Do You Need To Take Supplements? Part 2

In the first blog on this very important subject we  discussed why it it might be important to take supplements.  The first reason is that most Americans do not eat a balanced diet that includes all of the necessary food groups.  The second is that even you if you are a person who eats a balanced diet, you can not be certain that the food that you are eating is not nutritionally deprived. For these reasons we propose that everyone needs to do some supplementation.

We have found evidence to support the claim that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

For example Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D Professor of Nutrition at Tufts University, summarized the percentage of older adults whose dietary intakes fall below the RDA. Remember that the RDA is the bare minimum of that vitamin necessary to prevent specific diseases. Here are some examples.

Vitamin A 41-65%; Vitamin D 63-74%; Vitamin E 69-80%; Vitamin B6 50-90%; Niacin 10-53%

An article published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition came to similar conclusions stating that about 30% of all Americans are in general borderline deficient in essential nutrients.

We believe that it is our responsibility as physicians to present unbiased facts. Evaluate all of the evidence for and against taking supplements and make a decision about what is best for you. In the next posts we will begin the discussion of specific nutrients.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Do You Need To Take Supplements?

One of the most important questions in nutrition and certainly the most controversial is whether you need to take supplements. Almost weekly on the newscasts, in magazines and in newspapers you will find expert commentary for and against the need to take supplements. Those opposed state with conviction that there is absolutely no need to take any supplement or vitamin. They make the case that there is no evidence that you need more of those things then you can get from the food that you eat.

Those who are advocates for the need to supplement make a very strong case with two key points. The first is that most of us do not eat a balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and good protein. For example in order to get an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids it is necessary to consume three servings of cold water fish a week. How many of us follow this advice? The American Dietetic Association estimates that only one in ten people eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables.  Most of us eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) This diet is skewed toward a lot of white flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy fats. 59 per cent of the calories come from nutrient poor food sources.  In fact the food is so nutritionally depleted that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

The second key point is that even if you follow the food pyramid and consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, there is no assurance that the produce you eat was grown in soil that has not been depleted in nutrients by years of farming. We will present more evidence to prove this point in future blogs.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Can Omega- 3 Fatty Acids Cause Prostate Cancer?

Before I discuss how much Omega-3 fatty acids you should take and what precautions you should take, I want to discuss a very important question.  Can fish oil in any form be a causative factor in the development of prostate cancer.  The news media recently have warned men to cut back on using fish oil because some doctors reported a higher risk of developing prostate cancer in men who had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood plasma. This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute July 2013. The investigators looked at blood samples from a large group of men and observed that those with the highest levels of Omega--3 fatty acids were more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with the lowest levels.

This is an example of drawing faulty conclusions from a study that was not properly designed to reach a meaningful conclusion. The information was drawn from a retrospective cohort design that was initially intended to study something completely different. A proper study design would have been to observe two identical groups of men. These men would need to be matched by age, eating habits, exercise habits, smoking and drinking habits and family history of no prostate cancer.  Once the groups were matched, one group would be instructed to take fish oil supplements and the other to not take these supplements. The groups would then be followed for at least ten years in order to determine whether there was a significant difference between the groups in the incidence of prostate cancer. This was not done.

A simpler way to determine whether there is a risk in having a higher level of omega-3s is to look at large populations. For example Japanese men until recently have lived in fish loving culture and have the highest levels of EPA and DHA. They also have some of the lowest rates of prostate cancer of any culture studied.

The famous American Will Rogers once said "Believe nothing that you read and only half of what you see." This study is a perfect example. I will continue taking my fish oil supplements daily.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net