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"Dietary Supplements - "Natural" or Dangerous?


Most supplements labeled as "natural" don't even come close to providing nutrients as nature intended. Instead, they contain synthetic and isolated chemicals at doses much higher than can be obtained from natural food, and are missing key parts of the natural food complex. These High-Dose Synthetic and Isolated Dietary Supplements (HSAIDS) act more like drugs than food, and thus may have negative health consequences, including:

  • DNA damage - the first step to cancer development.
  • Pro-oxidant rather than antioxidant activities.
  • Increased risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.
  • Liver stress.
  • Toxic build-up.
  • Bone loss and fracture.
  • Dangerous interactions with medications or other supplements.
  • Nutritional deficiencies.

And you thought dietary supplements were supposed to improve your health!

Biological vs. Pharmacological Effects
Two important distinctions between truly natural supplements and HSAIDs are whether they are made from real food, and what their function is in the human body. In general, nutrients in their natural state at natural doses have a biological effect in the body, and HSAIDS have a pharmacological effect. In other words HSAIDS act more like drugs than nutrients. Examples of natural dietary supplements that clearly act in more of a biological fashion are those with ingredients that include vegetables, fruits, and berries.

Disease Protection: The Real Food Advantage
Scientists now associate oxygen free radicals with every major chronic disease, including heart disease and cancer. In fact, DNA damage caused by free-radicals is one of the first steps leading to the development of cancer. Free radicals also play a major role in the aging process. Researchers have found that consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables decreases free-radical damage. However, most studies also have concluded that popular synthetic and isolated antioxidants such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), or vitamin A (beta-carotene) do not prevent DNA damage. Most studies also fail to show any other significant benefits from HSAIDS when compared to nutrients obtained from whole foods."