HERBS AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS:

WHICH ONES WORK?  Part 1

By Susan Cafferty

Parish Care Director

Sometimes I do my grocery shopping “half asleep.”  I wander through the aisles, tossing things into the cart, and not paying much attention.  One area that usually wakes me up is the display of herbal remedies and nutritional supplements.  It is a long, colorful row with too many items to look through.  What do we know about these supplements?  Which ones are helpful and which aren’t?  How many pills do I really have to take?  Let’s look at a few items in more detail.

Multivitamins:  People of all ages take a vitamin pill.  One of the brand-name multivitamins contains no less than 33 different vitamin/mineral ingredients.  Unfortunately, much of the promise of taking a vitamin a day isn’t really there anymore.  Most of us are able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables year around.  Also, many popular foods such as breakfast cereals, juice drinks, and some snacks are vitamin supplemented.  This means that most of us don’t need multivitamin pills, especially B and C vitamins.  Most Americans usually eat enough red meat so that we get enough iron (the only exception being some women).  A few vitamin supplements are helpful-like vitamin D (see that article in the April Spire) and calcium (especially for women). 

    One vitamin formula is helpful for treating macular degeneration, a common condition that causes loss of vision over time.  The helpful vitamins are high doses of vitamin C, E, and A, zinc, and copper, grouped together in a pill called the AREDS formula.  If you are 50 years or older and you have vision loss, be sure to ask your doctor about AREDS (you can’t get the same results by taking a multivitamin because of the doses).

    In short, most of us probably don’t need a multivitamin.  The good news is that, if you take them according to directions on the label, multivitamins won’t hurt you.

Fish Oil:  Fish oil caplets contain omega-3 fatty acids (also called EPA and DHA).  There is good evidence that omega-3 can help decrease your cholesterol and slow the worsening of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  Omega-3 may also help in depression, but the evidence is weaker, and you have to take lots of fish oil to make it work (like 5-6 caplets a day).  The problems with fish oil are that it causes fishy burps, and if you take too much, it may cause increased bruising or bleeding due to slower blood clotting.  Some discount fish oils have also been found to be high in mercury (if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is).  In short, a few fish oil caplets a day may help for those at risk of heart or vascular problems.  It may help those with depression.  Because of its effect on blood clotting, I would recommend discussing it with your doctor before you start using this product.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin:  This has been a very popular product for those with joint pain and arthritis.  It is a disappointment that several good studies have shown that there is little if any benefit in taking it.  The good news is that glucosamine/chondroitin has few side effects, so taking it basically hurts only your pocketbook.

We’ll continue this discussion next time.  In part 2, I will work on this question:  “Does eating semi-sweet chocolate help to control my blood pressure?”  It will be fun!

HERBS AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS:

WHICH ONES WORK?  Part 2

Here we go again with the advice on supplements.  You know, every supplement has its backers.  You can find just about any kind of pro/con statements about herbs, vitamins, and dietary supplements on the internet.  Here are a few more results from medical studies.

Ginkgo Balboa:  A few years ago, ginkgo was the “miracle cure.”  Claims were made that it could cure Alzheimer’s disease, depression, ADHD, vision loss, high cholesterol, anxiety, and muscle aches.  I wish it were all true.  Ginkgo does seem to help in treating the memory loss of early Alzheimer’s disease-in fact, some studies show that it is almost as helpful as the prescription medicine aricept.  Unfortunately, ginkgo is not helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.  Ginkgo may also be helpful for muscle pains in the legs that are caused by poor circulation (these pains are called claudication).  The latest studies do not show any real benefit of ginkgo in depression, ADHD, high cholesterol or glaucoma.  Ginkgo also has some side effects:  nausea, diarrhea, and allergic skin rashes.  I would recommend talking with your doctor before taking this herbal medicine, especially if you have diabetes or epilepsy.  I have to admit that my overall impression of ginkgo is not too positive.

Cranberry caplets:  These are helpful for preventing bladder infections.  The better approach is to take one daily as a preventative measure, rather than to use them as treatment when an infection occurs. 

Chocolate or cacao oil:  I promised this in the last issue, and here it is.  Chocolate contains some antioxidants called flavanols that may be good for health.  A small study from Italy recently showed that eating dark chocolate can reduce you blood pressure.  They compared two groups of people: one group eating 3 oz. of dark chocolate daily, and the other eating the same amount of white chocolate.  They found that the dark chocolate group had a decrease in systolic (the big number) blood pressure within about 15 days.  A study at Harvard also concluded that eating chocolate can lower your blood pressure.  Chocolate can also slow your blood clotting, which helps prevent heart attacks (the effect of chocolate is much less than that of aspirin).  Now the bad news-the type of chocolate that works best for these benefits is the dark, unsweetened type.  Semi-sweet may have some of the same effects, but milk chocolate and white chocolate don’t seem to help at all.

Magnesium:  Magnesium works with calcium and vitamin D for bone health.  Many fresh fruits and vegetables are magnesium rich, so most of us probably get enough.  If you take fluid pills or if you have Chron’s disease of the intestine, you may need to take extra magnesium.  Too much magnesium can cause kidney damage, so I would limit the supplement to just one pill a day.

If your favorite supplements haven’t been discussed here, just give me a call.  We can look things up, and maybe even find out what the story is.