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Are
Nutritional Supplements Necessary?
Although
more and more people are supplementing their diet
with a daily balanced supplement, many do it for insurance
if for no other reason. Others remain skeptical and
contend that proper diet alone will supply all of
their needs.
Under
ideal conditions, I would have to agree that supplements
should not be necessary. However, the fact is that
our diets have undergone dramatic changes over the
past several decades. In fact, seven out of every
ten deaths in the United States are now directly related
to diet and lifestyle. Excessive fat, sugar, and salt
are linked to our biggest killers-heart disease, cancer,
and stroke.
In
a paper presented by Senator George McGovern, his
committee concluded, "There is provocative and
compelling evidence that the most protective level
of nutrients may be achieved through supplementation."
Multiple studies point to the benefits of supplements.
In
many cases, formal longitudinal, double blind, placebo-controlled
studies are simply not possible since they cost millions
of dollars and drug companies do not patent the supplements.
However, much evidence points us in this same direction:
Supplements benefit us.
Even
if we could achieve the ideal diet and nutrition intake
(which is extremely difficult these days), we would
still face the challenge of an environment that is
much different than several decades ago. Pollution,
herbicides, pesticides, and other environmental contaminants
place tremendous additional stress on our immune systems
and other body systems. Supplementing our diet offers
much protection from these new pollution challenges.
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