[Nutritional Supplements Precautions Episode 1] Skip nutritional supplements that exaggerate their effectiveness | Dr. Esther Lyuh

Nutrients that exaggerate their effectiveness, skip them

It is clear that supplementing nutrients that are lacking in nutrients helps overall health, such as improving human body functions. However, we must be wary of extending interpretations as a means of treating specific diseases.

Beware of exaggeration of disease effects

For commercial purposes, the effectiveness of certain nutritional supplements for certain diseases is often exaggerated. In particular, the therapeutic effect of certain diseases is emphasized in nutritional supplements extracted from animals and plants that we do not commonly eat. Of course, they must have received health functional food approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through functional clinical trials. But if, for example, your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are quite high, you will need to take medication. 

An exaggerated advertisement that makes cancer patients cry twice

Cancer patients cling to nutrients with the feeling of catching straw. If you search for cancer by various parts on the Internet, it is almost covered with gossip information about animal and plant extracts. However, if you are consuming certain animal and plant extracts that are not essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals, you should seek professional advice.  Nutrients are not medicine. The same goes for healthy food. It is difficult to be dissatisfied with the original role and exaggerate that it is effective in treating incurable diseases such as cancer.

Esther Lyuh, Doctor of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University