Plant- Based
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We're one key step closer to a buying lab-grown burgers
Sara Kiley Watson - 2h ago
Single-cell suspension may be the missing ingredient in lab-grown beef.
Sara Kiley Watson - 2h ago
Single-cell suspension may be the missing ingredient in lab-grown beef.
© Julia Volk on Pexels
Beef without slaughter is a dream for many—but making it happen is complicated.
Beef without slaughter is a dream for many—but making it happen is complicated.
The journey to completely slaughter-free meat products has been a long one. There’s mounting evidence that producing animal products is a huge bane on the planet. For those carnivores who love to bite into a beef burger or a tasty chicken nugget but can’t bear to contribute to the often controversial ways that meat is produced, there are plenty of alternatives options. Substitutes like tofu patties don’t always seem to perfectly scratch that itch for meat-lovers.
One solution that many scientists and the food industry have studied is developing lab-grown meat—that’s where actual animal cells are taken from an animal and are grown independently in a lab setting. So, real chicken cells would be in those nuggets, but no actual chicken has to die in order to get your savory snack. And these lab-grown foods have already been made—California start-up Eat Just’s no-kill chicken meat was approved for sale in Singapore in 2020, and Hong Kong-based Avant Meats developed lab-grown edible fish maw.
But, the holy grail of lab-curated meats scientists are reaching/aiming for is beef. Beef is infamous for its carbon footprint, as well as its difficulty to be recreated as cultured cells. In 2013, a Dutch scientist pioneered the first lab-grown beef burger, but the catch is the animal-saving meal sold for around $330,000. Unlike birds and fish, it just so happens that mammalian cells are significantly trickier and more expensive to handle.
“This is a challenge because, as you know, mammalian cell culture is super expensive,” says Kasia Gora, synthetic biologist and co-founder of cell-cultured meat company SCiFi Foods. Currently, biopharma companies are the primarily large-scale lab developers of mammalian cells, explains Gora. This cell line research has been important in early stage pharmaceutical development, but the processes are expensive. “It works and it’s fantastic if you can charge $1,000,000 a gram for your product,” Gora says. “But food has to be cheap.”
[Related: How to enjoy fake meat in a way that actually helps the planet.]
However, Gora and the team behind SCiFi Foods, previously called Artemys Foods, have made a breakthrough—cow cells that can reduce the cost of cell-cultured beef by 1000 times. The trick, according to Gora, is a combination of single-cell suspension and CRISPR gene editing.
Typically when growing cultured cells, they need to stick on to something to start growing. “Most animal cells prefer to grow attached to a solid surface, which mimics the conditions they would find themselves in within an animal body,” says Liz Specht, vice president of science and technology at the Good Food Institute, a nonprofit focused on alternative protein acceleration. “But when growing cells at large scale, being limited to surface-adherent cells presents a challenge because you need a lot of surface area, think of how thinly cells grow on the surface of a cell culture dish, to make a lot of meat.”
To combat this, typically companies will use tiny beads for the cells to glom on to, but as the cell masses accumulate this can become bulky and bump or damage other growing cell beads, Specht adds. Her team has found that a more effective approach is growing in single-cell suspension, or when cells just grow floating around on their own like yeast in a brewery vessel. Without the beads or any surface at all, costs go down and efficiency goes up.
Gora and her team have made impressive strides with a single-cell suspension approach that’s resulted in beef that’s not too far from the real thing. Using CRISPR Cas9, the scientists can reduce functions of certain genes or replace them with other wildtype genes to convince them that they are “happy growing in single cell suspension,” says Gora. The team can then pop these cells into bioreactors, which are vessels made for growing organisms under controlled conditions, making scaling up is pretty straightforward, she adds.
There is a big difference between SCiFi’s product and the super-expensive Dutch lab burger, though—these cells are going to be used as an ingredient in mostly plant-based burgers instead of making up the whole thing. So instead of building up the scaffolding of a fully lab-beef burger from scratch, Gora says using the structure of a veggie burger will bring the best of both worlds.
“Fundamentally, the strategy solves the cost problem with cultivated meat, and it has the benefit of solving the taste problem of plant-based meat,” she says. The company forecasts that a pilot run of their burgers should be priced around $10 per burger. But it will still likely be a handful of years before the average grocery shopper can try one, especially since the FDA has yet to approve a product like this to sell for consumption.
As with most developments in alternatives to meats, there are legitimate concerns with the future of cultured cell meat. The Counter published an in-depth report on some of the major questions that still stand with these kinds of products—such as the likelihood that these projects could be reliably scaled up, the problem with potentially harmful viruses infecting living cells in a culture, or the feasibility of producing certain cells without collecting fetal bovine serum from slaughtered cows. Some scientists argue that there could be more climate change impacts from lab-cultured meat than traditional methods.
