Question 2
The finding that supplement use increased with poorer self-assessed health status is consistent with previous findings. Why do you think that clients feel an enhanced sense of good health when taking dietary supplements? Do you feel healthier when taking a dietary supplement? (For those of you that do)
posted by Shanell @ 10:08 AM
31 comments
31 Comments:
One potential reason that people feel better when taking supplements could be a placebo effect. When clients have several health conditions negatively affecting their bodies, they are more at risk for wanting to find that special “miracle” pill that is going to help them control some of their suffering. I take a multivitamin/mineral supplement every day; I wouldn’t say that it necessarily makes me feel healthier. It does give me a sense of comfort (and possibly false depending on which research you are looking at for vitamin supplementation) on the days that I might not be eating so well, but I wouldn’t say that it makes me feel healthier, or that it affects my eating habits, either positively or negatively. I try to eat as well as I can, without really taking into account the fact that I consume a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement to cover my bases.
I don't take a supplement or multi-vitamin, but I feel like I should! If I end up with osteoperosis or something, I'll be kicking myself. Anyway, I think that any kind of health scare or health problem is GREAT motivation to start making changes toward a healthy lifestyle. Too often, people take their health for granted, and when they start to fear something is wrong, they take any action they can. Taking a supplement may make them feel like they are doing something good for their health, something protective. While we, and other health professionals, promote prevention, more often than not we don't see a pt/client until there is a diagnosis. Many times it takes a little fear to get our butts in gear.
I do think that some people take supplements because they are not willing to make changes to their diet and/or exercise regimen. They may think if they take a vitamin, they can eat unhealthy or however they want, because they are still getting their daily needs. I think most people are looking for an easy way out and pills are an extremely popular, yet easy way out of things. Maybe it's better than nothing? I'm not sure. I do realize that there are also people out there taking supplements a long with a healthy diet and exercise. I do take a daily multivitamin, I have for many, many years. I remember my mom giving me Flintstone Vitamins every morning when I was a kid. I also eat healthy and exercise, so I wouldn’t say that the vitamin makes me feel better, I think that's my diet and exercise that‘s making me feel better. I think its more just a habit and me hoping it’s doing me some good!
Emily, I like what you said, "any kind of health scare or health problem is great motivation to start making changes." I agree, but it would be great to get people to make changes before something bad happened to them. Many people think they're invincible and once something finally bad happens to them, it's to late to make changes. But then they say it's better late than never.
Sam,
Good point about people choosing to take supplements as an alterantive to eating right. We need to encourage people to get most of their nutrients out of healthy meals vs. a bottle. A multi-vitamin is one thing, but there are so many questionable products out there that carry risks, either known or unknown.
I believe people feel better about taking a multi vitamin because they feel like that covers them for eating a poor diet. They can eat whatever they want and take a dietary supplement and be healthy. It isn't guaranteed that their bodies will absorb all the vitamins and minerals well and it's best to get them from the diet. I personally don't take a dietary supplement on a regular basis but I do when my immune system is down or when I haven't been able to eat a well balanced diet. It does make me feel better that I've taken one because I feel like I will recover quicker from my sickness.
Emily,
I liked that you pointed out that we don't usually see patients until they are diagnosed. This shouldn't stop us though from educating them on what they can do to prevent any further problems. I think we should be letting our clients know that diet is most important and they shouldn't be getting all their nutrients from a pill.
The peace of mind that you may get from knowing that you are doing something for your health may cause a person to feel better, but there is always the possibility of the placebo effect when taking a supplement. There are some supplements that can give a person a sense of good health especially if they are deficient of that particular nutrient. I am currently taking a couple of different supplements. I currently take a fish oil supplement, a joint health supplement, creatine, whey protein, and multi vitamin. Some of these supplements make me feel better (joint health, creatine and multi) and others you can not tell they are doing anything (fish oil and whey protein).
Sam,
I agree with you about the people taking supplements to try to compensate for their poor diet and lack of exercise. This topic seems to revolve more around the weight loss supplement area. Although supplements may help there is no replacement for the real thing.
