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| Yes | 66% | 407 votes | Total: 621 votes | |
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Add to FavoritesCatching that annual cold or flu, feeling stressed-out or run-down, lacking in energy, are all critical signs that a daily intake of vitamins is needed. Lifestyle conditions such as high blood pressure, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. are indications the body is not well and needs vitamins to help the immune system fight disease and create balance within our systems. Taking vitamins daily will help strengthen nutritional deficiencies brought about by bad diets and fast lifestyles; and will also offset various side-effects from taking certain medications for these ailments.
Taking vitamins daily work only if you know why you are taking them, what exactly it is that they do, and the best formulation to take. Ideally, one should take a high potency multi-vitamin/minera l formulation to ensure all bases are covered, and one vitamin does not override the other, as too much of one can create deficiencies with another vitamin or mineral. It must be remembered that they come as one big family, and must be taken as one unit in order to gain maximum benefits.
A good multi-vitamin mineral formula should include at least 10,000 I.U. of Vitamin A, 1000 mg of Vitamin C, 1500 mg of calcium, 750 of magnesium. The B vitamin family should include at least 25 mg of most B vitamins and have 800 I.U. of Vitamin D. These are some of the building blocks toward the first line of defence which is our immune system, not to mention the myriad of antioxidants which are much talked about in the media these days. If you take statin drugs for high cholesterol, it is a must to take 100 mg of CoEnzyme Q10 because these drugs deplete CoQ10 which is the only vitamin manufactured by the body. As well, the Omega oils should be taken as a family, as in a 3-6-9 formulation.
Rule #1: Vitamins are not drugs/medication. They do not give the body instant gratification by masking symptoms of a disease or give temporary relief from physical or mental pain. Instead, vitamins/minerals aid the body in making it stronger to fight disease and fend against attack from bacteria or virus by constructing a wall of defence against potential offenders.
Vitamins need at least 3 months to take effect, and for some people even a year or two to derive benefits. The only way you can tell if the vitamins are working is to stop taking them and you will wonder why you did.
Rule #2: Whereas some vitamins such as Vitamin B12 or Folic acid can be taken in isolation for therapeutic purposes for energy, most vitamins/minerals will work the best if taken as a family. They work in tandem with one another and balance off each other's effects. To reiterate, too much of one vitamin or mineral can create a disease state but it takes a very high dosage to do so. Anecdotal, I once knew a child who loved to drink his milk, but he drank so much of it that it actually softened his teeth. What could be better for a child than milk? Unfortunately, because milk is high in phosphorus, besides calcium/magnesium, it softened the enamel on his teeth.
Vitamin B12 or Folic acid is often given by doctors in high dosages to offset chronic fatigue. How can you tell you are taking too much B vitamins? When you begin having restless sleeps, start cutting back, because extra energy is keeping you awake.
For absorption purposes, cal/mag is best taken with Vitamin D. Even better, go and soak in some sunshine for half an hour, especially if you live in Norther climates.
Rule #3: When taking vitamins/minerals on a daily basis, we need to know what we are taking them for? Is it to remedy a certain ailing condition, or just to have a feeling of well-being every day? Massive doses of vitamins/minerals should be taken only under the supervision of a physician or naturopath. Bloodwork can be taken which determines which vitamins or minerals are deficient in one's system. However, for daily maintenance and well-being, standard guidelines would give you maximum benefits.
From personal experience, taking 1000 mg of Vitamin C, 1500/750 mg of calcium/magnesium with 1000 I.U. of Vitamin D would help most women, especially during menopause and after. If you are stressed or fatigued for any reason, the family of B vitamins up to 50 mg. would suffice, and extra B12 or folic acid if you are especially run-down. Cut back, when you begin feeling more energetic, and find a minimum at which you feel comfortable for daily functioning.
Rule #4: In the end, we can take all the daily vitamins we want, but if our bodies do not absorb these elements, much is wasted in money and effort. Vitamins/mineral supplementation come in three forms: tablets/capsules, powder, and liquid form. The best for absorption is liquid form because the body does not have to break it down. The next best is liquid held in a gelatin capsule for easier swallowing. Fine powders will do the job as well. Avoid heavy shellacked tablets which are filled with starches, sugars and preservatives. They are difficult to swallow, break down or be absorbed. Taking vitamins daily form your first line of defence against anything that may want to invade your body. I know, because when I started getting serious about taking vitamins on a daily basis, I have not had a cold or flu for ten years. This method has been tried true by my husband, my son when he went to University and his whole dorm was coming down with colds, and they tried it as well. It has always worked.
Learn more about this author, A. Major.
