THE VITAMIN SCARE

THE SKY IS FALLING!
Chicken Little recently made the headlines again in the U.K.

A colleague named Rachel who lives in London sent me an e-mail last week with a link to a BBC article titled "Warning Over Vitamin Doses." Rachel added, "Many of the UK newspapers are carrying stories that vitamins are dangerous." For example the Sunday Times carried the headline “Health risk warning over high doses of vitamin pills”

Ah, but not only "dangerous" - according to a report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA - the UK's counterpart to the FDA), some vitamins may cause "irreversible harmful effects!" And the agency makes that completely unsupportable claim while expressing "fears" that some supplements can actually cause cancer.

Susan Clark who also writes for the Sunday Times (‘What’s the Alternative’ - Style magazine) is among others, not convinced. She mentions in a recent article “Everything we ingest has an effect on the body – which is why these supplements work – but even organic carrots can be harmful if eaten to excess.”

This new 360 page FSA report which was compiled by the Expert Group of Vitamins & Minerals (EMV) (which is composed of 11 members from the medical and scientific community – many with links to pharmaceutical companies, one layperson, and four observers) and report on the upper safety limits of 34 everyday supplements, failed to emphasise is that people take these supplements for two entirely different reasons: either to stay healthy and prevent illness, or – and this is more controversial since it involves taking higher therapeutic doses, which often exceed the recommended daily dose – to alleviate the symptoms and recover from an illness.

So what's the FSA's or the EMV’s REAL problem with supplements? And are any of these claims based in the least bit on reality?

GENERATING FEAR
To help sort out the facts from the preposterous myths that the FSA is attempting to press on the public's mind, HSI Panellist Allan Spreen, M.D., was asked to take a look at the BBC article. You might say he was also unconvinced that the sky is falling.

"I think I'm gonna be sick. Unfortunately, that's guaranteed if the public actually listens to the nutrient propaganda inundating us on both sides of the Great Pond.

"The problem is not nutritional...it's political. There's real money in pharmaceutical agents, and if you're nailing your physical complaints using low-profit-margin supplements you're not playing the drug company game.

"Don't get me wrong - it is possible to take too much of anything (you can truly kill yourself by overdosing on water or anything else), but what's happening in these tirades, is the generation of a fear campaign to keep people away from supplements altogether, as efforts are put forth to integrate the U.S. into international dietary supplement controls."

THICKETS OF MISINFORMATION
Getting into some of the specifics of the article, Dr. Spreen had this to say about the claim that some minerals, like zinc and beta-carotene, may cause ‘irreversible’ harmful effects: "‘Irreversible' is a pretty strong claim. Not only is it VERY difficult to prove, but there have been no research studies concerning the issue of permanent damage." And while there have been problems with vitamin A at high doses, beta-carotene is far safer, and when combined with a low dosage of zinc can be effective in helping prevent age-related macular degeneration.

The report also states that zinc can damage the immune system. But Dr. Spreen counters with this: "Zinc has been used for decades to help stimulate the immune system! Even conventional reports support this, so I don't know how much of the mineral you'd have to take to do any damage. If it's true (which I question), it may just reinforce the concept of getting too much of a good thing."

Susan Clark also mentions zinc, saying it is involved in more than 200 different processes in the body and is important for supporting the immune system, healthy reproduction and glowing skin. The therapeutic daily dose is 30mg. But despite reviewing trials that concluded that dosages of up to 50mg a day did not pose a risk, the EMV states that the upper limit should now be 25mg a day. (Pharmacists can sell products containing dosages of up to 150md of Zinc)

The FSA report warned that high doses of vitamin C, iron, and calcium "can harm health," but that damage over the long-term might be avoided if people "stop taking them." (And there's the FSA's underlying message right there: "Stop taking them.") Dr. Spreen's response: "How do you defend against such useless generalities like 'can harm health?'

Just what does 'can harm health' mean? Does the supplement cause gas or make your arm fall off? What dose is involved, specifically, and for what population? And who has done new trials with humans which show that a statistically significant proportion of consumers taking more than 80mg of vitamin B6 a day for example, have been trotting of to their doctors complaining of a loss of sensation in their arms or legs? The answer: nobody. The Expert Group relied on existing research, much of it based on animal studies. To make such nebulous statements is the sorriest of bad journalism. Funny, such statements aren't made about pharmaceutical agents where side effects are so much greater."

The FSA concluded their report saying that safety is not an issue with most vitamins and minerals if they're taken in doses within the recommended limits. "I can tell you," says Dr. Spreen, "just how low and useless those limits will be, if the past is any record."

REVERSING THE IRREVERSIBLE
To be fair, Dr. Spreen did find some valid points in the FSA report. He agreed, for instance, that the RDA for iron is too high: "Free radical formation from free iron is just too much of a threat for this to be included in multi-vitamin/mineral preparations."

And although he takes 3000 mg of vitamin C daily and recommends that level of intake for the average person, he acknowledges that the FSA is correct in stating that high doses of vitamin C can cause stomach pains and diarrhoea. But that's exactly how a person can tell when they've reached the upper limit of dosage that's right for them. Diarrhoea? Cut the dosage back. When the diarrhoea stops, you've found the dosage that's right for you.

But unless someone seriously overdoes the dosage, this vitamin C side effect could hardly be characterized as "dangerous," and certainly not "irreversible." And yet that's the unbalanced message that the FSA is sending out, strengthened by media reports that shout out the headline or sound bite: "Vitamins will hurt you!" That must please the drug company CEOs to no end.

DON’T NEED A NANNY
The FSA argument hinges on this basic idea, put forth by Sir John Krebs, chair of the FSA, who said, "In most cases you can get all the nutrients you need from a balanced diet." And in theory, that's a wonderful idea. But as Dr. Spreen points out, "I have never had anyone define for me what a 'balanced diet' really is. Optimal health from today's modern diet is no longer possible, in my opinion." Susan Clark also says “meals cannot provide a therapeutic dosage of nutrients to overcome an existing illness.”

If you want a real-world view of nutrition and vitamin supplements I suggest you pick up a copy of Dr. Spreen's book "Nutritionally Incorrect: Why the Modern Diet is Dangerous & How to Defend Yourself." It's an excellent book that Dr. Spreen describes as a "beginner's guide" - just the sort of required reading I would recommend for Sir John Krebs.

I'll leave you with one final thought, from Ralph Pike, a spokesman for the UK National Association of Health Stores, who told the Times newspaper that the FSA authorities obviously don't want people to take control of their own health. He characterized their report as "meddling" from "the nanny state." Exactly so. We're adults. We don't need a nanny pinching out a tiny, pointless dosage that she and her "experts" have determined is the right amount. We're fully capable of educating ourselves and making our own decisions, thank you.

From Articles Written by Jenny Thompson, Health Sciences Institute e-Alert, May 13, 2003 and Susan Clark, Sunday Times Style Magazine.