The "enhanced sense of good health" felt when taking dietary supplements could be one of two things - the supplements are doing what they claim to do, or the placebo effect is working. I do take supplements to cover the nutrients that I may not be consuming adequate amounts of. I think of my multivitamin as an "umbrella" because it will cover all of the nutrients that I need and did not get from food that day. I do believe vitamins work. Now, whether this is a placebo effect or not, I do not know. My philosophy is if it is helping me feel better/healthier and it is not hurting me then what is the harm, even if it is truly a placebo effect. I think far more research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of supplementation, especially in the realm of antioxidant supplementation.
I personally take a multivitamin/mineral supplement every other day, and honestly I can say it doesn't make me FEEL healthier. It does, however, make me feel like if I happen to not eat so well that day, I have a "cushion" to fall back on. I do think that when a client has an illness/cancer/other condition, he/she does believe that the supplement is making them feel healthier because they think anything is better than nothing. In other words, there is a lot of information out there saying to take this or that supplement, and clients may be looking for a quick fix to help them improve their condition. I like something like a multi-vitamin/mineral if the patient/client is also eating a healthy diet and exercising. However, I disagree with those who think that they can replace healthy habits by taking dietary supplements. Supplements are just that; meant to supplement a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Meredith,
Good point that not all vitamins and minerals will be effectively absorbed via a supplement. Oftentimes one interferes with another, competing for absorption. I agree that it is always best to get as many nutrients as possible through the diet.
Maybe people feel like they are trying to improve their health status so they feel better. I do take a multi vitamin everyday and I am not sure that it makes me feel better, but I think it is necessary because I don't always get enought of all the RDA's. Susan
I think much of the healthier feelings associated with supplement usage is due to the placebo effect. Many people probably believe that the supplement is doing whatever was advertised, but in reality it may not be. I am not currently taking a dietary supplement.
Katherine McCullah
Sam, I agree with your statement that people may take supplements because they are in search of that miracle cure; they don't want to put forth the effort of diet or exercise modifications, so they take a supplement.
Katherine McCullah
Meredith,
I agree with your idea that people take a vitamin to cover a poor diet and they feel like it is a miracle drug. People do not seem to understand that the best way to get nutrients is through food, not a magic pill. Susan
Karlie,
I personally think that it is mind over matter. It is like telling yourself that you have a stomach ache and then suddenly have a real one. When psychologist do research they have to consider that a patient will get better just by being in their office, the same goes with taking a supplement-the placebo effect.
Everyday we hear that this product or that product is fortified with vitamins and minerals to help prevent cancer. It is no wonder people take supplements with the idea that they will be the answer to preventing cancer. When in truth having the healthy foods probably offers more cancer prevention than the supplement.
It is the perception that the person will be healthier if taking nutrition supplements. A person might start taking vitamins or minerals because they have always heard that is something to do if you want to be healthy; to boost immune system or decrease risk of heart disease. Children take a vitamin to help ensure adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. This could be applied to adults; making sure to meet requirements and prevent disease. It is advised to eat many fruits and vegetables to maximize nutrients. It is interesting to think about individual components of the fruit or vegetable being extracted and formulated into taking in pill form. There are studies looking at individual nutrients not being as potent when extracted as it would be if person ate the whole fruit of vegetable. The nutrients need to be interacting with each other in the body to provide the maximum benefit in the body.
Well, first off, I do not take any supplements currently. I feel like I am eating a healthy diet and that I should be achieving everything I need from that. Also, from a personal stand point, I think that it is a waste of money because each supplement/MVI absorbs differently into our bodies and who really knows how much of the supplement is being used after consumption. As far a why people would take supplements, one reason could be because it is the "easy" way out. I think that lots of people do not think they need to make drastic diet changes (like starting to consume more fruits/vegetables) because the supplement will be providing those minerals/vitamins. Also, another reason I think people take supplements is because of the sense of goodness they supposedly feel after taking supplements. Whether or not people feel better is questionable... do they just have this preconceived concept that since they are taking a multivitamin they must be doing good for their bodies!
