A few recent TIME magazine articles highlight how vitamins may not only be a waste of money, but may actually reduce the life expectancy in certain populations.  A one sentence clip in the most recent issue of TIME drew attention to a University of Minnesota 19-year study on supplements.  The study began in 1986 with 39,000 women who averaged 62 years of age.  Participants filled out health and supplement questionares every couple of years for 19 years.

Researchers looked at 15 supplements and found that only calcium supplementation was associated with improved health.  They saw that as the women aged, their use of supplements increased–in 1986, 65% used supplements and by 2004, 85% did.  The most interesting result is that women who used supplements died at slightly higher rates than women who did not.

The researcher speculated that perhaps high doses of potentially toxic vitamins like iron could be the cause.  I actually suspect that the women who took vitamins may not have eaten as healthy as they would have otherwise.  And another TIME magazine article, from September 2011, supports this.  (You can watch the video here.)

Journalest John Cloud decided to take thousands of dollars of supplements, selected for him by a supplement manufacturer, and see if his health improved.  He ended up consuming 22 pills/day, or 3,000 nutraceuticals over the life of the experiment.  While his levels of vitamin D and HDL did increase under his 5-month experiment, the most notable effect was that he gained weight (10 lbs).  He attributed this to the fact that he felt he could eat fries instead of an apple, because he would get all the nutrients he might have gotten in that apple in his vitamin instead.  He felt supplementation cancelled out his poor eating choices, that he had a license to eat whatever he pleased.  I don’t think he is unique.  How many parents don’t worry that their children don’t consume vegetables and just give them a vitamin instead?

Americans spend $28 billion a year on supplements.  Yet we complain that organic food is just too expensive.  Perhaps we need to re-evaluate where the true good nutrition lies.

“A study found that children taking a half teaspoon of flax oil a day experienced fewer and less severe respiratory infections and fewer days of being absent from school. The omega 3 fatty acids in flax oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune boosters by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria. Essential fatty acids also protect the body against damage from over-reactions to infection.”

See this article from askdrsears.com for other important nutrients for the immune system.

Does this all sound too good to be true? Well, it gets even better. Probiotics have a great safety record. You can consume them in large quantities without any adverse affects, except maybe a little gas. So even if the research isn’t entirely conclusive yet, it doesn’t hurt to make dietary changes, or even start supplementing, now. Food sources of probiotics include yogurt, cheese (not mozzarella), kefir (fermented milk drink), kimchi (Korean condiment), and miso (fermented soybeans, grain and salt). You can also take a supplement. For maintenance of general health, choose one with a dose of at least 3 to 5 billion CFU (colony-forming units). Up to 30 billion CFU can be taking for those trying to treat a health condition. It’s best to choose a supplement that provides a variety of probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium groups. Try to purchase supplements that are refrigerated (probiotics can survive out of the fridge at no more than room temp for 1-2 weeks). Brands recommended by Gary Huffbagle, Ph.D., include Culturelle, Florastor, Jarrow-dophilus (the brand currently in my fridge), Fem-dophilus, Theralac, and VSL #3. You can also try a probiotic shot from Activa or DanActive. Supplement capsules can be opened and the powder put straight in your mouth. Probiotics don’t taste bad and this delivers healthy bacteria to your mouth (to help with bad breath), to your throat and sinuses (to help fend off colds and flus), and to your entire digestive tract. You can also give probiotics to children by sprinkling them into their food. My 2 year old son thinks that probiotics are a special topping to be added to his yogurt. To get the most out of your supplement, drink plenty of water with it (to help rehydrate the bacteria), consume it with calcium (which help probiotics adhere to the intestinal wall), and consider consuming foods that help support your friendly bacteria. These foods are called prebiotics, and include fiber (especially soluble fiber, found in oats, barley, fruits, vegetables, and legumes), phenols (antioxidants found in beans, peas, lentils, herbs, spices, fruit with skin, berries, tea, red wine, dark beer, dark chocolate, and coffee), and milk proteins. Avoid foods that support unhealthy bacteria, such as refined white flour products and sugar.

I want to end with the reason why I started to really believe in the power of probiotics. One of my favorite foods is Greek yogurt. It’s thick, creamy, and tart and I love topping it with honey and nuts. A neighbor lent me a book with a recipe for how to make your own yogurt and we started trying it, using Greek yogurt as a starter. It is to die for! You can control the thickness and tartness based on how you culture it, and it’s a lot easier to make than you might think. The fall and winter that we started making our own yogurt weekly, no one in my family (not even my infant son) got sick until February. Then we only caught one cold. And this was in a sleep-deprived family with a baby. I have always gotten sick fairly easily in cold and flu season, but that year was one of my healthiest. And what a way to stay healthy–by eating something as delicious is yogurt!

