Nutrition expert and Deakin University Professor Welma Stonehouse was asked by her brother for her opinion on a dietary powder for his cholesterol and liver that he had purchased online.
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he → ask → that
“I looked at the packet carefully and thought it was a waste of money, as it was unlikely to do much for either his liver or cholesterol,” says the former president of the Nutrition Society of Australia.
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president → look → Australia
The same can be said for many of the products that proliferate in Australia’s $3 billion-dollar dietary supplement industry.
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that → say → industry
Put simply, when it comes to health and disease prevention, food provides much more nutritional benefit than popping vitamins can.
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food → Put → vitamins
“Food is the original supplement, providing nutrients along with fibre and other compounds that work together to support health in ways that cannot be replicated in a pill,” Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → provide → pill
Here are some of the biggest-selling vitamins and supplements and the food swaps that deliver greater health benefits, usually at less cost.
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that → sell → cost
These “catch-all” supplements occupy prime real estate on supermarket and pharmacy shelves, proof of how popular they are.
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they → catch → shelves
Most include A, C, D, E, K, and the B-complex group vitamins, along with calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and selenium.
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Most → include → A
Many people take these as an insurance policy against illness, especially when their diet may be less than balanced.
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diet → take → illness
Some also claim to boost energy, and other health benefits, on top of those provided from an already nutritious diet.
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Some → claim → diet
But, with the exception of those with dietary restrictions, multivitamins are “surplus to requirements” says Professor Lauren Ball from the University of Queensland and a director of Dietitians Australia.
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Ball → say → Australia
“The body will eliminate excess amounts of these vitamins, typically through urine.”
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body → eliminate → urine
“Food is the original supplement, providing nutrients along with fibre and other compounds that work together to support health in ways that cannot be replicated in a pill.”Professor Welma Stonehouse
Instead of taking pricey pills, Stonehouse recommends we should be eating various foods from the following core groups, which are naturally loaded with vitamins.
“These foods provide many of the vitamins and minerals commonly found in multivitamin supplements, while also supplying protein, healthy fats, fibre and other beneficial compounds that are not found in supplements,” Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → provide → supplements
When exposed to sunlight or UV light, mushrooms can also be a good source of vitamin D.
Other supplements to reconsider
Menopause supplements
British doctor Xand van Tulleken, author of Make Me Well, calls out menopause supplements as the “single biggest rip-off in the global wellness industry”.
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Me → expose → industry
The supplements typically contain a blend of herbal extracts, phytoestrogens, vitamins and minerals claiming to ease symptoms like hot flushes and mood changes.
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supplements → contain → flushes
The herbs can include black cohosh, red clover, sage and ashwagandha (a shrub believed to promote sleep).
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herbs → include → sleep
Many studies question the efficacy of supplements.
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studies → question → supplements
The Menopause Society in the US stated in 2023 “there is insufficient scientific evidence to show that over-the-counter dietary supplements or herbal remedies perform any better than a placebo”.
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supplements → state → placebo
The Royal Women’s Hospital in Victoria advises on its website that: “Unfortunately, no over-the-counter or herbal medicines have been shown to significantly reduce menopausal symptoms.
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medicines → advise → symptoms
What to eat instead
Include more phytoestrogens in your diet.
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eat → eat → diet
There are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic some of the effects of oestrogen in the body, Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → be → body
Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, soy milk and edamame are the richest dietary sources of phytoestrogens, she says.
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she → say → phytoestrogens
Other sources include flaxseeds, legumes, sesame seeds, whole grains and nuts.
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sources → include → flaxseeds
“In addition to phytoestrogens, these foods also provide protein, fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals which support heart, bone and gut health during menopause,” Professor Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → provide → menopause
Professor Ball also recommends eating foods that reduce inflammation, which means more fruit and vegetables and less ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like breakfast cereal, meat, muesli bars, pastries and cakes.
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which → recommend → cereal
Probiotics
Probiotic supplements are concentrated doses of beneficial bacteria and yeasts designed to add friendly microorganisms into the digestive system.
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supplements → design → system
They can increase the colony of friendly microbes that live in the gut which helps boost immunity against infections among many other things.
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which → increase → things
Stress and food choices can deplete the gut microbiome, and probiotic pills are one way to help restore it with the bacteria in the pills laying dormant until activated in the digestive tract.
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pills → deplete → tract
Stonehouse and Ball argue that fermented foods provide live microorganisms within foods that contain other beneficial nutrients and compounds.
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that → argue → nutrients
“In contrast, probiotic supplements generally provide selected bacterial strains in isolation,” Professor Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → provide → isolation
What to eat instead
Food sources rich in probiotics: yoghurt with live cultures, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso, tempeh and other fermented foods.
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eat → eat → cultures
“These foods provide more than just beneficial bacteria.
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foods → provide → bacteria
Depending on the food, they can also contribute protein, calcium, B vitamins and fibre,” Professor Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → depend → protein
Fish oil
Fish oil, a type of omega-3, promises many upsides including protecting the heart, boosting mood and mental health, reducing inflammation and supporting overall health, including eye, skin and joint function.
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oil → promise → function
The supplements are made from the tissues of oily fish like salmon, sardines, and krill.
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supplements → make → salmon
Since many people do not eat the recommended servings of fatty fish a week, they use fish oil supplements to fill that gap.
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they → eat → gap
The two main active ingredients in fish oil that provide health benefits are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
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that → provide → benefits
These products vary considerably in the amount of EPA and DHA they provide, with some containing relatively low amounts, Professor Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → vary → amounts
“The more important point is that EPA and DHA obtained from food sources such as fatty fish and seafood come packaged with many other important nutrients, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium, iodine and high-quality protein,” Stonehouse says.
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Stonehouse → obtain → D
What to eat instead
Fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies and seafood such as mussels, oysters and other shellfish, twice a week, either fresh or canned, both professors Stonehouse and Ball recommend.
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Fish → eat → mussels
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