Scientists have also expressed concern that cultured meat doesn’t necessarily change or shift our thinking on the current unsustainable food system in place today. “But if cellular agriculture is going to improve on the system it is displacing, then the critics are right: it needs to grow in a way that doesn’t externalize the real costs of production on to workers, consumers, and the environment,” write researchers at Duke University and Johns Hopkins University, in an article for the Guardian.
While many components of the research and production process still need to be refined, the era of lab-grown or cell-cultured meat is fast approaching.
One solution that many scientists and the food industry have studied is developing lab-grown meat—that’s where actual animal cells are taken from an animal and are grown independently in a lab setting. So, real chicken cells would be in those nuggets, but no actual chicken has to die in order to get your savory snack. And these lab-grown foods have already been made—California start-up Eat Just’s no-kill chicken meat was approved for sale in Singapore in 2020, and Hong Kong-based Avant Meats developed lab-grown edible fish maw.
But, the holy grail of lab-curated meats scientists are reaching/aiming for is beef. Beef is infamous for its carbon footprint, as well as its difficulty to be recreated as cultured cells. In 2013, a Dutch scientist pioneered the first lab-grown beef burger, but the catch is the animal-saving meal sold for around $330,000. Unlike birds and fish, it just so happens that mammalian cells are significantly trickier and more expensive to handle.
“This is a challenge because, as you know, mammalian cell culture is super expensive,” says Kasia Gora, synthetic biologist and co-founder of cell-cultured meat company SCiFi Foods. Currently, biopharma companies are the primarily large-scale lab developers of mammalian cells, explains Gora. This cell line research has been important in early stage pharmaceutical development, but the processes are expensive. “It works and it’s fantastic if you can charge $1,000,000 a gram for your product,” Gora says. “But food has to be cheap.”
[Related: How to enjoy fake meat in a way that actually helps the planet.]
However, Gora and the team behind SCiFi Foods, previously called Artemys Foods, have made a breakthrough—cow cells that can reduce the cost of cell-cultured beef by 1000 times. The trick, according to Gora, is a combination of single-cell suspension and CRISPR gene editing.
Typically when growing cultured cells, they need to stick on to something to start growing. “Most animal cells prefer to grow attached to a solid surface, which mimics the conditions they would find themselves in within an animal body,” says Liz Specht, vice president of science and technology at the Good Food Institute, a nonprofit focused on alternative protein acceleration. “But when growing cells at large scale, being limited to surface-adherent cells presents a challenge because you need a lot of surface area, think of how thinly cells grow on the surface of a cell culture dish, to make a lot of meat.”
To combat this, typically companies will use tiny beads for the cells to glom on to, but as the cell masses accumulate this can become bulky and bump or damage other growing cell beads, Specht adds. Her team has found that a more effective approach is growing in single-cell suspension, or when cells just grow floating around on their own like yeast in a brewery vessel. Without the beads or any surface at all, costs go down and efficiency goes up.
Gora and her team have made impressive strides with a single-cell suspension approach that’s resulted in beef that’s not too far from the real thing. Using CRISPR Cas9, the scientists can reduce functions of certain genes or replace them with other wildtype genes to convince them that they are “happy growing in single cell suspension,” says Gora. The team can then pop these cells into bioreactors, which are vessels made for growing organisms under controlled conditions, making scaling up is pretty straightforward, she adds.
There is a big difference between SCiFi’s product and the super-expensive Dutch lab burger, though—these cells are going to be used as an ingredient in mostly plant-based burgers instead of making up the whole thing. So instead of building up the scaffolding of a fully lab-beef burger from scratch, Gora says using the structure of a veggie burger will bring the best of both worlds.
“Fundamentally, the strategy solves the cost problem with cultivated meat, and it has the benefit of solving the taste problem of plant-based meat,” she says. The company forecasts that a pilot run of their burgers should be priced around $10 per burger. But it will still likely be a handful of years before the average grocery shopper can try one, especially since the FDA has yet to approve a product like this to sell for consumption.
As with most developments in alternatives to meats, there are legitimate concerns with the future of cultured cell meat. The Counter published an in-depth report on some of the major questions that still stand with these kinds of products—such as the likelihood that these projects could be reliably scaled up, the problem with potentially harmful viruses infecting living cells in a culture, or the feasibility of producing certain cells without collecting fetal bovine serum from slaughtered cows. Some scientists argue that there could be more climate change impacts from lab-cultured meat than traditional methods.
Scientists have also expressed concern that cultured meat doesn’t necessarily change or shift our thinking on the current unsustainable food system in place today. “But if cellular agriculture is going to improve on the system it is displacing, then the critics are right: it needs to grow in a way that doesn’t externalize the real costs of production on to workers, consumers, and the environment,” write researchers at Duke University and Johns Hopkins University, in an article for the Guardian.
