Some of the authorities are finally getting it right…

…at least when it comes to supplements. They still haven’t gotten it right about dairy, but this is a pretty good start. This story has been all over the news for the past week: Boston Globe, Fox, NBC Evening News and the New York Times.

Just say NO to calcium pills and ALL dairy as your source of calcium.

A few days ago I blogged on some of the dangers of trying to get our essential nutrients from pills instead of from whole plants as nature intended. That article featured scientific studies questioning the use of folate, vitamin C and omega-3 supplements, to name a few. Now, our own government is telling us a similar story about calcium and vitamin D. From the New York Times: (See link to article below)

The United States Preventive Services Task Force, an influential group that recently recommended against routine P.S.A. tests to detect prostate cancer, issued a draft statement on Tuesday recommending that healthy postmenopausal women should not take low doses of calcium or vitamin D supplements to prevent fractures.

Later in the article they added that there was no evidence that they worked for healthy men or women of any age, adding:

“When you take a vitamin supplement or any therapy for an extended period of time, you have to ask, ‘What is the evidence that it works and what is the evidence of harms?’ ” Dr. Bibbins-Domingo said.

“It is clear that lower doses of calcium and vitamin D do not prevent fractures, and there is a small but measurable risk of kidney stones,” she said. So with no evidence of benefit, there is no reason to risk harm.

This should be your preferred source of all essential nutrients—the fresh produce section at your grocery or farmers market.

What about diet? It was only mentioned in the last paragraph of the article and they failed to explain exactly what constituted a healthy diet. “For most people, she said, there is no need for these supplements and good reason for many not to take them. “Vitamin D and calcium are part of a healthy diet,” Dr. Bibbins-Domingo said. “Most people can achieve sufficient doses with a healthy diet.”

The “healthy diet” needed is one that features mostly whole plants. And even though they mentioned the need for a healthy diet in the article, I would bet you $100 that if you asked what that meant, those “experts” would give you the old USDA party line: “a balanced diet with lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy along with grains, fruits and vegetables.”

See Nigel’s article on dairy. Shown here with his lovely granddaughter.

The Bottom Line. Forget virtually all supplements except for B12. You’ll get all the calcium you need from a whole foods, plant-based diet and you can get your Vitamin D from the sun. You should not consider dairy of any kind–at any age–for the best source of any nutrients.

• New York Times article: Calcium and Vitamin D Ineffective for Fractures
• An earlier blog post: Where do you get your calcium?
• An earlier post on vitamin D: Vitamin D in the wintertime.
• Earlier blog. Playing it “safe” with vitamin supplements? Think again!
• An earlier blog on dairy: Dairy; “Beware the Sacred Cow,” by Nigel Richardson

Still confused? Study the following with your family for a few weeks; then get back to me with any questions that you might have. It’s really not that complicated; after all, it all boils down to two words: Whole Plants.

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Our book: Healthy Eating, Healthy World by yours truly & son
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation