why so many studies discount the efficacy of nutritional supplements

Have you noticed the incredible number of studies that have come out over the course of the past decade saying that various nutritional supplements are not only ineffective, but dangerous as well?  These dangerous and ineffective supplements range from Minerals to Herbs to to Antioxidants to ……….   Fish Oil is a great example of this phenomenon.  Whenever a study comes out touting FISH OIL as something beneficial to one’s health, rest assured that on its heels will be several studies / articles touting the opposite (HERE are a couple).  Below are some of the more recent headlines concerning Nutritional Supplements.  The truth is, given a day or two, I could have provided you with thousands of similar. 

• Investigators Find Something Fishy with Classical Evidence for Dietary Fish Recommendation   – The May 1, 2014 issue of Medical Press

• Case is Closed: Multivitamins are a Waste of Money, Doctors Say    – Bahar Gholipour for LiveScience, December 16, 2013

• Studies Show Supplements Are Ineffective   – Michele Wessel for Liberty Voice on January 22, 2014

• Diet Supplement Pills Ineffective or Dangerous   – Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. for the

           August 8, 2006 edition of CalorieLab

• Study: Popular Supplements Ineffective Against Arthritis    – The September 29, 2008 issue of USA Today

• Vitamin D Supplements Ineffective in Osteoporosis Protection   – Isabel Alface from the October 11 2013 issue of Nature World News

• The HCG Diet: Yet Another Ineffective Quick Fix Diet Plan and Supplement   – Scott Gavura from the July 19, 2012 issue of Science-Based Medicine

• Vitamin Supplements a Waste of Money – Ineffective, Sometimes Dangerous!    – The Dec. 17, 2013 issue of SeniorJournal.com

• Healthy Women Advised Not to Take Calcium and Vitamin D to Prevent Fractures  – Gina Kolata from the June 12, 2012 of the New York Times

• Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements Ineffective at Lowering Risks to Heart, Large Italian Study Finds    – Marilynn Marchione, from the May 9, 2013 Associated Press Newswire

• Experts Decisive Against Multivitamins: ‘Stop Wasting Money’     – James Hamblin from the Dec 17 2013 issue of The Atlantic

• Effects of Calcium Supplementation on Bone Density……..    – The October 12, 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal

• Antioxidants Don’t Lower Heart Risk Study Examines Vitamins C, E, Beta-Carotene for Preventing Heart Attack, Stroke Salynn Boyles    – Salynn Boyles from WebMD’s Health News from August 13, 2007



When I was part of Kansas State University’s dual degree program (Exercise Physiology / Nutrition) back in the mid 1980’s, I heard an interesting “lecture on the sidewalk” in front of the anatomy building.  One of the Ph.D instructors of my anatomy / physiology course was holding court; lecturing a group of pre-med students on nutrition.  I will paraphrase.  “Guy’s; as long as you are getting enough calories, nutrition in America does not matter. Because they are so ‘fortified’ with vitamins and minerals, we could live on Twinkies and be healthier than the rest of the world“.  And we wonder why…….

Clearly, the medical community and pharmaceutical industry that largely controls them, detest nutritional supplements.  The truth is, they want to control / regulate them.  In fact, in the quarter century I have been in the field, the medical community and government have gone after Nutritional Supplements to make the “prescription only” numerous times.  The only reason they failed was because the American people rose up and fought.  Why was my instructor wrong about nutrition even though so many studies seem to be proving him right?  What are some of the things that this individual clearly did not understand?  Can Nutritional Supplements be a huge boost as far as regaining and maintaining health is concerned?  Here is a partial list of the reasons why you are hearing that nutrition does not matter.

• EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE IS A HUGE FARCE:   I have shown you repeatedly (HERE is an example from a few days ago) how studies can be set up to prove anything you want them to prove (HERE is another example).  If you want to read about the myth of EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE, just click the link. If you have not already figured it out, you’ll realize that money is what makes the world go round, and Big Pharma — the power behind the medical community —- does not want you healthy.  Healthy people do not need drugs.  Big Pharma views you as a commodity.  Nothing more; nothing less.  The sicker / fatter / more sedentary you are, the more money they stand to make off of you over your lifetime.

 

• MOST NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE SYNTHETIC:  Although synthetic nutrition is sometimes a viable solution for physicians looking to achieve a drug-like effect, most of the time this approach is problematic.  You can read more on this issue HERE, but truthfully, you already know this intuitively.  Eat foods made by God, avoid foods made by man.  BTW, some of these like WHEAT can fool you.  HERE’S why.

 

• MOST NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE OF POOR QUALITY:   Is your Fish Oil Supplement refrigerated?  Does it sit on the shelf in the light or heat?  Is it checked for heavy metals, PCB’s or dioxins?  Is it from wild, cold-water fish or does it come from farm-raised fish?  This is just one example of dozens.  Cheap supplements are usually cheap for a reason.  Much of this has to do with the fact that they are synthetic / man-made (see link on synthetic nutrition) or of inferior quality.

 

• NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS IN AND OF THEMSELVES NEVER ADDRESS THE BIG PICTURE:  Monotherapies do not change Physiology (HERE).  In other words, it is a pipe dream to believe that simply taking this supplement, that vitamin, or some other product, is going to revolutionize your health.  Health is a “BIG PICTURE” sort of thing.  Fail to get the big picture, and you will fail in your quest for health.

 

• PEOPLE HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:  What most people want is to live like they’ve always lived, eat what they’ve always eaten, and maintain the same old self-destructive habits they always have, but be able to take a magical Nutritional Supplement that miraculously makes everything better.  This is how medicine is practiced.  You have “X” symptom, take drug “Y”.  Symptom “A?  Just take drug “B”.  You know that SUGAR CAUSES CANCER, DIABETES, and a whole host of other health issues (HERE), yet you refuse to give up your SODAS.   I could give you dozens of other examples but you get the point. Simply taking supplements without making changes to your diet and lifestyle are ineffective.

 

• PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR INSTANT RESULTS:  Are you willing to stick it out for a lifetime?  Or are you one of those people who refuses to give up certain foods.  Are you willing to add vegetables to your diet?  What about EXERCISE?   Instant fixes are rare in the field of Functional Medicine because it’s all about changing the underlying physiology — not merely covering or masking your symptoms.  If you are really interested in going the distance, HERE are a few posts on getting started.