For the general public, keeping healthy means popping pills, not eating right. Rather than maintaining a healthy diet and staying fit, most people want to know which supplements and vitamins to take.
The numbers tell a similar story - 50 percent of adults take a vitamin or mineral supplement everyday, while only 24 percent eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
The general public has added a new food group - dietary supplements - to "a well-balanced diet." The fact is, Americans much prefer popping pills to peeling bananas. But there is sound reasoning why experts have not created a supplement food group and why no such category exists in the Food Guide Pyramid.
"Dietary supplements are just what they say they are... they are supplements to, not substitutes for, a healthy diet," said Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, associate director of the USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
A principle concern is the safety of supplements, which is determined by the manufacturers, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no power under current regulations to control what goes on store shelves.
Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), dietary supplement manufacturers can market an unlimited number of health products equipped with optimistic labels that promise consumers better health, without ever to proving scientifically their effectiveness.
Since DSHEA, countless products have hit the market and will remain in pharmacies and supermarkets until the FDA garners sufficient evidence to prove the product unsafe. In other words, they are innocent until proven guilty, safe until proven harmful. Unfortunately, with limited staff and resources at the FDA, careful oversight rarely occurs, and products that may be dangerous remain in stores indefinitely. While over-the-counter drugs are subject to stringent testing to prove their safety and efficacy, dietary supplements, often used in the same manner and for the same purposes, are not subject to any of these mandatory tests, according to DSHEA.
Although the FDA does not allow supplement labels to bear claims of preventing, curing, or mitigating disease, they are allowed to make so-called "structure/function" assertions without any government approval. There is fine line between a structure/function claim and a health claim, and the public often cannot discern the difference. For example, a structure/function claim may state that a supplement "helps maintain a healthy immune system," whereas a health claim would say, "strengthens your immune system." The difference lies in the words maintains versus strengthens, but most consumers don't pick up on such subtleties.
In February 2000, the FDA issued a new ruling stating that common conditions, such as aging and pregnancy, will be classified as normal life stages, not diseases, and as such are allowed to be included on labels of dietary supplements without prior approval. Furthermore, supplement labels are not required to show the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of each nutrient contained in the product. Additionally, the upper intake limit - the greatest amount of a particular nutrient that is considered safe to ingest each day - is also left off supplement labels. Some dietary supplements may contain three times the RDA of a particular vitamin or mineral, which could lead to toxicity in the body.
Because Americans are inclined to seek the quick fix - a super pill or food that will protect them from all of life's ills and/or extend their lives - supplements become a popular health threat. Theoretically, it would be great if a pill could do all of this. But in reality, the best way to fight cancer and ward off heart disease and other ailments is through healthy foods and an active lifestyle.
Even with today's science and technology, researchers cannot conclusively say that any individual vitamin or mineral can cure or treat a disease. What they can say; however, is that by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables and your level of physical activity, you can cut your risk of disease dramatically.
Food is the best source of vitamins, minerals, and other plant compounds to help you stay healthy and fight disease, nutrition experts say. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain a multitude of essential and non-essential nutrients - in the amounts that nature intended. The right foods are just about the closest thing we can get to the magic bullet for health.
It never hurts to take a multivitamin, but for optimal health our bodies need over 40 essential nutrients. Eating a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups ensures getting the necessary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as other substances called phytochemicals, which have disease-fighting abilities.
The option is yours. Either drop $20 on a bottle of expensive pills that probably won't stand up to its claims or stop by your local grocer and pay 50 cents for a piece of fruit that will live up to its health benefits.
Elizabeth Gilbert is a graduate student studying nutrition communication at Tufts' School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