1. Huffnagle, Gary. The Probiotics Revolution. Bantam Bell: New York, 2007.

• It can reduce the number of colds you catch. A 2001 clinical trial showed that when 146 people received either a garlic supplement or a placebo, the garlic group reported only 24 colds as compared to 65 reported by the placebo group.
• Garlic powder has been shown to significantly reduce the buildup of arterial plaque. It may also lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.
• Aged garlic extract has been found to lower homocysteine levels (high levels indicate inflammation).
• Garlic juice acts as an antibiotic, even against some antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
• Garlic is antifungal too.
• A garlic rich diet may reduce the risks for colorectal and gastric cancers. Doctor and author Steven G Pratt says that eating one clove of garlic daily may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

The best way to get your garlic is to eat one medium clove each day. You can also take a supplement of 600-900 mg of powdered garlic or 4 mL of aged garlic extract. For more info on garlic, see the Whole Foods Market Jan/Feb 2008 magazine.

This excess consumption of Omega-6 appears to be partially responsible for the abundance of health problems we have–cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, obesity, etc. A diet high in Omega-6 fatty acids causes our bodies to produce proinflammatory eicosanoids (hormon-like substances), increasing your risk of asthma, allergies, arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases². Omega-6 fatty acids have also been shown to fuel cancer cell growth in rats, while tumors infused with Omega-3′s showed slowed growth^3,4. Clinical studies of Omega-3′s in humans show promise that the essential fats can slow or even possibly prevent the growth of certain types of cancers^5,6,7. In addition to promoting cancer, a diet high in Omega-6′s may lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. An Australian study showed people whose muscles cells contain high levels of Omega-6′s and low levels of Omega-3′s are more likely to be insulin resistant and obese, and the more unbalanced the ratio, the more severe their metabolic problems and weight were⁸.

However, a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids and lower in Omega-6 fatty acids can provide many health benefits. For those with hypertension, consuming 3g of Omega-3′s (both EPA and DHA) can lower systolic pressure by 5 pts and diastolic by 3⁹. Omega-3′s also help your cardiovascular health by slowing the formation of blood clots. Danish researchers H. O. Bang and Jorn Dyerberg studied the traditional Eskimo diet and concluded, “We believe that [eating more omega-3 fatty acids] could be as effective in the prevention of cardiovascular disease as the large-scale use of drugs.”¹⁰ Not only do Omega-3′s protect your cardiovascular system, they also protect your central nervous system. The brain is comprised of 60% fat–mostly in the membranes of neurons. Multiple studies have shown a correlation between intelligence as well as lack of mental disorders and a diet high in the right kind of fats, including Omega-3′s. Several studies have shown that rats or mice fed a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids were more successful at mazes or swim tests than animals on a high Omega-6 fatty acid diet^11,12. In the past decade, most parents have become aware of the fact that breast-fed babies, who receive more DHA than formula fed infants (since until recently, most U.S. formulas lacked DHA completely), score higher on standardized tests of intelligence (specifically reading, visual interpretation, sentence completion, nonverbal skills, and math)^13,14. The superior performance of breast-fed babies is probably due to a myriad of factors, but scientists suspect that the role of Omega-3 fatty acids in breast milk is partially to blame. A diet high in Omega-3′s also help children and adults–it may reduce your risk of dementia15, decrease the chances of developing depression and reduce its severity in those that already have it¹⁶, and reduce a child’s risk of developing ADHD and its symptoms^17,18. Omega-3′s can also help promote healthy skin and improve night vision¹.

Clearly, the research shows the benefits of eating fewer Omega-6 fatty acids and more Omega-3 fatty acids. How does one go about getting more Omega-3′s into her diet? Either you can eat more foods with Omega-3 fatty acids, or you can consider taking a supplement. Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish, fish oil, canola oil, flax oil, flaxseeds, walnuts, eggs high in Omega-3′s (thanks to an Omega-3 rich diet for the hens), pumpkin seeds, and dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale. Fish sources of Omega-3′s provide two types of essential fatty acids–EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Plant sources provide your body with ALA (alphalinolenic acid), which your body can convert into the DHA that it uses. However, this conversion is inefficient and varies from person to person, so it’s generally recommended that people try to get DHA directly. If you’re a vegetarian, this can be tricky and you may want to consider taking a supplement made with DHA extracted from algae (which is how the fish get it in their oil in the first place). Remember that eating less Omega-6 fatty acids is just as important as eating more Omega-3′s, so try to reduce your consumption of oils high in Omega-6′s–corn, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, soybean, peanut, sesame, and grapeseed. This means eating much less processed foods, as most are usually made with these Omega-6 containing oils.

