Changes

==Alleged vitamin deficiency used as a marketing argument==

==Alleged vitamin deficiency used as a marketing argument==

Dietary supplements are often advertised as a remedy to an allegedly spreading vitamin deficiency. Healthy persons living on a balanced diet, however, do not need additional vitamins in dietary supplements. According to studies on the common dietary situation in Germany, dietary supplements are unnecessary except for special cases like pregnancy (folic acid), alcoholism (vitamin B12), or diseases requiring a special diet. Such persons must seek doctor's advice instead of taking supplements recommended by laypersons. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE, German Nutritional Society) compared the nutritional value of three kinds of food over the last 50 years. According to their results, oranges have the same amount of vitamin C as 50 years ago, same like potatoes. Only apples showed an oscillation over the years. Scientists think this is due to seasonal influence and do not regard this as an indication of a general loss of nutrients. Food chemists of the University of Kaiserslautern investigated the hypothesis of an alleged loss of nutrients. They could not find any evidence indicating vitamin or mineral deficiency in persons living on a balanced diet. Gerhard Eisenbrand, head of the research group conducting this investigation, calls nutrient deficiency a "myth". Beat Bächli discusses the history of marketing strategies for vitamin C deficiency in his book <ref>Beat Bächi: Vitamin C für alle! Pharmazeutische Produktion, Vermarktung und Gesundheitspolitik (1933-1953). Chronos Verlag</ref> [http://www.zeit.de/2009/21/A-Vitamin-C] [http://orf.at/090625-39701/?href=http%3A%2F%2Forf.at%2F090625-39701%2F38682txt_story.html].

Dietary supplements are often advertised as a remedy to an allegedly spreading vitamin deficiency. Healthy persons living on a balanced diet, however, do not need additional vitamins in dietary supplements. According to studies on the common dietary situation in Germany, dietary supplements are unnecessary except for special cases like pregnancy (folic acid), alcoholism (vitamin B12), or diseases requiring a special diet. Such persons must seek doctor's advice instead of taking supplements recommended by laypersons. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE, German Nutritional Society) compared the nutritional value of three kinds of food over the last 50 years. According to their results, oranges have the same amount of vitamin C as 50 years ago, same like potatoes. Only apples showed an oscillation over the years. Scientists think this is due to seasonal influence and do not regard this as an indication of a general loss of nutrients. Food chemists of Kaiserslautern University investigated the hypothesis of an alleged loss of nutrients. They could not find any evidence indicating vitamin or mineral deficiency in persons living on a balanced diet. Gerhard Eisenbrand, head of the research group conducting this investigation, calls nutrient deficiency a "myth". Beat Bächli discusses the history of marketing strategies for vitamin C deficiency in his book <ref>Beat Bächi: Vitamin C für alle! Pharmazeutische Produktion, Vermarktung und Gesundheitspolitik (1933-1953). Chronos Verlag</ref> [http://www.zeit.de/2009/21/A-Vitamin-C] [http://orf.at/090625-39701/?href=http%3A%2F%2Forf.at%2F090625-39701%2F38682txt_story.html].

==Dietary supplement business and volume in Germany==

==Dietary supplement business and volume in Germany==