Q: Dr Richard Beliveau wrote in his book "Foods that Fight Cancer", that supplements are harmful. Ingesting a food involves hundreds of mutual chemical reactions that supplements cannot duplicate. Is this true? Does it depend on the quality of the supplements?

Dr Angela Devlin

A: I am not familiar with this book so I can't comment specifically on this. It is correct that the digestion and absorption of food requires the coordinated actions of several biochemical and physiological processes. Whether the health value of a nutirent derived from a supplement vs food is different is probably dependent on the nutrien. Oftentimes the supplement form of a nutrient, for example folic acid, is absorbed more rapidly than that naturally present in food. On the other hand, some nutrients, for example iron, are better derived from food (eg. red meat) and are easier to digest than the supplemental form.

Supplements definitely serve a purpose and have a place in maintaining health, especially in those individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease, and in the prevention of certain birth defeacts such as neural tube defects.

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Q: Omega 3 - Does vegetable source of omega-3 (e.g. flaxseeds) contain the same DHA as salmon? If so, are the metabolic processes the same? Therefore, are the benefits the same?

Dr Angela Devlin

A: Flax seeds are a source of omega-3 fatty acids but do not contain DHA.The omega-3 fatty acid present in flax seeds is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a dietary essential fatty acid. The body can synthesis DHA from ALA. DHA is predominantly found in fatty fish and eggs.