Americans and others around the world have increasingly turned to dietary supplements in order to maintain or preserve brain health.
A recent study found that a quarter of adults over 50 take a supplement for brain-related health. But that same study, by experts called in by AARP, suggests seniors should be spending their money elsewhere. Supplements don’t work.
This is not an easy task. Spending on non-vitamin supplements for brain health, such as minerals, herbal blends, nutraceuticals or amino acids, has increased in the billions of dollars. It can be between $20 and $60 per month for the elderly, a considerable sum which could be spent on other expenses, including fresh vegetables and fruits which really make a difference.
As a neurologist who studies brain health and dementia preventionand who has been involved in memory and Alzheimer’s disease research for my entire career, I can help explain what we know and don’t know about supplements, nutrition, and brain health.
Marketing freedom
So what’s the problem? Aren’t all these “drugs” approved by the Food and Drug Administration?
Well, no, they are not.
The The FDA does not process supplements like prescription drugs. Supplements are not tested for the accuracy of their stated ingredients by independent labs, and they generally lack legitimate scientific evidence that would demonstrate their effectiveness. The FDA relies on manufacturers to test supplements for safety, not for effectiveness. They are not subjected to the rigorous clinical trials that apply to prescription drugs.
The FDA prohibits supplement makers from making specific health claims, but companies have found a way to tout wonderful benefits nonetheless.
They use phrases like “proven research” or “lab tested” and other similar scientific-sounding claims. Some of them claim that the product “maintains good brain health”.
For example, a label on a bottle of Ginkgo biloba, a particularly popular supplement that many seniors take for brain health, says, “Supports healthy brain function and mental alertness.”
But there is an asterisk.
Turn the bottle upside down and you can read the disclaimer following the asterisk: “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prevent or cure any disease.
A number of companies that sold other types of dietary supplements have recently received letters from the The FDA requires them to modify their advertisements not to exaggerate the benefits of their products.
Eager for help
As baby boomers move through life, they try to finding ways to stay healthy, especially brain health. A 2012 Marist poll for Home Replace Senior Care revealed that Americans fear Alzheimer’s disease more than any other disease. Surveys have also shown that older people worry the most about loss of cognition, normal or worse memory loss, dementia.
I think dissatisfaction or concern with modern medicine’s ability to meaningfully address brain health has led people to look for other ways to protect their brains.
There’s no scientifically proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, however.
Also, several clinical trials drugs to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease have failed.
Supplements make money, not health
Supplements have therefore become a profitable area for companies, as evidenced by the high percentage of people who take such supplements and the billion dollars spent on them every year.
Surely some of them must work?
Yes, vitamins do, although most people don’t need to take vitamin supplements. Overwhelming evidence shows that if you follow a normal diet, you do not need to take additional vitamins or minerals.
There are a few exceptions. If people have insufficient amounts of foods that provide vitamin B12 or vitamin B6, they may need to take supplements. In the case of vitamin B12, some older people have difficulty absorbing this vitamin in the digestive system. In these cases, a doctor would test for a low vitamin B12 level and treat it. Sometimes a person would need an injection because the B12 in a capsule would also not be absorbed.
Some people may take vitamins and supplements using the “more is better” reasoning. This is not true for supplements, even vitamins. Why? Because the body can only digest a certain amount of vitamins and any excess is simply not absorbed; in the case of water-soluble vitamins, it makes your urine expensive. And sometimes “more” is dangerous. There are certain vitamins which, if taken in excess, can lead to toxicity and disease. This is especially true with excessive doses of vitamin A, D, E and K.
Have any of the supplements passed the kinds of safety and efficacy standards required for our prescription drugs? Some have, like ginkgo biloba for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and the enhancement of normal memory. These studies have shown that they do not work for any of these.
Hidden Dangers
To make matters even more worrying, many of these supplements do not always contain the compounds they are supposed to contain. Some of the blends contain small amounts of toxic or harmful ingredients that have entered the product somewhere during the collection and manufacturing process. When these cause disease, the attention of the FDA is brought to the attention of the FDA who will investigate and possibly ban a product.
There’s a lot of news about the importance of antioxidants in your diet. Antioxidants are important for the continued health of a number of body organs, including the brain.
However, several scientific studies have been unable to show that antioxidants given in tablet form improve or protect memory from decline with age or brain disease. There may be something about the interactions of chemicals in the foods on your plate that contribute to good health. Studies that have measured the amount of antioxidants in the diet, as determined from “food diaries” of people participating in research studies, show that high levels of antioxidants in food help achieve long-term results, although giving pills with more antioxidants does not. Scientists don’t yet know why this happens. It could be that we humans evolved to get our beneficial substances from food, not in isolation, and there are likely complex ways in which they work. There may be difficulty using or metabolizing the pills. We researchers don’t know yet.
In sum, even the fine print of these supplements indicates that they have not been approved by the FDA, however wonderful the claims sound. Therefore, I believe that the conclusions of the recent study are valid. (Disclosure: I was one of the experts on the study.) It’s best to focus on healthy eating and maybe use some of the money spent on these supplements to buy more vegetables at green leaves and other food components that constitute good nutrition.
