Recently, the media has pounced on a couple of published studies, which reported that dietary supplements can be bad for you. One study found that intake of vitamin E increased the risk of prostate cancer (1); another reported that post menopausal women who took certain vitamins and minerals had an increased risk of dying (2). It’s not surprising that many consumers have responded by tossing out their supplements. You may be feeling more wary about your supplement intake as well.

It’s unfortunate that previous studies, which showed supplements either had positive effects or had no negative effects, have been largely ignored by the press. Nonetheless, to make good decisions, it’s important to explore the details of the supplement studies in question. When we did just that, we found that the men in the prostate cancer study were taking a very high dose of synthetic vitamin E. Complete product and dosage information was not provided in the study of post-menopausal women, but doses of the most dangerous supplement, iron, were also very high—suggesting that these women were being treated for a health condition. It can thus be argued that the take-home message from these negative studies is something many of us already knew: high doses of supplements, particularly synthetic supplements, can be harmful.

Given the well-established fact that most people consume a nutrient-poor diet, it also seems unwise, based on a couple of negative studies, to “throw out the baby with the bath water.” In fact, highly regarded nutrition experts continue to endorse the judicious use of high-quality dietary supplements. (I also agree). Mannatech agrees, and has long been devoted to developing dietary supplements based on Real Food Technology^® solutions.

Cases in point: Mannatech’s PhytoMatrix^® caplets and Ambrotose AO^® capsules are both NSF-certified, Kosher-certified, gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. The PhytoMatrix product, which provides sensible amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, is the best vitamin/mineral supplement available today. Ambrotose AO is a clinically effective product containing a blend of food-based antioxidant nutrients in sensible quantities (unlike most antioxidant supplements, which pack in high-dose synthetic ingredients and have demonstrated no clinical benefits) (3).

To foster more informed nutrition and health choices, Mannatech and Texas Woman’s University have developed a unique online university-level course, which includes instruction on comprehensive nutrition, integrative health and dietary supplementation. The course, which will be available in early 2012, is unique in that it provides guidance for effectively coaching those interested in pursuing healthy behavioral changes.

Reference List

1.   Klein EA, Thompson IM, Jr., Tangen CM, et al. Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA 2011;306:1549–56.

2.   Mursu J, Robien K, Harnack LJ, Park K, Jacobs DR, Jr. Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women: The Iowa Women’s Health Study. Arch Intern Med 2011;171:1625–33.

3.   Bloomer RJ, Canale RE, Blankenship MM, Fisher-Wellman KH. Effect of Ambrotose AO on resting and exercise-induced antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress in healthy adults. Nutr J2010;9:1–17.