Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements linked with severe health events in children, young adults
The hidden dangers of dietary supplements
Patient's knowledge and awareness about the effect of over-the-counter (OTC) drug and dietary supplements on laboratory test results: a survey in 18 European countries
Dietary Supplement Use Among US Adults More Prevalent Than Previously Thought, Says New Published Review—Users Take Supplements to Improve Overall Health, Fill Nutrient Gaps
Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use in US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2014
College Education on Dietary Supplements May Promote Responsible Use In Young Adults
What You Need to Know about Dietary Supplements