Expert warns against using food supplements for cure

Diverse kinds of food supplements are being marketed by companies as cures for cancer, stroke, heart problems and other chronic diseases. However, a medical expert, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, a brain and spine surgeon, has warned Nigerians about such touted products. Dr. Ogungbo said there was no credible research to back such claims and that there […]

Diverse kinds of food supplements are being marketed by companies as cures for cancer, stroke, heart problems and other chronic diseases. However, a medical expert, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, a brain and spine surgeon, has warned Nigerians about such touted products.

Dr. Ogungbo said there was no credible research to back such claims and that there had been recorded cases of side effects from using supplements.

The physician said it was disheartening and worrisome that doctors had joined the fray and sometimes asked patients to patronise such products.

He said there was a popular glutathione product that was being marketed in Nigeria with many claims to cures.

Dr. Ogungbo narrated how a patient who was prescribed the glutathione product for breast cancer by a doctor came to see him recently.

“She had suffered a seizure and was complaining of confusion and headaches,” he said.

He said the chemical in the body called glutathione was thought to be essential for maintaining the body’s defence system (immune system) and fighting poisoning, that it helped to remove some internal impurities generated by the body.

He said: “Glutathione is sold in Nigeria and other countries as this product. It has been touted as the secret to prevent ageing, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and that it is necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. This is of course not true, but you would not know from the hype surrounding the drug. Many people who sell this product believe in natural medicine and food supplements. They think this drug helps the body to heal itself and so can cure all illnesses.

“Therefore, they promote food supplements as the cure for everything, including earache and cancer. Some even say it can wake up the dead. Yet, this is not true. There is no research to back these outlandish claims. In truth, the naturopathic profession has a reputation for touting products and services that are useless, ineffective, lacking good evidence and sometimes even dangerous.”

He added that it was not okay for medical practitioners in Nigeria to prescribe the supplement for the treatment of breast cancer or other chronic ailments, saying it was simply criminal.

He, therefore, advised people and their relatives to sue if they suffered complications as a result of taking food supplements prescribed by certified doctors.

“It is grossly irresponsible for doctors to prescribe this medication for patients. Such actors have sacrificed financial gain for this impropriety. It is not okay for doctors to ask their patients to stop buying conventional and proven medications for the food supplement .It is simply criminal. They should be sued if you or your relatives do come to harm.

“If you suffer a stroke while taking them, sue. If your diabetes causes a complication, sue. If someone dies with fungating cancer while using the glutathione product prescribed by a doctor, please sue.

“Don’t let your relatives die in vain so someone can buy a new suit,” he advised.

The clinician added that worldwide the sale of the product for curing diseases was a billion-dollar industry and that a lot of investments were riding on it, adding that they were false claims and accidents waiting to happen in the country.

He said it had caused disability and death in those who believed it would rid them of cancer and heart disease.

“The facts are that the glutathione product is not a treatment for anything. It may improve wellbeing in some people, but definitely not a cure for all diseases. The improvement in wellbeing could also be a placebo effect and very short-lived. Those who use it in place of their normal medications for diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma are playing with fire.

You know it cannot stop the ageing process. It cannot return you to those glorious years. It cannot cure arthritis and degenerative diseases. It is not treatment for cancer,” Dr. Ogungbo warned.

The physician said the naturopathic profession had a reputation for touting products and services that were useless, ineffective, lacking good evidence and sometimes even dangerous.