Enhance your vitamin IQ
Get supplement smart to help boost your health
By Cheryl Embrett
Like many time-crunched women, I often skip breakfast, even though as a health journalist I know better. Coffee, juice, a handful of vitamins, and I’m off and running.
I think of vitamins as nutritional insurance for when I let my healthy habits slide. Whenever I read a new study about a supplement that may help boost my brain cells or ward off colds, I consider adding it to my arsenal, “just in case.”
Healthy for big business
I’m not alone in my vitamin-popping habits. According to a 2001 survey commissioned by pharmaceutical company Roche Canada, 44 per cent of Canadians take supplements. Multivitamins were the No. 1 choice; they were followed by vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B complex and herbal/botanical preparations. “Vitamins are big business,” says Gerry Harrington of NDMAC, an organization that represents the manufacturers of self-care health products.
Last year, Canadians spent $500 million on vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, many of us — myself included — take vitamins for all the wrong reasons. Here’s what you need to know before cruising the supplement aisles.
Look to food first
“Vitamin supplements should never replace food as a source of nutrients,” says Toronto dietitian and cookbook author Lynn Roblin, who helped develop Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Research indicates that the vitamins found in food are far more effective at keeping you healthy and protecting against disease than the ones you buy in bottles.
“If you’re eating a balanced diet that includes something from all the food groups, you should be fine,” says Roblin.
For more information on how to get the vitamins and minerals you need through food, check out Health Canada’s web site or click on Let’s Make A Meal at Dietitians of Canada.
Know why you’re using a supplement
Work, busy family schedules and the lure of fast food can all get in the way of healthy eating. A recent national survey found that women in particular fall short of meeting recommended levels of essential nutrients, including folate, calcium, iron and zinc.
Men and women also need extra vitamins and/or minerals — which may be difficult to get from food alone — at different stages in their lives. “If you need to complement your diet, a good multivitamin is the best approach,” says Roblin. “You’re going to get a little more of what you need without overdoing it and putting yourself at risk of toxicity.”
To find out more about daily vitamin requirements throughout your life, check out the National Institute of Health’s comprehensive Dietary Supplements Fact Sheets or the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Fact Sheets at the Dietitians of Canada’s web site.
Don’t chase the latest headline
Many people in the dietary supplement industry make health claims that are backed by very little science. “One small study gets blown out of all proportion and people latch onto it,” says Janet Bradshaw, a pharmacist in Fort Qu’appelle, Sask. “You’ve got to know why you’re taking something and do the research.”
For up-to-date information on vitamins and other nutrition supplements and to keep abreast of new research, check out reliable sites such as Medline Plus and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Check the label
New natural health products (NHP) regulations, which are being phased in over the next few years in Canada, will ensure that labels on all supplements — including vitamins and minerals — accurately list the amount and strength of ingredients and that products are well-made, safe and effective, says Phil Waddington, director general of the Natural Health Products Directorate of Health Canada. Look for a drug identification number (DIN) or natural product number (NPN) on any supplement you purchase.
For more information on the new NHP guidelines and what they mean for consumers, visit Natural Health Products Directorate.
Use caution when mixing your medicines
Certain medications — such as laxatives, some antibiotics, aspirin and herbal supplements — can interact with some vitamins and minerals. Vitamin E, for example, isn’t recommended if you’re taking blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin.
Before taking anything other than a standard multivitamin or mineral supplement, check with your doctor or pharmacist. For more information on using supplements safely and effectively, check out Health Canada’s Safe Use of Natural Health Products fact sheet.
Get to know your DRIs
The dietary reference intakes (DRIs) are new nutrition recommendations that replace the RNIs used in Canada and the RDAs used in the United States. They are based on the amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we need — not only to prevent deficiencies, but also to lower the risk of chronic disease. For more information, visit Health Canada’s Consumer’s Guide to the DRIs.
