2020 Vitamins and Other Supplements White Paper [Print and Digital Editions]

Are you a big believer
in taking nutritional supplements?

Or are you skeptical… but considering trying dietary supplements to improve some aspect of your health?

Either way, you’re not alone:

Half of Americans use dietary supplements on a regular basis to improve their health.

These men and women spend about $30 billion a year on herbs, vitamins, minerals, hormones, and other pills—bought without a doctor’s prescription.

According to a recent study, more than 90,000 types of supplements are marketed in the United States.

But before you invest your money—and your health—in dietary supplements, I urge you to listen to this timely warning from the Federal Trade Commission…

“Unfounded and exaggerated claims for dietary supplements have proliferated,” according to Howard Beales, former Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Beales notes that the FTC has challenged deceptive advertising for health care products with more than $1 billion in sales—mostly for dietary supplements.

Biggest myths about “safe” natural medicines

The nutritional supplement marketers and the pharmaceutical industry seem to be at war.

At stake: billions of dollars in revenue from the sales of pills—medicines we take to protect and improve our health.

Advertising from the dietary supplement industry often makes out the pharmaceutical industry to be an “evil empire,” raking in billions by poisoning consumers with expensive, dangerous chemicals they shouldn’t be taking.

But some of the myths and half-truths that all this expensive advertising has implanted in the public awareness can be downright dangerous to YOUR health…

MYTH #1: Dietary supplements are far safer than prescription drugs because they are “natural.”

THE REALITY: The fact that a supplement is derived from an herb or other plant, and is therefore “natural,” doesn’t necessarily make it safe.

If everything that was made from plants was safe, we wouldn’t be told to avoid eating certain berries or mushrooms while hiking in the woods. And would you consume arsenic or hemlock?

MYTH #2: Dietary supplements are rigorously tested, and their effectiveness backed by all sorts of studies and scientific proof.

THE REALITY: To gain FDA approval, any new prescription drug has to pass a series of strict clinical trials. But dietary supplements are sold without FDA approval.

Worse, they either undergo no testing at all—or the “testing” to which they have been submitted typically does not meet the standards required by the scientific community.

Example: Supplement advertisements frequently boast that a particular herb has been used for a thousand years in Asia. In reality, some Chinese herbs can cause liver damage and other dangerous side effects.

MYTH #3: Supplement makers are knights on white horses riding to our rescue, while the pharmaceutical industry is “evil.”

THE REALITY: Both the pharmaceutical and the dietary supplement industries spend millions of dollars trying to get us to buy their products.

So the question comes down to: Who—and what products—do you trust?

2020 Vitamins and Other Supplements White Paper

Your Complete Guide to Making the Best Choices

With thousands of different dietary supplements to choose from—from alpha-lipoic acid to zinc—no one person can keep up with all the new developments in nutritional therapies.

And unless you’re an M.D. yourself, do you really have the background to separate the good science from the hype?

That’s where the University of California, Berkeley White Paper can help save you time and money while improving your health.

Our editorial advisors, all M.D.s or Ph.D.s with impressive credentials in their specialties, conduct an exhaustive search of the medical literature on a particular topic—in this case, vitamins and other supplements.

They then carefully review the research to ensure that it’s based on scientifically sound methods… and to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the findings.

Next, our editors painstakingly convert medical jargon, formulas, and statistics into clear, plain English.

You’ll find it fascinating reading—and useful. Our experts tell you exactly what you need to know about the particular vitamins and supplements you’re thinking of taking … plus, how to apply key research findings to improve and maintain your own health.

Here’s just a sampling of what you’ll discover in 2020 Vitamins and Other Supplements:

• The latest on multivitamins. About one-third of Americans take them, but recent research may have given them doubts.

• If you take herbal supplements, you may be getting more—or less—than you bargained for. Find out what’s really in the bottle.

• Can dietary supplements prevent sunburn and other skin damage?

• Sales of probiotic supplements are booming, but can they really improve digestion and immunity, help in weight loss, and protect against gum disease as claimed?

• Folic acid is a busy B vitamin—sometimes too busy: Both too little and too much can be a problem.

• What’s special about vitamin K? This lesser-known vitamin has been the subject of much research.

• At least half of people have low blood levels of vitamin D, by many estimates. Thousands of studies have looked at it in just the past few years. Here’s a summary of the research, plus the results of the long-awaited VITAL study testing vitamin D for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

• Studies on fish oil (omega-3) supplements have had mixed results. Should you deep-six your capsules? Here’s the bigger picture, with a special focus on the potential cardiovascular health benefits.

• Ginkgo has been promoted to improve memory, sharpen mental function, and stave off dementia. Has modern science confirmed or debunked these claims?

• Have trouble sleeping? Melatonin—a hormone produced in the brain—can promote sleep, prevent insomnia, and overcome jet lag. Or can it?

