[게티이미지뱅크]One of the representative Chuseok gifts is ‘vitamin supplements’. In fact, many people take vitamin supplements every day. Even if you don’t eat it often, most people eat it occasionally.
The reason for taking vitamin supplements is often “to make up for the lack of vitamins”.
Vitamin supplements include vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin D, and vitamin E, and there are many types of multivitamins. According to the national health statistics nutrient intake ratio (2020), vitamin A is 59.1%, vitamin B₃ (niacin) is 88.7%, and vitamin C is 70.8%, which is less than the recommended amount.
Another survey found that 60-70% of Koreans were deficient in vitamin D. However, not all vitamins are lacking. Vitamin B₁ (thiamin) is 116%, and vitamin B₂ (riboflavin) is 136.1%, rather than the standard value.
Kim Seong-kwon, professor emeritus of Seoul National University College of Medicine (Director of Seoul K Internal Medicine), said, “Eating insufficient vitamins is the primary goal, but there is also an ultimate goal. There are people who call it prevention. With the spread of ‘vitamin C high-dose therapy’, there are many people who believe that vitamin supplements are effective in preventing and treating cancer.”
Controversy over the effectiveness of vitamin supplements has been going on for decades.
A paper was published in medical journals saying that it was ‘effective,’ and after a while a thesis was published saying that it was ‘not effective’.
In the midst of this, the US Special Committee on Disease Prevention and Prevention (USPSTF) recently published a study that found that “there is insufficient evidence to suggest that vitamin supplements are effective in preventing cancer or cardiovascular disease.”
Founded in 1984 by doctors and scientists, the USPSTF is recognized as an institution with high independence and credibility, receiving funding from the US government, including research grants. “Healthy adults should not take supplements of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A,” the USPSTF said.
Additionally, the USPSTF said, “Smokers who take beta-carotene supplements are at an increased risk of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. There is no evidence that vitamin E supplements or multivitamins protect against cancer or cardiovascular disease.” Children, pregnant women, chronically ill, hospitalized and malnourished patients are excluded from this recommendation, the USPSTF said.
Professor Kim said, “When presenting the results of this study that analyzed 84 studies, the USPSTF emphasized that ‘there is no special shortcut to maintaining health, and regular exercise and a healthy diet are the best'” and “USPSTF’s announcement is noteworthy. contains,” he said.
It is noteworthy that first, vitamins should be taken in the way that they eat fruits and vegetables, not ‘supplements’. Taking vitamins in supplement form is not as effective as expected, as it increases the risk of side effects.
It is true that vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients. However, vitamins that are eaten from fruits and vegetables do their job in the body, whereas vitamins that enter the body in the form of supplements are not as helpful as consumers think. When nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals were first discovered, high expectations were raised. It was expected that nutritional deficiencies would be solved by eating just one pill or supplement without eating fruits or vegetables, and numerous supplements and drugs were developed. However, decades later, vitamins and minerals consumed from fruits and vegetables clearly have health-promoting effects, but whether they have little or no effect when taken as a supplement remains an open question.
Second, there was a joke that ‘the only side effect of health food is thinning pockets’. It is a joke that reflects the claim that health food can be eaten as long as the cost burden is small because there are no major side effects even if it does not have an excellent effect.
It has been found that there are many side effects of supplements, such as the fact that excessive intake of beta-carotene supplements increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
Even with the advancement of science and technology, there is no substitute for food. Professor Kim said, “No matter how expensive vitamin supplements or multivitamins are, they cannot replace carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, tangerines, oranges, apples, and pears. he emphasized.
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