myFM: What about your vitamins?

The headline reads: “How useful are vitamins? This is what new research has to say”. 

The Press Release states, “New guidelines say ‘insufficient’ evidence to support use of multivitamins or dietary supplements to prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer in healthy, non-pregnant adults”

Let's talk about what's going on here.

I can almost guarantee you that people will read this headline and think they need to ditch their supplements. 

What isn’t talked about here is which supplements they are talking about. The average one-a-day that you pick up from your local drugstore, big-box store, or supermarket won’t do much. I do agree with that. 

Digging into the articles, the press release is specific in that they’re talking about cardiovascular disease or cancer. There’s so much not said in an article like this. What are the people eating that they took their information from? If you’re a drive-thru junkie or even hit it once or twice a week, have very little fresh fruits or veggies in your diet, or eat mostly processed food, then no supplement is going to save you. I agree with that too. What I disagree with is that the blanket statement of supplements not supporting health is sweeping and not specific enough. As a Registered Nutritionist with my own line of supplements, I know the quality of supplements directly affects their efficacy.  

Managing expectations around supplements is important. Knowing their limitations, they can’t make up for a processed, sugary, and nutrient-lacking diet, but they can help build a better appetite, alter the microbiome to curb cravings, and improve immunity. Supplements like my Take This by Lianne Alka C, a buffered vitamin C with minerals, are my go-to for cardiovascular disease, along with Skin Boost to protect the arteries and Omega Boost for cell structure, elasticity, and anti-inflammatory benefits. 

Supporting a wholefoods diet, with plenty of colourful fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, lean protein and fish isn’t always possible to jump to, so moving away from the less healthy food and including supplements, in my experience gets people to a healthier place than without. 

Audio coming soon!