Latest / Talking FACS / Should I be taking a dietary supplement?

Transcript

Should I be taking a dietary supplement? · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking Facts.
• 0:03
  What you need to know about family food,
• 0:05
  finance and fitness.
• 0:07
  This nationally recognized award winning podcast is hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
• 0:16
  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
• 0:19
  families and communities to improve quality of life.
• 0:24
  Hello and welcome to Talking Facts.
• 0:26
  This is your host,
• 0:27
  Doctor Jennifer Hunter,
• 0:28
  assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
• 0:33
  Today.
• 0:34
  I'm pleased to be joined by Dr Heather Norman er extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition.
• 0:39
  Welcome,
• 0:40
  Heather,
• 0:40
  thanks for having me Jennifer.
• 0:42
  So today we're gonna be talking about dietary supplements and I think that this will really be of interest to our listeners about should I be taking dietary supplements and my specialty?
• 0:53
  Um,
• 0:53
  as most of our listeners know,
• 0:55
  is financial management.
• 0:57
  And so I'm curious first about the size of the dietary supplement market.
• 1:01
  I know it has to be huge just based on the amount of marketing that there is out there and how much Americans are spending on dietary supplements?
• 1:11
  We see advertisements and claims absolutely everywhere.
• 1:14
  So how big are we talking Heather?
• 1:16
  Ok.
• 1:17
  So it is huge.
• 1:19
  And in North America alone,
• 1:21
  in 2020 the supplement market size is about $15.5 billion.
• 1:27
  It's projected to continue to expand and grow even more in the next five years.
• 1:31
  And I will let you know that within that dietary supplements is like a pretty broad category.
• 1:36
  But it's vitamins and minerals that make up over half at about 60% of this market alone and lots of people are using them.
• 1:45
  A lot of money is being spent.
• 1:46
  But we know that about half of the US adult population use some dietary supplement and it's more common among women than men.
• 1:55
  And and then also age wise adults over the age of 60 are more likely to be taking a dietary supplement than other age groups.
• 2:02
  So,
• 2:03
  Heather,
• 2:03
  how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the use of dietary supplements substantially?
• 2:10
  Yes,
• 2:11
  this is largely why the supplement industry is expected to grow and the projections for it are huge over just the next few years leading up to 2030.
• 2:21
  But the idea of immunity and health was obviously front and center as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded.
• 2:28
  And so folks truly believe that certain dietary supplements would provide viral protection specifically.
• 2:33
  And you know,
• 2:34
  we had heard that idea of boosting immune systems often during COVID-19.
• 2:39
  And we still hear that to this day.
• 2:40
  But unfortunately,
• 2:41
  many of the claims made about products and these supplements during this time frame during COVID-19 are largely unsupported by research,
• 2:49
  but it did,
• 2:50
  it really did impact it for sure.
• 2:52
  So I want to make certain that all of our listeners are on the same page.
• 2:56
  Can you quickly define what a dietary supplement is?
• 3:00
  Yeah,
• 3:00
  for sure.
• 3:01
  So dietary supplements are products that contain one or more dietary ingredient and are consumed orally.
• 3:09
  So it could be a capsule,
• 3:11
  a pill,
• 3:12
  it could be in a powder form.
• 3:13
  Um you know,
• 3:14
  something that you stir into water or it could be a liquid itself.
• 3:18
  So I've already mentioned that vitamins and minerals were the most common form.
• 3:22
  So the most common dietary ingredients found in supplements are vitamins and minerals.
• 3:27
  And then we also have other common ones which include omega fatty acids,
• 3:31
  botanicals,
• 3:33
  and plant compounds.
• 3:34
  Uh proteins and amino acids and fiber probably could have guessed that list if we were thinking about supplements are dietary supplements necessary for us.
• 3:44
  Ok,
• 3:45
  great question.
• 3:46
  So let's get into this.
• 3:47
  According to our current dietary guidelines for Americans,
• 3:51
  which are put together based on the most recent nutrition science,
• 3:55
  we are encouraged to meet our nutrient needs primarily through our food and beverages.
• 4:00
  So trying our best when we can to choose foods and beverages that are high in nutrients like fruits,
• 4:05
  vegetables,
• 4:06
  whole grains,
• 4:07
  lean protein,
• 4:08
  dairy products.
• 4:09
  This is going to ultimately give us the most nutritional bang for our buck.
