Back in December 2013, again the pharmaceutical industry provides us with another editorial hit piece about the so called “ineffectiveness” of multivitamins. Based on cheap, synthetic multivitamins already known to contribute to health problems, no valuable information can be derived from this news report. Problem is, most people will only see the headline and not read the studies the editorial is based on. The devil is always in the details.
An editorial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a pro-pharmaceutical publication almost entirely funded by pharmaceutical companies is being touted by the mainstream media as final proof positive that all multivitamins are worthless at preventing disease. “Case Closed: Multivitamins Should Not Be Used,” says Forbes. “New studies dispel multivitamin myths,” from NBC News and from CBS News, “case is closed after studies find no health benefits.”
The editorial claims there is no benefit to taking vitamin and mineral supplementation for heart health, cognitive health or preventing a second heart attack.
Hogwash.
Simplistic repetition of study headlines without even the slightest interest in the details from where this opinion originated has…once again…led to false conclusions.
Without knowledge of nutrition, basic human biochemistry and recognition of potential bias, the difference between junk science and good science is unrecognizable.
All of the studies that were cited as evidence used cheap, low-grade, synthetic vitamins and inorganic minerals. For example, the vitamin E studied in this science review was synthetic, isolated vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol) which already has a long history of being toxic for human consumption. Note carefully that these researchers never looked at full-spectrum vitamin E, including the mixed tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, gamma) from natural sources, nor did they bother to study a food concentrate form of vitamin E because both would have been amazingly beneficial to heart health.
Beta carotene, too, was studied as a synthetic chemical in isolation, not from a natural source like you might find in carrots or squash. If a critical eye is placed on all the supplements reviewed in this editorial, you would find that synthetic vitamins were used in each.
So what these studies really prove is only that synthetic chemical vitamins are toxic to human health. But many of us already knew that.
These claims contain no differentiation between cheap, pharmaceutical manufactured synthetic multivitamins versus high-quality natural or food-based multivitamins that really do work to enhance human health and prevent disease.
Human biochemistry contains all the knowledge necessary to understand that vitamins and minerals are used for a purpose in maintaining the health of human beings. The consequences of deficiencies are well documented from scurvy, beri-beri, osteoporosis to many other heath concerns. The same researchers will concede that folic acid is quite necessary for pregnant women and vitamin D improves outcomes for osteoporosis and other health conditions. But no other health concerns will benefit from any vitamins or minerals. Makes total sense…doesn’t it?
Are YOU getting all the nutrition YOU need from YOUR diet? How would you know? An absence of symptoms is NOT the definition of health, so how can you be sure?
The only way is to do lab testing over and above the traditional standard lab work that your doctor does in your yearly physical. That lab test only tests for a few…but certainly necessary…vitamins and minerals to make sure some of your most basic needs are met.
You will not be tested for vitamins A, C, E, any of the B vitamins, and most minerals. You will not be tested for anti-oxidants like alpha lipoic acid. You will not be tested for levels of essential fatty acids, most commonly found in fish oil. No testing for Co Enzyme Q10 or amino acid levels based on your protein intake. And there are many more that can be tested for to view a more complete picture of your deficiencies.
The exact level of nutrient content in your food can be assumed, but without control over the nutrient density of the soil the foods are grown in, your foods may be depleted from the start. Was the produce picked under ripe, over ripe or just right? What was the time between harvest and your purchase? What was the temperature of storage? Did you over cook the produce and deplete some of the nutrient content? We can’t answer any of these questions.
There are very sophisticated lab tests that test for many nutrients and can give you a detailed picture of what your deficiencies might be. Will you live your entire life without knowing? Or will you take charge of your health and take yourself out of the average America risk for typical chronic health conditions?
Please see this link to read more about nutritional testing:
https://drdahlman.com/genova-diagnostics-laboratories-nutritional-testing.shtml
Read the editorial here:
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1789253
