Do we need to take supplements / vitamins?

Other than some of my friends who think that medicine like Panadol is the only way when they have flu or a headache, some of my friends actually believe that taking supplements/vitamins is also important. Just the portion they are taking, people still think that taking too much supplements/vitamins can kill.

Well, the fear is not unfounded. There are many reports of 'overdosed' supplements/vitamins. I won't even call those supplement/vitamins. I will explain about this in another topic.

Now, coming back to why we need to take supplements/vitamins. A classic example is Vitamin C. If animals really need it, why doesn't dog, cat or any animal take supplements/vitamins? Throughout evolution, human has lost the ability that other animals possess - that is the ability to self-produce Vitamin C. The human's diet rich in fruits and vegetables have given us sufficient source of the nutrient, hence we grew to lost this instinct.

Most animals produce 3,000 to 16,000 mg of Vitamin C per day. Guess how much is required from our RDA? 60mg. Taking this amount can decrease the risk of getting cancer and boost our immunity; taking 1,000mg can significantly lower blood pressure. In fact, animals which can produce 3,000 to 16,000mg of Vitamin C are immune to cancer and viral disease. Now, do you still think that we don't need supplements/vitamins?

Alright, I did say that human has evolved through eating high fruits and vegetables diet to lost the ability to self-produce Vitamin C. That does sound like eating enough fruits and vegetables should get us the sufficient nutrients to battle off cancer and viral disease. Theoretically, it is correct; realistically, not quite.

In the past before we became industrialised, there was hardly any pollution. We were living in an almost stressed-free world where people did not have to compete with each other to be more powerful, richer or get a high rank. Now we have water pollution, air pollution and even the population in the world has tripled over the past one century.

Pollution and stress create free radicals. Free radicals create disease and cancers. Vitamins A, C, E are the most common anti-oxidants to battle the free radicals. The amount we used to consume at 60mg could only handle the kind of lifestyle we used to have - stressed free. With the adding up on these two stressful elements, only an increase in the dosage can cover the damage that is created in us, by our surroundings.

To make it easier for you to measure, 1,000mg of Vitamin C is equivalent to 22 oranges. Can you eat 22 oranges a day just to get the 1,000mg of Vitamin C? Won't popping a Vitamin C tablet be an easier task? Then you will still have space in your stomach to fit in other delicious food that we Malaysians so hate to miss.

Bravo! You are one step further in understanding your body. Next chapter I will discuss with you how to choose your supplements.

What is RDA?

We notice that almost all supplements, vitamins, food that has anything to do with health effects take the measurement of RDA. So do you know what RDA is?

RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance used for each nutrient. You wonder how the numbers for the RDA are derived from.

You see, the discovery of nutrition is less than 100 years. Before that time, our ancestors were hunters or farmers. Only until the 20th century, we have propelled to building cities and townships during industrial revolution to create new jobs. At that time, many jobs were created for industrial workers. They ate bread and biscuits which were cheap energy foods. Bread and biscuits are made of refine flour and sugar and also saturated fat. The nutrition value is almost nil!

Workers became sick due to mulnutrition, you can also call it nutrition disorders. They started to have scurvy, rickets, pellagra, beriberi, tetany, osteoporosis, kwashiorkor, mental retardation and marasmus. Now, here is where the RDA comes in. If you supply your body with the vital nutrients listed in the RDA then you can avoid all the above nutrition disorder diseases.

Is that it? Not yet. I am certain you will agree with me that every one of us is different, physically. Our genes are different and our lifestyle too (I will in a later post discuss with you about how our gene, environment and lifestyle affects our health). Therefore, RDA is only the standard minimum requirement of nutrition to avoid the disorder but it has nothing to do with individual nutrition assessment. Hence, we need supplements / vitamins to help us achieve the health we desire so that we feel good about ourselves physically and mentally. Of course, the most important one is to prolong our lifespan in a healthy state.

We still have bread and biscuits for tea time or part of a meal, but for those who 'live on' them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you seriously have to adjust your diet before it is too late.

Shortfalls between RDA and ODA
Nutrients	RDA	ODA	Shortfall
Vitamin A (mcg)	800	2500	1000
Vitamin B1(mg)	1.4	35	30
Vitamin B2 (mg)	1.6	35	30
Vitamin B3 (mg)	18	85	35
Vitamin B5 (mg)	6	100	80
Vitamin B6 (mg)	2	75	70
Vitamin B12 (mcg)	1	25	15
Vitamin C (mg)	60	2000	1800
Vitamin D (mcg)	5	11	4
Vitamin E (mcg)	10	300	250
Folic Acid (mcg)	200	800	400
Biotin (mcg)	150	225	105
Calcium (mg)	800	1000	200
Magnesium (mcg)	300	500	150
Iron (mg)	14	20	20
Zinc (mg)	15	20	10
Iodine (mcg)	150	300	60
GLA (Omega 6) (mg)	-	150	110
EPA/DHA (Omega-3) (mg)	-	700	600
Selenium (mcg)	-	100	50
Chromium (mcg)	-	125	50
Manganese (mcg)	-	10	4

ODA - Optimum Daily allowance

*The chart is taken from Patrick Holdford's New Optimum Nutrition Bible