Americans spend billions of dollars every year on pills, potions and powders. But are they doing us any good? Or are they more harmful than helpful? Stroll down the vitamin and supplement aisle of any grocery or health food store, or a pharmacy, and you will encounter a dizzying array of vitamins and supplements. Their labels are colorful and bright, and promise robust health by just popping a few pills and washing down with a glass of water.
Oh, if only it were so easy.
The reality is that supplements may not only be wasting your precious hard-earned money, they may actually be doing more damage than good. A recent study at Tufts University showed that adequate amounts of certain vitamins and minerals are indeed critical for greater health and longevity. However, those benefits come from getting the necessary nutrients from food, not supplementation. The title of the study says it all: “Nutrients from food, not supplements, linked to lower risks of death, cancer.” Read the study here.
Other studies have called into question the need for supplements and whether they actually improve overall health.
Last year, a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American College of Cardiology found vitamin and mineral supplements offered no measurable health benefits to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Another study in 2017 warned that men taking too much vitamin B could double their risk of developing lung cancer.
Other studies have shown that increasing intake of beta carotene through supplementation increased lung cancer risk in smokers. Or taking supplemental vitamin E increased overall cancer risk in middle aged men.
The supplement industry is unregulated
Unfortunately, the supplement industry is largely unregulated. Supplements are big business these day, with profits in the multi-billions of dollars annually. So there is a huge financial incentive for companies to sell supplements, and there is zero oversight into their safety or efficacy. Many supplements don’t contain the ingredients or levels their labels say they do. For a complete expose into the dark side of the supplement industry, read this Consumer Reports article.
Supplements are only as good as their ingredients
Many supplements, especially green powders made from veggies and fruits, are not grown using organic standards. So you are getting high doses of toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in every scoop of powder you stir in your glass. This is likely doing far more harm than good. Many multi-vitamin/mineral supplements are made from synthetic ingredients that your body doesn’t know how to use and assimilate.
If supplement’s label says “Organic”, look a little deeper into where the certification comes from. Many companies pay for an organic label and don’t have to do much, or anything, to earn the label. It’s your money, and your health, that are being compromised, so be sure to do your research.
How to really be healthy
Our bodies have evolved over many millennia to digest, assimilate and utilize nutrients form food. Real food. Rather than spending untold dollars on supplements that give you a false sense of security, invest your dollars into eating the highest quality real food you can afford.
One supplement everyone should be taking
Magnesium. Read why here.
No time to read the article? Here are my recommendations for the best magnesium supplements:
Natural calm magnesium. There are different flavors you can try, but be sure to get the plain magnesium. Don’t get the kind with calcium (read this post to learn why supplemental calcium is actually very bad for you) or with melatonin (read this post to learn why supplemental melatonin is not a good idea).
ReMag Pico Ionic Liquid Magnesium. This is probably the best magnesium supplement available today.
MagSRT Slow Release Magnesium. For those who find pills easier to swallow, this is an excellent option.
Start by eliminating the following supplements, as they are the most harmful to your health:
- Stop taking iron supplements. Unbound excess iron is a major source of oxidative stress in the body.
- Stop taking Vitamin D supplements. I know, I know there is so much research that we need vitamin D. And we do need Vitamin D. But supplemental vitamin D is not what our bodies need. Fermented Cod Liver Oil is an excellent source of Vitamin D, as is butter or ghee from grass-fed, pasture raised cows.
- Stop taking calcium supplements. They are not making your bones stronger, but they may be causing your arteries and other soft tissues to harden. That’s a very bad thing. Read this post to learn more about the dangers of taking supplemental calcium.
- Stop taking multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. Even if they contain exactly what they say they do, which is unlikely, they tend to be poorly absorbed and not bio-available to your body. Best case scenario is they give you very expensive urine.
- Stop using synthetic vitamin C supplements. Synthetic vitamin C comes in the forms of ascorbic acid, citrate and citric acid.
- Stop using fluoride. Use non-fluoride toothpaste an if you live in an area with fluoridated water, be sure to get a filter that removes fluoride. A filter for drinking water and a filter for showering.
And now for some nutrition steps:
- Eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and artificial sweeteners from your diet. Read this post to learn more about the dangers of these ingredients.
- Eliminate industrially produced vegetable oils from your diet. Read this post to learn more about the dangers of these ingredients.
- Stop eating low-fat, high carb, refined and processed foods. Read this post to learn what nutrient dense foods you should be eating every day.
- Choose organic foods. They are higher in nutrients and contain far lower levels of pesticides and herbicides. These toxic chemicals are seriously harming your health, so reducing or even eliminating them is your best bet. Read this post to learn more about the dangers of eating non-organic foods.
If you just implement these ten steps, you will likely start to feel much better much sooner than you can imagine.And if you want to learn the steps to take your health and energy to the next level, check out my ecourse “6 Weeks to Abundant Health”.
