Page 62 - Prevention (February 2020)

SCI E NCE

MYTH #2
If you eat well,
you don’t need
any supplements.

MYTHBUSTER “With MYTH #3
food, you’re getting
Vitamin brands are
the whole nutrient
basically interchangeable.
package,” says
Kitchin—but a well- MYTHBUSTER Some vitamin brands “don’t always
balanced plate is no have in them what they say they have,” says
guarantee. People Kitchin. Look for brands vetted as A-OK by a
who have absorption third party. Scan the labels for the symbols of the
issues or chronic nonprofit United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or
diseases or are NSF International, suggests Majumdar. (Last May,
pregnant may require CVS announced it would sell only supplements
supplementation, that had been third-party tested.) Vigilance is vital,
says Melissa since the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t
Majumdar, R.D., regulate vitamins the same way it regulates
a spokesperson medications. “Supplement manufacturers are
for the Academy responsible for the safety and quality of their
of Nutrition and products, but there’s no regulatory agency
Dietetics. And some checking in,” says Majumdar. Steer clear of
nutrients are hard products that promise a quick cure, a money-back
to get through diet guarantee, or treatment for a specific disease.
alone. Vitamin B is
12
found naturally only
in animal products
like meat and dairy;
for vegetarians, B 12
supplements may
make sense. And
our bodies need
a lot of calcium,
Majumdar says, “so
many people do need
calcium supplements
to get their levels up.”
Talk to your doctor or
dietitian about how
to measure and
monitor your levels.

58 PREVENTION.COM • F E B R UA RY 2020