Every day a third of all Americans take vitamins and supplements in
the hope of staying healthy.
But studies suggest they don't actually improve our health, and some
may even have adverse effects.
So why do we take them and what are the results we're hoping to see?
Nick Harper has been to meet the people who make supplements a daily habit.
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TAKE PKG
"This is the Ultimate Man Gold that's just a good multi-vitamin…."
"This is the digestive enzyme that I like…"
"Then the schisandra….you take two, two times a day and it's good for
your energy and stress."
TAKE VO
Gavin Dreiling has been taking supplements since he was a child, and
now takes around 8 different types a day.
He works nights as a karaoke host and finds the vitamins help with
energy and his general wellbeing.
Gavin Dreiling, Karaoke Host, Full SOT: "For immune boost, and for
energy and just to fill in the gaps where my diet might be lacking
sometimes. So I like to make sure everything's balanced. And mood,
they help with just so much, energy especially.
TAKE VO
But that adds up, with Gavin spending between $100 and $190 dollars a
month of vitamins.
Nat sound - "These right here are more my workout stuff"
TAKE VO
Simon Weber has been taking supplements for about seven years.
As a personal trainer he choses ones that help his physical performance.
Nat sound - "Here I have my brain pills"
Simon Weber, Personal Trainer, Full SOT: "There are some days when I
take my mix and I actually feel like a little extra charge from it,
provided I'm eating well at the same time - it kind of goes
hand-in-hand. If you're not even paying much attention to your diet I
don't think that you can gain a whole lot from just adding in a couple
of pills into you mix, you know."
TAKE VO
As such, Simon sees his vitamins as an addition rather than a
replacement to eating well.
TAKE VO
Nutritional supplements have been pouring out profits over the last
few years. It's now an estimated $30 billion dollar a year industry.
Which if averaged out would mean every man, woman and child is
consuming $100 dollars worth of vitamins every year.
TAKE VO
But the benefits of all those vitamins, minerals and herbs is harder
to quantify. Scientific research suggests people could see similar
effects just by taking better care of themselves. That a plant-based
diet and a healthy lifestyle is really all you need.
TAKE VO
Experts admit that busy lives and marketing pressure make supplements
a tempting option. But do they really work?
Dr Michael Greger, Nutrition Specialist, Full SOT: "People take too
many supplements. There are a few that can be helpful. But in most
cases they're useless or worse."
Natsound - "Let's ask the body…"
TAKE VO
Dr Michael Greger, a specialist in clinical nutrition, started the
website nutritionfacts.org to give more information about vitamins,
based on data collected by the National Library of Medicine.
Dr Michael Greger, Nutrition Specialist, Full SOT: "There's tremendous
misinformation in the lay media, online about nutrition because
there's so much money to be made. But most of the time it's about
improving our diet rather than supplementing with any kind of other
substances.
TAKE VO
An investigation in 2015 found several leading supplements retailers,
including GNC, were selling products that didn't actual contain the
stated herbal ingredients. It was a worrying sign of the scarcity of
regulation in this multi-billion dollar industry.
TAKE VO
Despite researching every supplement before taking it, the
investigation was almost more than Simon could stomach.
Simon Weber, Personal Trainer, Full SOT: "There is that thing in the
back of my head always, the mind is a really strong thing so if I
think these pills are making me better even though they're not, if I
think they are then they are. It's just more of a mindset thing
anyways."
TAKE VO
But for Gavin it comes down to personal, proven results.
Gavin Dreiling, Karaoke Host, Full SOT: "I think it's beyond
psycho-somatic that they work so well. And if you're worry about the
money aspect of it, think about your long term health. How can you
afford not to take something that is maybe not going to extend your
life, but maybe increase your quality of life is the way I look at it.
So if you want a better quality - which I've experienced - then you
can't go wrong."
TAKE VO
Expense aside, some may find the idea of using un-scientific
supplements, a little hard to swallow.
SOC
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