The inessentials of
essential nutrients
There's been a lot of hype about the use of vitamins and
minerals to supplement our body as today's diet consists mainly of
unhealthy but quick and easy-to-eat food. Our lesson this
week raises the question of whether we need any extra essential
nutrients at all in order for our body to function properly and perhaps
prevent some diseases. You amy want to discuss with your friends about
the pros and
cons of
taking these extra vitamins and minerals.hype - when something is continually advertised and discussed in newspapers, on television, etc. in order to attract everyone's interest โฆษณาชวนเชื่อ
pros and cons - advantages and disadvantages ข้อดีและเสีย
Powered by hope
Devitalising news about vitamin pillsTARA PARKER-POPE
Ever
since the Nobel Prize-winning
biochemist
Linus Pauling first promoted ‘‘megadoses’’
of essential nutrients
40 years ago, US citizens have been devoted to their vitamins. Today,
about half of all adults use some form of dietary supplement,
at a cost of $23 billion (785 billion baht) a year. But are vitamins worth it? In the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life.
The latest news came after researchers in the Women’s Health Initiative study tracked eight years of multivitamin use among more than 161,000 older women. Despite earlier findings suggesting that multivitamins might lower the risk for heart disease and certain cancers, the study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found no such benefit.
Last year, a study that tracked almost 15,000 male physicians for a decade reported no differences in cancer or heart disease rates among those using vitamins E and C compared with those taking a placebo. And in October, a study of 35,000 men dashed hopes that high doses of vitamin E and selenium could lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Of course, consumers are regularly subjected to conflicting reports and claims about the benefits of vitamins, and they seem undeterred by the news — to the dismay of some experts.
‘‘I’m puzzled why the public in general ignores the results of well-done trials,’’ said Eric Klein, national study coordinator for the prostate cancer trial and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. ‘‘The public’s belief in the benefits of vitamins and nutrients is not supported by the available scientific data.’’
Everyone needs vitamins, which are essential nutrients that the body can’t produce on its own. Inadequate vitamin C leads to scurvy, for instance, and a lack of vitamin D can cause rickets.
But a balanced diet typically provides an adequate level of these nutrients, and today many popular foods are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals.
SCIENCE TIMES
devitalising - lessening the importance of ทำให้หมดความสำคัญ
Nobel Prize - any of the six international prizes which are given each year to people who make important discoveries or advances in chemistry, physics, medicine, literature, peace and economics รางวัลโนเบล
biochemist - scientist who studies the chemistry of living things นักชีวะเคมี
megadoses - large doses of medication or vitamin กินยาจำนวนเยอะๆ
essential nutrients - nutrients needed for normal body functioning that cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained from a food source สารอาหารจำเป็น
dietary supplement - food supplement intended to supply vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet อาหารเสริม
chronic disease - disease which returns frequently โรคเรื้อรัง
prolong - make longer ยืดออกไป
physicians - doctors หมอ
placebo - a substance given to someone who is told that it is a particular medicine, either to make them feel as if they are getting better or to compare the effect of the particular medicine when given to others ยาซึ่งไม่มีฤทธิ์ทางยา
dashed hopes - destroyed hopes ทำลายความหวัง
prostate cancer - a disease in which cancer develops in a gland in the male reproductive system มะเร็งต่อมลูกหมาก
subjected to - under the influence of ตกอยู่ภายใต้
undeterred - not discouraged or stopped ไม่สามารถยับยั้ง
dismay - disappointment เสียใจ
urological - relating to the urinary system เกี่ยวกับการศึกษาระบบขับถ่ายปัสสาวะ
inadequate - not enough ไม่พอ
scurvy - an illness of the body tissues which is caused by a lack of vitamin C โรคเลือดออกตามไรฟัน (เนื่องจากขาดวิตามินซี)
rickets - a disease which children who lack vitamin D can suffer from, in which the bones become soft and not shaped correctly โรคกระดูกอ่อน
balanced diet - a combination of the correct types and amounts of food อาหารครบหมู่
fortified - enriched or added เสริมหรือเพิ่ม