I READ AN ARTICLE THAT VITAMINS CAN ACTUALLY BE BAD FOR MY HEALTH, PLEASE HELP ME UNDERTSAND!?!

Over the last week I have heard a lot of talk about a recent study that seemed to show that supplementation was potentially bad for your health, causing an increase in mortality in one group compared to another groups who did not take vitamins.

Another recent study warned against the use of vitamin E, claiming it had the potential to increase prostate cancer incidence as opposed to reduce our risk. I anticipate we will be getting a number of questions in relation to these studies. I feel as though the majority of the articles summarizing these findings have given a very one-sided and misinformed view, and as such, I felt it important to respond.

Consider dosage and quality
First off, are supplements bad for our health? No!!! Simply put there is absolutely no research to support such a sweeping generalization. That being said, depending on the dosage you are taking and your levels of these nutrients prior to supplementation, you can 'overdose' on many vitamins. The supplement study, based on 39,000 women across the United States did not take into account how much of any one vitamin the participants were taking (dosage), their status or need for each of these individual vitamins, nor the quality of the supplements they were using. Furthermore, what the study actually says is that using a multivitamin may not provide any added benefit/increase life expectancy, but it does not claim that supplementation causes harm, as some of the media have reported.

Increased mortality risk was most associated with iron and copper supplementation, which we know (or should know) can be toxic in high amounts, especially in an older population, as these mineral accumulate in the body. Talk to a Naturopath in your area. Have them recommend which supplements, if any, are most suitable and indicated for you and at what dosage these supplements are both safe and have a therapeutic benefit.

Never underestimate the importance of diet
Can a healthy diet be just as important as proper supplementation. No, I would argue that it is not "just as" important, but that it is and always will be MORE important. Perhaps the biggest service we can provide ourselves is eating a healthy well balanced diet. Again, the participants in the study were asked to give only 3 objective reports on what they ate over the course of an 18 year period. This is hardly a reliable account of one's dietary or supplementation habits. Whole foods will always be the best way to ensure a long and healthy life but it must also be said that the nutrition that we get from our foods today has changed drastically to what was present from our food in years past. In some cases, supplementation may be one way to make up for some of these nutritional losses.

What about all the other research?
Is there sound evidence to support that supplementation with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, herbs and other naturally derived products CAN and DO decrease disease incidence? Yes, yes, yes! There are an ENORMOUS number of studies out there showing the efficacy of natural products for a number of disease states and for use in disease prevention, especially in cancer, heart disease and diabetes, all on the rise in North America. I highly encourage you to do a search for randomized controlled trials studying the use of vitamin D in cancers of the breast, colon and prostate. Do a thorough search of the literature supporting folic acid supplementation during pregnancy for prevention of neural tube defects. After doing so, you will see it is impossible to disregard the medicinal benefit to supplementation of all vitamins in one study.

Individualized medicine cannot be underestimated
What we are failing to do here is look at this medicine on a case by case basis. What may be indicated for you, may not be indicated for the person next to you. Again, this study failed to take into account so many factors, including family history, lifestyle factors (smokers versus non-smoker or past smokers, exercise, alcohol consumption, etc), current medications (and their side effects), and much more. For example, the research showed that the majority of women who were supplementing with a multivitamin were also taking hormone replacement medications (HRT), but failed to recognize that these medications may be having detrimental side effects in and of themselves. THESE individual factors are what determine whether a supplement is indicated, safe and effective for any one individual and they were completely ignored.

Every study tells a different story
I don't think I am overstepping my bounds to say that this study is flawed and by no means should be taken as a be all and end all conclusion in the "to supplement or not to supplement debate". Although it may and SHOULD spark interest for future study, by no means does it prove that supplementation increases risk of mortality. I encourage you to take this and most studies you read about in the media with a grain of salt. I mentioned a vitamin E study in the introduction to this article that supposedly proved that supplementation with vitamin E increased risk of prostate cancer. Again, before you go taking this study as gospel truth, take a look at the study methods. Is it is sound study? based on valid and specific evidence? The truth is there are also a number of studies that argue the exact opposite conclusion that this study generated. Once again, I am not saying the study is wrong, but only that it is one among many and all that can be concluded is simply that further study needs to be conducted before any firm conclusion can be made.

Take home message
Herbs and vitamins come with their own list of rules and regulations. I have said time and time again that too much of a good thing, is NOT always a good thing. Just as no one should blindly take a medication without knowing the reasons why and the potential side effects, the same goes for natural supplements. Know why you are taking it, know how much is a healthy dose to be taking and make sure you understand what the side effects are. It is your right and obligation as a consumer and health conscious individual to learn all the facts before taking any natural or pharmaceutical substance. I assure you, you will only benefit from the interventions that you and your healthcare practitioner deem best suited to optimize your individual health.

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