I attended a short webinar yesterday, “Are Vitamins and Supplements Worth the Cost” – hosted by HealthDay News, with guest Thunder Jalili, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah.
First of all – how do you turn down an opportunity for a sit-in with Dr. Thunder?
You don’t.
Here are a few bullet points I captured that you might want to consider when thinking about supplementing your nutrition:
- While the vitamin and supplement business is a billion dollar market, it is not regulated by the FDA, meaning there is no requirement to prove efficacy
- Most of the data used to support claims are not from human studies
- He strongly suggests trying to get your vitamin and mineral requirements from the food you eat, rather than via supplements. Many of the vitamins and minerals delivered through pills are not absorbed by the body
- He even recommended avoiding vitamins A and E, as they might actually do more harm than good
- What, if anything, did he recommend? He did recommend three supplements:
- Vitamin D
- Fish oil
- Creatine
These are just the thoughts of one expert, Dr. Jalili – so reach out to other sources including your doctor, or a certified nutritionist to make the most informed decision that is right for you.
