So I was on Facebook this morning and a friend of mine posted a story about a report that shows that antioxidant supplements aren’t as protective as we think. This surprising report claims that supplements may actually increase your chance of cancer. I’ve seen this story all over the internet for about a month now. The post got a plethora of likes and a few snide remarks about the wasteful spending habits of health nuts. Go back a few weeks and there were tons of Facebook posts linking to a story about the pointless nature of gluten-free diets. This got me thinking (which is always dangerous); what weight should we be giving to these frequent shocker health based headlines?
First here is my opinion about antioxidant supplements. A healthy diet should be the framework for any healthy lifestyle. Given that we are exposed to high levels of toxins, from our carpets, to the dyes on our clothes, to our bedroom mattresses to the air we breathe, many of us might need a little extra. Antioxidants can’t fix an unhealthy lifestyle, but I use them to support a healthy one.
Now back to this study. While I wasn’t able to read the report about antioxidants directly, I gathered some information from an article about the report. The study was a perspective study, meaning it looked at lots of research about antioxidants over a period of years from which the writers drew overwhelming conclusions about antioxidant use. The finding was that antioxidant supplements are not as protective as we think and may actually make things worse for certain people. This is surprising information for many of us who buy pills because we’ve heard they would be good for us without really understanding what we are doing to our bodies.
Before you abandon a supplement regimen though, there are questions that need to be asked. The first thing I ponder is what types of antioxidants were the studies using? Since this report looks at a plethora of studies, the answer is most probably different for each one. A thing to keep in mind is that vitamin quality can vary deeply. Many of the vitamins we see on the shelves are filled with unnatural binders and fillers. A lot of them are made of completely synthetic ingredients. These pills aren’t natural substances so it seems logical that our bodies won’t react to them in the way that they do to vitamins coming from whole foods. On the other hand, there are vitamins that are made from 100% whole foods and found in nature substances. The body should react much differently to these types of supplements since consuming them is similar to consuming whole foods.
So what types of vitamins were used in these studies? While I don’t know the answer to that, I do know that the answer makes a big difference in how we look at antioxidant supplements over the long term.
These are the types of questions we need to ask when looking at the latest health based headline shocker. For instance, there was a newsworthy study in the last year that found breast cancer mortality rates were the same for woman who got mammograms as for those who didn’t. The conclusion was that mammograms don’t save lives in the way we think. I spoke with a very well respected breast cancer surgeon who felt that study was flawed in many ways. Primarily, the study used outdated mammography technology, skewing the results. Current methods of mammography, especially digital mammography, catch cancers at a much earlier stage than the old technology. Now the decision of when to start getting mammograms, as well as how often to get them is a personal decision based on many factors. Yes, our feelings of mammography as pertaining to this study may change when the details of the study appear.
Here are some questions to ponder when reading the next health shocker headline. Who funded the study? Did they have something to gain by any one result? How large was the study? For instance, a well known study about gluten came out recently that only used 36 subjects. Doesn’t it make sense that a larger study might hold more weight? How was the study handled and were there any factors that may skew the results?
Another thing to keep in mind is that there are tons and tons of respected studies that don’t make headlines. I went to pubmed.com (which is a great site to search respectable, peer reviewed studies), put antioxidants and cancer in the search field and got over 2,000 results. Most of these studies didn’t make headlines despite being highly regarded studies.
So I encourage you not to throw out your heath regimen every time a story makes headlines. The stories that make headlines aren’t the only stories out there. They make headlines because the press finds the results dramatic and inspiring conversation. So we should take everything with a grain of salt (yes, that even includes all the headlines about salt!) I encourage you to get a better understanding of the headline and work with those supporting your health to see if your health regimen needs to be altered. That way some news reporter writing for Yahoo won’t be dictating your health. You will be!
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So true Erica. Over the years I have had the need to investigate an ailment or two and a food group that might help me in recovery. Online you can find surveys and test results that will make you question everything. You can come away thinking that you will live forever or die tomorrow depending on how much cheese, or salt, or dairy, or vitamin C, or….you get the picture. As you say, everything in moderation including test results.
Yes! Test results can give you some helpful information. I’m with you in not wanting to feel like I’m going to die every time a new report comes out!
Erica I think I have almost become immune to these shocker headlines… they are so frequent and so conflicting. I’ve had to research a few things for myself to deal with specific health issues…it took forever and I had to weight the data carefully…sort of get a consensus. In the end, it was good old fashioned experimenting that netted me some positive results. The supplements that I choose to take are mostly in liquid form..that can alleviate the whole binder thing. Great article!