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No
I have labored in vain to find one study which demonstrates that supplement taking increases longevity. During my investigations I found that exact opposite: taking large quantities of some vitamins actually increased overall mortality. As noted in one study: "There is increasing concern from these trials that pharmacological supplementation of vitamins may be associated with a higher mortality risk." (Thomas, DR, Vitamins in aging, health, and longevity, Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(1):81-91). The Seneca study found that supplementation use by smokers significantly increased mortality in smokers and found no benefit for non smokers. Smokers are strongly advised to avoid any supplements containing beta carotene.
The supplement industry is playing on our greatest fear, death. An incredible amount of money is being wasted on vitamin pills and other so called wonder supplements. One of my favourite sayings is that on the internet there is a cure and conspiracy for everything. On too many occasions I have come across "health professionals" providing very dangerous advice. For example, some friends of mine asked me to do some background research for their daughter who has a serious juvenile macular dystrophy condition called Stargardt. They took her to a naturopath who put the child on a very high dose of vitamin A supplement. I was very angry about this because even though I had just begun my research I realised that vitamin A intake must be very carefully moderated in such a condition. My opinion has been validated from numerous sources now advising that anyone with Stargardt must keep their total Vitamin A intake down as close as possible to the Recommended Daily Intake. In fact vitamin A supplementation is just about the worse thing for such a condition. If anyone is deficient in Vitamin A then there must be something seriously wrong with their diet. Furthermore, there are studies indicating that high vitamin A intake, or beta carotene, or vitamin E, can increase overall mortality.
Vitamin E supplementation is widely touted as one of the best health initiatives we can exercise but the evidence for this is scant. A huge problem with most vitamin E supplements is that these only contain alpha tocopherol. High levels of alpha tocopherol can impede the absorption of the other types of vitamin E. This is dangerous because gamma and delta tocopherol are much more powerful than alpha tocopherol. This may explain why some studies have found that vitamin E supplementation is associated with decreases in longevity. The reason why many vitamin E supplements contain only alpha tocopherol is that it is the cheapest Vitamin E type to be manufactured. That is a good indicator of the true intentions of many promoting their health products. If you are concerned about your vitamin E intake there is an easy and very cheap way to address this: wheatgerm.
The megadosing of Vitamin C is not only a waste of money it is potentially dangerous. At high doses vitamin C can act as a pro-oxidant and damage the gut. In any event most of the vitamin C content in pills is not absorbed. That reminds me of a very old study which found that one of the richest concentrations of vitamins was the New York sewer!
At a time in my life when I was working, studying, playing competitive sports, and going to the gym 4 times a week I decided to start taking some supplements. It is amazing how easy it is to start with one supplement, then decide to take another, and another, and another ... . At the time I was carefully monitoring my performance so did a little ad hoc experiment. I eliminated my supplements to see if there was any performance decrements. The only result of this experiment was that I saved a lot of money.
In these days I sporadically take a few supplements. Magnesium is useful for me because it stops cramps and I am something of an insomniac. Additionally I like milk and as it is high in calcium I prefer to occasionally top up magnesium because the magnesium-calcium balance is very important. This was highlighted in a study last year which found that elderly subjects taking vitamin D supplements with calcium demonstrated calcification in the cerebral arteries. There is a very important lesson here and that lesson is that nutrients must be kept in balance. Force feeding through supplements can very easily upset this balance and institute a wide range of health problems. This question of nutrient balance was highlighted just last week in a study which found that while high salt is an issue for high blood pressure, low potassium may even constitute a greater risk. The critical issue here may well be the balance of potassium to salt intake.
It is important to remember that nutrient requirements for individuals are not fixed. We all live different lives and have different metabolisms. Accordingly the RDI values, while a useful heuristic, are values for the mythical average individual. We all have differing nutrient needs and so must adjust our dietary intakes. Additionally there are some circumstances where supplementation can be advantageous. For example, for those in high latitudes or are confined indoors vitamin D supplementation might be useful. Nonetheless even very brief exposure to sunshine, far less than is required to damage the skin and so raise the risk of skin cancer, is by far the best way to obtain sufficient vitamin D.
Never trust the claims of a product by those selling the product. This is common sense but it is suprising how many people refuse to seek independent analyses of products. In relation to the health industry this is very important because numerous independent studies have found that a great many supplements do not contain the stated ingredients. I occasionally take a multi vitamin that is\was approved by the Australian Institute of Sport. I do this because I am a minimal eater and do have problems maintaining a well balanced diet. Nonetheless I recall my earlier experience and guard against buying more supplements when I purchase these. There is too much hype and too little science regarding the purported health benefits of various vitamin and health supplements. While there are certain conditions and circumstances where supplements can have value for most of us the best source of nutrition remains a well balanced diet.
Learn more about this author, John Hasenkam.
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