Reflecting on the nutrition stories that have captivated the media over the past month, one might begin to doubt the value of nutrition in maintaining health. After all, scientists (and the media) would have you believe that current nutrition recommendations are meaningless. This interpretation is wrong. Nutrient-disease relationships do exist. The fact remains, most people do not have optimal nutrient status.
 
Chewing the Fat
Let’s start with dietary fat. A systematic review and meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that cardiovascular guidelines discouraging consumption of saturated fats and encouraging consumption of omega-3 fatty acids needed to be reappraised.
 
Unfortunately, it was the statistical analysis that needed reassessment. About a week later, a revised manuscript was released. The new version reported statistically significant, beneficial relationships for blood levels of total omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eiscosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA+EPA with cardiovascular risk.
 
Take home message: most people are not consuming adequate amounts of DHA+EPA. Our bodies need these omega-3s to function properly, and optimally. For more information: GOED.
 
Spotlight on the Sunshine Vitamin
Second on the agenda is vitamin D. Low serum 25(OH)D3 levels (< 50 nmol/L) are associated with increased risk of hip fractures, heart attacks and cancer. People with vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L are twice as likely to die from heart failure than those with serum 25(OH)D3 levels above 75 nmol/L. People with serum 25(OH)D3 levels < 42 nmol/L have a 38% higher risk of hip fracture than those with levels above 68 nmol/L.
 
The International Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 800 IU vitamin D3 daily to reduce the risk of fractures. While some may “argue against prescribing vitamin D to prevent falls,” it is important to note that Bolland and colleagues conducted an unusual statistical approach to derive this anomalous conclusion. For more information on the benefits of calcium, vitamin D and magnesium supplementation in preventing falls and fractures, see this Frost & Sullivan report.
 
Nutrient Dense Solutions
A disturbingly large proportion of the population is nutrient deficient (Figure 1). Many have less than optimal nutrient status. The only resolution is to choose foods that are more nutrient dense and/or to use dietary supplements. Health professionals should encourage the consumption of enriched/fortified foods. People shouldn’t be frightened away from using dietary supplements. Bodies need essential nutrients to function properly. Multivitamin-mineral supplements are a safe, cheap insurance policy.
 
Essential nutrients—vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and some amino acids—are needed for cells, organs, tissues and bodies to function properly. The issue isn’t how one chooses to ingest nutrients. Instead we need to know if we have optimal levels of nutrients in our body for health.