Nowadays, more than 50% of people gobble down some kind of pills regularly. Most of the pills are nutrients such as multivitamins and fibers. Recent research has unfortunately disappointed us by suggesting that all these essential nutrients in pills might behave differently in our bodies from those in foods. Nutrient pills are either less effective to prevent heart diseases or cancers, or not protective at all. Instead, some may harm our health. Even well informed people are baffled by the confusing sometimes contradicting scientific reports. The science of nutrition and health is becoming some kind of pseudoscience.
For example, at the beginning, we were told that vitamin E supplement could protect our hearts and prevent cancers. The mechanism sounds straightforward. Vitamin E, or tocopherol, is a strong antioxidant which can reduce the oxidation in cells to prevent cell damages. It has been shown in vitro, and somewhat confirmed in vivo (for example, in mice and in rabbits). Observational studies such as the Nurse Health Study suggested that those who took vitamin E pills or ate foods rich in vitamin E had significant low incidences of heart diseases. It might be THE magic stuff we are searching for.