I know! They are so conflicting aren’t they. Your brain would be rattled if you tried to take every story so seriously. Glad to hear you got some good results from experimenting. We are all unique anyway so it is crazy that there is this concept that there is this one answer for everyone.
I agree with you Erica. Taking just supplements without eating properly is not the way to go. I do take Chinese herbs from the recommendation of my acupuncturist. At least they are natural. If you read and believe everything you hear, it will drive you nuts.
Hi Arleen. Glad to hear your acupuncturist has helped you find something that works for you! That is the most important thing.
They are always changing thier minds, if something is good or bad for you. I remember once they came out with a report saying vitimins did not do that much for you, except, the majority of doctors take vitimins and supplements.
Hi William. Yes, it depends on who is funding the study and how the study is being conducted, etc. It is also easy to create a study that will manipulate results if you really want to. For some, there is financial gain involved.
You said is true. Each time a new study comes and people follow it with supplements. Why to bother, if the next one is to suggest the previous one is harmful?
When every one was talking about Omega 3, I was looking for foods that contain Omega 3. Same for antioxidants. If you are not taking any particular food, then look for items that contain the nutrients so that you are not missing anything.
Great post, Erica.
Thank you Bindu! Yes, you will go absolutely nuts trying to keep up with the headlines. I think it is important to eat whole foods and make sure you are getting adequate protein/carbs/fat, etc, but modifying your diet with every trend is crazy and exhausting!
So we shouldn’t believe everything we read? Just kidding. You are right. It is silly to change our minds about what we are doing every time a new opinion is released.
Hi Beth! I totally agree. I think we just get so nervous hearing such and such might be damaging to our health that many feel compelled to just follow along.
Hi Erica – you hit the nail on the head by ‘who funded the study’. There have been so many of these studies – coffee is bad for you vs one or two cups of coffee a day may be good for you; eggs are bed for you vs eggs are good for you, etc, etc. The list goes on. I think the healthy lifestyle is of course number one – after that, we may need some help. If we listen to our bodies, it probably tells us the help we need. Interesting post.
Lenie
You have made some really good points. We should take all these studies with a pinch of salt. Our grandparents didn’t have to worry about these conflicting opinions and often followed their instinct.
There is definitely something to be said for instinct Mina. Good point! My opinion is that we are all individuals and the same rules certainly don’t apply for each individual body.
It is so easy to chuck it all for the latest and greatest. The fact is the latest and greatest my no t be that goo d for you, at best a waste of time at worst harmful. We can find study after study that say conflicting things so it’s not always easy to know what is best. Knowing who funded that study and why can help. Many times if we just listen to our inner voice we really do know what we need to do. 🙂
Hi Susan! Yes, like I agree. It makes me so upset when people look at a headline and take it as gospel. It is best to look at both sides and make an informed decision before changing things up. At least that is how I see it!
I agree with your comment, Erica: “it depends on who is funding the study and how the study is being conducted, etc. It is also easy to create a study that will manipulate results if you really want to. For some, there is financial gain involved. [Understatement!]”
Reading your article brings to mind the classic I read years ago by T. Colin Campbell, “The China Study.” In it he exposes what is, essentially, the corruption of national food and drug administrative bodies wherein vested corporate interests rule, often in a surreptitious way.
Yes, it is important for us to be conscious of what we consume and to not readily buy into whatever “the latest” is. I think it’s also important to become sensitized to what our bodies tell us about different foods/beverages we take in. Common sense is necessary and whole foods are wise.
Thanks for your views.
Hi Ramona. Yes, you really want to make sure companies aren’t looking for financial gain. It does make me a little nutty that our food board is controlled by big business. For instance, dairy is not the only way to get calcium and is something that causes a lot of people problems. Yet the dairy board lobbies to be prominent on the food pyramid which is treated as gospel in the school system. You are so right when you say that you have to use common sense.
Hi Erica; I couldn’t agree with you more. You have to be careful when believing in any of these health studies. First, with decreases in government funding for laboratory research a lot of the studies are being done by labs funded by drug companies or by the owners of products being studied. Basically the people writing the checks have a vested interest in the outcome. You have to pay attention to sale size, time length, and other study factors. As for antioxidants I don’t think taking a multi vitamin does harm to most people. I also believe that these antioxidants we are trying to get are much better for us if we get them in their natural form. I mean most all of them are derived from something we eat or something we used to eat when our diets were better. As someone recently diagnosed with a type of cancer I am now paying more attention to this research. My condition isn’t life threatening so please don’t worry. Thanks for sharing, Max