[Dr. Esther Yeo's Essay Episode 2] What are the two nutritional supplements officially recommended by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health?

Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine underwent surgery for breast cancer. Three months after the surgery, the face of an acquaintance I met was very emaciated. The skin was also rough and lackluster. But the surgeon told me not to worry because the surgery went well. When I asked if it was a good idea to take nutritional supplements, he said, "I don't need to take those things," and was scolded. I prescribed a friend a multivitamin and a few supplements, including vitamin D and protein powder. About a month later, we met again. To my surprise, his skin became shiny and his expression brightened. The feeling of fatigue decreases a lot, and the ulcers in the mouth also decrease, and the taste buds change. He also said he had gained weight. My physical condition improved a lot, and I started exercising little by little, and it became much easier for me to sleep at night.

Let's take a look at the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the U.S. and Korean governments in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In the United States, about 49% of adults and in Korea about 42% take nutritional supplements on a regular basis. The higher the income and education level, the more exercise they exercised, and the more healthy they were, the higher the percentage. It means that people who are usually concerned about their health and take good care of it also take a lot of nutritional supplements.

 

 

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Multivitamins

Still, if it is the same nutrient, it is preferable to eat it as a food rather than as a nutritional supplement. Also, I don't think it's a good idea for nutritional supplements to go into the realm of treatment and fight with drugs. This is because nutritional supplements are essentially food, not medicine.