Food Over Supplements
It can seem nearly impossible to get all of your daily nutrient needs from food everyday, that's why many people turn to supplements. However, one speaker at a recent Diabetes Conference discussed how calcium and vitamin D supplements may not work, and could even be detrimental in certain patients.
The talk was given by Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS, who is an associate professor of medicine and director of women's cardiovascular health at John's Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. She recommended that people with low blood levels of vitamin D should obtain it through the diet, and moderate levels of sun exposure (10-15 minutes of peak sunlight daily), and only taking supplementation when recommended by a physician. Low levels of vitamin D often go hand in hand with low levels of Calcium as well. It is recommended to obtain calcium through dietary sources such as low-fat dairy products, white beans, fish, leafy greens, and nuts.
Sources of Vitamin D
10-15 minutes of peak sun exposure daily
Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel)
Fish liver oils
Sources of Calcium
Low fat yogurt and cottage cheese
Low fat cheese
Sardines
Salmon
Leafy Greens
One of the largest studies done on vitamin D supplementation, called the VITAL Study, showed that supplementation of vitamin D did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events or the development of certain cancers, when compared to a placebo. Other studies on vitamin D supplementation showed no benefit for preventing bone fractures from falls or mortality.
Many studies done on calcium supplementation actually suggested an increased risk of a cardiovascular event, but not from dietary calcium. This was explained by the possibility of supplementation calcium building up in the coronary artery, while dietary calcium did not. The same study showed an association between high levels of dietary calcium lowering the risk of a cardiovascular event.
Although it can seem to be difficult to get all of your daily nutrients through food, the best way to achieve this is by eating a variety of whole foods everyday. This way, you might consume a lot of one nutrient one day, and a lot of a different one the next day. Overtime, your body will achieve it's nutrient requirements. Although the discussed studies only touched on Vitamin D and calcium, it is still recommended to get all other vitamins and nutrients from food sources as well. Supplementation can make it easy to consume too much of a given nutrient in one day, which can cause health problems.
Written by: Jane Pfeufer
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