www.boingboing.net/2010/02/25/which-supplements-re.html
a new interactive infographic, designed to make it easy for anybody to parse the data on dietary supplements. Each bubble represents a specific use--or group of uses--for a dietary supplement. The bigger the bubble, the more popular the supplement is, as measured in Google hits. The higher on the chart, the more solid the evidence supporting that particular supplement for that particular use. David from IiB reviewed nearly 1000 studies to put this baby together, using studies with large numbers of subjects or meta analysis of multiple studies whenever possible.
Reply I'm a bit puzzled by the use of the term "supplements". Most of the substances/ingredients/plants/fruits are just what they are, or are naturally part of ordinary food.
Reply It's not easy for everyone to include certain kinds of food in their diets. Aside from cost, time, and local availability, there are dietary concerns, both physiological and personal/religious. Some may be lactose-intolerant -- so no milk -- or vegetarian/vegan -- so no fish. So many people may need to acquire their supplements in other forms. Also, remember that the term "supplement" can simply refer to the fact that it is not a vital vitamin/mineral/oil/etc. They "supplement" an otherwise perfectly acceptable diet.
Reply Interestingly enough, fish oil and omega-3 are virtually the same thing. The primary source of all omega type unsaturated fatty acids is fish oil, and so omega-3 fatty acid supplements are simply purified fish oil. Fish oil itself also contains omega-6 fatty acids, for example, which are also similarly beneficial. If you're concerned about sustainability as I am (disclosure: for some time I did research about bioreactor culturing of alternative sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, such as spirulina) then you might actually think twice before popping fish oil all the time though - if it isn't already obvious to you, fish oil is questionably sustainable at best.
Reply Fish oil and Omega 3 have never been shown to demonstrate anything relating to behaviour, intelligence or anything really so I don't know why that bollox is in there. The lobbying industry for Omega 3 in the UK have been demonstrated to use underhand tricks and guilt marketing on parents of small children (read Bad Science), so they can fuck off really.
Reply I had difficulty leaving a comment over there (probably to do with the computer I'm using today), so I hope the creator reads this blog. If you cook from scratch instead of using processed foods and don't salt a lot, or only use pure sea salt, you might not be getting enough even in the US. That nutrient would be the highest bubble on the chart, if it were there.
Reply I can't speak for all of them but at least with Vitamin D it should be taken with a big grain of salt (I am in biomedical research related to vitamin D like compounds and cancer). There is very good evidence that high levels of vitamin D correlate with low risk of certain types of cancer. However there is also good evidence that supplementing your diet with vitamin D does nothing to prevent cancer. And there is really definitive evidence that it is not good for treating cancer once it has formed. This is a big problem with supplements vis a vis cancer and something that a lot of people simply don't understand. Just because there is a correlation with high levels of chemical X in people who don't develop cancer it doesn't mean that taking it in pill form or eating some food high in X will do anything at all for your cancer risk. The other thing to take in to account is that with supplements there is very little information on long term effects of high doses of them. The studies are generally hard to do, very expensive, and confounded by a lot of variables. So doubling your vitamin D intake may not be harmful at all. Maybe it raises your risk of some cancers by some slight percentage.
Reply The original snake oil was rich in an omega 3, and was used for a few complaints, which likely had great efficacy and minimal side effects. Fake snake oil, or different species w/o the omega 3 component, were often sold, and oversold as a cure all.
org/wiki/Snake_oil Disparaging things as snake oil shows the two errors commonly made with supplements: Overselling shoddy products for too many uses and assuming that because it was not established or well researched medicine than it's not legit.
Reply I don't see where this chart makes any claims with regard to fish oil/Omega 3 and behavior or intelligence. However, Plenty of such studies have found evidence in the realm that you describe as "anything, really". Maybe do a little research before spouting off next time, and don't stray too far off topic.
Every time I visit home my dearest mother nags me about how I should be taking vitamins, vitamin D in particular. Show me three studies that show that taking a vitamin SUPPLEMENT (ie not just showing that high levels of something is associated with something else) in a double blind randomized did something. So, I was pumped to pull open the raw data that made this graph and see myself proved wrong. One literature review (junk), one study on measuring vitamin D levels vs health factors (suggestive on the benefits of D, but junk in terms of supplements), and one double blind on post menopausal women. The double blind on post menopausal women is vaguely promising, but one study on post menopausal women hardly counts as "strong evidence" that you should be wasting money on this junk. Now vitamin D is at the top of the list and its support is one junk article, one article not on supplements, and one a narrow group of people. That gives you a pretty good idea as to how worthwhile the rest of those supplements are. You get to take continue taking a magic pill that will fix all your ills while actually doing something healthy for your body.
Reply Omega-3 has indeed been shown to have a host of benefits, which is why "that bollox is in there." Most of the benefits, however, have to do with cholesterol, which is exactly what the chart says. The chart doesn't mention "intelligence," so I'm not sure what strawman you're knocking down.
Wikipedia article, so I'm surprised they put that bubble at the "Good" level and not the "Promising" level. However, the article does note "Fish oils appear to reduce ADHD-related symptoms in some children.
Double blind studies have showed "medium to strong treatment effects of omega 3 fatty acids on symptoms of ADHD" after administering amounts around 1 gram for three to six months.
Reply Not on topic per se - but does anyone know where red yeast rice got its name (it's at the top of the diagram for those interested)? I know it's yeast grown on rice but why the yodafied name?
Reply Word of warning to everyone: Red yeast rice can contain lovastatin. And if it doesn't, isn't it kind of pointless to take it for blood pressure or cholesterol? The prescription statins I've tried have terrible effects on me, so this sounded great to me, too, but I'm hesitant to try it since it's just another statin.
Reply Vitamin D as a supplement has been known for over 50 years as a preventative and treatment for rickets. For some of the other things that have made the news lately, there's obviously less evidence (Seasonal Affective Disorder, memory problems, cancer prevention, immune function, etc) but arguing that the Vitamin D that has been added to milk for decades isn't what eliminated rickets in the developed world is beyond "conservative" and into the "vaccines eat your brain" level of hysterical denial.
There is scientific evidence that points to benefits from supplementing with vitamin D Prospective studies exist that show that people with high vitamin D levels, even those who supplement, have lower incidences of events. One prospective study found that insufficient vitamin D levels increased chances from death FROM EVERYTHING by a factor of two. Get a little sun (in the summer) and get a little supplementation. Vitamin D will not cure all your problems on its own, but it looks (scientifically) to be a very good co-factor for exercise and proper nutrition. Nothing will ever exist that will undo all of the ...
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