Natural or nutritional supplements are comprised of herbal concoctions, other elemental mixtures or essential vitamins and minerals. They are typically available in the form of a pill, chew, gum, tea, shake, meal bar, and powder, and are offered with the promise of some medical, physical, or mental benefit. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on natural or nutritional supplements in the United States. Some people swear by the supplements they take, and use their own health as proof of the supplement working. At the same time, there are also harsh critics of these supplements. These people state that there is little to no evidence to support such claims, and the people using the supplements are probably doing other things to better their health, and therefore have results due to those lifestyle changes. Some of these supplements have even been found to be toxic, yet still remain on the market. As this paper will demonstrate, it seems to not matter whether supplements as a whole work or not, but seems to matter just what the supplement is. Here, we will examine two supplements with a lot of scientific research to back up their effectiveness, and which two seem to lack proper scientific evidence.
No one likes to be sick. Being bogged down with a cold, or having restricted movement due to heart disease are not fun things to deal with. We spend a lot of money each year going to the doctor, buying cold medicines that end up keeping us down and out longer, or even worse, strung out with a bad memory at work or school (Oaklander, 2016). What these people don’t know is that one of the most potent medicines that we can use to prevent the cold or speed up recovery from it is usually less than a dollar at any local grocery store, for multiple doses. Its name is garlic, and its most effective form is raw. There are slightly more expensive garlic pills with advanced bioavailability that now offer similar efficacy for those who can’t stomach raw garlic.
Several studies have shown effectiveness of garlic in overall cholesterol normalization and can help reduce the rate of overall illness in control groups (Frank, Lopez, et al., 2016). There are also studies which point to lowered blood pressure. Some sources have labeled these studies as being weak, either because humans were not always the test subjects, or there was a problem with the control and/or independent variables (Berkeley Wellness, 2014). The problem with criticism seems to be that the studies that did meet the criteria mentioned by the critics is so conclusive. In addition, because garlic is a food, its properties have all been evaluated by the FDA (Frank, Lopez, et al., 2016). To be completely objective, there are dozens of other claims made about garlic that are likely untrue, or don’t have enough evidence to substantiate (Berkeley Wellness, 2014). There are ongoing studies of what is thought to be the active ingredient of garlic, allicin.
One of the fastest growing epidemics in the United States today is alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Also on the rise is fatty liver disease. The cause of the first group of diseases is alcohol or acetaminophen abuse for a long duration of time. The two primary causes of fatty liver disease are obesity and type 2 diabetes. This use to describe a small number of people, largely because the symptoms of these diseases were often fatal, whereas they are now treatable in various ways. Symptoms of liver disease include esophageal varices (vomiting blood non-stop), jaundice (bile being released into the bloodstream, and turning the skin and eyes yellow or brown), toxic shock, alcoholic encephalitis (brain death due to chronic cranial sponging of alcohol) and host of other complications (Burke, 2015). Liver disease itself can often lead to a slow and very painful death (Burke, 2015).
There are no real medications to cure liver disease, which is surprising, considering that the liver is one of the most regenerative organs in the body. The culture of overindulgence in our society has made this a critical issue (Burke, 2015). There are a few supplements that are showing a lot of promise in even reversing liver damage. Milk Thistle is being studied non-stop as the race to stop early deaths due to these diseases is on full-blast (Mayo Clinic, 2013). There are hundreds of studies across the world that demonstrate that milk thistle has compounds that create new detoxification channels in the liver, and that milk thistle has chemicals that stimulate regrowth of healthy liver tissue, and clearing of scarred tissue (National Cancer Institute, 2016). Though a few skeptical reports doubt the validity of these studies (Ehrlich, 2014), there seems to be many of them, and too many people that have quantifiable benefits in specific control groups to seriously deny the supplement’s value (National Cancer Institute, 2016). As a result of these studies, the price of milk thistle has started to increase but is still generally affordable.
