When it comes to protecting health, vitamins and supplements
have had a rough time of it in the past few years, with studies
failing to find that many of them shield against cancer and
heart disease or extend life. It appears that while isolating a
specific nutrient and adding it to the diet in the form of a
pill or capsule is great for dealing with diseases of
deficiency, such as scurvy (caused by lack of vitamin C), the
same approach isn't so helpful in addressing chronic diseases.
So some manufacturers are trying to come closer to putting the
likely source of fruits' and vegetables' power—the complex
interplay of all their vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals—in
a capsule, as "whole food" vitamins and minerals. Everyone
involved agrees that getting nutrients by eating whole foods is
best and that it's probably going to be tough to consolidate all
the benefits of a blueberry in a single pill. But manufacturers
of whole-food vitamins say that unlike conventional supplements,
their products serve up the nut