The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7166 p381-384
22 September 2001

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Letters to the Editor

Diet and health (2 letters)

Encourage supplementation

From Dr R. Woodward, MRPharmS

In his Continuing Education article (PDF * 55K) on supplementation (PJ, 15 September, p352), Dr Colin Waine quotes the usual establishment line that has remained much the same for the past 50 years: eat a balanced diet and you do not need vitamin and mineral supplements except, in some circumstances, folic acid (women only) and calcium. Any hour spent in a motorway café or at a supermarket checkout should disabuse any intelligent observer of the belief that a balanced diet, let alone a wholesome diet, is the norm for the average British consumer. I despair that the establishment message remains unchanged despite all the good evidence to the contrary.

The supplement industry tried to build on the revelations of Burkitt and Cleave in the early 1970s¹ but without success. Readers will recall that those doctors discovered that fibre was a vital dietary constituent, a fact that had been known to the health food movement since Dr Allinson (of bread fame) at the turn of the 19th century.

In the ensuing years many other dietary constituents have had equally revelatory properties discovered yet no notice is taken by the establishment. Supplementation with these and vitamins and minerals is needed if the diet is not wholesome and balanced.

Pharmacists should recommend a wholesome balanced diet containing no dysfunctional foods but remember that in the real world few achieve this diet and those who do may only succeed for days or weeks at a time. They should, therefore, also actively encourage supplementation as a wise insurance. Use of properly formulated wholesome products rather than those made of only fine chemicals should be advocated, too.

If pharmacists wait for proof to satisfy the likes of Dr Waine to be provided by an industry that has no real patent protection to finance its researches, then things will never change. The tragedy is that, as a result, many health problems that plague our population will increase and health costs will rise ever faster.

Robert Woodward
Liss, Hampshire

Unhelpful article

From Mr J.N Logan, MRPharmS

The article (PDF * 55K) by Dr Colin Waine (PJ, 15 September, p352) was not at all helpful. It goes without saying that the recommended daily amounts of all nutrients can be obtained from a well balanced diet if one defines a well balanced diet as one which contains sufficient nutrients. The statement that most people can, or could, consume such a diet is, I suggest, less certain.

In my experience, many people believe that they do not, cannot or will not consume such a diet and come to ask for advice on damage limitation. Has Dr Waine not seen the look of disbelief on the face of a mother when told that she (not to mention her adolescent children) needs five portions of fresh fruit or vegetables every day? What about smokers? “Oh, you don’t need antioxidants. Just be sure you eat five portions ...”

I am quite happy to urge people to eat healthily and always do this, but I am not prepared to tell those who do not do so to go away and rot. An article giving some guidance on how best to help them would be most welcome.

John Logan
Redditch, Worcestershire

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