Legendary nutritional authority has a lot to say

Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, FACN, is a senior scientist and director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. His research efforts are focused on the biochemical basis for the role of antioxidant nutrients and their dietary requirements in health promotion and disease prevention during the aging process via their modulation of oxidative stress status. Dr Blumberg is also a professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where he teaches graduate students and trains post-doctoral fellows.

In a recent interview that appeared in the September/October issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Dr. Blumberg was asked how he would characterize the mainstream medical establishment’s understanding and acceptance of dietary supplement research and dietary supplements in general?

"Some clinicians and policy makers fear that recommending dietary supplements will suggest these products are substitutes for a healthful diet. But there should be no dichotomy between foods and supplements. It seems clear to me that both are necessary solutions to promoting health. Of course, all the available evidence suggests that people who use supplements are more likely to engage in other proactive health behaviors, including eating better, exercising more, and not smoking. There is no indication that people use supplements as an excuse to continue with poor dietary choices. Oddly, some people then conclude that those who use supplements do not need them. But they do need them, albeit less desperately than those who do not take them. Nonetheless, I have found physicians who actively discourage any use of any supplements rather than try to design a rational supplement regimen for their patients.

Perhaps many physicians do not feel knowledgeable enough about nutrition to make the recommendation, or they simply do not have the time to assess each patient’s dietary pattern and nutritional status. This only suggests to me the need for a healthcare team approach, actively involving dietitians and pharmacists to contribute to this effort.

It is also likely that some physicians have been discouraged by the null results of recent clinical trials. However, there is a great deal of misunderstanding regarding the conclusions that should be drawn from studies conducted in patient populations receiving polypharmacy therapies and the inappropriateness of extrapolating them to use in primary prevention. For example, do vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of heart disease? Vitamin E given in randomized trials to patients with heart disease and/or diabetes who are also receiving anticoagulants, anti-platelet drugs, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, statins, and other agents does not appear in most studies to provide a benefit. However, most of the observational data on healthy people taking vitamin E indicate a marked reduction in the risk of a first cardiac event."

Bonnie - Dr. Blumberg is as highly regarded a scientist as there is. He also serves on the board of The American College of Nutrition, in which I am a member of. He has understood for decades the importance of dietary supplementation. Being a researcher for the government, Dr. Blumberg stepped out of his comfort zone with these comments. I am glad he did.