While many components of the research and production process still need to be refined, the era of lab-grown or cell-cultured meat is fast approaching.
Veganism at HHS
Ayanna Maddox, Staff Reporter
May 3, 2017
On May 12, 2016, Guy Fieri from Food Network’s: Diners, Drive Ins, and Dive’s visited The Herbivorous Butcher, a vegan butcher shop located in Northeast Minneapolis.
The Herbivorous Butcher is a family-owned vegan market. Siblings Aubry and Kale Walch began selling their vegan meats and cheeses at a local farmer’s market, before opening up their own store in 2014.
“I really like Herbivorous Butcher. I think one of the hardest parts about fake meat is getting the texture right, and they do a really great job with that. During holiday meals, when people traditionally eat turkey or ham, I get the alternative,” said Emma Woodyard, senior.
However, restaurants that are conscious of vegan and vegetarian diet restrictions are rare to come by, especially in suburbs.
“It’s harder to find vegan restaurants here in Minnetonka. Chipotle, Taco Bell, and other fast-food places offer many good options, but other than that I have to go to Uptown,” said Ali Winter, sophomore.
Perhaps the most difficult place for students to find a vegan or vegetarian meal is in the HHS lunchroom. In the opinion of many, lunch options at HHS are limited, however for vegans and vegetarians they restricted further.
“I could probably get the salad bar [for lunch] every day, but that’s about it. They do pretty well with vegetarian options, but otherwise I feel most things have cheese or egg in them,” said Greta Wilkening, senior.
As a result, the Hopkins Nutrition department has made efforts to broaden the meals available for HHS students who cannot to eat meat or dairy.
“When planning the lunch menu, I need to make sure the meals prepared are are meeting the USD school meal nutrition standards. So, I am required to provide the components that make up a healthy meal; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat and milk,” said Sandra Rulec, lunchroom back house manager.
Despite the difficulties that result from the restricted diets associated with a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, most believe that the positives outweigh negatives.
“I became vegan because I watched a video about animal cruelty, and it also pointed out how it’s really good for the environment and your health. [Since becoming vegan] I have a lot more energy, and people are really interested in veganism,” said Wilkening.
Ayanna Maddox, Staff Reporter
May 3, 2017
On May 12, 2016, Guy Fieri from Food Network’s: Diners, Drive Ins, and Dive’s visited The Herbivorous Butcher, a vegan butcher shop located in Northeast Minneapolis.
The Herbivorous Butcher is a family-owned vegan market. Siblings Aubry and Kale Walch began selling their vegan meats and cheeses at a local farmer’s market, before opening up their own store in 2014.
“I really like Herbivorous Butcher. I think one of the hardest parts about fake meat is getting the texture right, and they do a really great job with that. During holiday meals, when people traditionally eat turkey or ham, I get the alternative,” said Emma Woodyard, senior.
However, restaurants that are conscious of vegan and vegetarian diet restrictions are rare to come by, especially in suburbs.
“It’s harder to find vegan restaurants here in Minnetonka. Chipotle, Taco Bell, and other fast-food places offer many good options, but other than that I have to go to Uptown,” said Ali Winter, sophomore.
Perhaps the most difficult place for students to find a vegan or vegetarian meal is in the HHS lunchroom. In the opinion of many, lunch options at HHS are limited, however for vegans and vegetarians they restricted further.
“I could probably get the salad bar [for lunch] every day, but that’s about it. They do pretty well with vegetarian options, but otherwise I feel most things have cheese or egg in them,” said Greta Wilkening, senior.
As a result, the Hopkins Nutrition department has made efforts to broaden the meals available for HHS students who cannot to eat meat or dairy.
“When planning the lunch menu, I need to make sure the meals prepared are are meeting the USD school meal nutrition standards. So, I am required to provide the components that make up a healthy meal; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat and milk,” said Sandra Rulec, lunchroom back house manager.
Despite the difficulties that result from the restricted diets associated with a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, most believe that the positives outweigh negatives.
“I became vegan because I watched a video about animal cruelty, and it also pointed out how it’s really good for the environment and your health. [Since becoming vegan] I have a lot more energy, and people are really interested in veganism,” said Wilkening.
Want more good information on how fruits and vegetables affect health, and more tips on getting them into your daily diet?
Download these free resources from the CDC.
Why do Fruits & Vegetables Matter to Men?
Three Simple Steps to Eating More Fruits & Vegetables
Choose Smart – Choose Healthy (for women)
How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do You Need?
¿Cuantas frutas y verduras necesitas tú?
Como más frutas y verduras en tres simples pasos
10 Ways to Help Kids Eat More Fruits & Veggies
Entertain the Fruit & Veggie Way
Fruits & Veggies On the Go
Save Time and Money
Test Your Fruit & Veggie IQ
Your Questions Answered
Food lists often have to be taken with a grain of salt, but when the CDC develops a new classification scheme and ranks them by nutrient density, we tend to take notice.