• Echinacea is frequently marketed as an immunity-booster that can prevent-or even cure-colds. Should you keep a bottle handy in your medicine chest?

• Capsules containing turmeric and its key component curcumin have become bestsellers. Do they live up to the marketing hype?

• Vitamin E was discovered at UC Berkeley in 1922, and since then countless studies have been done on this still mysterious antioxidant. We summarize the latest research, notably on the vitamin’s potential as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

• The ads say this vision formula can actually help prevent blindness in certain patients. A new study supports many of the claims, but suggests some variations of the formula may be preferable.

• If you have high cholesterol, which supplements are worth taking? Niacin? Red yeast rice extract? Sterols? Garlic? Here’s our advice about such cholesterol busters.

• Does vitamin A really weaken bones? Can it do serious damage to the liver? Here’s what the latest research shows.

• Magnesium can lower your blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and strengthen your bones. But only a few groups of people should take magnesium supplements. Should you?

• Can zinc really prevent or treat colds? Maybe, but you have to take the right kind of zinc.

• The truth about a supplement that is promoted to people who take statin drugs: coenzyme Q10. And what about claims that it helps treat Parkinson’s disease and heart failure?

• Why most selenium marketers now hesitate to claim that the supplement reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

• What’s behind all those ads for resveratrol—is it really the secret weapon against aging?

• Taking St. John’s wort instead of a prescription drug to combat your depression? Who should consider it—and who should not.

• Who needs iron supplements, who should think twice before taking them, and who should definitely avoid them.

• Discover what a definitive clinical trial found out about whether these two “natural arthritis cures”—glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate—can really increase your mobility and relieve joint pain.

• Many supplement formulas contain zinc, but do you know that high doses can depress the immune system and interfere with absorption of copper?

• This popular supplement, promoted to boost immunity and prevent heart disease, can not only turn your skin yellow—more importantly, it could increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers and perhaps other people.

• Can chromium help you lose weight and treat diabetes, as supplement marketers claims?

• Garlic may lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. So why do researchers say you shouldn’t bother with garlic pills?

• Supplement manufacturers are now supposed to follow expanded Good Manufacturing Practices. Does this really make supplements more reliable?

• Black cohosh is one of the best-selling herbs for menopausal symptoms. So why have British authorities warned that it can cause liver damage?

• Are the supplements you choose doing you more harm than good? Are they a necessity for maintaining health or even curing your illness?

• Why aren’t traditional medical doctors more enthusiastic about nutritional supplements? Can taking vitamins, minerals, and herbs really work? Or are they a colossal fraud—a waste of time and money?

And so much more…

Of all the decisions you make pertaining to your health, selecting dietary supplements puts you on less secure ground than anything else:

Advertising for “alternative medicine” is often filled with hyperbole.

You can buy and take any supplement without a doctor’s prescription or even recommendation.

The clinical proof of the efficacy of supplements is often sketchy, and sometimes virtually nonexistent.

Now, 2020 Vitamins and Other Supplements can help you make better-informed choices when deciding whether to take supplements—and which to buy.

But that’s not all! Order now, and you’ll also receive this
FREE Digital Report as an instant download:

Supplements in the News:
Diet Formulas, Sleep Aids and Exercise Boosters

Which Should You Take? Which Should You Avoid?

• Weight loss formulas. Here’s the skinny on CLA along with 11 other diet supplements. You’ve seen the ads and emails about them, we provide the facts.

• Sleep aids. Sleeping potions are almost as old as insomnia. Here’s the bottom line about melatonin, valerian, GABA, kava, and Chinese herbs. Which ones are good alternatives to prescription sleeping pills?

• Exercise boosters: Science vs. hype. Athletes looking for even the slightest edge often turn to a wide variety of supplements—from caffeine, creatine, and antioxidants to hormone boosters, amino acids, and sodium bicarbonate—that are supposed to boost performance. Many weekend exercisers also try such ergogenic aids. How effective are they? Are they safe? Here’s an update

University of California, Berkeley,
School of Public Health

The White Papers are published by the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. These publications are an outgrowth of the School’s commitment to help improve the health and wellness of our community of readers by publishing expert advice on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of ailments and disorders. We provide trusted, authoritative health guidance from leading physicians and researchers at America’s top medical centers and hospitals.

The School of Public Health is
consistently rated among the best in the nation

The School’s faculty members are leading scholars in their respective fields. Many of them are members of the prestigious National Academies of Medicine and Sciences. The School enrolls approximately 700 graduate students a year, and educates about 425 undergraduate students through the upper-division public health major. The School’s more than 15,000 graduates can be found working throughout the world, both in the public and private sectors.

The School of Public Health believes that everyone,
everywhere, has the right to a healthy life

Your purchase of Vitamins and Other Supplements supports the School of Public Health faculty and students in their work to confront the major health challenges of our generation. A portion of every sale goes to funding scholarships. Your purchase will directly benefit your own health as well as the health of those in your community.

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