Nutritional Supplements - Good or Bad?

“There is nothing either good or bad,
but thinking makes it so”.
William Shakespeare, "Hamlet"

The Journal of the American Medical Association recommended that every adult take daily multivitamins for good health. Many doctors disagree, saying that all you need is a balanced diet. Multivitamins are one type of nutritional supplements, so are they all good or bad?

Some advocates of nutritional supplements make claims for ultra-high doses, and some make ridiculous claims for such things as weight-loss pills. I believe that nutritional supplements are good when used sensibly and bad when abused.

Beta-carotene is the substance that gives carrots their orange colour, and nutritional supplements of this are shown to be good for increasing the efficiency of immune killer-cells and for slowing both age-related brain and macular (eye) degeneration. The UK's Food Standards Agency said that high levels of nutritional supplements like beta-carotene and zinc over a long period are bad as they may have irreversible harmful effects as they increase the risk of bowel cancer for smokers and drinkers.

Fluoride is added to toothpaste because it helps to prevent tooth decay. Some countries add fluoride to water for the same good reason. Fluoride nutritional supplements have been sold in Belgium without a doctor's prescription but are now being banned. Tests show that over-use of fluoride increases the risk of osteoporosis and damage to the nervous system. Clearly, a little fluoride is good but too much nutritional fluoride supplement is bad for you.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in a gland in the brain, and helps maintain the natural cycle of sleep and wake. Poor sleepers and travellers take nutritional supplements of melatonin to regulate sleep and avoid jetlag. Another good indicator is that it is being tested as a treatment for certain cancers. A bad indicator is that researchers from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, US, found that the hormone caused a drop in night-time lung function in asthmatics.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a popular nutritional supplement as they have been shown to be good for the development of the brain in children, and for blood and joint health. They can help with varicose veins and blood pressure. They have been called Essential Fatty Acids because they are needed for growth and development. So, can this good nutritional supplement be bad for you? In 2000 The United States Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition warned that: increased bleeding can occur if overused by a patient who is also taking aspirin or warfarin; it can form biologically active oxidation products; it reduced glycemic control among diabetics; it decreased resistance to infections and increased susceptibility to opportunistic bacteria; and it increased concentration of LDL (bad) cholesterol in some individuals.

Nutrition Journal published a study showing that giving African children vitamin A and zinc nutritional supplements cut incidence of malaria by a third. Zinc supplementation had also been shown to have a positive impact on respiratory disease and cholera. However Dr Ron Behrens, an expert in tropical diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says too much zinc could have a negative impact on the body's ability to make use of other minerals. Vitamin A in excess had been shown to be toxic, he said, causing brain swelling and other complications. So, nutritional supplements may be good for combating malaria but too much can be bad.

Are nutritional supplements good or bad? It seems that taken sensibly they can be good, but too much of a good thing can be bad.