As you can see in the graph below, leafy green vegetables dominate the rankings. Interestingly, of the 47 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only six did not meet the “Powerhouse” standard: raspberry, tangerine, cranberry, garlic, onion, and blueberry. (But that doesn’t mean that those foods aren’t also very healthy for you!)
Fruits and Vegetables Nutrient Density Score
As you can see in the graph below, leafy green vegetables dominate the rankings. Interestingly, of the 47 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only six did not meet the “Powerhouse” standard: raspberry, tangerine, cranberry, garlic, onion, and blueberry. (But that doesn’t mean that those foods aren’t also very healthy for you!)
Fruits and Vegetables Nutrient Density Score
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Fruits and Vegetables
July 2012
Print this issue
Digging a Vegetarian Diet
Plant-Based Eating Can Reap Rewards
Vegetarians miss out on lots of foods. No grilled burgers or franks at picnics. No holiday turkey or fries cooked in animal fat. Strict vegetarians may even forego honey made by bees. But vegetarians also tend to miss out on major health problems that plague many Americans. They generally live longer than the rest of us, and they’re more likely to bypass heart-related and other ailments.
The fact is, eating a more plant-based diet can boost your health, whether you’re a vegetarian or not.
What is it about the vegetarian lifestyle that can protect your health? And are there risks to being vegetarian? NIH-funded researchers are looking for answers. They’re exploring the many ways that diet and other factors affect our health.
Vegetarian meals focus on fruits and vegetables, dried beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts. By some estimates, about 2% of the U.S. adult population follows this type of diet.
People have many reasons for becoming vegetarians. Some want to eat more healthy foods. Others have religious or economic reasons or are concerned about animal welfare. “Vegetarian diets are also more sustainable and environmentally sound than diets that rely heavily on meat, poultry and fish,” says NIH nutritionist Dr. Susan Krebs-Smith, who monitors trends in cancer risk factors.
Most people think of vegetarian diets as simply eating plant foods and not eating meat, poultry and fish. “But in fact, there are many different types of vegetarian diets,” Krebs-Smith explains. “Some are more restrictive than others.”
Strict vegetarians, or vegans, eat plant foods and reject all animal products—meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and sometimes honey. Those who also eat dairy products are called lacto vegetarians. Vegetarians who eat both dairy and eggs are called lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Some vegetarians eat fish but not meat or poultry. They’re called pescatarians (pesce is Italian for fish).
“Then there are the so-called flexitarians, or semi-vegetarians. These are people who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but they occasionally eat meat,” says Jody Engel, a nutritionist and registered dietitian at NIH. “They might say ‘I’m a vegetarian, but I need to eat my burgers every Sunday.’ People tend to follow their own rules, which is one reason why it’s hard for researchers to study vegetarians. There’s so much variance.”
Despite the different definitions, “there’s tremendous agreement among nutrition experts and health organizations that a more plant-based diet is beneficial, whether you’re a true vegetarian or not,” says Krebs-Smith. “Most Americans don’t eat enough fruit, vegetables, legumes or whole grains. There’s a huge consensus that eating more of these foods would be a good idea for everyone.”
Vegetarian diets tend to have fewer calories, lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and more fiber, potassium and vitamin C than other eating patterns. Vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat-eaters, and to have lower cancer rates. “Evidence also suggests that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from certain heart diseases, and that those who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have lower LDL [“bad”] cholesterol levels,” says Engel.
In some cases, though, it’s unclear if certain health benefits come from plant-based eating or from the healthy lifestyle of most vegetarians. “Vegetarians are generally more physically active and have healthier habits than non-vegetarians. They also typically have a higher socioeconomic status, at least in the United States,” says Krebs-Smith.
To tease out the effects of diet, scientists have to conduct large, carefully controlled studies that account for other factors. One of the world’s largest studies of plant-based diets is now underway at Loma Linda University in California. Cardiologist Dr. Gary Fraser is leading an NIH-funded team of scientists to analyze data on 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists in all 50 states and in Canada. Members of this religious group have unique dietary habits and a generally healthy lifestyle.
Adventists are encouraged to follow a vegetarian diet, but about half the population sometimes eats meat. These variable eating patterns allow scientists to compare a wide range of dietary habits and look for links between diet and disease.
To date, the researchers have found that the closer people are to being vegetarian, the lower their risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a condition that raises your risk for heart disease and stroke). “The trend is almost like a stepladder, with the lowest risks for the strict vegetarians, then moving up for the lacto vegetarians and then the pescatarians and then the non-vegetarians,” Fraser explains. Earlier studies found that vegetarian Adventists also tend to live longer than both meat-eating Adventists and non-Adventists. The vegetarians also have less coronary heart disease and lower rates of some cancers.
