There is much written at the moment about how dangerous supplements can potentially be, the suggestion being that many people use them instead of a decent meal.  This of course is wrong, and there should be no substitute for wholesome food.

Could it be that the supplement ogre is just around the corner waiting to remove them off the shelves of our favorite health food shops?

It is amazing that no such threat looms large over junk food, fizzy drinks and round the clock alcohol availability.  But we do have abortion for school girls without parental knowledge, the morning after pill for teenage girls, and the new cervical vaccination to prevent cervical cancer.

What is sad here is that there a number of people taking responsibility for their own lives and trying to keep themselves healthy.  These are the folk that to a large extent use fewer  of the NHS resources. The spend their own money on the products.   They probably have a more positive attitude to good health and life in general.

Do we need supplements?  Well, once upon a time before intensive farming, the ground had all the minerals and nutrients that were needed.  Today the soil has been denuded of these things so the wheat or root crops have less of the valuable vitamins and minerals that our grand parents would have had in their food.

Then there is the organic debate! There are many issues here, including:

• Organic produce is limited in what can be used to ensure pest free and weed free crops.
• There is a great concern that too many chemicals are ingested which cause harm.  The argument that these quantities are too small to make a difference, well, added together this chemical cocktail does cause harm

Some time ago new methods of food production were developed in the USA. Giant rollers milled the wheat to give wonderful white flour. White bread, fabulous!  The other foods at this time given the same treatment were sugar and rice. White equalled cleanliness, purity and thought to be more wholesome.  This unfortunately was not true.  Naturopaths at this time warned of the dangers of eating this kind of food.   They predicted a rise in heart problems, diabetes and cancer.  They haven’t been wrong. Food nowadays is volume and indulgence.

So, back to supplements!   The sort of people who take them will be the sort of people who will be the type who will eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, they  care about their health, and why should they be penalized for doing so? I for one feel that the right supplements, taken as part of a balanced and healthy diet offer great benefits. We hope to see supplements around for a long time to come.