2008 Woodie Awards
How supplemental are your supplements?
Anisha Jacobs
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Pulse
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Media Credit: Janet MoulisMany students use supplements, such as energy drinks, to reenergize them before or after a work out.
The advertisements are seen everywhere: "Natural supplements melt pounds away without diet or exercise," "Astonishing new discovery enhances athletic performance!" They usually claim that a new dietary supplement will make a person thinner, stronger or smarter.
The supplement industry is a $20-billion-industry in the United States; according to the most recent figures from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are 29,000 products with dietary supplements, a dramatic increase from 25,000 in 1993. Companies make and sell an assortment of supplements that contain everything from vitamins, minerals and herbs to fibers and hormones. With such a confusing plethora of choices, consumers often make the wrong choices.
On campus, both the Wellness Center and the Clinical Nutrition department provide information on the value of balanced nutrition as opposed to popping pills to replace a healthy diet.
"I'm glad that the University is trying to get more information out about nutrition - there are so many options, it can all get confusing," said fourth-year Brian Zapata.
Supplements are not a replacement for a nutritional diet, but a complement to it. If a person does not consume a mixture of foods, as recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans, some supplements may help ensure that he or she gets the essential nutrients. However, dietary supplements are not intended to treat, prevent or cure diseases. Consumers, therefore, should be wary of any product that claims as much. Dietary supplements also are not always safe; they may have unwanted toxic effects.
"For college students who generally have a diet that may be limited by money, and may lack sufficient variety to provide all the micronutrients in the amount needed, a good generic multi-vitamin/mineral supplement (One-A-Day type) may be a good idea. They are safe, they are inexpensive, and they provide 'insurance' on a daily basis for a somewhat unbalanced diet," said Dr. Robert Reynolds, Ph.D. and associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition. Dr. Reynolds suggests that a good choice in a supplement is usually one that is 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of most of the vitamins and some of the minerals.
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The supplement industry is a $20-billion-industry in the United States; according to the most recent figures from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are 29,000 products with dietary supplements, a dramatic increase from 25,000 in 1993. Companies make and sell an assortment of supplements that contain everything from vitamins, minerals and herbs to fibers and hormones. With such a confusing plethora of choices, consumers often make the wrong choices.
On campus, both the Wellness Center and the Clinical Nutrition department provide information on the value of balanced nutrition as opposed to popping pills to replace a healthy diet.
"I'm glad that the University is trying to get more information out about nutrition - there are so many options, it can all get confusing," said fourth-year Brian Zapata.
Supplements are not a replacement for a nutritional diet, but a complement to it. If a person does not consume a mixture of foods, as recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans, some supplements may help ensure that he or she gets the essential nutrients. However, dietary supplements are not intended to treat, prevent or cure diseases. Consumers, therefore, should be wary of any product that claims as much. Dietary supplements also are not always safe; they may have unwanted toxic effects.
"For college students who generally have a diet that may be limited by money, and may lack sufficient variety to provide all the micronutrients in the amount needed, a good generic multi-vitamin/mineral supplement (One-A-Day type) may be a good idea. They are safe, they are inexpensive, and they provide 'insurance' on a daily basis for a somewhat unbalanced diet," said Dr. Robert Reynolds, Ph.D. and associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition. Dr. Reynolds suggests that a good choice in a supplement is usually one that is 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of most of the vitamins and some of the minerals.
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