Because vegetarians by definition don’t eat meat, some people jump to the conclusion that simply cutting meat from your diet will lead to health benefits. “But it’s actually more complicated than that,” says Fraser. “Differences in life expectancy and other health matters might be related to the extra fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes—including soy—that vegetarians tend to eat. You can’t necessarily conclude it’s based on the absence of meat,” he says.
Experts generally agree that vegetarians who eat a wide variety of foods can readily meet all their body’s needs for nutrients. “At any stage of life, you should be able to eat a healthy diet by consuming vegetarian foods. But it does take a little planning,” says Rachel Fisher, a registered dietitian involved in nutrition research at NIH.
Vegetarians need to be sure they take in enough iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12. Studies show that most vegetarians do get enough, in part because so many cereals, breads and other foods are fortified with these nutrients. “Vegans in particular need to be certain to get enough vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids,” says Fisher. Omega-3—found in fish, flax seed, walnuts and canola oil—is important for heart health and vision.
Some vegetarians take dietary supplements to make sure they’re getting everything they need. It’s a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian or other health professional if you’re a vegetarian or thinking of becoming one.
Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, Fisher says, you can benefit from the high fiber, low fat and rich nutrients of a vegetarian diet. “Vegetarian foods can be so delicious, and they’re so good for you,” she says.
Try using a variety of spices and herbs to make things interesting. And make sure not to overcook your vegetables, or they might lose some of their valuable nutrients.
Related Stories
To Fast or Not to Fast
Highly Processed Foods Linked to Weight Gain
Plan Your Plate
Sweet Stuff
Wise ChoicesTips for a Vegetarian Diet
Learn more at ChooseMyPlate.gov(link is external).
Links
Print this issue
Digging a Vegetarian Diet
Plant-Based Eating Can Reap Rewards
Vegetarians miss out on lots of foods. No grilled burgers or franks at picnics. No holiday turkey or fries cooked in animal fat. Strict vegetarians may even forego honey made by bees. But vegetarians also tend to miss out on major health problems that plague many Americans. They generally live longer than the rest of us, and they’re more likely to bypass heart-related and other ailments.
The fact is, eating a more plant-based diet can boost your health, whether you’re a vegetarian or not.
What is it about the vegetarian lifestyle that can protect your health? And are there risks to being vegetarian? NIH-funded researchers are looking for answers. They’re exploring the many ways that diet and other factors affect our health.
Vegetarian meals focus on fruits and vegetables, dried beans, whole grains, seeds and nuts. By some estimates, about 2% of the U.S. adult population follows this type of diet.
People have many reasons for becoming vegetarians. Some want to eat more healthy foods. Others have religious or economic reasons or are concerned about animal welfare. “Vegetarian diets are also more sustainable and environmentally sound than diets that rely heavily on meat, poultry and fish,” says NIH nutritionist Dr. Susan Krebs-Smith, who monitors trends in cancer risk factors.
Most people think of vegetarian diets as simply eating plant foods and not eating meat, poultry and fish. “But in fact, there are many different types of vegetarian diets,” Krebs-Smith explains. “Some are more restrictive than others.”
Strict vegetarians, or vegans, eat plant foods and reject all animal products—meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and sometimes honey. Those who also eat dairy products are called lacto vegetarians. Vegetarians who eat both dairy and eggs are called lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Some vegetarians eat fish but not meat or poultry. They’re called pescatarians (pesce is Italian for fish).
“Then there are the so-called flexitarians, or semi-vegetarians. These are people who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but they occasionally eat meat,” says Jody Engel, a nutritionist and registered dietitian at NIH. “They might say ‘I’m a vegetarian, but I need to eat my burgers every Sunday.’ People tend to follow their own rules, which is one reason why it’s hard for researchers to study vegetarians. There’s so much variance.”
Despite the different definitions, “there’s tremendous agreement among nutrition experts and health organizations that a more plant-based diet is beneficial, whether you’re a true vegetarian or not,” says Krebs-Smith. “Most Americans don’t eat enough fruit, vegetables, legumes or whole grains. There’s a huge consensus that eating more of these foods would be a good idea for everyone.”
Vegetarian diets tend to have fewer calories, lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and more fiber, potassium and vitamin C than other eating patterns. Vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat-eaters, and to have lower cancer rates. “Evidence also suggests that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from certain heart diseases, and that those who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have lower LDL [“bad”] cholesterol levels,” says Engel.
In some cases, though, it’s unclear if certain health benefits come from plant-based eating or from the healthy lifestyle of most vegetarians. “Vegetarians are generally more physically active and have healthier habits than non-vegetarians. They also typically have a higher socioeconomic status, at least in the United States,” says Krebs-Smith.
