Blog - Wellness Associationhttps://www.nzwellnessassociation.co.nz/blog/Fri, 20 Jul 2018 02:38:25 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-27816-27816 (http://www.squarespace.com)Why is an update to health supplement law a good thing?Joanne BissetFri, 20 Jul 2018 03:37:03 +0000https://www.nzwellnessassociation.co.nz/blog/2018/7/19/why-is-a-change-of-law-necessary5b0a0c78372b96f3b4f74aa9:5b0ba380aa4a9903320e9bcc:5b514b21575d1f1420e71d9fHopefully you will have seen our updates over the past few weeks, sharing the news that New Zealand First have announced a members’ bill to make changes to the law around health supplements*.  If not, check out the announcement of the new Food (Health Supplements) Amendment Bill and our ‘Health Supplement Regulation’ page.

Some of you might be thinking, ‘health supplements are natural products, no one dies from taking them, why don’t we just leave the law exactly as it is?’ Why is this new proposed law a good thing?

Well, under current law, suppliers cannot tell people about the health benefits of their products, even when there is good quality research to support their claims.  This presents a huge challenge for local suppliers competing in an online market, where offshore suppliers on sites like iHerb and Amazon are widely making these restricted claims.  It also limits New Zealand consumers from receiving information from local suppliers that would help them in making decisions on which products to buy for their health.

This new bill updates the way that health supplements can be marketed and brings clarity to manufacturing standards, using risk-proportionate controls for manufacturers. 


The carrot and the stick.

With any law, you have two tools: a 'stick', for punishing 'bad behaviour', and a 'carrot', for incentivising 'good behaviour'.  Focusing on a stick approach with regulating health supplements poses many challenges and already the current law is not well-enforced.

The reality is that we live in the age of the internet where the number of products being brought into New Zealand by consumers from sites like Amazon and iHerb is very high.  These sites already have a competitive advantage by publishing product testimonials that would be illegal in New Zealand.  A system that is overly restrictive on local suppliers won’t address compliance by consumer-imported products, but will just disadvantage local suppliers further.

There is always a role for the stick - and this bill does have some helpful new measures - but it focuses more on using a carrot approach, by allowing ethical companies to be rewarded for creating high quality products.  The key to achieving this is to allow suppliers to differentiate effective products from less-effective products by making evidence-backed claims about what their products can be used for, and allowing fair use of testimonials. Without being able to do these things, the current system incentivises suppliers to take short-cuts, including reducing ingredient dosages (leading to under-dosage) and using large amounts of ‘fillers’ that can be detrimental to health.  It also discourages investment into research and innovation. 


The current approach to research.

At the moment, it’s illegal for suppliers to share links to research that supports their products, as it implies a health benefit of their product. This restriction applies even to publicly available research and information.  And if a supplier can’t tell you about the research that backs up their product, why would they bother investing into research?  The health supplement industry needs to be actively encouraging research into the benefits of products, to both support existing products and to allow new products to be developed.

Changing the incentive structure will drive suppliers to create higher quality products and encourage research and innovation, without the need for costly compliance measures that would inhibit the financial viability of that quality or innovation.


Better flow of information.

By allowing a system that permits open discussion of the evidence available to support different products, it will not only allow consumers to have informed freedom of choice in making decisions on which products to buy for their health, it will encourage better collaboration between medical professionals and complementary healthcare professionals.  Better information and collaboration can only lead to better health outcomes for New Zealanders (which is hopefully what we’re all trying to work towards).

We’re excited about this bill and the future that it can bring to New Zealand.

For more information on the details of the bill, see our Health Supplement Regulation page.

*Note: The bill uses the term ‘health supplements’ to refer to herbal remedies, traditional medicines, homeopathic remedies and dietary supplements, as well as their synthetic equivalents. Some people in the industry think use of the term ‘supplements’ understates the benefits of the products.  However, this term reflects that the starting point for healing is food as medicine first, and anything else to support health is supplemental – hence ‘health supplements’. 

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Why is an update to health supplement law a good thing?
Are health supplements necessary?Joanne BissetThu, 31 May 2018 23:45:16 +0000https://www.nzwellnessassociation.co.nz/blog/2018/5/28/are-health-supplements-necessary5b0a0c78372b96f3b4f74aa9:5b0ba380aa4a9903320e9bcc:5b0ba38870a6addca9d64bdfPeople commonly ask us, "if you're eating a healthy diet and getting a good night's sleep, do you really need to take health supplements?"  The short answer is in the form of another question: "how many people do you know that have a healthy diet all of the time and consistently get a good night's sleep?"  The answer is usually a resounding "noone...".

