Better Nutrition February 2019

asktheNATUROPATHICdoctor/ANSWERS TO YOUR HEALTH QUESTIONS
The Truth About
Supplement Studies
Why negative supplement research may not
be so gloomy after all /// BY EMILY A. KANE, ND, LAc
Emily A. Kane, ND,
LAc, has a private
naturopathic practice
in Juneau, Alaska,
where she lives with
her husband and
daughter. She is the
author of two books
on natural health,
including Managing
Menopause Naturally.
Visit her online at
dremilykane.com.
: There seems to be a lot of controversy lately about what I thought were foundational
supplements such as fish oil, vitamin D, and probiotics. What’s up with that?
—Stephon W., San Jose, Calif.
a:The more “we the people”
take responsibility for our
health, the more likely we are to live
healthy, vibrant lives. It may sound
cynical, but pharmaceutical companies,
with their profit motives and lobbyists,
need us to be chronically unwell.
I believe they go to disturbing lengths
to discredit so-called “alternative”
medicine. The level of misrepresentation
in the headlines is shocking sometimes.
It’s crucial to look at the actual studies
before making any judgements
Life on planet Earth is not what it
used to be. Less than 100 years ago,
there were no prescription antibiotics.
Potent, natural antimicrobials (which
still work today) came from minerals
(especially sulfur) and plant medicines,
including goldenseal, osha, and thyme.
While antibiotics have prevented many
fatalities—from septic war wounds to
ulcers to myriad bacterial infections—
there are inherent problems with them.
First, within 10 years of the production
of any antibiotic (penicillin was the first),
resistant strains of bacteria emerge.
Second, taking a broad-spectrum antibiotic
(which indiscriminately kills all
microbes) wrecks the body’s gut flora.
Probiotics: Healing or Harmful?
Let’s look at two recent studies that cast
doubt on probiotics. One study (not in
people, but on a gut “chip,” which is lined
with living human cells) showed that
inflammation in the gut causes intestinal
permeability (leaky gut). The researchers,
whose findings were published in the
journal PNAS, theorized that leaky
gut could allow probiotics into the
bloodstream, causing more harm than
good. I disagree. For example, in cases
of C. difficile (a hard-to-treat, hospitalacquired
infection in the colon caused
by antibiotics), pouring billions of good
bacteria into a damaged gut often resolves
the infection. Also, research has shown
that taking probiotic sachets (with
450 billion CFUs) three times daily for
6–18 weeks significantly helps people
with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
A study published in Cell tracked around
20 people on antibiotics. Researchers
divided participants into three groups:
one took nothing after their course
of antibiotics; the second group got a
fecal transplant with their own stool,
Did You
Know?
It’s important to look at
the actual studies, rather
than just the headlines.
To find full studies,
try PubMed:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed.
18 • FEBRUARY 2019