Should I Take Vitamin
Or Mineral Supplements?

J.A. Scharffenberg, M.D., M.P.H.

Nutritionists agree on several find-
ings concerning vitamin and mineral
supplements. They concur that the
recommended dietary allowances
represent the best available assessment
of safe and adequate intakes of the
various nutrients. There is a published
list of these.

It is also agreed that healthy
children and adults should obtain their
nutrition from food sources rather
than by taking supplements.. This
reduces the risks from both deficien-
cles and excesses.

And most believe that in certain |

conditions supplementation is good.
Women with excessive menstrual
bleeding may need to take iron. Preg-
nant women or those breastfeeding
need more folic acid, iron and
calcium, People who eat an. inade-
quate amount of food will often not
get enough of the various nutrients.
Newborns are often given a single dose
of vitamin K to prevent abnormal
bleeding. Some people on extreme
diets may be deficient in certain
nutrients, Certain disorders or medica-

‘tions may interfere with the use of
some nutrients and thus change the re-

quirements for them. Individual
recommendations for such supple-
ments should come from physicians.

There is also general agreement that
nutrients are potentially toxic when

‘taken in large amounts. High doses

may interfere with the normal
metabolism of other nutrients.

Many nutritionists agree there are
no demonstrated benefits of taking
supplements in amounts above the
usual recommended daily intakes.
Some unsubstantiated claims are made
for taking such supplements.

Physicians do not always agree on
who needs to take supplements. For
example, in our present state of
knowledge doctors are not sure how
much iron to recommend that a preg-
nant woman take or if she should take
any at all. More research will need to

be done on this. It is known that iron
supplements decrease zinc absorption
and zine deficiency may cause fetal
problems. So even experts are now in
some disagreement on this point
because of lack of adequate informa-
tion on which to base a decision.

Some physicians may like to insure
that smokers take adequate vitamin A
to reduce the risk of lung cancer. A
physician often prescribes it in the
form of food containing high amounts
of beta carotene which the body
coverts to vitamin A. If, however, a
person neglects to cat a good diet to
get adequate beta carotene then a doc-
tor may prescribe a supplement.

The National Academy of Sclences
recommended taking adequate vita-
min A from plant sources in an at-
tempt to reduce the risk of cancer of
the epithelial tissues (skin, bronchial
tubes and lungs, certain gastrointes-
tinal cancers, bladder cancer and cer-
vical cancer are examples). However,
the Academy suggested it come from
food rather than vitamin pills. Vitamin
A can be toxic in large doses: Most of
the studies demonstrating a good ef-
fect from this vitamin have been with
the use of food and not pills. There
may be balanced other nutrients in the
food that are doing some good also.

There is no substitute for a balanced
nutritional diet of naturally good
food,

eA community service of the Seventh-day
Advenust Church. ©General Conference of

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