8/8/2021 Should you get your nutrients from food or from supplements?

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STAYING HEALTHY

Should you get your nutrients from food or

from supplements?
May 16, 2015

Supplements can plug

dietary gaps, but nutrients
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8/8/2021 Should you get your nutrients from food or from supplements? - Harvard Health

from food are most

important.
The fresh food you eat is loaded with nutrients necessary for good
health, such as magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A and C. But
many older adults aren't getting enough nutrients from their diets.

The typical American diet is heavy in nutrient-poor processed foods,

refined grains, and added sugars—all linked to inflammation and
chronic disease. Yet even if you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, you
may still fall short of needed nutrients. That's a consequence of
aging. "As we get older, our ability to absorb nutrients from food
decreases. Also, our energy needs aren't the same, and we tend to eat
less," explains Dr. Howard Sesso, an epidemiologist at Harvard-
affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Can a supplement make up the difference? "It's a touchy subject, and Image: Thinkstock

you need to look at your individual needs first," says Dr. Sesso.
Try to improve your diet before turning to
supplements. Food has beneficial nutrients,
such as flavonoids and antioxidants, that
Evidence about supplements aren't in most supplements.

Dietary supplements would seem to be the obvious way to plug gaps

in your diet. But taking too much can actually harm you. For example, you can get too much of a particular
i ih li i i " i i l
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8/8/2021 Should you get your nutrients from food or from supplements? - Harvard Health

nutrient without realizing it. "Extra vitamin A supplements can lead to dangerous, toxic levels if taken too
frequently," notes Dr. Clifford Lo, an associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

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for children as young as 12. The vaccines are proving to be nearly as effective in the
real world as they were in clinical trials. The CDC has relaxed some prevention
measures, particularly for people who are fully vaccinated, and especially outdoors.
Meanwhile, scientists continue to explore treatments and to keep an eye on viral
variants.

STAY INFORMED

The evidence about the benefits of multivitamins is mixed. Dr. Sesso was a lead researcher in one of the
largest studies to date on multivitamins, the Physicians' Health Study II, which found that multivitamins
were associated with a small reduction in the risk of cancer and cataracts in men, but did not reduce deaths
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8/8/2021 Should you get your nutrients from food or from supplements? - Harvard Health

from heart disease. A study published March 1, 2015, in TheJournal of Nutrition found that a multivitamin
with minerals lowered the risk of death from heart disease in women, but not in men. However, a review of a
number of studies, published in Annals of Internal Medicine in 2013, found that multivitamins showed no
benefit in preventing early death. Because the findings from these and many other studies conflict, the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force doesn't support vitamin and mineral supplements to ward off disease.

What you should do

Both Dr. Sesso and Dr. Lo advise that you try to improve your diet before you use supplements. That's because
nutrients are most potent when they come from food. "They are accompanied by many nonessential but
beneficial nutrients, such as hundreds of carotenoids, flavonoids, minerals, and antioxidants that aren't in
most supplements," says Dr. Lo.

Plus, "food tastes better and is often less expensive than adding supplements," says Dr. Sesso. "Work with a
dietitian, and try to get a sense of what's missing from your diet and what changes might be considered."

If you are unable to make dietary changes, or if you have a genuine deficiency in a particular nutrient, such
as vitamin D, both doctors say that a supplement may be helpful. Just be careful; the manufacture of
supplements isn't monitored by the government in the way that the manufacture of pharmaceuticals is—so
you can't be sure exactly what you're getting.

Bottom line: "Look for a multivitamin with D and B vitamins (especially folate), iron, magnesium, and
calcium," says Dr. Sesso, "and go for a well-known brand that's been around for a long time and is likely well
tested." 

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8/8/2021 Should you get your nutrients from food or from supplements? - Harvard Health

Good food sources of important nutrients

Nutrient Found in these foods

Lean beef, turkey, tuna, sunflower seeds, spinach and other

Vitamin B
leafy greens, eggs

Salmon, tuna, lean beef, vitamin D-fortified milk and yogurt,

Vitamin D
fortified orange juice, egg yolk

Iron Liver, oysters, lean beef, chickpeas, beans, lentils, and sesame seeds

Spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables; unrefined grains;

Magnesium
and legumes

Calcium Dairy products, fish such as salmon and sardines, and dark, leafy greens.

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