Who needs supplements? everyone, actually

Who in the world is malnourished? Why, the poor people in developing countries are, of course. But did you know that many people in the prosperous West are also deficient in essential nutrients?

An astonishing fact, perhaps, for those who believe we get all the nutrients we need from our diet. But our soil is now so depleted of essential minerals from intensive farming that the nutritional quality of our food is but a fraction of what it was 50 years ago, organic or not.

The argument about diet versus supplementation has raged for years, and the orthodox camp still pretty much sticks to its belief that our diet provides us with all that we need to grow and to stay healthy.

Take, for instance, zinc, a mineral that is vital for a healthy immune system. Up to the 1960s, the diet camp maintained it was physically impossible for us to be deficient in zinc, but we now know that most of us have a deficiency, a problem that becomes more acute the older we get.

It’s an issue that has been raised by Ananda Prasad, distinguished professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. 'The problem (of zinc deficiency) has been known for 40 years and a solution is still outstanding. Despite all the evidence practically no attention has been given to the problem by the world’s organizations. . .it is imperative that the World Health Organization must include this problem in its top priorities.'

Sadly, not only are the world’s organizations ignoring the issue, but groups such as the EU are also bowing to the intense and powerful lobbying of the Pharma cartel and are restricting the availability of minerals and nutrients.

(Source: British Medical Journal, 2003; 326: 409-10).

* The importance of supplements, and the amounts you need to take for optimum health, is outlined in the new WDDTY book, The Good Supplement Guide. You can order your copy by visiting our website: http://www.wddty.co.uk/shop/details.asp?product=373.