Why are vitamin pills not a replacement for a balanced diet?
In: Biology
People honestly don’t know the answer. For example, we don’t have any requirements for types of protein (yea, there are recommended amounts, but you don’t need protein), but we do have essential amino acid requirements (which we normally get from protein). In livestock, it’s known that you can use crystalline amino acids (supplemental) to provide the same amount of AA as protein from corn/soy, but the corn/soy fed animals grow better. Something about having actual protein, not just AA, stimulates better growth.
That’s just one example. Other people are saying “real food” has polyphenols and antioxidants and shit, which I don’t buy. Vits A, C, and E are all antioxidants. Maybe those “bioactive” components have some other function, but there is no “requirement” or “need” for them.
Latest Answers