If you go to any American drugstore, you’ll definitely find it. at least One entire aisle is dedicated to supplements that claim to support better health. If you listen to all the claims associated with these supplements, you may find yourself needing to take a Stanley cup full of pills every morning.
But with all the supplements out there, are any actually worth taking? According to nutrition experts, the answer is much simpler than you think.
Does anyone need supplements?
According to , most healthy people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet. joan manson, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Nutritional supplements are never a substitute for a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle,” says Manson. reverse.
in fact, david selesThe professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center’s Institute of Human Nutrition takes this claim a step further: “Very few people need to take supplements,” he says. reciprocal. The exception to this rule, he says, is people who have a deficiency or a disease that makes them susceptible, and in both cases should talk to their doctor about supplements.
According to Seles, no trials have demonstrated that supplements are significantly and consistently beneficial. At worst, supplements can be harmful. He said: 2011 survey Dr. Munson adds that it’s important to consult your doctor before taking any supplements, as they can interact with medications in undesirable ways.
In addition to all this, in the United States Over 90,000 options available They are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so they are not subject to nearly the same rigor as pharmaceutical drugs. Additionally, reliable randomized controlled trials are time-consuming and expensive, while observational studies are difficult to assess because they only provide associations rather than specific causes and effects.
These two supplements are maybe worth taking
In 2018, Manson led a large randomized controlled trial. important The study analyzed more than 25,000 healthy participants who took either vitamin D supplements, omega-3 supplements, or a placebo for an average of 5.3 years. The results of this trial show that daily vitamin D intake is associated with a lower risk of death from cancer. The vitals are largest and longest A randomized trial investigating whether taking high doses of vitamin D and omega-3s can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke over time.
Vitamin D is very important for bone health because it helps absorb calcium from the intestines. We get most of our vitamin D from the sun, but some from oily fish and fortified dairy products. This vitamin has received a lot of attention as a vitamin. multitasking Supplements can improve everything from osteoporosis prevention to weight control, and VITAL helps with some of them. For example, studies have shown that taking 2,000 IU daily does not reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease, nor does it prevent bone fractures. Still, vitamin D is one supplement that may have more upside than downside for Manson.
“Vitamin D is essential for health, but only small amounts are needed to reap its benefits,” Munson says. “More is not always better.” When it comes to intake, The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements recommends earning 600 to 800 international credits. (IU) of vitamin D daily. Manson says 2,000 IU of VITAL is “okay,” but consumers should avoid “large doses” approaching 10,000 IU, which can be toxic.
a meta-analysis Published in 2019 british medical journal Vitamin D research also found that supplements were associated with a 16% lower risk of death from cancer.another 2014 review Of the 159 trials, it was found that vitamin D “appears to reduce mortality in older adults living independently or receiving institutional care.” Both papers call for further research.
According to Manson, another great addition worth considering is: omega 3 fatty acids, found in products such as fish oil capsules. These are the building blocks of fat and can be obtained from fatty fish, as well as from flaxseed, Brussels sprouts, and walnuts.
The VITAL study found that consuming 1 gram of omega-3 per day reduced heart attacks by 28 percent and the incidence of autoimmune diseases by nearly 20 percent. Munson says the effects are most pronounced among people whose diet doesn’t already include fish, so they can benefit the most from these supplements. moreover, Reviews published in 2017 We identified the importance of omega-3 for the gut microbiome and immunity, but also called for further research.another review They conclude that omega-3 supplements reduce the risk of chronic heart disease and death from chronic heart disease.
Still, Seles is not convinced. He said VITAL’s results were inconsistent with other studies, “albeit small”, and the long-term effects were still unknown. He points out that even if these vitamins offer some benefit, they don’t seem to prevent more common diseases such as heart disease. After all, “the results combined with all other studies are not convincing.” Additionally, he would not “support the blanket statement that people who want to prevent autoimmune diseases should consider taking vitamin D.”
When it comes to meta-analyses, Seles sees calls for more research as an indication that they are inconclusive. “If a meta-analysis concludes that more research is needed, that means we don’t know. There’s not enough data, there’s not enough strength of data to say anything conclusive. There’s not a huge difference that you can tell,” Seles said.
Like Selles, Manson advocates “precision nutrition,” which tailors supplemental nutrition to each person’s needs. Also consistent with the VITAL findings, people who eat little or no fish and are prone to autoimmune diseases tend to benefit from omega-3s, but those who get less sun and eat little dairy , states that people with high blood pressure benefit from omega-3s. You may want to take a moderate amount of vitamin D supplements to avoid cancer risk.
While some studies may praise supplements a little too loudly for what they do or don’t get, randomized studies like VITAL keep expectations in check. “I think the evidence would be more rigorous in a randomized trial,” Munson says. “But it’s limited to some health effects.”