• 4:13
  And I also want to point out here too that it's,
• 4:15
  it's not always more nutrients is better.
• 4:18
  So you take a supplement thinking you're getting more of it into your diet into your body.
• 4:23
  But we have certain amounts that we are recommended to get each day specifically of vitamins,
• 4:28
  minerals.
• 4:28
  And we call these our recommended dietary intakes or R D I s.
• 4:33
  You may have heard that abbreviation before and these R D I s are different for every vitamin mineral out there.
• 4:38
  And we know that some vitamins and minerals at really high levels can be toxic.
• 4:42
  So not more is not better in this case,
• 4:45
  right?
• 4:45
  So fortunately many of those foods that we find,
• 4:49
  you know,
• 4:49
  commonly in our food supply are adequate sourcess for reaching these R D I s where we don't necessarily need that extra supplementation.
• 4:56
  Now,
• 4:57
  I do want to point out here that we want to recognize that there's strong nutrition science that tells us certain groups within our larger population may benefit from supplementation of specific vitamins and minerals.
• 5:10
  So the key point here is found in the word itself,
• 5:12
  the nutrients and dietary supplements can supplement the diet to help meet recommended nutritional targets among certain populations.
• 5:21
  So when when we're talking about those individuals,
• 5:25
  so I know that there's been certain times in my life for my Children and that our pediatrician or my health care provider has recommended taking a certain vitamin or mineral supplement.
• 5:35
  Can you share a little bit about when and who we should be talking to for sure.
• 5:40
  So we have um a few groups that we do want to point out uh where supplements may be,
• 5:46
  be beneficial or necessary.
• 5:48
  Um And a lot of these are connected to different stages throughout the lifespan.
• 5:51
  So just like you said,
• 5:52
  you know,
• 5:52
  with your Children who are growing and developing and even yourself.
• 5:56
  So the first one that I'll point out is that conversations about nutrition should be taking place for babies and young toddlers for sure.
• 6:04
  So the primary nutrient to talk to pediatricians or your health care provider about in infants is vitamin D.
• 6:10
  And it's recommended that specifically breastfed babies should start vitamin D supplementation within the first few days of life.
• 6:17
  But if a baby is primarily formula fed,
• 6:20
  that vitamin D is not as much of a concern because vitamin D is found in adequate levels within formula.
• 6:27
  So just keeping that in mind,
• 6:29
  uh iron is also something else that pediatricians may start to check around 12 months of age and they may encourage supplementation for those uh Children if their levels are too low.
• 6:39
  But that is something you should definitely be talking to health care providers.
• 6:42
  About.
• 6:43
  The next one that I want to point out is uh women of childbearing age.
• 6:48
  And so I mentioned women were more likely to take a supplement.
• 6:51
  And I think this is probably one of the reasons why but specifically a multi violent vitamin including folic acid is strongly recommended for women who are pregnant or could become pregnant.
• 7:01
  And you know,
• 7:02
  this is usually called a prenatal vitamin.
• 7:04
  That's how it's probably on the shelf if you find it because we know there's strong evidence that links certain nutrient deficiencies like folic acid to specific birth defects.
• 7:13
  And so we want to prevent those as much as we can.
• 7:16
  And so there are other nutrients,
• 7:18
  your health care provider may bring up during this time period if you are pregnant or could become pregnant.
• 7:24
  And that includes iron cole and iodine,
• 7:27
  iodine,
• 7:27
  just name a couple.
• 7:29
  The next group are older adults.
• 7:31
  And that's just because as we age,
• 7:33
  our bodies change and that includes the ability of our G I tract to absorb certain nutrients.
• 7:38
  So we just don't,
• 7:40
  we're just not as efficient as absorbing nutrients from our food as we get older and so specific nutrients there,
• 7:46
  you may want to talk to your health care provider about is B 12 and again,
• 7:50
  vitamin D and then just a couple more that I'll point out is that there are some individuals out there with specific medical conditions that may require supplementation,
• 7:59
  but this is only under the care and guidance of a medical professional.
• 8:02
  So any type of condition that interferes with your body's ability to absorb vitamins and minerals.
• 8:07
  So this could be celiac disease,
• 8:09
  chronic issues with the G I tract like Crohn's disease and those who have received gastric bypass really need to be working with their provider to make sure they're meeting all their nutrient needs.
• 8:19
  And finally,
• 8:20
  and I got this has been a long answer.