Clients feel an enhanced sense of better health mainly because they are taking, what they feel to be, an active step toward improving their health. Supplement marketing is meant to make the consumer believe that if they take this pill, they will see X, Y, and Z results. Homeopathic treatments often work in the same way: they are composed of "natural substances" that are so diluted, they are composed of mostly sugar and water. The person who is taking these substances however, determines their effectiveness, based on their belief that the "supplement" is working or not. For some people who are truly suffering from mild vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a dietary supplement may fix these deficiencies, causing their symptoms to disappear.
I think that people take supplements and automatically feel as though they are healthier just for taking them. Everyone just thinks that pills make everything better and supplements is no different. I also think that sometimes people have no idea how unhealthy/sick they are and just think that taking pills improve their health. I personally don't take any supplements...have in the past but stopped as I don't think they help me at all, and would rather just get all my nutrients from food.
I think we live in a "quick fix" society that would much rather pop a pill or go in for an outpatient procedure rather than change eating/physical activity habits. Although a good number of people may know the basics of good nutrition (or simply 'think' they know all there is to know about nutrition), it's easier said than done. It's probably safe to say that a majority of people would choose a brownie (with a side of multivitamin) than some carrot sticks. I think there is a big misunderstanding about the purpose of a multivitamin; I have had quite a few people ask me over the years why it even matters to eat healthy when they can just take a pill. As a dietitian, it's important to point out that supplements 1. don't contain fiber and all the beneficial antioxidants you can get from fresh whole foods 2. aren't fully absorbed and 3. can lead to toxicity of certain micronutrients when taken in large amounts in addition to certain foods
Meredith-
I agree with you that many people take a supplement because they feels it "covers" their poor diet and-yes- it isn't completely absorbed! I think many people fail to realize this and it leads to a false sense of security!
I believe that too often people take supplements in place of healthy eating. Supplements are just that; they are meant to supplement or enhance an already good diet. They are not Replacements for healthy eating which is unfortunately the perspective of a lot of people. I do take a MVI and fiber supplement but I do not change my eating habits when I have taken it or not. I just use it as an "insurance policy" in case. I don't feel it makes me more healthy and is probably a waste of money really.
Stephanie,
I agree with you that I think many people take supplements without really thinking and that it is best to just get nutrition from your food. Supplements are a man made product that is really unnecessary as our food provides all the nutrients we need. We just have to be smart enough to eat the right foods.
As Vanessa said, there are many benefits from consuming foods that we can't from supplements because they havent quite figured out how to bottle them yet; Phytochemicals for example. Again, we have to focus on how consuming foods, rather than supplements are really what's best.
It is also important to make people aware of the risk of toxicity that can only happen with the use of supplementation, and which is less to nearly impossible with foods. I think that people are simply misinformed and less informed about supplementation.
Annie,
I agree with you in that supplements are not replacements for healthy eating, and I think that is what people see them as. A MVI only provides a small amount of nutrients compared with eating a healthy foods...there is many other nutrients in foods that help besides just the vitamins and minerals that people miss when they rely on supplements.
Tori,
I loved that you mentioned that eating the foods vs taking a supplement may in the long run be providing more of a healthful benefit. I think many consumers are overwhelmed with the numerous health claims related to different vitamins/minerals/antioxidants. Because of this it is easy to become confused and forget that we can get these benefits from the foods we eat rather than having to take a supplement.
Lauren
Tori
That is a good point you made about always hearing our food being fortified with this or that to help prevent cancer. This just proves how important it is to educate on healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer and other health related problems.
I agree with Emily in that people probably take supplements and MVI due to the fact that they believe this will allow them to be able to enjoy "junky" foods. They believe that if they take a MVI they will overlook eating vegetables and fruits. I also completely agree with Vanessa in that we should let people know that the diet is the best way to get the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals based on the 3 reasons she listed.
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