Home
The World's Largest Association
For Fitness & Wellness Professionals
  • Log In
Home » Susan Thomson's Blog

Susan Thomson's Blog

Please Note: The Chrome browser does not natively support RSS feeds. To subscribe, you will need to install a Chrome extension that provides support for RSS. You may find one here.
Monday, April 17, 2017 • Wilmette, IL 60091-2815

To Multi or Not?

By Susan Thomson

One of my clients was recently quite shocked to hear that I don't take a multivitamin.  I do take probiotics and vitamin D on a daily basis, but have never gotten into the habit of taking a multivitamin.  I'm not a nutritionist and thus am not going to make any recommendations.  But as luck would have it, the Wall Street Journal published a debate in it's April 12th Big Issues edition between Dr. Meir Stampfer, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Eliseo Guallar, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.  We'll skip the long and short of their debate and get right to the short version.

 

Dr. Stampfer sees multivitamins as low-cost nutritional insurance.  He believes that multivitamins are no substitute for a healthy diet and rank much lower in importance than not smoking, getting adequate exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. But he also believes they can be a small part of an overall healthy lifestyle.  Dr. Stampfer does site the Physicians Health Study II which found an 8% reduction in cancer risk for multivitamin takers.  

 

Dr. Guallar on the other hand worries that individuals may see taking a multivitamin as an easy fix for a poor diet that could encourage a false confidence.  He also sites the lower cancer risk of the Physicians Health Study II, but sites a second study showing that unhealthy dietary habits caused 300,000 deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes in 2012.  Therefore, he would prefer to keep people focused on diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish, and all of the behaviors which help them avoid a wide range of preventable diseases.  

 

As a cancer survivor, I like the idea of reducing my risk even if only slightly.  So on my next trip to the grocery store, I think I'll tuck a bottle of multivitamins in among the fruits, veggies and legumes.  I can stop at the store on my way home from the gym.

Client Share
Tweet
Share

Comments

  • Be the first to comment
Contact Susan

About Me View Profile

Susan Thomson

Personal Fitness Training is an encore career for me. Prior to this, I worked in the Financial Services Industry for nearly 17 years for various companies including John Nuveen & Co., Lincoln Financial Group and Charles Schwab. I was always greatly concerned when a client with great wealth was so deconditioned that he or she had trouble walking into my office and getting into and out of an office chair. I soon realized that there is no wealth without health. Therefore, I decided to change careers and pursue a career in health and fitness. I work hard to provide sessions that are both interesting and challenging for my clients. I enjoy the outdoors and spend much of my free time kayaking, hiking and cross country skiing. I work closely with a Physical Therapist and as a result we see a number of individuals who are facing a variety of health challenges including orthopedic surgery. My advice to those who are recovering from a health issue or injury is "do what you can do on any given day", but if at all possible, don't stop moving.
Follow My Updates
My Facebook Page
My Twitter Account

Upcoming Events More Classes/Events

No upcoming classes/events.

Archive

2017

April (1)

May (1)

2013

January (3)

February (1)

March (2)

April (1)

2012

April (2)

May (4)

June (6)

July (3)

August (2)

September (2)

October (4)

November (2)

December (3)

Note: The content on this blog is not endorsed or edited by IDEA Health and Fitness Association.
powered by IDEA Health & Fitness Association