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Almost everyone remembers learning about British sailors who got scurvy on long voyages due to what was later found out to be a lack of vitamin C in their diet. During subsequent voyages they would each eat a piece of lime every day, and these "limeys" avoided the dreaded disease.

If all it takes is a little piece of citrus daily to prevent scurvy, why did Dr. Linus Paulding advocate ingesting massive amounts of vitamin C each day? He thought that the vitamin not only could prevent disease, but could also bolster health by acting as a super nutrient.

Vitamins are definitely necessary for life. Since they are in the foods we eat; should we take supplements? Many people think we should, because our diets have changed substantially over the years. Today most Americans are over-fed and under-nourished. A lot of foods are treated in such a way that vitamins are destroyed. Processing foods does a lot of damage to the nutrients in foods. Take bread for instance. Once called the staff of life, today's commercial white breads are so refined that the government made a law to "enrich" these products. But white flour "enrichment" replaces the twenty- two removed nutrients with only three B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium and iron. This alone may suggest that taking vitamin supplements is wise.

If you smoke, vitamin C is lost. If you drink alcohol, folic acid absorption is inhibited, and B vitamins are destroyed. In wintertime, you may not get enough sun, becoming deficient in vitamin D. Aspirin intake increases the rate of excretion of vitamin C. If you have been sick in bed for more than 6 days, you have experienced bone density loss, and need extra calcium. There are many examples of heightened need of vitamins, so if one is unsure, supplementation can be inexpensive insurance.

Anyone taking a multi-vitamin supplement should make sure it also contains mineral supplements, as they work in tandem with vitamins. The best mineral supplements are "chelated" (pronounced "key-lated") because they are absorbed by the body in a more efficient manner.

Just as chelated minerals are the best, so too are organic, natural vitamins. Synthetic vitamins do not always function in the body the way a natural vitamin does. Compare this to the partially hydrogenated oils made in factories. We now know that the synthetic hydrogenated products such as margarine not only raise cholesterol, but also lower the beneficial HDL. Stick to natural vitamins, as well as natural fats, they are better for you.

Vitamin supplementation in a controlled manner cannot hurt you, and just might do you good. Think about it.

Learn more about this author, Anthony Stemke.
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