Recently researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research issued a report saying that vitamin supplements are “probably useless” when it comes to preventing heart disease and/or cancer.
Since this ran contrary to my own research, I read the report in full and came to the conclusion that the researchers at Kaiser Permanente had fallen prey to the same poor protocol of other studies that purport to debunk the efficacy of nutritional supplements: the doses of the vitamins being too low, the vitamins being the wrong form, using synthetic vitamins, etc. Yet the Mainstream Media presented this study as “The Last Word” on the value of supplements.
It has often been stated by Medical Science that, “You can get all the nutrition you need by eating a normal diet.” I would concede this if that “normal diet” consisted of only locally grown, fresh organic food grown in nutrient rich soil. Does this describe your diet?
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) stated in the Natural Medicine Journal:
“Recent data show that a large portion of Americans fall below the estimated average requirement (EAR) for certain nutrients, specifically vitamins A, C, D, and E and magnesium and calcium, even when nutrient intake from diet, fortified foods, and supplements is considered. In fact, intake of some nutrients is low enough to be a public health concern.
From a clinical standpoint, MVMM [multivitamins and multiminerals] supplementation provides a safe way to correct these nutrient shortfalls.”
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health agrees saying, “Taking a MultiVitamin/MultiMineralsupplelemtincreases overall nutrient intake and helps some people get the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals when they cannot or do not obtain them from food alone.”
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) also recently announced that adding micronutrients like vitamin A, zinc and iron to children’s food, as well as to the diets of poor mothers, is a simple way to provide key nutrients that children need to grow and thrive.
A study recently published in the Journal of Nutrition (March 1, 2015) reported that womentaking multivitamin-mineral supplements for at least three years experienced a 35 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.
Dr. Andrew Saul has compiled 19 studies that show strong correlations between vitamin use and reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) actually reversed its long-standing anti-vitamin stance with the publication of two scientific reviews that were based on 30 years’ worth of scientific papers looking at vitamins in relation to chronic diseases. Both of these reviews ended up recommending daily multivitamin supplementation for all adults, based on the accumulated evidence.
That was 14 years ago! The evidence supporting the use of dietary supplements has only gotten stronger since then.
So, in my opinion, I find the report by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research to be “probably useless” when it comes to educating the public on the value of taking supplemental vitamins and minerals!
Posted in Ray Ellis