So, when might you need supplements and what should you look for?


When we’re not getting the nutrients from our food.

 

If our soils don’t contain the nutrients, then they can’t be in our food.  Period.  If soils are intensively farmed with monocultures, then the soils can become depleted in various nutrients.  New Zealand soil is generally lacking in many minerals, particularly iodine and selenium, which are both critical to healthy thyroid function and to optimal health.

Further, the farming methods often used to maximise crops result in top-heavy plants with shallow root systems.  This means that the plants can only access the nutrients in the very top level of the soil and some estimates say that fruits and vegetables can contain as little as one fifth of the nutrients that our grandparents’ fruit and vegetables contained.  Getting all of our nutrients from our food is getting harder and our nutrient requirements are increasing because of the amount of stress that we are exposed to in our modern lifestyle.  

Our body's ability to absorb the nutrients from our food will also vary, depending on factors such as the acidity of our stomach, the levels of digestive enzymes and the types of bacteria in our guts. 


To process stress.

 

In times of stress, your body requires more nutrients for basic functions, so how often are you stressed?  Late nights at work, exposure to chemicals in our environment, relationship pressures, the list goes on - these stressors require additional nutrients for the body to process.  Your nutrient needs are as variable as your lifestyle.


There’s a big difference between simply surviving and thriving.

 

We often think of health as a dichotomy – we are either sick or we are well.  But health is on a diverse spectrum, from feeling ‘bleurgh’ to feeling fantastic, and ideally we want to be at the optimal end of the spectrum as often as possible.  Take for example a person with low vitamin B12-status – this person is likely to feel fatigued and have difficulty thinking clearly.  Are they likely to die from having low vitamin B12 levels, perhaps not, but could they feel a lot better by taking supplemental vitamin B12 – almost certainly.  Sufficient vitamin B12 is also very difficult to obtain from a vegetarian diet, so vegetarians are even more likely to benefit from supplementation.

If you’re interested in learning about the role of micronutrients in treating people with ADHD, anxiety and depression, check out the amazing research being done by Julia Rucklidge and her team at Canterbury University


How do you know how much of a nutrient you need?

The RDI is a helpful indicator in understanding the amounts of nutrient required to avoid a deficiency state, but the optimal amount is often much higher than the RDI, just remember to take into account any upper limits or toxic dosages.  Just like any other substance (including water) – if you have too much, it can be damaging to the body.

In the case of vitamin C, the RDI in New Zealand is 45 mg, whereas the research shows that for vitamin C to reduce the length and severity of upper respiratory tract infections (i.e. to combat a cold), you need to be taking a dosage of 2,000mg a day, which is significantly above the RDI.  Similarly, your need for additional nutrients will vary throughout your life.

Usually it is a case of getting to understand our body and taking note of when we feel our best, or relying on the advice of a trusted brand or practitioner.


What to look for in a supplement:

  • Sustainably and ethically sourced ingredients – many useful herbs like goldenseal are becoming endangered in the wild so ensure that your products are being harvested in a responsible way and that the farmers are being paid a living wage.

  • High bioavailability – nutrients come in many different forms, with some being much more bioavailable than others, which means that you may need to take less of one form than you would for another form. For example, liposomal vitamin C has an absorption rate of around 98% which is much better absorption than standard ascorbic acid (and is less likely to cause digestive upset). Chelated forms of nutrients are also becoming very popular at the moment because of a claimed increase in bioavailability.

  • Synergystic nutrients – in nature, nutrients are often found alongside synergistic nutrients – like bioflavonoids found in citrus, which not only assist the absorption of vitamin C, but also work with vitamin C in the body. It can often be a good idea to take food-based supplements for this reason (nature is pretty clever at getting the recipe right) or to use a brand of supplement that has considered and included these factors.

  • Minimal excipients – excipients are extra ingredients in supplements added for a stabilising function such as a tableting aid. These ingredients do not have a health benefit and can often be detrimental to your health. It is generally a good idea to look for a product that contains minimal excipients.

  • High quality – look for reputable brands that manufacture to high standards using high quality ingredients and undertake regular testing of products to ensure that the product matches any claims made on the label.


Verdict.

Even if you are eating a varied, healthy diet, taking a high-quality multivitamin can be a great place to start and more specific supplements are likely to benefit you at different stages in your life. 

Talk to your health practitioner to work out what supplements may help you to feel your best.

If you found this article helpful, share it with your friends.

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Are health supplements necessary?