Vitamins: Trend or necessity?

Vitamins: Trend or necessity?

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Have you ever woken up on a sunny morning feeling week and exhausted? You need food and vitamin supplements, proclaims an advertisement for "health food".

Another advertisement asks, "Are you afraid that your world is being contaminated by pollutants? You may need anti-oxidant vitamins."

Today the very elements we need to sustain in life: air, water, food and even sunlight now pose a serious threat to our health. Pollution, food preservatives, heavy metals, Ultra Violet radiation and stress are among the biggest culprits of free radical production.

Therefore, everyone seems to be captivated by advertisers' promises. More and more people are eating foods rich in antioxidants and taking antioxidant supplements.

Top executives and managers are among the faithful consumers of these products. Harry, an executive at a U.S. based computer company joked, "I use vitamins as part of my exercise routine. I need more energy to do my job, yet I have no time to eat properly. That's why I swallow all the food supplements and vitamins I can."

"I line up bottles of vitamins and food supplements in my bathroom so that I won't forget to them to help enhance my productivity, " said Rini, a designer at a noted advertising agency.

"There is no day without vitamins," explained another executive who is seemingly addicted to the products.

Medical researchers have long been sending out the word that anti-oxidants, such as beta-carotene and Vitamins C and E, may help prevent cancer and heart disease and reduce stress.

Vitamin E, an antioxidant, embeds itself in cell membranes and protects fatty molecules by neutralizing free radicals. A controlled clinical trial published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that men and women taking a daily dose of Vitamin E had two-third the risk of developing heart disease of those who didn't take supplements.

Imbued by various scientific studies, and the high demand for anti-oxidant and food supplements, businesses have immediately flooded the local market with a large variety of health food and vitamin products.

These food supplements and vitamins are usually made from natural and man-made elements. The ingredients used range from vegetable and fruit extractions, including carrot, garlic, oranges and bananas, to various marine products such as seaweed and algae. They are available in the form of pills, capsules, syrup, jelly and liquids.

Surprising

It is not surprising that such products, both local and foreign made, are easily found in local supermarkets, body-care shops and drug stores.

Chicken Brand, Squalene, Omega-3, Garlic, Ginseng, Royal H. Jelly & Bee Pollen, Wheat Germ Oil, Vitamin ABC Plus (Multi- Vitamin & Multi-mineral Formula included Beta-carotene, anti oxidant), and Natural Bounty are a few of the concoctions available. The newest offering in health food and vitamins is produced by the Australian herbal medicine company, Blackmores.

Marcus Blackmores, president of the company, commented during the launching of a product last week that Indonesia is a potential market because the country's economy is growing steadily. The number of the targeted middle to upper class group has increased.

To compete with existing products, Blackmores has launched items like Blackmores Naturetime for Executives which functions as a stress reliever, and Blackmores Bio-Ace which is billed as an anti-aging product.

Concern

However, the deluge of these products into the local market has concerned the government, the Indonesian Consumer Protection agency and nutritionists.

Richard Panjaitan from the Directorate General of Food and Drug Control Agency, warned producers to list all the ingredients.

"Don't cheat your consumers with heavenly promises," stressed Panjaitan. He also suggested that people be careful in choosing products because that not all nutritional foods and vitamins are registered with the Ministry of Health.

The consumer agency asked the producers to inform the public about the quality of their products. Many items are often falsely advertised as cures for illnesses.

Nutritional experts who recommend these supplements place equal emphasize on the importance of eating properly, exercising regularly, reducing stress and making other individual lifestyle adjustments necessary for good health.

Eat healthy foods and don't depend entirely on vitamins, is their main message.

Studies note that eating the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, bananas, apples and green vegetables a day provides sufficient antioxidant vitamins.

Prominent nutritionist Walujo Soerjodibroto commented that food supplements are should be used to balance one's diet. He stressed that as long as we consume well-balance diet, supplements are not necessary.

Many people, he said, have been misled. They swallow various pills and tonics in the belief that the drugs enhance their energy.

People who work extremely hard, including top executives and athletes, may require food supplements and vitamins. But, they should first consult their doctor or a nutritionist to determine the supplements they require, he said.

Side-effects

"If you eat properly, consuming supplements may cause various side-effects," Waluyo explained.

Dr. Wurry Wuryani, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Science believes that it is better to eat natural foods rather than packaged products.

She said that supplements are trendy in Indonesia, but have lost their shine in western countries.

She continued that food supplements may stimulate effective absorption of nutritious substances but cannot replace real food.

Wuryani added that the appropriate dose of vitamins is important. Each person requires different kinds and amounts of vitamins. "You can't generalize that all people need the same amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin E or Calcium," she explained.

A pregnant woman may need more calcium compared to another woman of the same age. "Basically each person has unique body system that required specific nutrition and vitamin intake according to their age, weight and physical condition, " she stated.

Taking excessive amounts of food supplements, vitamins and other minerals can be poisonous, she added.

Therefore, the merit of food supplements have not been proved, she maintained.