 |
|
Are All Nutritional Supplements Effective?
Unfortunately not. Nutritional supplements range
widely in effectiveness. Nutrient content
vary, and so
do amounts. Some supplement tablets are barely
digested and pass
right through the body.
Some are made to food-grade instead of pharmaceutical grade standard.
That's like the difference between production of pies and penicillin.
For most people it's difficult to know which one to pick.
Price
alone is no guarantee. There are many highly priced
ones that
are not as complete as much cheaper ones. Nor can we go by
the
advertising and promotional material, as every manufacturer claims to
be
the best.
What Can We
Do Then? 
Our best bet is to look to independent nutritional supplement reviews.
One study that stands out in its comprehensiveness was carried out by
Lyle MacWilliam, a biochemist and former health advisor to the Canadian
Ministry of Health.
To "separate the wheat from the chaff", he researched, analyzed and
ranked the nutritional values of the popular vitamin-cum-mineral health
supplements in the US and Canada. We can see the results in
his book Comparative
Guide to
Nutritional Supplements available on Amazon.
In the 4th edition of this book, 1,612 broad-spectrum supplements are
compared to an independent nutritional benchmark, developed from the
individual recommendations of 12 recognized nutritional authorities.
See Best
Multi Vitamin Products for the top 2% nutritional
supplements that earned the highest 5 star quality rating, fully
meeting the benchmark.
The guide also examines the remarkable protective powers of vitamins,
minerals and antioxidants, and presents scientific evidence that
support the use of nutritional supplements to achieve optimal health.
How Health
Supplements were Included and Ranked
Only broad-spectrum nutritional supplements were included in the study.
That means those containing a comprehensive mix of vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, and phytonutrients, with dosages formulated for
preventive maintenance.
The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) standards set by the US Food and
Nutrition Board establishes, for each nutrient, an Upper Limit
considered safe for adults. Products with three or more
nutrients
exceeding 150% of their respective Upper Limits were screened out of
the review.
Compared to the DRI, the Comparative Guide standard includes more
nutrients and antioxidants, based on decades of clinical research about
their benefits. For instance, the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10,
that the
body makes less of as it ages, is included. So is the
antioxidant alpha
lipoic acid that helps recycle other antioxidants like vitamins C and
E.
The Criteria
Used to Evaluate the Nutritional Supplements
Here are the 18 quality-selection criteria used to rate the
supplements. It is also a useful list for knowing what the
benefits of
supplements are, and what to look for in high-quality health
supplements.
- Completeness
: whether the product contains all the nutrients identified as
important in the benchmark.
- Potency : how much there is
of each of the nutrients, compared to the benchmark amounts.
- Bioactivity of Vitamin E :
checks if the
vitamin E is the natural or synthetic form (which is only half as
effective).
- Antioxidant Support : looks
at those nutrients
that help to prevent or repair cellular damage caused by oxidation,
such as vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, alpha-lipoic acid,
lycopene, coenzyme Q10, and selenium.
- Methylation Support :
examines the nutrients
such as vitamins B2, B6, and B12, and folic acid and trimethylglycine,
needed for the body to make methyl donor molecules. These
help reduce
homocysteine levels in the blood, and so protect the arteries and
nerves.
- Lipotropic Factors : looks
at the nutrients
like choline, lecithin, and inositol that help to remove toxins such as
lead. The liver and brain are two primary targets of
fat-soluble toxin
accummulation.
- Ocular Health : good
eyesight and prevention of
cataracts and macular degeneration need sufficient levels of many
nutrients, such as vitamins C, E, and A (including beta-carotene), and
the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.
- Liver Health : looks at the
nutrients such as
vitamins C, B2 and B3, cysteine and n-acetyl-cysteine, and selenium,
that enhance liver function and optimize levels of glutathione, which
is needed by cells to fight off toxins.
- Metabolic Health : examines
the nutrients such
as vitamins B3, B6, B12, C and E, biotin, coenzyme Q10, chromium,
magnesium, zinc, and manganese, that help the body to handle its daily
sugar load. This is important to keeping the body systems responsive
to insulin, and restoring lost insulin sensitivity.
- Heart Health : checks the
nutrients that help
protect the heart and cardiovascular system. These nutrients
include
vitamin E, beta-carotene, coenzyme Q10, calcium, magnesium, l-carnitine
or acetyl-l-carnitine, procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs), phenolic
compounds, and lycopene.
- Bone Health : looks at
nutrients that assist in
bone remodelling, which is vital to warding off osteoporosis and other
diseases that weaken the skeletal frame. These nutrients
include
vitamins D, K, C, B6 and B12, folic acid, boron, calcium, magnesium,
silicon, and zinc.
- Glycation Control : examines
the nutrients such
as l-carnosine, alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, vitamin C, and
alpha-lipoic acid, that help slow the progress of many degenerative
diseases such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
- Inflammation Control :
checks those nutrients
needed for reducing cellular inflammation. Chronic
inflammation can
lead to degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancers, and
arthritis. These nutrients include the omega-3 oils, such as
those
found
in fish oil (EPA and
DHA or eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids), linolenic acid,
gamma-tocopherol, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin C,
the flavonoids, procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs), and the phenolic
compounds.
- Gamma Tocopherol : checks
that the product uses
the gamma form of vitamin E. Studies show that gamma
tocopherol reduces
chronic inflammation and protects against cancers of the colon and
prostate. On the other hand, high doses of alpha tocopherol
alone can
reduce
the level of gamma tocopherol in the body.
- Phenolic Compounds Profile :
looks for a
specific group of phenolic compounds (polyphenolic acids and their
derivatives) that are exceptionally powerful defenders against free
radicals. Phenols from olives, green tea, and curcumin are
also known
to decrease risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and lower
impact of inflammation.
- Bioflavonoid Profile :
examines the
bioflavonoids, which work throughout the body to attack free radicals
and support many functions. These vital nutrients include the
citrus
flavonoids, soy isoflavones, quercetin, quercitrin, hesperidin, rutin,
bilberry, different berry extracts, and PCOs like resveratrol, grape
seed and pine bark extracts.
- Potential Toxicities :
checks those nutrients,
such as vitamin A and iron, that can build up in the body to toxic
levels with long-term intake. Vitamin A is available more safely as
beta-carotene.
- Mineral Forms : examines the
molecules that the
minerals are bound to. The right forms help them cross into
the
bloodstream. Amino acid chelates, and organic acid complexes like
citrates and gluconates, mimic the natural chelates that form during
digestion. Chelated minerals also do not block other minerals from
being absorbed, unlike the cheaper mineral forms such as carbonates,
sulphates, and chlorides.
For a fuller examination of the criteria, or of the benefits of
supplements, refer to the Comparative Guide to Nutritional
Supplements (4th Edition).
Of the 1,612 nutritional supplements measured against these criteria,
33 achieved the maximum of 5 stars. These are listed on the
next page.
Go
to top of this page : Nutritional Supplements
«
Back to Health
Supplements Nutritional Guide Home page |
|
