Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How the vitamin industrial complex swindled America
The Week ^ | 12/18/13 | Peter Weber

Posted on 12/18/2013 8:57:00 PM PST by artichokegrower

Q

uestions about the health benefits of vitamin supplements have been percolating in the medical establishment for decades — even as the multivitamin industry has grown to a multi-billion powerhouse in the U.S. This week, the respected journal the Annals of Internal Medicine put its well-heeled foot down.

"We believe that the case is closed — supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful," the journal said in an editorial. "These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough."

Here's Dr. Edgar Miller of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, one of the editorial's five co-authors: "What will protect you is if you spend the money on fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low fat dairy, things like that," Miller tells CBS News. "Exercising would probably be a better use of the money." The only exceptions are folic acid for pregnant women and, possibly, vitamin D — the studies are mixed on its benefits and risks.

Assuming Miller and his colleagues are right — and they base their assertion on three large, recent studies — Americans have been wasting lots of money on vitamins. About half of U.S. adults take dietary supplements, and the vitamin industry has grown to $12 billion a year for vitamins alone and about $30 billion for all dietary supplements. That's just in the U.S.

(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: agenda21; antisupplementscam; bigpharma; codex; fda; fdacontrol; followthemoney; nutrition; scam; supplements; synthenticgmo; un; unagenda; vitamins
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 last
To: BlessingsofLiberty

In 2010, John McCain tried to introduce a dietary supplement safety act in the Senate, would involve more regulation. He later withdrew support


81 posted on 12/19/2013 5:18:45 AM PST by opentalk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: XRdsRev

Thanks. I will check that out


82 posted on 12/19/2013 5:41:14 AM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: SeaHawkFan

DHEA — really, really excellent anti-aging wonder stuff for cheap.

Drug companies would LOVE for that to be Rx-only.


83 posted on 12/19/2013 5:52:50 AM PST by UnwashedPeasant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Justa

Did you have a shortage of Mag/Potassium before taking the supplements? Were you taking Mag/ Potassium depleting meds?

What sort of “heart issues” did you have? Was your diet short in Mag./Potassium? None of these things would be answered by a stress test. If you had a treatable condition that could be helped by additional minerals then by all means take them but since I don’t suffer from those problems my taking your supplement would be wasted money.

If having enough vitamins makes a person healthy having twice enough will not make them any healthier.


84 posted on 12/19/2013 5:55:37 AM PST by count-your-change (you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

To: artichokegrower

Aren’t most foods “fortified” with the same vitamins?


85 posted on 12/19/2013 5:57:16 AM PST by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: artichokegrower
"What will protect you is if you spend the money on fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low fat dairy, things like that,"

No meat mentioned?

Quack study then. Period.

86 posted on 12/19/2013 5:58:07 AM PST by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DariusBane

Yep. Just like they did with weight lifting supplements, the MLB, and under a RINO controlled Congress in 2005.


87 posted on 12/19/2013 5:59:14 AM PST by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: count-your-change

My diet was balanced but obviously lacked what I needed for magnesium and postassium.

I don’t think many people believe taking massive doses will make them healthier, just give them a consistent supply of what their body needs to heal itself and operate efficiently. For example, I take ~120,000% of the RDA of vitamins B6 and B12. This is to provide more energy/boost metabolism which counterbalances blood sugar spiking from diabetes. The 5-hr. Energy I occasionally take on weekend outings helps greatly too. The magnesium I take is several thousand times RDA. In these cases it is the right amount for me as lower levels have noticably negative effects on my well-being.

My (very excellent) physician wholeheartedly agrees with the B suppliments and approved of the magnesium although he didn’t correlate it (or anything) with my previous heart complaints.


88 posted on 12/19/2013 6:14:24 AM PST by Justa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: Mears

BFL


89 posted on 12/19/2013 6:23:59 AM PST by Mears
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: artichokegrower; All

.02:

Myself & others I know (more than a dozen) all have suffered negative health effects from FDA-approved/Doctor-prescribed medications on the basis of prescribed ‘treatment’.

These same people, including myself, have seen our own individual symptoms (different from those treated by the doctor) benefit from the intake of our own personal/unique combination of supplements.

Quite the dichotomy, given that’s a majority of people I know.

In my case, I have seen both positive & negative reactions to taking certain kinds of supplements. After 5 years of trial & error, I’ve been taking the same supplements, coupled with a healthy diet (no boxed foods, very little takeout) for the past >15 years. My 3 primary deficiencies: D3, B ‘complex, C. My family has a history of bone deterioration; I supplement as a result. I cannot take Multivitamins; something in them makes me ill (too much of something).

