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Multivitamins:
What to do? Evidence recommends neither in favor nor against
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Experts, research
disagree on whether or not supplementation is worthwhile |
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(CHJ)
— Almost 50 percent of Americans take a
multivitamin, according to the Council for Responsible
Nutrition
(Source,
CRN. But do they need to?
Studies are conflicting and at the end of the day,
medical professionals haven’t reached consensus. In
fact, the National Institutes of Health convenes
periodic meetings to do just that — find consensus on an
issue. But at the end of the May 2006 NIH meeting, the
resulting conclusion read,
“The present evidence is insufficient to recommend
either for or against the use of MVMs
[multivitamins/minerals] by the American public to
prevent chronic disease.”
(Source,
NIH).
Some say folks get adequate nutrition from healthful
eating, while others suggest a multivitamin for
insurance. And medical research hasn’t clarified the
issue, but has rather added to the confusion.
In other
words, it's not a no-brainer. |
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Here’s why: Some evidence
suggests supplements could be a waste of money at best, or
worse—they could actually hurt you.
“Our whole body system is based on homeostasis
(balance,” said Barbara Mark, Ph.D, clinical nutrition
instructor at the |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center.
“While ‘bigger is better’ may be true for some things,
it is not true in biology. Too much of one mineral may inhibit
the absorption of ..." continued...
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Product problems?
Buyer beware.
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Tests show vitamins often do not contain what their
labels say they do |
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(CHJ)
— Vitamins may not be what they claim, according to
recent tests by Consumer Lab. Earlier this year, the
independent testing company found 52 percent of the
multivitamins it tested were either unable to be
digested properly, contained largely different
amounts of nutrients than the label claimed, or were
contaminated with lead (Source,
Consumer Lab).
The lab tested 21 different products, ten of
which did, in fact, meet their claims. Lab tests
approved brands like Centrum Silver; Kirkland daily
multivitamin; One A Day multivitamin for women, and
Flintstone’s multivitamin for children.
On the other side, the lab did not approve
brands including AARP’s maturity formula (failed to
break apart properly); The Vitamin Shoppe’s
multivitamin for women (was contaminated with lead,
and only contained half it’s claimed calcium);
Nature’s Plus multivitamin for women (contained
almost three times its claimed calcium, and didn’t
break apart properly); and the WEIL multivitamin
(had less than three-quarters its claimed vitamin A,
but more than twice the claimed calcium).
(Source,
Consumer Lab).
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