Do We Really Need Nutritional Supplements? Insufficient vitamin intake is apparently a cause of chronic disease. Recent evidence has shown that suboptimal levels of vitamins (below standard), even well above those causing deficiency syndromes, are risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. A large proportion of the general population is apparently at increased risk for this reason. Journal of the American Medical Association Jun 19, 2002. Many prescription medications can also deplete nutrients. People with or at risk of certain medical conditions need higher doses of specific nutrients. If you have specific questions about your medications or medical conditions, we’re here to help Even with the best intentions and the most careful planning, daily consumption of commercially processed foods grown in nutrient-deficient soils will not provide us with the quality of nutrition we require for a lifetime of optimal health. Simply put, if the nutrients are not in our soils, they are not in our foods; and if they are not in our foods, they are not in our bodies. Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutrional Supplements 2007 Consider this: Store asparagus for 1 week and 90% of its vitamin C is gone. Blanch vegetables or fish and up to one half of their B-complex vitamins and vitamin C is lost. In a 2003 study, adults who took multivitamins fell ill to infection far less frequently than those who took placebo. The differences were even more pronounced in those who had type 2 diabetes. Klatz R, Goldman R. Vitamins, Co-vitamins and Cofactors. Anti-aging Revolution. 2003 p.169-204. Researchers compared cardiac death rates from several interventions to treat high cholesterol. They found that the greatest benefit was obtained from fish oil, which provided a 23% reduction in the overall risk of death. Archives of Internal Medicine. April 2005.