This article was downloaded by: [University of Newcastle, Australia] On: 30 December 2014, At: 18:35 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Journal of the American College of Nutrition Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uacn20
Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question a
b
George J. Brewer MD, MACN & Ananda S. Prasad MD, PhD, MACN a
Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan b
Director of Research, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan Published online: 23 Jun 2014.
Click for updates To cite this article: George J. Brewer MD, MACN & Ananda S. Prasad MD, PhD, MACN (2014) Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 33:3, 185-185, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2014.930296 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2014.930296
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Guest Editorial
Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question George J. Brewer, MD, MACN, Ananda S. Prasad, MD, PhD, MACN
Downloaded by [University of Newcastle, Australia] at 18:35 30 December 2014
Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (G.J.B), and Director of Research, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan (A.S.P)
One of the important issues in nutrition today is whether healthy people should take any vitamin and/or mineral supplements, and if so, which ones and how much? Americans spend billions of dollars on various of these supplements, but what does the science say about the need and the wisdom for taking them? Is a lot of money wasted? Do some supplements pose a risk? The wisdom of taking any one of four specific supplements will be vigorously debated by expert scientists on each side of the issue in two symposia to be held all day Thursday, October 16th at the ACN Conference. The four supplements to be discussed are chromium, vitamin D, copper, and zinc. Dr. Richard Anderson, formerly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, will discuss why everyone should take supplemental chromium. (And millions are made on chromium supplement sales annually). Dr. John Vincent of the University of Alabama will argue that chromium isn’t even an essential element, and that supplementation in healthy people is completely unnecessary and a waste of money. Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University will argue that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial if blood levels are below 40 ng/ml, and since few healthy adults are higher than that, universal supplementation is recommended. Dr. Sue Shapses of Rutgers University will hold that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for those with blood levels of 20 ng/ml or below, and that routine supplementation is only beneficial for certain pockets of the population. Regarding copper and zinc, there will be interesting pro and con arguments regarding supplementation as well, and in these two cases, risk raises its ugly head. Dr. Bonnie Ransom Stern from Consulting in Health Sciences and Risk Assessment will
argue that people aren’t taking in as much copper as they need in their diet, and copper supplements are necessary to optimize health. Dr. George Brewer, of the University of Michigan, will argue that copper deficiency is rare, and that the inorganic copper in copper supplements increases risk of cognition loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Ananda Prasad, Wayne State University, will show data demonstrating that a 45 mg supplement of zinc per day will reduce infections in healthy elderly by 66%. Dr. Leslie Klevay, University of North Dakota, will argue that zinc supplements are not needed and cause risk of copper deficiency, potentially a serious problem. So there you have it. The best pro/con science there is for taking these four supplements will be laid out for you in San Antonio! We’d love to see you at the meeting and have you join in on the discussions/arguments. Sincerely yours, George J. Brewer, M.D., MACN Ananda S. Prasad, M.D., PhD, MACN Other conference symposia include: Treating Food Addiction Debate on Micronutrient Supplementation Debating the Science on GMO Impact on Health Ketogenic Diet and Endurance in Athletes Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolics in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Cardiometabolic Risk: Excessive Fat Vs Low Muscle Mass For more details about the meeting, see the website: www.americancollegeofnutrition.org.
Symposia to be presented at the American College of Nutrition in San Antonio, TX, October 15–18, 2014 moderated by Drs. Brewer and Prasad.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 33, No. 3, 185 (2014) C American College of Nutrition Published by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 185
Journal of the American College of Nutrition Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uacn20
Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question a
b
George J. Brewer MD, MACN & Ananda S. Prasad MD, PhD, MACN a
Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan b
Director of Research, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan Published online: 23 Jun 2014.
Click for updates To cite this article: George J. Brewer MD, MACN & Ananda S. Prasad MD, PhD, MACN (2014) Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 33:3, 185-185, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2014.930296 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2014.930296
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Guest Editorial
Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? That Is the Question George J. Brewer, MD, MACN, Ananda S. Prasad, MD, PhD, MACN
Downloaded by [University of Newcastle, Australia] at 18:35 30 December 2014
Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (G.J.B), and Director of Research, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan (A.S.P)
One of the important issues in nutrition today is whether healthy people should take any vitamin and/or mineral supplements, and if so, which ones and how much? Americans spend billions of dollars on various of these supplements, but what does the science say about the need and the wisdom for taking them? Is a lot of money wasted? Do some supplements pose a risk? The wisdom of taking any one of four specific supplements will be vigorously debated by expert scientists on each side of the issue in two symposia to be held all day Thursday, October 16th at the ACN Conference. The four supplements to be discussed are chromium, vitamin D, copper, and zinc. Dr. Richard Anderson, formerly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, will discuss why everyone should take supplemental chromium. (And millions are made on chromium supplement sales annually). Dr. John Vincent of the University of Alabama will argue that chromium isn’t even an essential element, and that supplementation in healthy people is completely unnecessary and a waste of money. Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University will argue that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial if blood levels are below 40 ng/ml, and since few healthy adults are higher than that, universal supplementation is recommended. Dr. Sue Shapses of Rutgers University will hold that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for those with blood levels of 20 ng/ml or below, and that routine supplementation is only beneficial for certain pockets of the population. Regarding copper and zinc, there will be interesting pro and con arguments regarding supplementation as well, and in these two cases, risk raises its ugly head. Dr. Bonnie Ransom Stern from Consulting in Health Sciences and Risk Assessment will
argue that people aren’t taking in as much copper as they need in their diet, and copper supplements are necessary to optimize health. Dr. George Brewer, of the University of Michigan, will argue that copper deficiency is rare, and that the inorganic copper in copper supplements increases risk of cognition loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Ananda Prasad, Wayne State University, will show data demonstrating that a 45 mg supplement of zinc per day will reduce infections in healthy elderly by 66%. Dr. Leslie Klevay, University of North Dakota, will argue that zinc supplements are not needed and cause risk of copper deficiency, potentially a serious problem. So there you have it. The best pro/con science there is for taking these four supplements will be laid out for you in San Antonio! We’d love to see you at the meeting and have you join in on the discussions/arguments. Sincerely yours, George J. Brewer, M.D., MACN Ananda S. Prasad, M.D., PhD, MACN Other conference symposia include: Treating Food Addiction Debate on Micronutrient Supplementation Debating the Science on GMO Impact on Health Ketogenic Diet and Endurance in Athletes Genomics, Proteomics and Metabolics in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Cardiometabolic Risk: Excessive Fat Vs Low Muscle Mass For more details about the meeting, see the website: www.americancollegeofnutrition.org.
Symposia to be presented at the American College of Nutrition in San Antonio, TX, October 15–18, 2014 moderated by Drs. Brewer and Prasad.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 33, No. 3, 185 (2014) C American College of Nutrition Published by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 185
