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.