Ginseng, garlic, extra vitamins or minerals:
NATURAL HEALTH AIDS ARE NOT ALL SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND

MANHATTAN -- The buzz about natural compounds: Ginseng is an herb thought to provide energy, and garlic is said to reduce heart disease and cancer, while numerous other natural ingredients like bee pollen and grass juice are said to have health benefits when taken plain or added to fruit shakes.

"Alternative medicine is really getting a foothold, perhaps because of the expense of the new health care system," said Richard Baybutt, assistant professor of foods and nutrition at Kansas State University. "Some people don't have insurance to go to a physician so the old adages of tonics and different remedies are becoming much more popular."

Baybutt said it is hard to prove -- true or false -- the testimonials of people who swear by natural medicine and natural preventatives. He said problems also lie in the inconsistency of testimonials.

"If you talk to one person they'll tell you this herb or compound is excellent for one thing, and then someone else, who is also very much into herbs, will tell you it's a remedy for some other problem," Baybutt said. "There's little scientific basis for many of the herb and compound testimonials."

Ginseng may boost energy levels of animals, but it has never been shown to do so in humans, Baybutt said. Garlic, on the other hand, does have health benefits that have been demonstrated.

"Garlic has gotten some national attention because it has been scientifically demonstrated to be very effective against cancer and heart disease," he said. "There are numerous compounds in garlic and they're still trying to find out which ones are important, but garlic itself is very beneficial."

And what about the health benefits of the old stand-by multivitamins? Baybutt said they are not too beneficial for most Americans because plenty of vitamins are consumed in normal diets.

He said minerals should be more of a concern. For men, adequate amounts of calcium can be important.

"To get good amounts of calcium you need to consume milk, yogurt or cheese, but of course cheese is higher in fat so it's not the most desirable means of getting it," Baybutt said. "There is an association between higher intakes of calcium in men and lower blood pressure."

For women, iron is an important mineral because women shed it during menstruation and have to replace it. He said many women in developing and even developed countries are found to be iron deficient. This can result in tiredness and poor thermoregulation, or body temperature regulation.

"One way you can significantly increase your iron is by using iron skillets," Baybutt said. "Cooking with iron skillets increases the iron content of food -- especially if the food being cooked is acidic. For example, if you cook tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce and cook it in an iron skillet, the tomato sauce will be much higher in iron. The tomatoes also have vitamin C, which help you absorb the iron."

Baybutt also said that women, like men, should consume more calcium in order to avoid osteoporosis, a brittle-bone disease.

Essentially, Baybutt said the bottom line is to eat a healthy diet in order to get the necessary nutrients. He said natural medicines and preventative compounds are not bandages for unhealthy lifestyles.

"There are components in foods we have not completely come to understand called phytochemicals, or plant chemicals," Baybutt said. "These components interact with each other and are necessary and important in preventing diseases like cancer or heart disease. So it is the food itself that is important."

-30-

For more information, contact Baybutt at 785-532-0169.

August 1997