Why do we need supplements?

[Rory]

I would suggest that most of us fortunate enough to be born and living in the more developed parts of the world, have the most varied and highest quality diet.... compared to our ancestors and also to the hundreds of millions of people who exist on $1 a day.

I often wonder therefore how we suddenly have such amazing dietary deficiencies which require so many complex and varied supplements.

Is everyone in the developing world suffering from dry eyes? Did all our ancestors suffer from dry eyes? Surely their diets are and were extremely deficient compared to ours?

I realise that I am being somewhat simplistic, but I am baffled by this supposed dietary deficiency that is contributing to dry eyes.

I suppose my question is....has anyone ever noticed an improvement in their dry eye symptoms purely from taking supplements or by changing their diet.....

For those of you who have managed to significantly control their symptoms through warm compresses and lid hygiene...did you or could you have done this without those beautiful fish/flax oil supplements?

[dianat]

Rory,

I have met quite a few people along the way who swear they have been helped by supplements. I tend to think that everything that can give me just a small amount of relief is at least worth trying...even if it's a placebo effect.

What's more is I do buy the fact that the modern diet is so highly processed we are likely deficient in many nutrients. Our early ancestors may have been better off with more whole, less refined quality food.

Do I think this dietary deficiency contributes to dry eye? Heck I don't know. But I swore once I would squirt bull semen in my eyes if I thought it would make me feel better. So what's a little oil pill?

The omegas are good for the heart, skin, inflammation and weight maintenance. They make my husband's forehead greasy. Who's to say they don't have potential for lubing up our eyes?

If you think it's a waste of time and money, Rory, then don't do it. It's only a theory, and one little item in our bag of tricks.

Diana

[Rebecca Petris]

I think maybe you're being deliberately provocative, Rory. You make it sound like people here are pushing supplements as a necessity in treating dry eye and that's simply not the case. Most of us who talk about supplements at all take the view that Omega 3 supplementation and, ideally, dietary improvement, may bring incremental benefits for dry eye depending what kind of dry eye it is and how advanced.

I will comment on a couple of points though.

1) "I would suggest that most of us fortunate enough to be born and living in the more developed parts of the world, have the most varied and highest quality diet" Compared to starving kids in Africa sure but compared to a good share of the world, this is not supportable. All you need to do is walk through an average American grocery store, pick up items at random and read the labels to see that. As a nation, we live on a pile of processed crap. I've lived in the UK and found it somewhat better, but not all that much. I've lived in Greece and that was dramatically better, at least back when I was there.

2) "how we suddenly... require so many complex and varied supplements...." Personally I don't believe we DO require complex and varied supplements. I think we need to eat a whole lot better, picking and choosing our food sources carefully. Some kinds of supplements may be needful or helpful.

3) "Is everyone in the developing world suffering from dry eyes?"
Tens of millions in the US are, and that's a lot of people. What is more worrying to me at this point is the increase in YOUNG people affected by dry eye. Their presence is increasingly noticeable on this board. I am hearing from the pediatric doctors about increasing numbers of children with MGD. I personally believe that we are starting to face an quiet epidemic of dry eye due to a combination of factors including lousy inflammation-promoting diet, side effects of common medications, and many others including climate control and computer use.

For those of you who have managed to significantly control their symptoms through warm compresses and lid hygiene...did you or could you have done this without those beautiful fish/flax oil supplements?

Speaking for myself, certainly.

[stella]

Junk food does not contain omega 3 and we eat far too much saturated fats and do not have the right proportion of polyunsturates to monosaturates - hense all the heart disease
Soil is depleted of essential nutrients
Fruit and veg are forced grown these days and treated with -God knows what pesticides ,then picked before they are ripe, and made to look good and yet taste lousy
Too much sugar is depressing our immune systems
Just some of the ways we are being starved of proper food in the western world
We beathe in polluted air and fumes ,and are increasingly allergic to all kinds of things
That is life in the western world
Hense the need for supplimentation of all kinds including omega3

[Rory]

Thank you for the responses.

I am CERTAINLY not being deliberately provocative Rebecca! What possible reason would I want to do that? I am trying to get a bit of clarity and confidence in a treatment plan...nothing else! I believe that this is the key to controlling symptoms...believing in a definite plan and sticking to it longterm.

I am confused and I cannot afford to buy expensive supplements on a faint hope. I must have bought thousands in the past to no avail. I am therefore looking for something to encourage me to invest in a serious supplement effort.... even if it is only the odd anecdotal example...

I agree with you and stella that the modern western diet is extremely processed and that perhaps this is a factor...... aiding inflammation

I lived in asia and australia for a number of years and i certainly ate a much less processed diet...much more fresh produce...however i didnt notice any difference in my symptoms.

I also believe that the quality of supplements available here in the UK is pretty low and the variety available in the US is extremely confusing. Fish/flax/fish/flax?? borage ... lignans.... how do you know which one to take?

[Rebecca Petris]

I am CERTAINLY not being deliberately provocative Rebecca! What possible reason would I want to do that?

Fair enough. I withdraw that then. Words can come across a lot different electronically than in person.

I am trying to get a bit of clarity and confidence in a treatment plan... I believe that this is the key to controlling symptoms...believing in a definite plan and sticking to it longterm.

I must have bought thousands in the past to no avail. I am therefore looking for something to encourage me to invest in a serious supplement effort.... even if it is only the odd anecdotal example...

My $0.02. If you've already taken thousands of Omega 3s and not seen any benefit, personally, I don't know that I'd be motivated to continue without compelling scientific evidence unless I were also taking them for general health.

[sazy123]

We dont need supplements as long as we have a healthy/balanced diet, supplements i believe are best for people who have problems and want to boost something in their diet which might help the ailment, like we use omega 3 in hope it might reduce inflammation. I believe it does have a lot of health benefits but my eyes have never benefited from any type of supplement, i am taking them again for the skin benefit as well as the eyes, i think green tea is beneficial for alot of things as well. Except the odd anecdotal evidence for omega 3 in DE, theres nothing strong enough to say it has a massive impact.

[stella]

Omega 3 has been proven to be benificial in the prevention and control of heart disease It lowers the BP and cholesterol and thins the blood
It has anti-inflammatory properties and hense is good for arthritis and allegedly for DES -'though i understand flaxseed oil has been found to be more effective in the treatment of DES than fish oil (so an ophthalmologist told me) I have arthritis as well as MGD so i take both- They are both a source of omega 3's
Interestingly- Dr Latkany states in his book that he suspects low fat diets have been a predisposing cause of so much of the MGD he sees (Not his exact words- I dont have his book handy - but thats definately his implication)

[Rory]

Omega 3 has been proven to be benificial in the prevention and control of heart disease It lowers the BP and cholesterol and thins the blood
It has anti-inflammatory properties and hense is good for arthritis and allegedly for DES -'though i understand flaxseed oil has been found to be more effective in the treatment of DES than fish oil (so an ophthalmologist told me) I have arthritis as well as MGD so i take both- They are both a source of omega 3's
Interestingly- Dr Latkany states in his book that he suspects low fat diets have been a predisposing cause of so much of the MGD he sees (Not his exact words- I dont have his book handy - but thats definately his implication)

I think he mentions the problem with the modern day US diet...there is a high ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3.... Omega 6s being in the junk food diet.....

So why do they always have Omega 6 in these supplements? I have never liked my science... but is it not a case of the more you read about supplements...the less you know?