This article was written by Matt

Dietary supplements made twenty-eight billion dollars in sales last year. This, of course, is no surprise when some of the trade offs of using prescription drugs is to wreak havoc on your system and in some cases find out they were poisonous all along. One choice of those who seek better health is vitamins. This is due to much of our food being canned, boxed and frozen often filled with preservatives, dyes, sugars and other ingredients that detract rather than enhance our well being. Now, studies are showing that vitamins may not only be useless, they may even cause harm. Is this Big Pharma preparing us for a major shift?

Some Pro’s Weigh In Against Supplemental Benefits
• Recently reported in The Wall Street journal, Mario Nestle, professor of nutrition, food-studies and public health at NYU says, “The better the quality of the research, the less benefits [supplements] showed.”
• A 2007 study published in JAMA by Copenhagen researchers stated that of 68 supplements analyzed there was no substantial evidence determining that life was extended by using them.
• A 2008 study presented by the American Association for Cancer Research found that a 10 year analysis of 15,000 male doctors taking vitamin C and E had no direct beneficial results on cancer or prostate cancer rates.

So, Should You Stop Taking Supplements?
It seems that a study of the negative effects of one supplement or another surfaces at least once a year. The thing is that these studies get bunched into sound/write-bites without all the facts. In the Copenhagen study for instance, anyone involved who died by any means counted. That included accidental death. In the 2008 study these doctors did not represent the general public according to Dr. Andrew Shao, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association representing the supplemental industry. Taking supplements, especially if you are at risk of a deficiency such as struggling with osteoporosis or carrying a baby is still recommended however, getting optimal vitamins and minerals is to eat high on the plant based food chain.

Is Big Pharma Involved?
These studies often stink of bureaucratic wrangling. There have been rumors over the years of Big Pharma taking over the supplement industry by lobbying for prescription requirements. Pre-natal vitamins have been prescribed for years and in Norway, if over the RDA amounts, all vitamins are illegal. Now it may come to the U.S. as the WTO has just met to discuss similar restrictions throughout the globe. Is it a coincidence that negative articles on vitamins are surmounting? Someone may want a piece of that twenty-eight billion dollar payday.

Vitamins can be dangerous if taken with pharmaceutical drugs, in high doses or in place of a healthy diet and exercise. Seek out a naturopathic doctor that is trained in safe supplementation to get the most out of your daily dose and reap the benefits of responsible use.

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