You can probably remember a time when your mom, doctor, or friend suggested that you “take your vitamins” so you can quickly get rid of a cold or have more energy. Vitamin supplements are man-made versions of naturally occurring vitamins in specific amounts. The most popular vitamin supplements are Vitamin C, Vitamin A, the B vitamins, and multi-vitamins. Other supplements that are gaining popularity are Vitamin D, Fish Oil, and Coenzyme Q10.
Vitamins are usually associated with being good for you. However, studies over the years have shown that the negative side effects of vitamins may be very serious. The New England Journal of Medicine was one of the first institutions to conduct studies on whether or not vitamins are bad for you. The study was done with individuals who were smokers or exposed to asbestos. The study started in 1998 and had to be stopped because those who took Vitamin A and beta carotene had a 46 percent higher risk of dying from lung cancer.
In 2004, trials for the Cochrane Database studied people who took vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene, and selenium to decrease their risk of intestinal cancer. Instead of decreasing cancer they increased their risk for cancer and their mortality rate. In 2005 the Annals of Internal Medicine found that in 136,000 people taking vitamin E, there was an increase their mortality rates. And in 2011 The Journal of the American Medical Association explained that taking Vitamin E can increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer. Other diseases linked to taking vitamins are kidney disease, liver disease, birth effects, central nervous system disorders, hair loss, and blurred vision.
How can it be that taking vitamins are bad for you? It comes down to the amount of vitamins put in these supplements and to much antioxidants. In order for your body to break down food into energy molecules, it uses oxygen in a chemical reaction. The use of oxygen in this reaction (called oxidation) causes the creation of dangerous molecules called free radicals. Free radicals destroy the inside of your cells and can only be stopped by antioxidants.
All vitamins stop free radicals, but naturally occurring forms of these vitamins are the most successful. Since vitamin supplements are over loaded with unhealthy amounts of vitamins, these supplements have too many antioxidants. This not only destroys the free radicals, but also your immune system. Once these excess antioxidants destroy the free radicals they then turn on your immune system, leaving it unable to defend the body from the creation of cancer cells and other diseases.
If you want to increase the amount of vitamins in your diet you should meet with a doctor and a dietitian or nutritionist. A doctor will be able to conduct test to figure out specifically what vitamins your deficient in. A dietitian or nutritionist will help you to create a diet that naturally provides you will all the vitamins and minerals you need daily.
Below is a video from D News on whether vitamins will improve your health:
Do you take vitamin supplements?
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Yes, I do take supplements. I think there are certain vitamins/minerals people need to take depending on what they do/don’t eat and the diseases and ailments they’re susceptible of getting. For instance, I do not eat calcium, except from fish bones and leafy greens (which actually have oxalates – these block calcium absorption), so I need to take calcium in order to get enough. Same thing goes for vitamin D – everyone is deficient in this vitamin because we all tend to shy away from the sun as well. Not all vitamins are BAD – but the best way to obtain them is from WHOLE FOODS!
I do not take any vitamins. I’ve heard too many bad things about them and no conclusive supporting evidence. This one specifically shocked me: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/
As Gigi said above, I try to just get all of my vitamins from real food. I do use protein powder though because it’s just so darn good in smoothies 🙂