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Lab 4 Lab Manual

The document discusses a lab examining the validity of nutrient content and health claims of vitamin and mineral supplements. It provides background on supplement use in Canada and outlines two parts of the lab - analyzing a multi-vitamin and a single vitamin/mineral supplement. For each, students are asked to record overview details, calculate cost of one year of use, compare nutrient content to DRIs and tolerable upper limits, and for the single supplement, fact check the health claim using three scientific articles.

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ktatkd3
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39 views

Lab 4 Lab Manual

The document discusses a lab examining the validity of nutrient content and health claims of vitamin and mineral supplements. It provides background on supplement use in Canada and outlines two parts of the lab - analyzing a multi-vitamin and a single vitamin/mineral supplement. For each, students are asked to record overview details, calculate cost of one year of use, compare nutrient content to DRIs and tolerable upper limits, and for the single supplement, fact check the health claim using three scientific articles.

Uploaded by

ktatkd3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Background

The nutritional supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry in Canada. A trip to any grocery
store, pharmacy, or health food store reveals a multitude of nutritional supplements available to
consumers. A search of ‘vitamin and mineral supplements’ on the internet yields millions of
website hits. Clearly, the interest in and demand for dietary supplements is extraordinary in
Canada, and as a result, consumers are faced with overwhelming numbers of supplements.

A survey conducted by the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) of Health Canada
(2005) determined that 71%1 of adult Canadians had used a natural health product (vitamin or
mineral supplement, herbal remedy, traditional medicine, homeopathic medicine) at some point
in their lives, and 27% regularly used one or more natural health products every day (Health
Canada). Vitamin and mineral supplements were the most commonly used supplement reported
by survey participants. Reasons for taking supplements included: to maintain or promote health,
to prevent illness/strengthen the immune system, to treat a specific illness or disease, it was
recommended by a friend or family member and/or to supplement what was lacking from their
diet. Finally, most people (77%) expressed a belief that supplements can be used to maintain or
promote good health.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation may be justifiably beneficial in certain populations, such
as pregnant or breastfeeding women, vegans, individuals with specific illnesses such as
osteoporosis, diabetes and the elderly. Furthermore, national surveys suggest that energy-dense,
nutrient-poor foods and beverages comprise approximately one third of daily energy intake in
the U.S. and that higher intakes of these foods are associated with lower serum concentrations
of micronutrients such as vitamins B12, A, C, E and folate (Kant, 2000). Nonetheless, the merits
of vitamin and mineral supplementation in otherwise healthy individuals are often questioned
regarding efficacy and safety (Durante et al., 2001; Troppmann et al., 2002; McCormick, 2010,
Fortmann et al., 2013). Although the recent evidence “does not rule out small benefits or harms
or large benefits or harms in a small subgroup of the population,” it has been concluded that
“supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements
has no clear benefit and might even be harmful.” (Guallar et al., 2013).

Potential negative aspects of supplement use can include monetary costs, questionable purity or
activity of the product, nutrient toxicities, and potential serious side effects such as interactions
with prescription drugs (Durante et al., 2001). Vitamin and mineral supplements often have
excessive amounts of nutrients in relation to dietary requirements and the content of many of
these nutrients on a population basis is unnecessary for dietary adequacy or health promotion
(Troppmann et al., 2002). For any nutrient, the range of safe intake, susceptibility of the
individual, and other dietary and supplemental sources need to be considered when assessing
risk of harm (Mulholland & Benford, 2007). On an individual basis, it is suggested that
supplements be used sparingly and in consultation with accredited professionals. Additionally,
the intake of excess nutrients from fortified foods, cereals and “vitamin-enhanced” products by
the public should be examined more closely (McCormick, 2010).

1
Although this survey was published in 2005 and therefore statistics could have changed, the NHPD website
(renamed Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate or NNHPD and last accessed 05-Jan-2021)
was last modified in 2016 and cites the 71% stat as a “fast fact.”

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NUTR 302

The effectiveness of many health products is often supported only by traditional use and
anecdotal reports; however, safety and efficacy of supplements is now being measured by
contemporary medical science and is required by law. Legislation imposed by Health Canada
requires that all-natural health products being sold in Canada, including vitamin and mineral
supplements, require a product license before being marketed (Health Canada, 2011). Product
manufacturers must apply for a product license number and must provide detailed information
on the medicinal ingredients, source, potency, and recommended use for the product. The
product license number on the label indicates that the product has been reviewed and approved
by Health Canada for safety and efficacy.

Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to examine the validity of the nutrient content and health claims
associated with vitamin and mineral supplements.

Procedure
1. Multivitamin/mineral (specific group)
A specific non-prescription multi-vitamin or vitamin-mineral supplement formulated for use by
a specific population (e.g. infants, children, pregnant women, adults over 50, seniors, etc.) will
be posted on eClass.
Overview: Record the nutrients, ingredients, brand name, population for which the supplement
is intended, recommended dose, cost per bottle, and associated health claims.
Cost: Calculate the cost of using the supplement for one year according to the recommended
dosage.
Nutrients: List the micronutrient content of the supplement and calculate the percentage of the
DRI supplied by the recommended dose using the appropriate age or group for comparison.
Compare the nutrient content to the appropriate Tolerable Upper Limits.

2. Single vitamin/mineral (specific claim)


A selection of vitamins and/or minerals with specific health claims will be provided on eClass.
Choose ONE supplement from this list.
Provide the Overview, Cost and Nutrients pertaining to the supplement, as described above. If
more than one claim is listed, make sure you clearly indicate the one to be investigated.
Fact-checking the claim: Two scientific journal articles related to the health claim of the
supplement will be provided. Find one additional scientific journal article (not a review article)
for a total of 3 articles related to the claim.

Note: If the supplement lists more than one age category, pick only one for your DRI comparisons. All
nutrient amounts should be expressed with the same units and decimals as the DRIs (see Appendix for
Vitamin Conversion factors to convert amounts, if needed).

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RE I TE RE RT

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D scussion

For the multi-vitamin/mineral:

For the single nutrient:

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