• 8:22
  If you are someone,
• 8:23
  you know that's consumed a vegetarian or vegan diet for an extended amount of time,
• 8:27
  we're talking a pretty long time here.
• 8:29
  I encourage you to talk to your health care provider about the need to supplement B 12 specifically because that is a vitamin that is only found in foods that come from animals.
• 8:39
  And so we just wanna be sure that that is getting into your system because that vitamin is incredibly important when it comes to energy metabolism.
• 8:46
  Heather all great information as we begin to wrap up today.
• 8:50
  Are there other um,
• 8:51
  things that consumers should be aware of when considering a dietary supplement or if they are already taking one?
• 8:57
  Yes.
• 8:57
  So you know,
• 8:59
  when you go to the doctor and then one of the first questions they ask you when you go into the doctor's office is,
• 9:04
  what medications are you taking?
• 9:06
  What are you currently taking?
• 9:07
  It might be on like the check in form.
• 9:09
  Um,
• 9:09
  you have to fill out a form or it may be something the nurse ask you mention any and all supplements,
• 9:15
  you may be taking two.
• 9:16
  So you might be inclined to only think about prescribed medications.
• 9:20
  You know,
• 9:20
  something that a provider told you to take or,
• 9:22
  or labeled as a traditional medicine.
• 9:24
  But the supplements are just as important and they need to know if you're taking them.
• 9:28
  And a perfect example would be that you take a multivitamin that includes vitamin K and you were there to talk to your provider that day about starting the blood thinner.
• 9:36
  Well,
• 9:37
  they need to know this information because vitamin K can actually inhibit the ability of your blood thinner to work properly.
• 9:43
  And so you,
• 9:43
  it's just there,
• 9:45
  it's just,
• 9:46
  it's a chemical,
• 9:46
  it's something that you're taking into your body and they need to know if it's gonna impact any medications that you're currently taking.
• 9:51
  Another person to ask if you have a question is your pharmacist as well.
• 9:56
  They are always there to answer a question like that.
• 9:59
  Second thing I have here is the Food and Drug Administration or the FDA,
• 10:03
  is the federal agency that works to keep our food supply and our prescription drugs safe and the highest quality.
• 10:11
  Now the FDA does not regulate supplements the way they do food and drugs.
• 10:15
  And so I have a statement here directly from the FDA.
• 10:18
  I actually want to read.
• 10:19
  Um,
• 10:19
  and it's from their web page that's titled Information For Consumers on using dietary supplements.
• 10:25
  And we can even link this if we want to.
• 10:26
  But it,
• 10:27
  it says under the dietary supplement,
• 10:29
  Health and Education Act FDA is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed.
• 10:37
  So this means this is what this tells me the FDA doesn't even have to be notified when a new dietary supplement is introduced to the market.
• 10:45
  So it is essential that we have buyer beware a little bit and it's on the consumer to ensure they are receiving quality products.
• 10:53
  So I just wanted to leave that there.
• 10:55
  And if you have any major concerns,
• 10:57
  so specifically specifically going back to those groups who should be,
• 11:01
  you know,
• 11:01
  potentially supplementing if you have any major concerns about receiving specific nutrients in your diet.
• 11:07
  I encourage folks to request a consultation with a registered dietician or an R D and help professionals specifically trained to help people make choices that meet those nutrition needs.
• 11:17
  Heather,
• 11:18
  thank you so much for joining us today and um helping our listeners learn more and understand more about dietary supplements as well as the reminder to be in conversation with their health care professionals anytime they're making changes in their diet.
• 11:31
  Um You have also provided uh some website links for our listeners that they would like to learn more about the topic and those will be available in the show notes.
• 11:41
  Perfect.
• 11:41
  Thank you so much.
• 11:43
  Thanks Heather.
• 11:45
  Thank you for listening to talking facts.
• 11:47
  We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
• 11:50
  health resource management,
• 11:52
  family development and civic engagement.
• 11:55
  If you enjoyed today's podcast,
• 11:57
  have a question or a show topic idea.
• 11:59
  Leave a like and a comment on Facebook at UK F CS E X T or send us an email at UK F CS E X T at UK Y dot E D U.
• 12:12
  Visit us online at F CS dot UK Y dot E D U to learn more about the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
• 12:25
  We build strong families,
• 12:27
  we build Kentucky.
• 12:29
  It starts with us.