To tease out the effects of diet, scientists have to conduct large, carefully controlled studies that account for other factors. One of the world’s largest studies of plant-based diets is now underway at Loma Linda University in California. Cardiologist Dr. Gary Fraser is leading an NIH-funded team of scientists to analyze data on 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists in all 50 states and in Canada. Members of this religious group have unique dietary habits and a generally healthy lifestyle.
Adventists are encouraged to follow a vegetarian diet, but about half the population sometimes eats meat. These variable eating patterns allow scientists to compare a wide range of dietary habits and look for links between diet and disease.
To date, the researchers have found that the closer people are to being vegetarian, the lower their risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a condition that raises your risk for heart disease and stroke). “The trend is almost like a stepladder, with the lowest risks for the strict vegetarians, then moving up for the lacto vegetarians and then the pescatarians and then the non-vegetarians,” Fraser explains. Earlier studies found that vegetarian Adventists also tend to live longer than both meat-eating Adventists and non-Adventists. The vegetarians also have less coronary heart disease and lower rates of some cancers.
Because vegetarians by definition don’t eat meat, some people jump to the conclusion that simply cutting meat from your diet will lead to health benefits. “But it’s actually more complicated than that,” says Fraser. “Differences in life expectancy and other health matters might be related to the extra fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes—including soy—that vegetarians tend to eat. You can’t necessarily conclude it’s based on the absence of meat,” he says.
Experts generally agree that vegetarians who eat a wide variety of foods can readily meet all their body’s needs for nutrients. “At any stage of life, you should be able to eat a healthy diet by consuming vegetarian foods. But it does take a little planning,” says Rachel Fisher, a registered dietitian involved in nutrition research at NIH.
Vegetarians need to be sure they take in enough iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12. Studies show that most vegetarians do get enough, in part because so many cereals, breads and other foods are fortified with these nutrients. “Vegans in particular need to be certain to get enough vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids,” says Fisher. Omega-3—found in fish, flax seed, walnuts and canola oil—is important for heart health and vision.
Some vegetarians take dietary supplements to make sure they’re getting everything they need. It’s a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian or other health professional if you’re a vegetarian or thinking of becoming one.
Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, Fisher says, you can benefit from the high fiber, low fat and rich nutrients of a vegetarian diet. “Vegetarian foods can be so delicious, and they’re so good for you,” she says.
Try using a variety of spices and herbs to make things interesting. And make sure not to overcook your vegetables, or they might lose some of their valuable nutrients.
Related Stories
To Fast or Not to Fast
Highly Processed Foods Linked to Weight Gain
Plan Your Plate
Sweet Stuff
Wise ChoicesTips for a Vegetarian Diet
- Meet protein needs by eating a variety of plant foods, nuts, eggs or dairy foods.
- Snack on unsalted nuts and use them in salads or main dishes.
- Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal products. Choose fortified foods such as cereals or soy products or take a vitamin B12 supplement if you don’t eat animal products.
- Get calcium from dairy products and calcium-fortified soy milk, breakfast cereals or orange juice.
- Beans and peas have many nutrients and are recommended for everyone, vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
Learn more at ChooseMyPlate.gov(link is external).
Links
August 2013
Print this issue
Should You Take Dietary Supplements?
A Look at Vitamins, Minerals, Botanicals and More
When you reach for that bottle of vitamin C or fish oil pills, you might wonder how well they’ll work and if they’re safe. The first thing to ask yourself is whether you need them in the first place.
More than half of all Americans take one or more dietary supplements daily or on occasion. Supplements are available without a prescription and usually come in pill, powder or liquid form. Common supplements include vitamins, minerals and herbal products, also known as botanicals.
People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health. But not everyone needs to take supplements.
“It’s possible to get all of the nutrients you need by eating a variety of healthy foods, so you don’t have to take one,” says Carol Haggans, a registered dietitian and consultant to NIH. “But supplements can be useful for filling in gaps in your diet.”
Some supplements may have side effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other medicines. Supplements can also cause problems if you have certain health conditions. And the effects of many supplements haven’t been tested in children, pregnant women and other groups. So talk with your health care provider if you’re thinking about taking dietary supplements.
“You should discuss with your doctor what supplements you’re taking so your care can be integrated and managed,” advises Dr. Craig Hopp, an expert in botanicals research at NIH.
Dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as foods, not as drugs. The label may claim certain health benefits. But unlike medicines, supplements can’t claim to cure, treat or prevent a disease.
“There’s little evidence that any supplement can reverse the course of any chronic disease,” says Hopp. “Don’t take supplements with that expectation.”
Evidence does suggest that some supplements can enhance health in different ways. The most popular nutrient supplements are multivitamins, calcium and vitamins B, C and D. Calcium supports bone health, and vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants—molecules that prevent cell damage and help to maintain health.
