Dietary supplements (DS) are estimated to be taken (at least once in a year) by more than a half of the U.S. adult population (Kantor et al. 2016), however, the evidence for their efficacy is disappointing. What is the reason underlying high consumption of DS?
1) failures or limited trust to contemporary academic medicine?
2) paradigm of "vitamins" introduced by Casimir Funk?
3) advertising?
4) others?
I would like to know your opinion!
Thanks a lot!
Hi, dietary supplement is becoming popular because of so many health challenges and the deception of the producers because its consumption poss numerous health challenges including cancers instead persons should be encouraged to take natural fruits without preservatives.
because it gives a feelings of change at the first dose. even the musculoskeletal pain is lessened by their use.
But why the "feeling of change" accompanies the use of dietary supplements? Theory of placebo effect? What is the source of belief that anticipates the use of them?
Preoccupied thought that these dietary supplements fulfill all our body requirement!
Regards
Dr. Kamath Madhusudhana
Consuming dietary supplements is often a problem for athletes because of the opinion that these products increase sports performance. However, dietary supplements may contain prohibited substances that lead to positive doping tests. Cause - inadequate declaration of dietary supplements, possible contamination, uncontrolled use, etc. Athletes (as well as the general population) do not know enough about this area, with inadequate legislation. All of these may pose a risk to their health.
Many prescription drugs cause nutrient deficiencies--please see:
Health News, Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, CN, 2015
Hyla Cass, MD, “Supplement Your Prescription—What you Doctor doesn’t Know about Nutrition”, 2007
Mosby’s 2016 Nursing Drug Reference, 29th Edition http://www.health.harvard.edu/ Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, 2nd Ed., 2001 or current year
Drugs.org Worstpills.org PDR, current year RxList.com www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/ucm163343.htm
*Elderly people cannot absorb nutrients efficiently (www.nutraingredients-usa.com, January 22, 2016)
*Soil depletion, see chart from USDA on this subject, years 1910-2006
*Environmental toxins can knock out nutrients such as fluroide & iodine
Advertising in many forms
Packaging: the images on the packages, the health claims, the additional benefits claimed by the product
Word of mouth: people recommending them to their friends because they are also using them, without any verified benefit of their use, health practitioners promoting certain brands of supplements
Social media advertising using the illusion of life made easy by taking supplements
Insufficient knowledge: people knowing the value of good nutrition but believing that taking supplements is an alternative to good nutrition... also facilitating ease of the guilt of skipping some meals or eating too much 'on the go' foods
One should first eat a good healthy diet such as the MEDITERRANEAN-TYPE DIET to reduce so many diseases and NOT eat an unhealthy diet and rely on supplements. Having said that, these are just too many studies that show the benefits of nutritional supplements which many times they are needed for the reasons I stated in my prior answer Just to name 2--vitamin D3 and Magnesium respectively--References:
1)J Prev. Med Public Health. 2017 Jul; 50(4): 278–281. Published online 2017 May 10. doi: 10.3961/jpmph.16.111PMCID: PMC5541280, PMID: 28768407; The Big Vitamin D Mistake, Dimitrios T. Papadimitriou
2)*Alan Gaby MD, Nutritional Medicine—A Textbook,
*2011 Tin A., et al. Kidney Int.; 87(4): 820-7, 2015
*Fudi Wang et al., BMC Medicine 2016, DOI: 10.1186/s12916-0742-z
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