There is another side to the story, to be sure. The two previous supplements are generally regarded as safe, except for a small number of drug-supplement interactions. There are also supplements on the market that are either not helpful or are downright harmful. Possibly one of the most popular nutritional supplements is the typical B-Vitamin Complex, with high doses of B-3, B-6, and B-12. It is unclear why people opt for extra levels of Vitamin B-12 at all, unless they are vegan (Zelman, 2009). Some doctors even offer B-12 as an injectable, and people claim multiple restorative benefits and mood enhancement from the shot. The problem is, there is almost no evidence to support this (Zelman, 2009). American diets already consist of more than enough Vitamin B-12, and all of the B Vitamins. Though not particularly dangerous, the only time a B supplement may be helpful is after a night of extreme partying, in which a person has completely drained their levels of the vitamin. Chances are, however, that these people are probably lacking more in other vitamins such as Vitamin D than B vitamins. There is no study that seems to conclusively say that B-Vitamins are good for a person’s mood.
There are other supplements that are downright dangerous. Kava is a popular health food product, with claims to help with anxiety. These claims do seem to be true, with its effects being similar to the use of anti-anxiety prescription medications. People will turn to Kava over the prescriptions, thinking that because it is natural and seems to have the same effect on GABA levels in the brain, it must be better than taking addictive benzodiazepines (Collins, 2011). If this is the case, why are there many doctors saying it is better to be addicted to these prescriptions than to take Kava? Kava is extremely toxic to the liver, far more toxic than alcohol or really anything else out there, it seems (Collins, 2011). It takes about eight weeks for the active ingredients in Kava to start working, but it is not even recommended that people with completely healthy livers consume Kava for longer than three or four weeks, not giving the ingredients a chance to work, thereby making the plant more dangerous than it is beneficial (Collins, 2011). Though it’s true that some benzos can also cause some liver damage, this is typically only in people who already have liver damage, and even then, softer drugs in the class, such as Ativan or Klonopin, are even safe for people with damaged livers (US National Library of Medicine, 2016).
Some supplements are effective and safe for everyday use, while others are unneeded or are extremely dangerous. The conclusion that must be reached is that people need to look beyond the websites that are essentially just advertisements for the supplement. Look at the abstracts of clinical studies, which will typically give a readable summary of whether or not the supplement is safe and effective, or dangerous and useless. If a person is willing to spend the money to improve their health, then surely they should be willing to spend a short few minutes doing the necessary research, or to quickly call their doctor to see if what they are taking is safe. If a person is unwilling to take the time to find out if a supplement will even work or to determine if it is safe for them to take with the medications they take, or dangerous no matter what then why waste the money on them.
Works Cited
Berkeley Wellness. “The Power of Garlic.” berkeleywellness.com 2014 Web. 27 Apr. 2016
Burke, Darla. “Alcoholic Hepatitis.” Healthline.com 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016
Collins, Sonya. “5 Risky Herbal Supplements.” WebMD. 2011. Web. 27. Apr. 2016
Ehrlich, Steven. “Milk Thistle” University of Maryland Medical Center. 2014. Web. 27 Apr.
2016
Frank, Kurtis, Gregory Lopez et al. “Garlic.” Examine. 2016. 28 Apr. 2016
Mayo Clinic. “Drugs and Supplements: Milk thistle (Silybum marianum).” The Natural Standard
Research Collaboration. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2016
National Cancer Institute. “Milk Thistle–Health Professional Version.” National Institute of
Health. 12 Apr. 2016 Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
Oaklander, Mandy. “The Cold Medicine That’s Linked to Cognitive Problems.” Time Magazine
12 April 2016. Web 27 Apr. 2016
US National Library of Medicine. “Lorazepam.” National Institute of Health. Mar. 2016. Web.
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Zelman, Kathleen. “The Truth Behind the Top 10 Dietary Supplements” WebMD. 2009. Web.
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