Sunday, December 22, 2013

I am rather surprised at the willingness of Americans to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I refuse to give up my eye supplement. Absolutely refuse, because I absolutely know it makes a difference. 
If I don't take it daily, I begin to have pain in my right eye with hours of the missed dose. 

That is no joke. 

Before I tried an eye vitamin there was no relief for it. It is not excruciating pain, but, I have a genetic condition that can and has injured the tissue of the eye. This sincerely helps. 

The Optomologist I see has pharmaceutically based lutein dietary based supplements if I chose to use them. He recommends it in many instances for older adults. 

A panel of physicians (click here) wrote today in a major medical journal about which vitamin and mineral supplements are bad and which are null, and how we keep buying them. 

James Hamblin 
December 17, 2013

"We believe that the case is closed— supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful. These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough."
So reads an authoritative editorial today in one of the widest-read U.S. medical journals, Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors are five physicians from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Warwick Medical School in the U.K., including one of the journal's senior editors. Each has at least five letters worth of postgraduate degrees after their name.
"Beta-carotene, vitamin E, and possibly high doses of vitamin A supplements are harmful," they specify. "Other antioxidants, folic acid, and B vitamins, and multivitamin and mineral supplements are ineffective for preventing mortality or morbidity due to major chronic diseases."...

It is a great study. It was conducted for 12 years and involved a large number of participants; the error is small. The date is good, however, I think there is misinterpretation of the results. Not by the researchers, but, by the media and the people. 

This study focused on longevity and disease fighting ability of vitamins. There are some key words folks are overlooking. "Adults with NO nutritional deficiencies, a multivitamin supplement in a well-nourished elderly population."

This study does not throw vitamins out completely. There are issues such as folic acid and vitamin supplements in women that are pregnant, there are problems in our nation with poverty and poor diet as well as malnourished adults and children. So, while this study is more than welcome it is not conclusive for all populations of adults.

What I did like about it is the fact it nearly outlaws MegaVitamin Supplements. There goes GNC, although that chain of vitamin stores offers protein supplements as well. 

So while taking multivitamins in healthy adults are completely unproductive, there is also the issue of people facing health challenges such as cancer and treatments of radiation and chemo that need nutritional supplements. That sometimes comes in the variety of drinks such as Ensure and Boost and there is that one for diabetics...Glucerna. I think the best approach to this is to consult with a personal physician about any dietary supplements.

This study also points to fields open to research such as Vitamin D. It cites three trials where one actually showed Vitamin D helped prevent falls in the elderly, another that reduced risks of fall and one stating it increased falls in the elderly. So, while this study is important it does point to needed research to refine the effects of some of the Vitamins. 

It does make conclusive statements about most multivitamins in well nourished adults. I think one of the upsides of this study is the fact it has conclusive facts about vitamins preventing chronic disease or as a treatment for such things as cancer. There is no effect on these issues and quite frankly chronic disease and dangerous disease such as cancer needs the supervision of physicians.