Taking vitamin and mineral supplements may seem like a great wellness boost, but Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and author of new book Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine, urges you to take a step back and think before swallowing the equivalent of eight melons in a single dose. According to Offit, ‘I think that alternative medicine is often given a free pass. I think we should hold alternative medicine to the same standard that we hold conventional medicine. It lives under this sort of untouchable halo. I think we should be a little more sceptical.’
While you need vitamins and minerals for your wellbeing, overdoing it can be detrimental to your wellbeing. Offit explained, ‘Vitamins live under this notion that you can’t possibly hurt yourself, but you can; by challenging Mother Nature and taking these vitamins and concentrating them to these exceptionally large quantities that you would never normally eat.’ In an op-ed in the New York Times, Offit detailed several studies which found that excess levels of vitamin A, for example, can increase risk of death from lung cancer. He noted that supplemental antioxidant vitamins, taken in large quantities, cause unnatural behaviour in your body because they overly counteract oxidation, which weakens your immune system.
However, the nonprofit Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) responded to Offit’s op-ed by saying there is research underscoring the health benefits of multivitamins. The CHPA argued, ‘Consumers should always use caution when considering “megadoses” of any supplements, carefully research these choices, and consult a healthcare professional with questions. While Dr. Offit shares his own hypothesis on supplemental antioxidants in this piece, it has yet to be substantiated. Until that time, we look forward to future research that would provide guidance for public health.’
Offit’s book has also had a strong reaction from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association representing the dietary supplement industry which commented that he ‘weaves together a series of tired old arguments.’ In a statement, council president Steve Mister said, ‘With more than 150 million Americans taking dietary supplements each year, it would be a shame if consumers reading this book mistake the opinion of one doctor for the opinion of the medical community as a whole. It is important for consumers to have an open dialogue with their health care practitioners about their dietary supplement regimens, and hopefully this book won’t deter them from doing so.’
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