Women need iron during pregnancy, and breastfed infants need vitamin D. Folic acid—400 micrograms daily, whether from supplements or fortified food—is important for all women of childbearing age.
Vitamin B12 keeps nerve and blood cells healthy. “Vitamin B12 mostly comes from meat, fish and dairy foods, so vegans may consider taking a supplement to be sure to get enough of it,” Haggans says.
Research suggests that fish oil can promote heart health. Of the supplements not derived from vitamins and minerals, Hopp says, “fish oil probably has the most scientific evidence to support its use.”
The health effects of some other common supplements need more study. These include glucosamine (for joint pain) and herbal supplements such as echinacea (immune health) and flaxseed oil (digestion).
Many supplements have mild effects with few risks. But use caution. Vitamin K, for example, will reduce the ability of blood thinners to work. Ginkgo can increase blood thinning. The herb St. John’s wort is sometimes used to ease depression, anxiety or nerve pain, but it can also speed the breakdown of many drugs—such as antidepressants and birth control pills—and make them less effective.
Just because a supplement is promoted as “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. The herbs comfrey and kava, for example, can seriously damage the liver.
“It’s important to know the chemical makeup, how it’s prepared, and how it works in the body—especially for herbs, but also for nutrients,” says Haggans. “Talk to a health care provider for advice on whether you need a supplement in the first place, the dose and possible interactions with medicine you’re already taking.”
For vitamins and minerals, check the % Daily Value (DV) for each nutrient to make sure you’re not getting too much. “It’s important to consider the DV and upper limit,” says Haggans. Too much of certain supplements can be harmful.
Scientists still have much to learn even about common vitamins. One recent study found unexpected evidence about vitamin E. Earlier research suggested that men who took vitamin E supplements might have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. “But much to our surprise, a large NIH-funded clinical trial of more than 29,000 men found that taking supplements of vitamin E actually raised—not reduced—their risk of this disease,” says Dr. Paul M. Coates, director of NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements. That’s why it’s important to conduct clinical studies of supplements to confirm their effects.
Because supplements are regulated as foods, not as drugs, the FDA doesn’t evaluate the quality of supplements or assess their effects on the body. If a product is found to be unsafe after it reaches the market, the FDA can restrict or ban its use.
Manufacturers are also responsible for the product’s purity, and they must accurately list ingredients and their amounts. But there’s no regulatory agency that makes sure that labels match what’s in the bottles. You risk getting less, or sometimes more, of the listed ingredients. All of the ingredients may not even be listed.
A few independent organizations conduct quality tests of supplements and offer seals of approval. This doesn’t guarantee the product works or is safe; it just assures the product was properly made and contains the listed ingredients.
“Products sold nationally in the stores and online where you usually shop should be fine,” Coates says. “According to the FDA, supplement products most likely to be contaminated with pharmaceutical ingredients are herbal remedies promoted for weight loss and for sexual or athletic performance enhancement.”
To make it easy to find reliable information, NIH has fact sheets on dietary supplements at ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/. NIH also recently launched an online Dietary Supplement Label Database at www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov. This free database lets you look up the ingredients of thousands of dietary supplements. It includes information from the label on dosage, health claims and cautions.
For more personalized, on-the-go information about dietary supplements, check out NIH’s free updated app for your smart phone or tablet: My Dietary Supplements (MyDS).
The MyDS app provides the latest supplement information and lets you keep track of the vitamins, minerals, herbs and other products you take. You can even keep track of supplements taken by your parents, spouse or children.
“Deciding whether to take dietary supplements and which ones to take is a serious matter,” says Coates. “Learn about their potential benefits and any risks they may pose first. Speak to your health care providers about products of interest and decide together what might be best for you to take, if anything, for your overall health.”
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Whole Person Health
Do You Need Dietary Supplements?
Taking Dietary Supplements Safely
Wise ChoicesSafe Use of Supplements
- Tell all of your health care providers about any dietary supplements you use. Some supplements can interact with medications or affect medical conditions.
- Read the label instructions for use.
- “Natural” doesn’t always mean safe. For up-to-date news about the safety of particular supplements, check nccam.nih.gov/news/alerts.
- Too much might be harmful. Don’t take more than the recommended dose.
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December 2021
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Do You Need Dietary Supplements?
Vitamins, Minerals, and More
Bottles of supplements line the shelves at your local supermarket. These include vitamins and minerals from A to zinc. You can also find products like probiotics, herbs, and fish oil. But are they needed for good health? And what about their risks?
“For most people, eating a nutritious variety of foods can provide all the nutrients they need,” says Carol Haggans, a registered dietitian and consultant with NIH. But some may need more than they get from their meals. Your needs can vary depending on your age, health, and what you eat.
