I'm never quite sure what to do about vitamin supplements. Should I take them? Or should I leave them? Sometimes I think supplements could surely help me with whatever I'm lacking in my diet. Other times I don't want to mess with what might be working just fine in my body. Now if a doctor tells me my iron is low, I'll take a supplement to boost my levels. But if there is nothing apparently off kilter in my system, I tend to just leave things alone.
I'm glad at the moment for my current plan. Because nutritionists now suspect that high doses of vitamins and minerals -- believed by some to prevent cancer -- might actually be harmful.
Think about this:
The American Medical Association journal JAMA recently reported that high doses of antioxidant supplements can be harmful. Vitamin advocates challenged the analysis, saying it excluded large studies from China and Italy showing antioxidant supplements lowered mortality risk.
Consumers still should read labels carefully.
"Some of the things called daily vitamins can be higher than what we think is desirable," says one researcher who urges consumers to look for something about 100 percent of the daily value. That's really all people need, she declares. But a healthy diet is still most important and can prevent the need for supplements altogether. Yet for those who are sick, don't have access to nutritious food or for some other reason cannot eat well, the 100-percent rule is a good guide.
1. I love the University of Pittsburgh's Alternative Medicine Clinic. When I went there, the M.D. told me to only use Twin Labs brand of vitamins...no polyglocol or other things in them. Only buy a good brand of vitamin and suppliments and you can go to the USA government's Alternative Medicine Website to get information also. So many vitamins have bad additives in them. Only buy USA made vitamins and suppliments. READ THE LABELS. Foreign glycerin could even have mad cow disease in them. Herbs work. But learn about them and get natural ones, not imported stuff. Grow them in your yard.....LEARN about healing herbs. GROW them yourself! Dandelions are good! Chemlawn kills! You can eat dandilions for your health. Stupid Chemlawn and chemicals are what will kill you.
Posted at 10:55PM on Mar 27th 2007 by mamasayssing