Readers comment on recent articles that have featured in HealthSupplement
Re: Daily vitamin could be bad for your health,
Health Supplement, January 15th, 2008
Dear Sir,
"Vitamins should not be trifled with - they are active biochemicals best eaten in food," to quote Claire O'Connell. Sound information, but why take the extreme example of a skeletal Hilary Swank who, O'Connell says, swallows "up to 48 food supplements a day"?
The rather barbed theme is repeated by quotes from Dr Mary Flynn of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), who states that the FSAI "promotes supplementation where needed", but warns that people taking higher level supplements could be wasting their money or even "dicing with their health".
I would remind Dr Flynn that there is not a single reported case of any serious adverse effect caused by taking food supplements in Ireland. On the contrary, there are thousands of scientific studies showing the benefits of using these supplements. They are even demonstrably safer than the food in the average fridge.
Dr Flynn suggests anyone taking a supplement should ensure it provides the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of nutrients, which, she says, is "the optimal level" and "covers the needs of over 97.5 per cent of the population".
She even predicts harm if these levels are exceeded. As a scientist, Dr Flynn should be well aware that RDA levels were established over 60 years ago as a basic level of nutrition which would enable a young American soldier to stand up and fight. If a person falls short of RDA levels they could, for example, develop deficiency diseases such as scurvy and rickets. RDA levels have very little indeed to do with maintaining good health. Falling short is much more likely to cause harm than exceeding RDA levels, as many recent studies, such as the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Study (2001), have demonstrated.
Dr Flynn was one of the principal authors of the Government's response to the European Commission's paper on the regulation of food supplements under the Food Supplements Directive (FSD). The Irish response suggested that only RDA levels of food supplements be allowed on the open market, which the Commission dismissed as illegal.
What would Dr Flynn have to say to the customer who found the only remedy for her serious pre-menstrual symptoms was 50mg of vitamin B6, without which she would have had to give up work? Dr Flynn and our Government would prefer a maximum of 0.02mg B6 to remain on sale.
There remains, however, the fear that under the FSD, permitted supplements will be so seriously reduced in potency that they will be relatively useless.
The Minister for Health Mary Harney was recently presented with the signatures of more than 60,000 people requiring that currently available levels of food supplements remain on open sale for those who choose to use them. It is small wonder that those signatures represent a tidal wave of cynicism regarding the intention of the EU and our Government to safeguard the rights of their citizens to make choices in many matters, including the means of safeguarding their health.
Jill Bell,
president, Irish Association of Health Stores
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