Week 11 Blog Post - Health risk warning on vitamins

By: Kate Hagan, published on the Sydney Morning Herald Website (Diet and Fitness) on the 12^th October 2011.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/health-risk-warning-on-vitamins-20111011-1lj3u.html

The article, Health risk warning on vitamins indicates that commonly used dietary supplements may increase the risk of death.  Vitamins including iron, folic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc were among the vitamins causing higher mortality risk among women in the US.  Although stating that it was possible that the increased mortality rate could have been caused by underlying illnesses, the article failed to highlight a variety of reasons why the study may suggest vitamin intake and correlated health risk.  For example there is a know effort  by international pharmacutical companies to discredit people from taking supplements and other alternative type medications in order to further benefit and obtain profit for thmeselves.  There is speculation which suggests studies like these are a ploy to keep big drug companies profiting whilst growing the sickness industry.  Further research suggests that in a world where our food supply is becoming increasingly toxic and less nutrient rich, our body not only requires a diet rich in healthy foods but also supplements to make up for the lack of nutrients which we once obtained from the soil and foods we ate. 

The article quotes Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton who highlights that people need to know what they are doing before taking supplements, and that supplements should only be taken for a reason.  In this case, if the women in the study were only taking supplements for needed reason, there should be no cause for any risk or counter reaction and certainly no risk of mortality.  The article finished with Professor Mark Wahlqvist, founding director of the Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre at the Monash University suggesting that the safest way to achieve the best nutrient intake is from maintaining a diverse diet.  I thought this was a weak ending, especially using the word ‘diverse’.  Perhaps he could have strengthened his argument by suggesting a healthy, balanced diet and included some important foods to have in our everyday diets.  I enjoyed reading this article because there are a lot of issues that are worthy of discussion, which are not noticed at first glance.