If you do decide to eat more fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackeral, Pacific herring, lake trout, and anchovy, try to get it as fresh as possible. When eating fish like salmon, make sure to purchase wild and not farmed (Atlantic salmon). This will help reduce your consumption of many toxins polluting farmed fish, including mercury (a coal-burning power plant emission that eventually enters our waterways and is converted into the dangerous methylmercury by fish), PCBs (dangerous chemicals that are banned, but still exist in the environment), and PBDEs (brominated flame retardants). If you want to take a fish oil supplement, make sure the fish used are lower on the food chain, like anchovies and sardines (smaller means less time to accumulate toxins in their flesh) and that the oil is 3rd party tested for mercury and PCBs. The Spectrum brand sells a fish oil supplement, available at natural foods stores, that meets these requirements. Fortunately, a 2003 Consumer Reports study found that of all sixteen fish supplements samples it tested, every one had as much EPA and DHA as promised on the label and not many toxins (thanks to refinement)¹⁹. Martek Research companies sells DHA extracted from lab-grown algae in a form called life’sDHA (previously known as Neuromins brand, and recommended by Dr. William Sears), which is supplemented in various foods and vitamins. This DHA is so pure and free of toxins that it is supplemented in infant formulas. Recommended doses vary wildly, with Dr. Sears recommending 200mg a day, while Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, author of the book The Omega Diet, recommends a full gram (1000mg) each day. There doesn’t appear to be any adverse affects from higher consumption of Omega-3′s, but I personally follow the directions on my supplement bottle.

However you choose to do it, try to increase your consumption of foods with Omega-3 fatty acids and decrease intake of Omega-6 fatty acids. Trying to achieve a better balance between these two essential fatty acids (remember the recommended ratio in your diet is between 4:1 and 1:1) will provide you with better physical and mental health. Some of the healthiest cultures in the world eat this way, including the people on the Greek island of Crete, the Japanese, and the Eskimos. So consider getting more fat in your diet too; just make sure it’s the right type of fat.

Recommended reading:
The Omega Diet by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos
SuperFoods Rx by Dr. Steven Pratt
What to Eat by Marion Nestle (The section on fish is a must read! Pages 181-247)

Sites worth visiting:
http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/wildvsfarmfish.htm

1. Sears, William. The Family Nutrition Book. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 1999.

2. Simopoulos, Artemis, and J. Robinson. The Omega Diet. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

3. Sauer, L.A. and R.T. Dauchy. Stimulation of tumor growth in adult rats in vivo during an acute fast. Cancer Research, 1986; 46:3269-3475.

4. Noguchi, M, D. P. Rose, and I Miyazaki. The role of fatty acids and eicosanoid synthesis inhibitors in breast carcinoma. Oncology, 1995; 52:265-271.

5. Anti, M, G. Marra, and G Miggiano. Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on rectal mucosal cell proliferation in subjects at risk for colon cancer. Gastroenterology, 1992; 103:883-891.

6. Huang Y. C., J. M. Jessupe, and G. L. Blackburn. n-3 fatty acids decrase colonic epithelial cell proliferation in high-rsik bowel mucosa. Lipids, 1996; S-313-316.

7. Bougnoux, P., V. Chajes, and O. Le Floch. Role of 18:3n-3 content of breast adipose tissue. Br J Cancer, 1994; 70:330-334.

8. Storlien, L. H. Skeletal muscle membrane lipids and insulin resistance. Lipids, 1996; 31 S: 261-265.

9. Howe, P. R. C. Fish oil supplements and hypertension. ISSFAL Newsletter, 1996; 3(4):2-5.

10. Dyerber, J. H. O. Bang, and O. Aagaard. “Small is beautiful”: alpha linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in man. Lancet, May 1983: 1169.

11. Lamptey, M. S. and B. L. Walker. A possible essential role for dietary linolenic acid in the development of the young rat. J of Nutrition, 1976; 106:86-92.

12. Nakashima, Y., et. al. Effect of a high linoleate and a high apha-linolenate diet on general behavior and drug sensitivity in mice. J of Lipid Research, 1993; 34:239-247.

13. Simopoulos, A. P. Omega-3 fatty acids part I: Metabolic effects of omega-3 fatty acids and essentiality. Handbook of Lipids in Human Nutrition. 1996, CRC Press Inc.: Boca Raton, p.51-73.

14. Uauy, R. et. al. Role of essential fatty acids in the function of the developing nervous system. Lipids, 1996; 31 S: 167-176.

15. Kalmijn, S, E. Feskens, and D. Kromhout. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and cognitive function in very old men. Amer J of Epidemiology, 1997; 145(1): 33-41.

16. Adams, P. B. et al. Arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio in blood correlates positively with clinical symptoms of depression. Lipids, 1996; 31: 157-161.

17. Stevens, L. J. et al. Omega-3 fatty acids in boys with behavior, learning and health problems. Physiology and Behavior, 1996; 59: 915-920.

18. Stevens, L. J. et al. Essential Fatty acid metabolism in boys iwth attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Amer J of Clinical Nutrition, 1995; 62: 761-768.

19. Nestle, Marion. What to Eat. New York: North Point Press, 2006.