Should I Take Supplements?

One of the most commonly asked questions in the field of nutrition is ‘Should I take supplements?’ The short answer is ‘yes’- the long answer follows! In order to answer this question adequately, we need to look at several issues:

1. What functions does food serve?

  1. Fuel for energy production – if anyone has had the misfortune of filling up a petrol-engine car with diesel fuel (as I have!), you will be familiar with the consequences of putting the wrong fuel into an engine i.e. the engine will run poorly and will eventually stop. The human engine is no different – if you fill it up with refined, processed, nutrient-depleted foods, it will run poorly and will eventually stop.
  2. Structure – over a one year period over 98% of your entire body (including DNA, teeth, organs, bones, muscles etc.) will be replaced by what you have eaten over that time – hence the saying ‘you are what you eat’. Consume high quality nutrients and you will end up with a high quality body; eat crap and you will end up looking (and feeling) like crap!
  3. Catalyzing chemical reactions – a catalyst is something that facilitates a chemical reaction. Every 1/1000th of a second an estimated 500 chemical reactions take place in each of your 100 trillion body cells. For these chemical reactions to take place, each cell has to have a precise mixture of 90 essential co-factors (60 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids and 2 essential fatty acids) – if a single nutrient is missing, the chemical reactions cannot take place in an optimal fashion.
  4. Whenever the human body burns fuel (a process known as oxidation), toxic byproducts known as free radicals are formed. Free radicals are molecules (usually of oxygen) that have been stripped of an electron and rendered very unstable. A chain reaction of damage takes place – it is estimated that every cell in your body is subjected to over 100,000 free radical hits every day (imagine the damage caused to a slab of meat if it was pounded 100,000 times a day with a sledge hammer)! Free radicals disrupt the normal production of DNA and alter the fats in cell membranes. End result – ageing and chronic degenerative diseases like heart disease, strokes, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s diesase. Other sources of free-radicals include cigarette smoke; air pollution; some highly processed foods and food additives; ultraviolet sunlight and radiation; processed oils such as commercial vegetable oils, margarines and shortenings; charcoal-broiled foods and any charred or burned foods; heavy metals (lead, cadmium, aluminum, and mercury) found in processed foods; excessive iron; pesticides; and some prescription medications. We are dependent on a rich supply of anti-oxidants from fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts and seeds to neutralize this damage.

So in summary, food serves 4 vital functions:

  1. Carbohydrates, protein and fat are a source of fuel.
  2. Carbohydrates, protein and fat are responsible for the physical structure of cells.
  3. Minerals and vitamins catalyze a mind-boggling number of chemical reactions in each of 100 trillion cells.
  4. Antioxidants and phytonutrients neutralize free radical damage that otherwise leads to ageing and disease.

2. Is the food we are currently eating providing us with enough nutrients to fulfill the essential functions outlined above?

There is a vast amount of evidence suggesting that the answer is a resounding ‘NO’! In this article I will provide four pieces of corroborating evidence (many more are available on request):

  1. The USDA conducted a survey on 10,000 individuals looking at daily intakes of 10 micronutrients (not the 90 or so that we need). Their conclusion – not A SINGLE PERSON met the daily requirements for just these 10 micronutrients.
  2. WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2002 – Two Harvard researchers, who reviewed more than 30 years of articles about vitamins in relation to chronic diseases, stated in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that “a large proportion of the general population has less-than-optimal intakes of a number of vitamins, exposing them to increased disease risk. We recommend that all adults take at least one multivitamin daily.” Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., Council for Responsible Nutrition states “There is no question that the amount of scientific evidence in favor of consistent use of vitamins, particularly multivitamins, is formidable and must be taken seriously, both by the medical community and by those who create public policy.”
  3. The BioPhotonic Scanner, developed by doctors and physicists at a top research university in Utah, is the world's first measuring tool for tissue antioxidant levels. By simply placing the palm of your hand in front of a safe, low-energy blue light laser, you can obtain an immediate reading of your tissue antioxidant levels in real time. The scanner technology has been patented by Pharmanex, one of the world’s leading supplement companies. To date, they have scanned over 1 million people and conclusively shown that the majority of people have very  low levels of anti-oxidant protection.
  4. A report entitled “What We Eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002,” released recently by the Agricultural Research Service's Food Surveys Research Group in Beltsville, Maryland, reveals that Americans are deficient in a number of required nutrients. A deficiency of vitamin E was the most striking finding, with 93 percent of Americans estimated to consume inadequate amounts of the vitamin. Magnesium came in second, with 56 percent of the population estimated to be deficient. Deficiencies of vitamin A were estimated to affect 44 percent of Americans, of vitamin C, 31 percent; of vitamin B6, 14 percent; and zinc deficiencies were estimated to exist in 12 percent. Folate, copper, phosphorus, thiamin (vitamin B1) iron and protein were found to be lacking in females aged 9 and older. The findings of the survey are disturbing given that many consider the Dietary Reference Intakes as already too low to ensure good health.

