Highlight Paper 10: Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

            A supplement is any pill, capsule, tablet, liquid, or powder that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids; intended to increase dietary intake of these substances. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Public Health Service that is responsible for ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of all dietary supplements and food processed and sold in interstate commerce except meat, poultry, and eggs; inspecting food plants and imported foods. Every year, in the United States, one-third of the population spends billions of dollars on supplements to make sure they are receiving the right amount of nutrients. Others take supplements to protect them against certain types of diseases. One out of every five people takes multinutrients daily. The most common types of vitamin-mineral supplements taken are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, iron, and calcium. Most people take supplements because of friends, advertisements, websites, or books.  There are three major questions to be answered: What are the arguments for taking supplements? What are the arguments against taking supplements? Finally, if people do take supplements, how can they choose the appropriate ones?

Supplements can help prevent or correct deficiencies. In the United States and Canada, adults rarely suffer from nutrient deficient diseases such as scurvy, pellagra, and beriberi. A physician may prescribe two to ten times the dose of a supplement to correct a nutrient deficiency disease. Nutrient needs increase with different stages of life. Women who lose a lot of blood during menstruation each month might need to take an iron supplement. Women of childbearing age need folate to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding need special nutrient supplements. Newborn babies are given Vitamin K at birth to prevent abnormal bleeding. Every person needs different nutrient supplements based on their diet. Health care professionals may provide special supplements to people being treated for addictions to alcohol or other drugs and to people with prolonged illness, extensive injuries, or other severe stresses such as surgery.  Very few people get their adequate nutrients from diet alone. Inadequate nutrient intakes have been linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, some cancers, and osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women and those who are intolerant to lactose or allergic to milk may not receive the right amount of nutrients. This answers the question about the argument for taking supplements.

Foods rarely cause nutrient imbalances or toxicities, but supplements can. The higher dose of a supplement the greater the risk. A person’s tolerance to high doses of nutrients varies. The extent and severity of supplement toxicity is unclear. People should read the labels of supplements to prevent intoxication or an overdose. Toxic overdoses of vitamins and minerals are more common in children. Children eat fruit-flavored, chewable vitamins shaped like their favorite cartoon character because children think they are candy. High-potency iron supplements are especially toxic and are the leading cause of accidental ingestion fatalities among children. Some mild overdoses of supplements cause GI distress, nausea, and black diarrhea that reflect gastric bleeding. Severe overdoses of supplements cause bloody diarrhea, shock, liver damage, coma, and death. Another argument against the use of supplements is that no one knows exactly how to formulate the “ideal” supplement. A second argument against supplement use is that it may lull people into a false sense of security. The body absorbs nutrients best from foods in which the nutrients are diluted and dispersed among other substances that may facilitate their absorption. Taken in pure, concentrated form, nutrients are likely to interfere with one another’s absorption. Zinc hinders copper and calcium absorption, iron hinders zinc absorption, calcium hinders magnesium and iron absorption, and magnesium hinders the absorption of calcium and iron. Interference among vitamins is being now because supplement use is increasing. The vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, long thought to be nontoxic, interferes with vitamin E metabolism when taken over the long term as a dietary supplement. Vitamin E antagonizes vitamin K activity and so should not be used by people being treated for blood-clotting disorders. Consumers who want the benefits of optimal absorption of nutrients should eat ordinary foods, selected for nutrient density and variety. This answers the question arguments against supplements.

The chart talks about the vitamin and mineral intakes for adults. The chart names the type of vitamin and mineral. There are fourteen popular vitamins and twelve popular minerals that people consume daily. The chart is based on the tolerable upper intake level, the daily values, the typical multivitamin mineral supplement, and the average single nutrient supplement. The upper levels represent total intakes from food, water, and supplements.  

Supplements have to be tested by the USP. USP stands for United States Pharmacopeia. The USP assures that supplements contain the declared ingredients and amounts listed on the label, does not contain harmful levels of containments, will disintegrate and release ingredients in the body, and is made under safe and sanitary conditions. Before taking a supplement, the first question should be what form do you want-chewable, liquid, or pills? Chewable vitamin C can dissolve tooth enamel. The second question is what type vitamins and minerals do you need? Avoid products that make high potency clams.

Nutrition labeling is required for all supplements. Labels make different claims about each product. Foods have so much more to offer than supplements do. This coincides with the previous chapter because the previous chapter explains the vitamins and minerals mentioned in the highlight. The previous chapter talks about the different toxicities between the vitamins and minerals and how they can help the body.