There are so many vitamins and multi-vitamin supplements available on the market today, but how do you know what is good, what products to trust for quality, content, and most of all, efficacy. New reports come out almost daily about a vitamin or supplement that is not what it claims to be or worse, has adverse side effects that can be harmful. In some parts of the world, there have been children who have have become sick (1 actually died) who are getting Vitamin A supplementation ( story here ) as an extreme measure to avoid what should be rare conditions. (This goes to show you that the world has too many calories, but not enough good nutrition!)
There is real concern about the quality of nutritional supplements being marketed today. This is not good news, especially when you consider the quality of our food supply and lack of nutrients in MOST foods, needed to support good health. You know the one supplement that I recommend is Juice Plus+® , for two very good reasons. Number 1, Juice Plus+ contains nutrients from a variety of fruits and vegetables, not just one or a few vitamins; and number 2, there are numerous research studies from credible institutions and Universities around the world that substantiate the efficacy of Juice Plus+. Here is why you should choose your supplement carefully --
-- Lead in ginkgo pills. Arsenic in herbals. Bugs in a baby's colic and teething syrup. Toxic metals and parasites are part of nature, and all of these have been found in "natural" products and dietary supplements in recent years.
Set aside the issue of whether vitamin and herbal supplements do any good. Are they safe? Is what's on the label really what's in the bottle? Tests by researchers and private labs suggest the answer sometimes is no.
One quarter of supplements tested by an independent company over the last decade have had some sort of problem. Some contained contaminants. Others had contents that did not match label claims. Some had ingredients that exceeded safe limits. Some contained real drugs masquerading as natural supplements.
"We buy it just as the consumer buys it" from stores, said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com. The company tests pills for makers that want its seal of approval, and publishes ratings for subscribers, much as Consumer Reports does with household goods.
Other tests, reported in scientific journals, found prenatal vitamins lacking claimed amounts of iodine, and supplements short on ginseng and hoodia - an African plant sparking the latest diet craze.
"There's at least 10 times more hoodia sold in this country than made in the world, so people are not getting hoodia," said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon and frequent Oprah Winfrey guest who occasionally has touted the stuff. ( Read more from the Wash Post )
Comments: Be careful if you choose to supplement your diet with any nutritional supplement or vitamin(s). Unless your doctor has given you a reason that you need one particular vitamin or mineral, you are better off a variety of fruits, vegetables, and even berries to your diet to help you get the nutrients you need for good, or better, health. There are literally hundreds of nutrients in whole food fruits and vegetables, not just one or a few vitamins. For avoiding extreme, rare health conditions, vitamins can be useful. But how many of us are at risk of Scurvy or Rickets? The way to good health is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. If you just want to prevent the most extreme, rare health conditions, then maybe a single or multi-vitamin supplement is the way to go. But if you want good health, eat the minimum recommended fruits and vegetables each day.
Dr. J. Patrick Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
Official Juice Plus+® Distributor
There are so many vitamins and multi-vitamin supplements available on the market today, but how do you know what is good, what products to trust for quality, content, and most of all, efficacy. New reports come out almost daily about a vitamin or supplement that is not what it claims to be or worse, has adverse side effects that can be harmful. In some parts of the world, there have been children who have have become sick (1 actually died) who are getting Vitamin A supplementation ( story here ) as an extreme measure to avoid what should be rare conditions. (This goes to show you that the world has too many calories, but not enough good nutrition!)
There is real concern about the quality of nutritional supplements being marketed today. This is not good news, especially when you consider the quality of our food supply and lack of nutrients in MOST foods, needed to support good health. You know the one supplement that I recommend is Juice Plus+® , for two very good reasons. Number 1, Juice Plus+ contains nutrients from a variety of fruits and vegetables, not just one or a few vitamins; and number 2, there are numerous research studies from credible institutions and Universities around the world that substantiate the efficacy of Juice Plus+. Here is why you should choose your supplement carefully --
Comments: Be careful if you choose to supplement your diet with any nutritional supplement or vitamin(s). Unless your doctor has given you a reason that you need one particular vitamin or mineral, you are better off a variety of fruits, vegetables, and even berries to your diet to help you get the nutrients you need for good, or better, health. There are literally hundreds of nutrients in whole food fruits and vegetables, not just one or a few vitamins. For avoiding extreme, rare health conditions, vitamins can be useful. But how many of us are at risk of Scurvy or Rickets? The way to good health is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. If you just want to prevent the most extreme, rare health conditions, then maybe a single or multi-vitamin supplement is the way to go. But if you want good health, eat the minimum recommended fruits and vegetables each day.
Dr. J. Patrick Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
Official Juice Plus+® Distributor