Many misunderstand what dietary supplements are for, Haggans explains. “Some people might believe or hope that supplements can prevent or treat disease, but that’s not what they’re intended to do,” she says. “They’re intended to supplement the diet.”
Dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “But they’re regulated under the umbrella of food,” says Haggans. “It’s important for people to know that they’re not regulated like medicines.”
That means companies don’t have to prove that a supplement works before selling it. Companies are required to follow good manufacturing practices in making their products. But bottles still may not always contain what the label claims.
A few independent organizations conduct quality tests of supplements and give seals of approval. But these tests only ensure that a product was properly made and contains the listed ingredients. They don’t guarantee that it works or is safe to take.
Who Needs Supplements?Your body needs different amounts of certain nutrients at different times in your life. For example, the ability to absorb and process some nutrients decreases with age. So older adults may need more of certain vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, and calcium.
People who avoid certain foods may also need a nutrient boost. For example, vitamin B12 is found only in animal products. “So if you follow a vegan diet, you may not get enough B12 from food,” Haggans says.
Women who are pregnant, or may become pregnant, need a certain amount of folic acid. This helps prevent a type of birth defect called neural tube defects. And infants may need more vitamin D than the amount found in breast milk.
People with chronic health conditions also may need more of some vitamins and minerals, says Dr. Patricia Haggerty, who studies nutrition and the immune system at NIH. These conditions include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and some autoimmune diseases.
But whether you need a supplement—and which one or ones—isn’t something to guess at, Haggerty says. “Which supplements, the dosage, and so on, are things you should work out with your health care provider.” Blood tests often can help determine whether you have a nutrient deficiency.
Safety ConcernsIf you take supplements, tell your health care providers. Some supplements can change how well medications work. Others have risks for specific groups of people. See the Ask Your Doctor box for questions to ask about supplements. You can track information about your supplements and medications using NIH's My Dietary Supplement and Medicine Record chart.
“It’s also important to know the total amount of nutrients you’re getting from both food and different supplements,” Haggans says. “More is not necessarily better, and natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe.”
Many nutrients can be dangerous in large amounts. These have what’s called an upper intake level. Regularly getting more than that level can lead to serious health problems. Vitamins and minerals with an upper limit include calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, C, and D.
Manufacturers aren’t required to keep their products below these upper limits, Haggans explains. So check the labels before you buy. And some nutrients, like vitamin K, can interact with common medications.
Other types of dietary supplements, such as botanicals, can be even more complicated. Botanicals are also known as herbal supplements. They contain one or more parts of a plant. Examples include ginseng, echinacea, and St. John’s wort. Botanicals can come in many forms, such as capsules, dried teas, or liquid preparations.
Botanical products can vary in their ingredients from brand to brand. So their effects in the body can vary. “They can also interact with medications and have side effects,” says Haggans.
Some botanical products may come with health claims that go too far, says Dr. Ikhlas Khan, an NIH-funded natural products researcher at the University of Mississippi. Examples include helping you “sleep better” or “lose weight.”
“If you’re looking for a cure, you shouldn’t be looking in the supplement aisle,” he says.
Boosting Your Immune SystemPerhaps the most common claim for supplements is that they boost your immune system. Researchers have been studying whether any can help.
“Many nutrients, like vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and magnesium are important for a healthy immune system,” Haggerty says. But so far, getting more than the recommended amount of any nutrient doesn’t appear to boost the immune system.
Researchers are testing whether certain supplements can lessen COVID-19 symptoms. “But so far, the data are insufficient to support recommendations for or against any vitamin, mineral, or botanical product to prevent or treat COVID-19,” Haggerty says.
Scientists are also looking at supplements for other viruses. Khan and colleagues are studying a botanical extract made from a type of algae, called spirulina. Studies in mice have shown that compounds in it may increase the immune response and protect against viral infection. The team wants to test whether it can be used to protect against the flu.
But a challenge with botanical supplements is that they can vary from bottle to bottle, Khan explains. So the team must first fully characterize the product before they can test it in clinical trials.
You might wonder: If supplements aren’t the answer, what can you do to boost your immune system right now? “The most important thing is to eat a nutritious variety of foods and maintain a healthy weight,” Haggerty says. Obesity can weaken your immune system.
It’s also important to get regular physical activity, enough sleep, and to minimize stress. Don’t smoke. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Keep up with your vaccines. And wash your hands to lower your chances of getting sick.
“These are all things we can do on a daily basis to keep our immune system healthy,” Haggerty says.
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Ask Your DoctorBefore taking a supplement, ask:
- Can this supplement help with my health concern? If so, how much should I take?
- Does this supplement have any harms associated with it? What side effects should I look for?
- Could this supplement interact with my prescription medications? What about over-the-counter medications?
- How do I know whether a supplement contains what it says it does? Can you recommend a brand to take?
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