There are many reasons for the existence of micronutrient deficiencies:

  1. Soil quality has been degraded through modern farming methods. Most chemical fertilizers do not replace all of the minerals needed for human nutrition.
  2. There is also wide variation in the natural mineral content of the soil e.g. in some states soil has a very low selenium content (selenium is important for protection from heart disease and cancer). Although selenium, as well as chromium and iodine, are essential for human nutrition, they are not required for growing healthy plants and are rarely added to the soil for agricultural purposes.
  3. Foods are often picked before they are ripe and are allowed to ripen in transit, at the market or during home storage. Hence they do not acquire their full complement of minerals and vitamins which increase greatly during the later stages of growth. In addition, transportation and storage of foods, whether in the market or at home, allows time for nutrients to deteriorate. Fruits and vegetables can lose significant amounts of vitamins after 3 days in cold storage, and even more if exposed to light, oxygen and heat.
  4. Nutrient value is further diminished by cooking in microwaves, boiling excessively or frying in toxic fats (e.g. saturated animal or vegetable fats).
  5. Modern food processing techniques (e.g. blanching, deodorizing, acidifying, neutralizing, pasteurizing, hydrogenating, filtrating, homogenizing, saturating, freeze-drying, irradiating and genetically modifying food) destroy a large portion of the original nutrients.
  6. Foods often contain toxic additives such as artificial preservatives, colorings, sweeteners and flavor enhancers.
  7. The majority of foods consumed are refined and processed (e.g. white bread, white pasta, white rice, white sugar etc) – in other words, they have largely been stripped of their original nutrient content.

3. The Important Role of Genetics:

Throughout all species there is wide variation in genetic makeup. This variation includes differing abilities to survive in a given nutritional environment. In other words, to survive well, one animal may require much more or less of particular nutrients than another animal. Experiments with rats have shown that litter mates, which are very close genetically, can vary in nutrient needs up to 40 times for particular nutrients. In other words, one may need 2.5 mg. of vitamin B5 and another may need 100 mg. for the same level of vitality, physical endurance and life span. There is an even greater variation in human beings – this concept is known as biochemical individuality. Except in a few known genetic disorders, we cannot determine subtle variations in nutritional needs for human beings. It is therefore wise to make sure that our internal environment (including all cells, tissues and organs) is abundantly supplied with all the nutrients.

4. Our Risky Environment:

The poor quality of the environment in which we live taxes our detoxification capacity and may lead to many health problems. Common toxins include:

  • Mercury in dental fillings.
  • Carbon monoxide and lead from fuel exhaust.
  • Hydrocarbon pollutants from industrial waste.
  • By-products from the burning of fossil fuels.
  • Radiation leakage from nuclear power plants, microwaves and radon in the home.
  • Aluminum in cookware and antiperspirants.
  • Water is often contaminated with toxic heavy metals (e.g. lead or cadmium), fluoride industrial chemicals and wastes, pesticides and more recently, prescription drugs from people’s urine!
  • Cigarette smoke.

5. Stress Increases Needs:

Unfortunately, the majority of people today lead very stressful lives. Stress, whether emotional or physical or due to injury or illness, depletes the body of many nutrients.

6. RDAs:

The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA’s) are established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, National Academy of Science. These nutrient levels are supposed to prevent deficiency diseases in most healthy people. Unfortunately, the values have been heavily influenced by the food industry, economic considerations and politics, not just by science. The RDAs are not useful in establishing optimal health. You are at little risk of developing the deficiency diseases – pellagra, scurvy, or beriberi. Our modern problems are not deficiency diseases but degenerative diseases. The sad truth is, if you look around, you will see many people who do manage to get the RDA levels of most nutrients, but they still go on to develop early heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes. They have frequent viral infections (colds, the flu, herpes), they are overweight, and they lose their teeth to decay and gum disease.

7. Effect of growth, diseases and medications on our nutrient requirements:

While RDA recommendations are generalizations applied to normal healthy individuals, nutritional needs vary, not only from individual to individual, but from time to time, in the same individual. For example, nutrient needs increase during:

  • Periods of rapid growth (e.g. childhood)
  • Pregnancy
  • Illness

Individuals taking prescription drugs are at particular risk of deficiencies e.g.

