Dietary Supplements & Mortality Rate – What’s That About???

Did you all happen to see the somewhat unbelievable slue of articles out earlier this week that stated according to a recent study taking multivitamins could shorten one’s life?   If you missed it, check out the abstract in the AMA Internal Medicine Archives entitled, Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women.  The Alliance for Natural Health has posted a response to the study itself and asks a lot of great questions about the validity of the scientific method applied and subsequent gross generalizations made.

Regardless of your stance on supplementation the bigger issue is how these types of scientifically flawed studies are leveraged in the legislative process and give momentum to the types of bills that would regulate or deny public access to supplementation. We aren’t just talking multivitamins here. These types of studies and corresponding propaganda have the potential to be used against all herbs and supplements.

Below the ANH’s article. Read it!

Shame on AMA’s Archives of Internal Medicine

October 11, 2011

Did you hear the breaking news last night—that multivitamins may shorten your life? Here’s how junk science from the AMA set off the media frenzy.

Bloomberg phrased it this way: “Multivitamins and some dietary supplements, used regularly by an estimated 234 million US adults, may do more harm than good, according to a study that tied their use to higher death rates among older women.” The study’s authors outrageously concluded, “We see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Protect Your Consumer Rights for Supplements!

Please take a moment to look into the recent FDA draft guidance issued on July 1, 2011, to comply with the “New Dietary Ingredients (NDI)” notification protocols included in the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). These new guidelines potentially impact any and all supplemental ingredients introduced to the market since October 1994. This is a very roundabout complex draft that promises to bog down the supplement industry and make many products (L-theanine, SamE, Rhodiola) possibly unavailable for years.

Don’t be fooled that these regulations are for your protection! They will only serve to support the pharmaceutical industry.  The European Union recently (May 1, 2011) passed regulations that have made nearly all supplements unavailable throughout the European Union. Please help stop this from happening here in the US. Speak up to protect your rights as a consumer.

Keep in mind that properly prescribed pharmaceuticals are estimated to be between the 4 – 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.  On the contrary, statistics published in the U.S. National Poison Data System 2009 Annual Report indicate the number of people killed in 2009 across America by vitamins, minerals, amino acids or herbal supplements is exactly zero.

For more information on the DSHEA and the related NDI, check out the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH). The ANH is also driving a National Lobby Day (Thursday, September 8th) for all consumers to speak out against NDI.

Comments are currently open till October 3rd, 2011. 

Docket info: Document ID: FDA-2011-D-0376-0001

Document Type: Notice

What can you do!

You can sign a petition here:

comment directly here

You can join ANH and call your Congressman on Sept. 8th (that’s tomorrow!) details here.

You can pass this on, via email, twitter, facebook, linkedin and whatever other social media you use

In addition to the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), below are some additional resources to keep current on this issue:

FDA/Law Blog

FDA

American Botanical Council

The Preservation of the Field of (Holistic) Nutrition

The last few weeks have been jam-packed with travel, conferences and classes. At the end of April I attended the yearly conference of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals in San Francisco. Outside of the various nutritional educational tracks the buzz was all about proposed legislation in CA and several other states pertaining to the field of nutrition. Very serious stuff for those of us who incorporate any form of nutritional therapy into a professional practice.

While the proposed bill (CA AB575) in California was pulled last week there are still several others pending. This isn’t something that is going to go away. The Alliance for Natural Health has a really great summary of what’s happening in the industry, collectively and by state. The bottom line is that anyone who wants to retain the right to choose the type of nutrition professional they can access and anyone who wants to continue to practice in this field needs to pay attention to what is happening today in our industry.  

For me it was a definite reminder as an educator,  practitioner and consumer of the benefits of (holistic) nutrition that it is incumbent upon me to be involved outside of the comforts of my own office. Don’t think this doesn’t really impact you.  Ask Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, CHN. On April 20, 2011, the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition denied Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, CHN the right to practice as a nutritionist in North Carolina. Liz has been a practitioner for over 20 years. Unthinkable!

So, I challenge students, practitioners and consumers of nutrition related fields outside of the narrowly defined area of dietetics to become champions. Be involved, stay informed and actively preserve the bounty of  this incredibly rich and diverse field. As for the “how” join your local nutritionist group(s), build credibility through national membership, board certification, etc. and stay apprised of the latest legislative and industry news. Make sure you are well versed in your respective scope of practice and understand the respective licensing requirements and corresponding practice verbiage in your state for dietitians and nutritionists.

In Boise, we will be hosting an evening event on Friday, June 3rd from 5:30-7:30PM with our current nutrition students and alumni. The event will be a round table discussion focused on the field of holistic nutrition including updates on legislation, opportunities, etc. I strongly encourage our WNP alumni to attend.

Rachael Myles, CHN, CMT