Harvard Says Multivitamins Overrated

The philosophy of NutriPlex Formulas is that nutrients should be contained in their original foods when you eat them. This means that vitamins and multivitamins are not a preferred source of nutrients. Vitamins at best are FROM foods, and at worst they are made synthetically in a laboratory in the same way a drug is made. In either of these two cases, vitamins are not foods and are merely chemicals.

When you eat a whole, real food, you not only eat the vitamin, but also all the synergists (helper nutrients) that nature provides, including enzymes, co-enzymes, other vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll, carotenoids, bioflavonoids and more. In fact, there are reasons why whole foods heal that scientists have not yet discovered. This is because the complexity of nature and natural foods is beyond the comprehension of science due to its complexity. And this is the reason why we use whole food supplements from NutriPlex Formulas. These unique supplements are real, whole foods that are not infused with any chemicals or isolated vitamins or minerals. They work differently. They work naturally and in a way that your body recognizes them and can use them without side effects.

The Harvard report against vitamin-taking, appearing in their March edition of  Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter, has created a stir in the scientific community, with some experts saying such a statement is premature.

Stating that an estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults take multivitamins regularly, Harvard researchers presented a history of multivitamin research in their newsletter article titled, “Multivitamins and your health: A reappraisal.” They began with antioxidant research, citing studies showing that antioxidant supplements not only don’t protect against heart disease or cancer, but “in some cases, they may actually do more harm than good.”

They next tackled research on the “three Bs”: B6, B12 and folic acid, and concluded that recent randomized clinical trials show that B-vitamin supplements don’t prevent heart disease. They also cited one U.S. study showing that people who took folic acid had more colorectal adenomas and more prostate cancers than those who took a placebo. However, the researchers cautioned, the study involved only people who were at high risk for colorectal cancer, and who took 1,000 mcg of folic acid, two and a half times the recommended daily allowance.

It is the opinion of this writer that two main issues may be at play. First, vitamins and other supplements (especially herbs) presents a clear competition to prescription drugs. Yet, oddly, almost all vitamin products are manufactured by chemical companies that also manufacture drugs. But drugs represent a greater profit-making venture because they are controlled by prescription. It’s a closed system that forces consumers into difficult purchasing decision. Second, vitamins an multivitamins are not foods, as stated above. This being so, they are too frequently used as pharmacological agents. In other words, you have  a health problem, take the vitamin pill and hope to get rid of it. High doses and high potencies and standardization of supplements prove this point.

Americans have been trained to use artificial stimulants and suppressants and they expect the same out of their vitamins. If you have a cold, why not just blast it with 10 grams of ascorbic acid? The answer is that the body does not function optimally when given unnatural doses of any chemical, vitamin or drug, especially because the body may view these incomplete molecules as foreign invaders.

In the meantime, as the scientists fight it out, the best option is to have your vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in real, whole foods. This includes NutriPlex Formulas’ whole food supplements. If you’re going the whole food supplement route, you should also be on the lookout for other products that say they are whole foods, but when you read the labels you find isolated such as vitamin A palmitate, niacinamide, pyroxidine, thiamine and ascorbic acid — none of which are foods. For a greater study of the differences between vitamins and foods that CONTAIN vitamins, read Man Cannot Live on Vitamins Alone by Vic Shayne, PhD.