  • Antacids deplete folate
  • Aspirin deplete folate, Vit C and zinc
  • Steroids deplete Vit’s A, B, C, D, K, calcium, magnesium and zinc
  • Oral Contraceptives deplete folate and Vit B

So in summary, there are many compelling reasons to supplement our diet. The next question that needs to be answered is:

WHAT SHOULD I SUPPLEMENT WITH?

Answer – whatever is essential or highly desirable to our health:

  1. Minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients – please note that micronutrients only work in SYNERGY with each other. It is the multiple interactions of all the essential micronutrients that create optimal health, not the use of single or isolated nutrients e.g. optimal bone health requires not just calcium but also phosphorus, vitamin D, zinc, copper, manganese, fluorine, silicon and boron.
  2. Omega-3 fatty acids – for a variety of reasons it is preferable to obtain your daily requirements of Omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish-oil rather than from flaxseed oil. Most people in the Western world suffer from excessive Omega-6 intake and therefore do not need Omega-6 supplementation – in fact, a reduction in Omega-6 intake is recommended.

WHICH BRAND SHOULD I USE?

The best-quality brand that your budget will allow. Why? Because your life literally depends on your choice. Please remember that the quality of supplements is directly proportional to their cost – cheap supplements are likely to contain small amounts of poor quality ingredients with limited absorption (e.g. a lot of fish oils are rancid at the time of purchase and some supplements contain NO active ingredients whatsoever)!. Unfortunately, brand names alone are not a guarantee of quality so it is essential that you do your own ‘due diligence’.

www.supplementwatch.com contains detailed independent scientific assessments of a large range of supplements from around the world. Each supplement is given a score out of a 100 – would you rather take a supplement that has a score of 18 or one with a score of 95?

Over the years I have used many different brands of supplements. About 8 years ago I switched to a brand called Pharmanex for the following reasons:

  • Pharmanex is a global leader in the research and development of nutritional products.
  • Pharmanex employs over 70 staff scientists who collaborate with 110 leading scientists from Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, Yale Universities, Beijing and Shanghai Universities. Pharmanex products are the convergence of eastern medicine and western science.
  • Pharmanex is the only supplement company EVER to have been an official sponsor of the Olympic Games.
  • Pharmanex has a global patent on the Biophotonic Scanner – hence it is the only nutritional company in the world that can PROVE that their products do what they claim.
  • LifePak has been independently rated as the NUMBER ONE 'multi' supplement in the world by 'supplementwatch' receiving a perfect score for safety, science and theory and an overall score of 95/100.
  • LifePak is the biggest-selling 'multi' in world with over 50 million boxes sold so far.
  • LifePak is listed in the Physicians Desk Reference manual: "LifePak is a comprehensive wellness program delivering the optimum types and amounts of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants and phytonutrients for general health and well-being."
  • LifePak's antioxidant and cardiovascular benefits are supported by two double-blind clinical studies.
  • In 1998, Pharmanex became a wholly owned subsidiary of NuSkin Enterprises which has:
    • A 20-year track record
    • Over $1 billion in annual sales
    • Publicly traded (NUS) – share price has gone from $6 to $24 in last 4 years
    • Operates in 37 Countries
    • D&B 5A-1 Rating
  • It is possible to order on-line (securely) from almost anywhere in the world at wholesale prices delivered to your door (visit https://www.drtom.co.nz/ for more details).

SUMMARY:

  1. Eat the best quality ‘real food’ that you can afford.
  2. Take a high-quality multi-mineral, vitamin, antioxidant, phytonutrient supplement (e.g. LifePak) and Omega-3 supplement (e.g. Optimum Omega or Marine Omega) daily.
  3. Visit https://www.drtom.co.nz/ for more details.

Article written by Dr Tom Palfi

'Doctor Tom' is a sports medicine doctor and fitness specialist currently working at Les Mills, Hamilton. He has post-graduate qualifications in sports medicine, emergency medicine, diving medicine, nutrition and adult education. Dr Tom has participated in many sporting events including the DB Ironman, South Island Coast-to-Coast, Rotorua Marathon, Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, Motu Challenge, Rotorua Toughman Challenge, Goat Alpine Adventure Classic and multiple triathlons; he has climbed Mt Cook and Mera Peak in Nepal (22,000'); other interests include weight-training, tramping, skydiving, hang-gliding, kayaking and skiing; he has dabbled in a variety of Martial Arts including Kempo, Muay Thai, Balintawak, Kickboxing, Close Quarter Combat and Multi-Style Martial Arts.

Dr Tom's philosophy on life is best summarized in this quote:
"When you think you've been burning the candle at both ends & partying too hard just remember this: Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... 'Sh*t, what a trip!'"