The full dish on food supplements

They cost a pretty penny and their inflated claims may be dubious, but dietary supplements have still scored a hit with well-heeled consumers. Or rather they had -- local agents grumble that the monetary crisis has taken a big bite out of business. The Jakarta Post's team of reporters Imannudin, I. Christianto, Christiani S. Tumelap, Aloysius Unditu, Ivy Susanti and P.J. Leo; and contributor Rita A. Widiadana gets the skinny on the formerly fat market for selling beauty dreams.

JAKARTA (JP): Want to be healthier and sexier? Looking to keep up your stamina despite a hectic working schedule?

Out to win the endless battle of the bulge?

Teasing messages like these inundate us daily in TV and magazine advertisements. They plug the wonders of dietary supplements, and promises of youthful beauty and optimum health.

Shelves in drug stores, shopping outlets and supermarkets are crammed with assorted brands. Their target markets are also diverse, spanning people of all ages and a long list of beauty and "medical" complaints.

Demand for supplements in the nation's major urban centers soared in the past decade in line with economic prosperity. Members of the swelling middle class wanted to be healthy and look their best.

Sales increased, and so did prices. For the fortunate with overflowing pocketbooks, the ability to buy the products was a status symbol.

They are especially popular with those whose face is their fortune.

"I know many people in the entertainment business who take dietary supplements," said Edwin Manansang, a member of the pop group Trio Libels and a user of collagen pills for skin.

"It's understandable -- our appearance is our selling point when we are up there on stage."

This obsession with inner and outer health is an offshoot of the worldwide "Back to Nature" movement, which began in Europe in the 1980s.

Preaching a holistic, environmentally aware approach to life, its disciples eschewed the harmful trappings of modernity.

As they donned natural fabrics and banished pollutants from their homes, they also sought exotic extracts of fruits, vegetables, herbs, marine products and grains to ward off the harmful excesses of the world around them.

Big business heard the call, and the marketing of dietary supplements was soon in full swing.

It reached Indonesia's shores by the early 1980s and gradually staked a loyal customer base.

Removed from alluring advertising images of people in the bloom of health, however, is the harsh reality of striving to get consumers to part with their rupiah.

Most agents adopt the hard sell.

Some assert their products can cure almost any medical complaint, including cancer and impotency. Others maintain they can reduce cholesterol levels in the body, enhance vitality, tighten the skin, trim down a bulging belly and tone the body.

Experts warn consumers to be wary of empty promises.

Putu Gede Konthen, a nutritionist from the Surabaya-based Dr. Sutomo General Hospital, said there was no clinical research to verify the role of dietary supplements in treating medical conditions.

Vitamins can improve the appetite and general health, but they do not have properties for curing major illnesses, he said.

"Dietary supplements, no matter how great their names are, will function just like salt, acids, monosodium glutamate or ketchup."

F.G. Winarno, a professor of food and nutrition technology at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, and Ascobat Gani, dean of the University of Indonesia's School of Public Health, agreed that consumers should be skeptical before purchasing a product.

There is also the chance of too much of a good thing.

Excessive intake of vitamin C will usually be excreted by the body, but too much of some others, including A and D, could be toxic, Winarno warned.

Pregnant women should be particularly careful about vitamin A intake. And an overdose of vitamin D will disrupt the balance of calcium and phosphate in the body, leading to weakness, abnormal thirst, increased urination, stomach upsets and depression.

Dietary supplements are most beneficial to those in poor health or stressful situations, they said.

"They should only be consumed by illness-prone people, such as pregnant women, the aged, refugees or those who are on medical treatment," Winarno explained.

The rest of us seldom need to religiously down tonics and pop vitamin pills every morning. A healthy diet should be sufficient for prime health, they said.

"What is important is how you balance the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins in your diet," Ascobat said.

Although a carbohydrate, rice also contains protein. Soybeans are an inexpensive protein alternative to meat and fish. They also contain fat, which is necessary for healthy skin and hair.

Several helpings of fruit and vegetables are ideal for providing vitamins and minerals, and are also good sources of fiber.

While most of us know that we are what we eat, we still tend to slide into a slothful lifestyle, feasting on rich, high-fat foods and doing little exercise.

Many of those unwilling to bite the health bullet and change bad habits take dietary supplements as a shortcut.

"I am quite busy and sometimes I don't have time to eat fruit," said Lulu Dewayanti, director of a modeling agency. "At those times, taking vitamin C becomes more important."

Actual benefits of taking dietary supplements may be more psychological, starting consumers on a more healthy track.

"Dietary supplements are there to help, but they are just a help," said Edwin. "The rest is up to you." (team)