August 2006,   Get out of Jail Free.

An interesting study was done at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. They found that people taking a prescription or over-the-counter drug for a given condition are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors like eating more donuts and chips as opposed to nutritional supplement users. The ones supplementing their nutrition were more likely to adhere to healthy lifestyle choices like exercising and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

Lead author of the study, Professor Lisa Bolton reports, "Consumers see the drug as a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card, which eliminates or reduces the risks of such habits as eating high-fat foods, excessive drinking or a sedentary lifestyle." In fact, the more effective the drug was perceived to be, the more "risk" a consumer was willing to take with their lifestyle choices!

Supplements, such as vitamins, mineral and herbs, on the other hand, surprisingly are much less likely to have this sort of negative effect. These consumers tended to see their supplement program as an add-on to other protective behaviours such as good overall nutrition, regular exercise and not smoking.

Part of the perception is due to drug marketing. It was found to "undermine risk perceptions and increase risky behaviour" - with consumers in the poorest physical health making the poorest health choices after starting a drug regimen.

The bottom line is that drugs, while they are necessary at times, tend to decrease personal responsibility. Supplementing nutrition, on the other hand, tends to empower individuals to assume more responsibility for their health.

Dr. Ken Southward

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