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Reader's Digest is dead

| May 23, 2010 9:00 PM

Why do most doctors and nurses take supplements if they aren't useful? The April issue of Reader's Digest ran an anti-vitamin article that's generated quite a lot of responses. That may be because more than half of all Americans currently take nutritional supplements.

Why do most doctors and nurses take supplements if they aren't useful?

The April issue of Reader's Digest ran an anti-vitamin article that's generated quite a lot of responses. That may be because more than half of all Americans currently take nutritional supplements.

According to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, here's just some of what readers had to say:

"Basic biochemistry and a review of the literature supports the benefits of supplements... Reader's Digest discussed only the science that it chose to discuss. Cherry-picking science is bad science."

"I am a registered nurse and read many articles on health... Please ask the author to research more thoroughly and write a new article."

"I've been taking vitamins successfully to cure colds and prevent them for the past year. I also feel much better, lost 30 pounds, and have more energy than ever."

"With fact checkers and common sense use of the Internet and Pub Med, I believe your reporter could have discovered many 1,000s of scientific studies on the health benefits of vitamins and minerals."

"The Reader's Digest has joined the Flat Earth Society. Shame on you!"

"I grew up reading Reader's Digest and used to enjoy it tremendously before it was apparently taken over by pharmaceutical ads."

"As I read their amazingly biased information regarding vitamins, I realized Reader's Digest does publish some nice fiction stories."

"You have got to be kidding. You have ignored a flotilla of articles, peer reviewed as well, on the benefits of vitamins for a variety of conditions including macular degeneration. I know the field well as I am an ophthalmologist."

Read the article online.

Dr. Ann Louise's take:

It's heartening to see so many people relying on their own personal experience and on science - instead of buying into this bogus article. After all, if 72 percent of physicians and 89 percent of nurses take a multivitamin, they must have a good reason.

At the most basic level, a good multi is sound health insurance! The National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) finds that many Americans - children, teens and adults - fail to consume the recommended amounts of vitamins A, C, D and E, plus important minerals.

As a clinical nutritionist, I know first-hand how difficult it can be to obtain all the nutrients humans need from today's overly processed food supply. Even the conservative American Dietetic Association admits: "Additional nutrients from supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs."

As the name implies, dietary supplements augment even a good diet, ensuring that people get all the nutrients they need. And they're particularly critical for anyone trying to lose weight, which is why I formulated the Dieters' Multivitamin and Mineral (and Iron-Free Dieters' Multivitamin and Mineral formula for men and postmenopausal women).

Just the facts, no fiction

Not only are vitamin and mineral supplements important for overall health and wellness, they protect against a range of unwanted conditions and diseases - from neural tube (birth) defects to cardiovascular disorders.

A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reports that long-term use of a multivitamin may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 16 percent, while other research finds that people taking multivitamins have a younger "biological" age than those who rely on diet alone.

Starting before conception through a ripe old age, you need sound nutrition. As one reader asks Reader's Digest, "Why did you miss reporting on large studies showing vitamin supplements improve IQ scores in children?"

Douglas McKay, ND, Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, also points out the importance of supplements for bone health, digestive health, joint health and much more. "A meta-analysis shows that taking vitamin C may reduce the duration of a cold by 8 percent in adults and more than 13 percent in children," he adds.

A new study in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer shows that taking a multivitamin significantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer, as well as the viral load of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that causes that cancer. Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute shows that taking vitamins A, C, K, carotenoids, lutein and folic acid may lessen the risk of lung cancer in smokers. And women who take a daily multi with calcium seem to have a lower risk for breast cancer.

Another recent study finds that taking vitamin D3 not only prevents fractures in elderly women but has also been linked to lower risk of falling - the major cause of fracture in osteoporosis. The list - and studies - go on and on. (See www.clinicalpearls.com for more.)

As someone who fought hard for passage of the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA) in the '90s, I'm glad to see that so many Americans are sticking up for their right to take supplements. And happy that the just-passed FDA Food Modernization Act also respects consumers' right to take vitamins, minerals and other supplements - certainly more than Reader's Digest does!

Sources:

• http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml

• http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

• http://health.msn.com/health-topics/breast-cancer/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100257200

• http://nutrisuplaw.com/doctors-nurses-vitamins-patients/

• www.anh-usa.org/anh-usa-victory-supplements-are-exempted-from-codex-language-in-food-safety-bill/

• www.crnusa.org/CRNresponseRD031110.html http://journals.lww.com/ijgc/pages/currenttoc.aspx#1113719404

• www.lifesupplemented.org/supplements/healthcare_professionals_impact_study/nurses.htm

• www.lifesupplemented.org/supplements/healthcare_professionals_impact_study/physicians.htm

• www.NaturalNews.com/z028561_mainstream_medicine_health_care.html

• www.naturalproductsmarketplace.com/articles/2010/03/crn-counters-readers-digests-vitamin-myths.aspx

• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20302551

• www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Product-Categories/Vitamins-premixes/Readers-Digest-vitamins-article-misleads-millions-of-Americans-CRN

• www.rd.com/living-healthy/5-vitamin-truths-and-lies/article175625.html

Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the award-winning author of more than 30 books on health and nutrition and guest on many TV and radio programs. She resides in Kootenai County. Info: annlouise.com