Effectiveness of Supplements Not Important Consumers Make

KOMPAS.com - supplements are a necessity for most people, especially those who are very busy. Supplements are considered as one of the solution in maintaining body condition of threats and health problems.

Recent research published the journal Archives of Internal Medicine shows that many people in the United States to take supplements because they want him to be fresher, more energetic, and not easily hurt.

However, according to expert assessment, the intended use of supplements was not solely related to the improvement of health conditions measured. In fact, based on a survey of people who regularly take the supplements, the effectiveness of supplements is not an important issue for them. Only 25 percent of users said they would stop eating even aware that such supplements do not effectively support health.
"We call this attitude is a subjective assessment. During supplements are considered safe for consumption, people think they know more about the benefits of supplements for themselves. Their assessment results are better than clinical trials," said researcher Kathleen Weldon, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
People who had been relying on supplements tend to be "shocked" by the efficacy data from the study, but interestingly most of them do not want to stop that habit. "It's a very interesting thing to think about, in terms of scientific validity," he said.
The conclusion is the result of a survey involving 1,600 adults who use a variety of products such as ginseng supplements, prebiotics, amino acids, vitamins and minerals but no. Supplements are the most frequently consumed fish oil or omega-3. About 38 percent said they had taken supplements for 2 years. One in seven people are reported regularly taking supplements.
More than a third of the participants said that they did not tell their doctor about the use of supplements. Yet according to Weldon, they should tell the doctor because supplements may interact with drugs that are consumed. Although sometimes supplements considered to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but if it is on medication, supplement intake should be consulted with a doctor.
Sources: http://health.kompas.com/read/2012/12/26/21530946/