3 Supplement Facts

3 Facts About Supplements You May Not Know

Joe Cannon, MS,
www.Joe-Cannon.com

If you watch TV, listen to the radio or surf the web, the odds are very good you’ve seen, heard or read ads touting the benefits of dietary supplements. Many of these advertisements say things that, as a supplement researcher, I just don’t agree with or feel should be explored further than a sound bite. Let’s talk about a few of those things here.

Fact #1. Natural vitamins are not better than synthetic vitamins. For some, this is the hardest pill of all to swallow. There are many gurus who would like people to believe that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic vitamins however the fact is that they are not. There are several reasons for this.

1. The chemical structure of synthetic vitamins is no different from that of natural vitamins. As such, the body can't tell the difference between them.

2. Sometimes there may be differences in absorption between synthetic vitamins and their natural counterparts but the differences do not always favor natural nutrients. For example, take the B vitamin, folic acid. Folic acid is actually the synthetic version of folate. The multivitamin that you used today probably contained folic acid because it is better absorbed that folate. Go check the label of your multivitamin right now and see for yourself.

3. Lastly, it is important to remember that the word “natural” has no legal definition in the US. Unlike words such as “organic” or “light” or “reduced fat”, the FDA has not imposed any official definition for the word “natural”. So, this word can be used just about anywhere! I've even seen loafs of bread being touted as “natural”. When was the last time you saw “synthetic bread”? I am always skeptical when I see the word “natural” on a label.

For those who want to use natural vitamins this is fine. Just make sure people deal with reputable companies because studies sometimes find natural vitamin products that contain synthetic vitamins.


Fact #2. Zinc supplements may do more harm than good. Most people don’t have a problem getting zinc into their diet. That being said, some men may use high potency zinc supplements in the hopes of strengthening their immune system, boosting testosterone levels and even heightening sexual potency. However research shows that high levels of zinc used long term may reduce levels of HDL – “good cholesterol”. This might accelerate the rate of heart disease! While it is true that diets low in zinc lead to lower testosterone levels and reductions in some aspects of male fertility, zinc is relatively easy to get in the diet, being found in meat, multivitamins and other supplements men might be taking. Thus, you may not be deficient. When taken at the onset of a cold, lozenges that contain zinc gluconate might modestly reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms by a day or two. The evidence is strongest for zinc lozenges with several studies published being in medical journals. However, I'm not a big fan of putting zinc up your nose in the form of a spray. Some evidence suggests that zinc-laced nasal sprays might interfere with the sense of smell which potentially may be permanent.


Fact #3. Working faster does not mean it works better. Common marketing practice is to make the claim that a supplement works faster or gets into the body faster. This they say means it works better. My question, whenever I encounter this claim is to ask if it can be proven that working faster also means that the product is more effective? Working faster may mean something is superior but that fact has to be proven before I take it as gospel. The only way to prove this is to go in the lab and test it and get the results published in a medical or scientific journal.

For more see SupplementClarity.com