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Consumer Health Nutrition Fads, Fallacies, and Scams Food Faddism An unusual, enthusiastically adopted pattern of food behavior Dietary Supplements Any food substance consumed in addition to regular food intake Nutrition Most experts agree that healthy individuals can get all needed nutrients through eating a balanced diet Stress Supplements "Stress-formulas" typically contain several times the RDA for the B complex and C vitamins Excess of these vitamins pass through the system Vitamins Claims that natural vitamins are better than synthetic vitamins are unfounded Claims for foods + vitamins??? Antioxidants During metabolism "oxygen free radicals" are formed Antioxidants absorb these radicals Source: Fruits & vegetablesAmino Acids Amino acids are often marketed as weight loss of ergogentic aids Evidence does not support these claims Megavitamin Claims Vitamin C No benefit Vitamin E No proven therapeutic, nutritional, or cosmetic value Dangers of Vitamin Excess Excess vitamins seldom serve a purpose Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fat and can reach toxic levels Water-soluble vitamins are typically passed through the system Supplement Use Supplements are useful for individuals who do not consume an adequate diet Examples include: Wrestler, Severe caloric restriction, those with low calcium intake Health Foods "Special foods that can benefit peoples health Be careful with the "health food" claim; most any food is healthy in moderation Organic Foods This term attempts to describe the method of food production Foods grown naturally No pesticides No artificial fertilizers Natural Foods Foods produced with minimal processing and without additives or artificial ingredients The word natural usually means the product is higher-priced Medicinal use of Herbs Many believe that either one or a combination of different plant origin substances can provide a legitimate medical use Roots, plants, barks, and seeds are examples Microbiotic Diets Microbiotic - "Way of long life" System that advocates a vegetarian diet in which foods of animal origin are used to complement but not be the meal Followers of the diet were at risk for malnutrition Health-Food Stores In 1995 there were an estimated 9,012 health-food stores in America Total gross sales were $6 billion $2.2 billion for vitamins and supplements It is not legal for storekeepers to diagnose or prescribe Pharmacist Most every pharmacy stocks and sells supplements that are irrationally formulated Most give poor advice about supplements Pharmacist make money on supplements Chiropractors More than 50 companies supply supplements to chiropractic offices Many are intended for the treatment of disease This is unproven and does not have FDA approval Unqualified Nutrition Consultants There are many consultants who have obtained some sort of certification in the field of nutrition Some of these programs take less than a year to complete Nutrition information continues to change Diagnostic Test??? Many practitioners and consultants use test as a bases for recommending supplements Examples include Hair analysis, "muscle testing", live-cell analysis, and Essential Metabolics Analysis Diagnostic Test Hair Analysis Test is preformed by obtaining a sample of hair and sending it to a lab to be analyzed Hair analysis does not show the body’s nutritional state Diagnostic Test "Muscle testing" Based on the notion that every organ dysfunction is accompanied by a specific muscle weakness This enables disease to be diagnosed through testing of the muscles Diagnostic Test Live-cell analysis Preformed by placing a drop of blood on a microscope slide The blood is visually examined and a diagnosis is made The claim is that it is useful in detecting vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as other health problems Diagnostic Test Essential Metabolics Analysis (EMA)Claim is to precisely measure the body’s nutrient status preformed by placing a type of white blood cell in a dish and adding nutrients A growth stimulant is added and cell growth is analyzed Questions/Terms Food Faddism Dietary Supplements Nutrition Stress Supplements Vitamins Antioxidants Medicinal use of Herbs Questions/Terms Amino Acids Megavitamin Claims Dangers of Excess Supplement Use Health Foods Organic Foods Natural Foods Questions/Terms Microbiotic Diets Health Food Stores Pharmacist Chiropractors Unqualified Consultants Diagnostic Test Read Ch 13 |
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