These ‘studies’ are analogous to polls showing strong support for Obamacare.

My family/friends must all be counterculture aberrations...worse: Liars, detractors, extremists. How long until not going all-in with the medical establishment is a crime? (oops...</sarc>)


90 posted on 12/19/2013 7:15:49 AM PST by logi_cal869
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: artichokegrower

The suckers are those who buy into this crap coming out of John Hopkins and the mouth of Dr Edgar Miller. This is Big Pharma/FDA/AMA propaganda because targeted supplementation undermines the need of most of the drugs, many of which are dangerous to good health, and many of which can be deadly.


91 posted on 12/19/2013 7:43:20 AM PST by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pepsionice
We used to be a society that took simple raw ingredients and made entire dinners from that...without processed sugar, great amounts of sodium, or high fat contents.

The processed sugars yes because it was not available the rest they added as much as they could. Salt is very very necessary especially if you are doing physical labor. We went to great lengths to get it.

Fat give you the calories needed to keep going, allows your body to use the protein in the rest of the food, keeps your nervous system healthy and keeps your skin from drying out.

It was not usual for people to come out of winter with various physical ailments because of a lack of a balanced diet and the poor who ate dinners made of "simple raw ingredients" were often sick and died young.

92 posted on 12/19/2013 7:57:43 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: kruss3

“Multi-vitamins are indeed almost useless because the amounts of the active ingredients are insufficient to accomplish specific nutritional objectives.”

You are correct. RDA is no guide. RDA makes sure that supplements are in-effective.

There are a few things that are critically short in our diets and that are needed in doses much greater than RDA. You mention D3 and B-vitamins. Very much needed. I take and recommend D3 at 10,000 units daily. Vitamin C is another one that is critical. Primates, including humans do not make vitamin C. All other animals except guinea pigs make their own, and make it in great abundance where there is trama.

Dr Levy, MD and Cardiologist says cardiovascular disease is a form of scurvy. He has treated patients with mega doses via IV for years. He now says Liposomal vitamin C is even more effective. Liposomal C does not cause loose stool, btw.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is another supplement the body needs. It benefits the liver and other organs in significant ways.

There are other supplements equally important and effective. Dr Miller and John Hopkins need to stick their Big Pharma drugs up their proverbial butts.


93 posted on 12/19/2013 8:00:54 AM PST by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: wac3rd
"Wasn’t that stuff used to cut body fat, too? The clobbers and bodybuilders used to use it."

Yes, it was GHB and helps to stimulate growth. It's all tied together - sleep and growth.

Also, haven't been able to afford it for a while - I guess it costs almost $6k a month. Since insurance pays for it and distorts the market, Jazz jacked up the price to infinity. Subsidize something and prices skyrocket. Now with Obamacare, no one is going to be able to pay for health care out of pocket.

94 posted on 12/19/2013 8:27:50 AM PST by uncommonsense (Liberals see what they believe; Conservatives believe what they see.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Yardstick

Thanks Yardstick. And that’s just it isn’t it. They’ll use some gamed studies to do what they want, destroy an industry that people obviously support, and then... oops our bad (in five years or less). Industry a vapor trail by then.

I don’t care what topic, there are generally statistics to prove and disprove what your agenda is almost every time.

This industry wouldn’t be prospering if the U. S. Citizen wasn’t seeing any benefit from taking their wares.

Government / BUTT OUT!


95 posted on 12/19/2013 10:21:22 AM PST by DoughtyOne (Reagan 1980: Shining city on a hill / RNC 2013: Dim flickering candle in a dark deserted dungeon.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: gleeaikin
then opposing supplements is logical and it makes big pharma contributors happy too...

For the dems, you mean. Right?

Dems don't want us managing our own health now that they have control of the medicine cabinet.

96 posted on 12/19/2013 1:11:30 PM PST by tsomer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: castlegreyskull
I had borderline high cholesterol for a couple of years (around 250-275). For some other reason, I started taking Omega 3 fish oil. My levels dropped to very healthy ones (bad went down, good went up, overall and triglycerides dropped too).

All this, with less exercise and worse eating habits. I attribute it to the fish oil.

97 posted on 12/19/2013 6:25:13 PM PST by Patriotic1 (Dic mihi solum facta, domina - Just the facts, ma'am)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: UnwashedPeasant

As for DHEA, I’ll just say I am 60 years old and I don’t need any little blue pill to get the job done on a daily basis.


98 posted on 12/20/2013 8:21:54 AM PST by SeaHawkFan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Steve_Seattle

Go to Costco and you can get three pairs of readers for under $20.


99 posted on 12/20/2013 8:32:22 AM PST by SeaHawkFan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson