Why supplements including anti-oxidants should be taken seriously.

Why supplements including anti-oxidants should be taken seriously.  Originally published in WODMASTERS.    Click for complete article.

• Products that are classified as drugs/medicine are required to meet standards of quality and consistency in manufacturing and of safety.    Studies are done in vitro, on animals, and finally on humans.  Drug interactions are checked.  Information is gathered on how the drug is metabolized. Drugs are sometimes metabolized into something deadly before being rapidly metabolized into something safe.  Tylenol is an example.  Not a problem unless something, like alcohol, blocks a metabolic step and traps Tylenol in its deadly form.  This is why people sometimes die when they drink alcohol and then take Tylenol.  This should be common knowledge, but it isn’t, yet.
• Another important thing to know about a drug or supplement is its “Effective Dose.”  How much is needed to give a desired effect?  How much selenium is needed for health?  How much is too much?   How much is “optimal”?  These are unanswered questions for many nutritional supplements.  What happens if you take too much?  Frequently the answer to that question is unknown as well.
• Anti-Oxidants should not be assumed to be safe.   Recent research has indicated that anti-oxidants, like oxidants, can harm DNA.  DNA damage can lead to cancer, the very thing anti-oxidants in nutritional supplements are supposed to prevent.
• The last point to raise for this article is a manufacturing issue.  Like most people, I used to assume that vitamins and supplements contained what was written on the package.   But this is not always the case.  An example is the recent report of human growth factors added to deer antler velvet supplements.  It is hard to believe human growth factors were accidentally added to deer antler velvet supplements.   You’d have to hear the manufacturer out on that one.  However, problems like poor mixing and poor calculations can and do happen.  Our research group found that out the hard way when we tried to use a well-known brand of vitamins for a human health study.

So, how much of what is in a multi-vitamin?   How much of what is in Deer Antler Velvet, DHEA supplements, or “high performance packets?”  Deer antler velvet, especially if it is secretly spiked with human growth hormone may quite unsafe.  Secret additions to supplements may or may not be added carefully or consistently.  There is no way to know unless you are the one doing the spiking . . . or if you have the technical expertise and expensive equipment needed to test it yourself.

New Video on The Economic Costs of Obesity

The producers (?) of this video asked if we would post it on our blog.  The organization is called Academic Earth.  The video discusses obesity and brings up some interesting statistics on agricultural subsidies.  Apparently, fresh fruit and vegetables don't get much in the way of subsidies.  This may make them more expensive for consumers.  The final result is that calories from junk food are cheaper than calories from healthy food.    They also bring up some disturbing numbers about changes in caloric intake since the 1970s.

If this is true (and it probably is) why has it happened?  Changes in family structure and habits?  Environmental chemicals that interfere with metabolism or satiety?  Lack of exercise?  The development of eating as a recreational activity?  Eating out more?  Being too busy to cook or not knowing how to cook?  Its an interesting and sometimes frightening topic.  Here is the video.  What do you think?

Created by AcademicEarth.org

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New Book: The Rise of the U.S. Environmental Health Movement by Dr. Kate Davies

Author Dr. Kate Davies

A new book on the history of the US Environmental Health Movement has just been published.  The Title is: The Rise of the US Environmental Health Movement.  The book is described as the first of its kind and will offer a thorough examination of the environmental health movement.  Environmental health in this context refers to the impact of the environment on human health.  Many people are concerned about synthetic chemicals in air, food and water. A good understanding of how chemicals impact (or do not impact) health is important.  It is also important to understand history.  Unfortunately, there is a lot if misleading or inaccurate information out there. Disinformation fuels conspiracy theories and a generally poor approach to problem solving.  Dr. Davies' writing is clear, rational and refreshing.  The book is highly recommended. 

Dr. Davies' book describes how people first became aware of environmental health problems.  And how they organized to effect change.  There are some very interesting stories there and some very interesting struggles.

In some ways things are vastly different today than they were just a few decades ago.  Companies are much more cautious about introducing new chemicals into the environment.  Testing for potential problems is much easier today.  This helps companies avoid producing or using chemicals that come back to bite them in the ass.  Advances in chemistry have also made it much easier for companies to develop less toxic alternatives.  The history of the US environmental health movement also examines how chemical companies and other responsible parties attempted to undermine what were usually poorly funded and poorly organized grass-roots activists.   The fights go on.  Both sides have become more sophisticated in their political and public relations battles.  A better understanding of history and science among all parties should help take us away from battles and towards rational approaches to the resolution of problems that effect us all.