Essential Nutrients: Food or Supplements?

[Guest guest]

Vol. 294 No. 3, July 20, 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Essential Nutrients: Food or Supplements?

Where Should the Emphasis Be?

Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc; M. , MD

JAMA. 2005;294:351-358.

The consumption of adequate levels and proper balance of essential

nutrients is critical for maintaining health. The identification,

isolation, and purification of nutrients in the early 20th century

raised the possibility that optimal health outcomes could be realized

through nutrient supplementation. Recent attempts using this approach

for cardiovascular disease and lung cancer have been disappointing, as

demonstrated with vitamin E and beta carotene. Moreover, previously

unrecognized risks caused by nutrient toxicity and nutrient interactions

have surfaced during intervention studies. The most promising data in

the area of nutrition and positive health outcomes relate to dietary

patterns, not nutrient supplements. These data suggest that other

factors in food or the relative presence of some foods and the absence

of other foods are more important than the level of individual nutrients

consumed. Finally, unknown are the implications on public health

behavior of shifting the emphasis away from food toward nutrient

supplements. Notwithstanding the justification for targeting

recommendations for nutrient supplements to certain segments of the

population (eg, the elderly), there are insufficient data to justify an

alteration in public health policy from one that emphasizes food and

diet to one that emphasizes nutrient supplements.

Author Affiliations: Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on

Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Mass.

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

" Emphasis " is probably an important word in that piece.

As regards the use of supplements .............. I think we can

probably all also agree that, if one checks for a full month the

nutrient content of what one eats, and determines that on a

calorically restricted diet one is not getting the full RDA amounts

of a couple of nutrients, then it is better to supplement those

nutrients up to the RDA than it is to ignore the deficiencies.

Certainly better still, resolve those deficiencies by adjusting food

intake if possible.

Rodney.

--- In , " Jeff Novick " <jnovick@p...>

wrote:

>

> Vol. 294 No. 3, July 20, 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS

> Essential Nutrients: Food or Supplements?

>

> Where Should the Emphasis Be?

>

> Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc; M. , MD

>

>

> JAMA. 2005;294:351-358.

>

> The consumption of adequate levels and proper balance of essential

> nutrients is critical for maintaining health. The identification,

> isolation, and purification of nutrients in the early 20th century

> raised the possibility that optimal health outcomes could be

realized

> through nutrient supplementation. Recent attempts using this

approach

> for cardiovascular disease and lung cancer have been disappointing,

as

> demonstrated with vitamin E and beta carotene. Moreover, previously

> unrecognized risks caused by nutrient toxicity and nutrient

interactions

> have surfaced during intervention studies. The most promising data

in

> the area of nutrition and positive health outcomes relate to dietary

> patterns, not nutrient supplements. These data suggest that other

> factors in food or the relative presence of some foods and the

absence

> of other foods are more important than the level of individual

nutrients

> consumed. Finally, unknown are the implications on public health

> behavior of shifting the emphasis away from food toward nutrient

> supplements. Notwithstanding the justification for targeting

> recommendations for nutrient supplements to certain segments of the

> population (eg, the elderly), there are insufficient data to

justify an

> alteration in public health policy from one that emphasizes food and

> diet to one that emphasizes nutrient supplements.

>

>

> Author Affiliations: Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research

Center on

> Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Mass.

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

" Emphasis " is probably an important word in that piece.

As regards the use of supplements .............. I think we can

probably all also agree that, if one checks for a full month the

nutrient content of what one eats, and determines that on a

calorically restricted diet one is not getting the full RDA amounts

of a couple of nutrients, then it is better to supplement those

nutrients up to the RDA than it is to ignore the deficiencies.

Certainly better still, resolve those deficiencies by adjusting food

intake if possible.

Rodney.

--- In , " Jeff Novick " <jnovick@p...>

wrote:

>

> Vol. 294 No. 3, July 20, 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS

> Essential Nutrients: Food or Supplements?

>

> Where Should the Emphasis Be?

>

> Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc; M. , MD

>

>

> JAMA. 2005;294:351-358.

>

> The consumption of adequate levels and proper balance of essential

> nutrients is critical for maintaining health. The identification,

> isolation, and purification of nutrients in the early 20th century

> raised the possibility that optimal health outcomes could be

realized

> through nutrient supplementation. Recent attempts using this

approach

> for cardiovascular disease and lung cancer have been disappointing,

as

> demonstrated with vitamin E and beta carotene. Moreover, previously

> unrecognized risks caused by nutrient toxicity and nutrient

interactions

> have surfaced during intervention studies. The most promising data

in

> the area of nutrition and positive health outcomes relate to dietary

> patterns, not nutrient supplements. These data suggest that other

> factors in food or the relative presence of some foods and the

absence

> of other foods are more important than the level of individual

nutrients

> consumed. Finally, unknown are the implications on public health

> behavior of shifting the emphasis away from food toward nutrient

> supplements. Notwithstanding the justification for targeting

> recommendations for nutrient supplements to certain segments of the

> population (eg, the elderly), there are insufficient data to

justify an

> alteration in public health policy from one that emphasizes food and

> diet to one that emphasizes nutrient supplements.

>

>

> Author Affiliations: Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research

Center on

> Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Mass.