Vitamin Supplements
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During preparation of this page, it may become a repository of useful articles and links.
Everyone needs vitamins for life, but do we need to buy vitamin supplements?
They look like medicines and make strong claims but how realisitic are they and do they do what they claim?
Excess vitamins are usually filtered out by the kidneys and expelled in urine but can they be harmful?
Image: Ragesoss, Wikipedia
Selected Links
Tablets taken by millions in UK every day could 'increase cancer risk by 30 per cent'
Item half of British Adults take regularly linked to risk of early death
Daily multivitamins do not help people live longer, major study finds
Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts
"In this cohort study of 390 124 US adults without a history of major chronic diseases, we did not find evidence to support improved longevity among healthy adults who regularly take multivitamins."
The Limited Value of Multivitamin Supplements (commenting on above):
"Considerable evidence now shows that, apart from the aforementioned roles for vitamin supplementation, there is little health rationale for the use of multivitamin supplements. Micronutrients come most healthfully from food sources. When supplementation is required, it can often be limited to the micronutrients in question."
Vitamin pills and risk of death
Nutritional Supplements and Cancer: Potential Benefits and Proven Harms
Vitamins, diet supplements and cancer
"There is no reliable evidence that dietary or nutritional supplements can prevent, cure or control the growth of cancer. Check with your specialist before you take any supplements to make sure they won't interfere with any cancer treatment you are having. " (CRUK)
Dietary Supplements
Coming back to the original question in the title of the article, it should be stated that dietary supplements are not recommended for everyone to be used to generally support health and reduce the risk of diseases, but rather to be used by those people with a prolonged nutrient deficiency in their diet or a previously diagnosed deficiency in the body. Therefore, more emphasis should be given to dietary changes, including the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, where vitamins and minerals occur naturally in combination with other nutrients that cannot be replicated in food supplements. People who intend to take supplements on their own accord should not choose preparations with the highest nutrient content because, unlike ordinary foods, excessive intake may have serious health consequences.
Supplements are necessary in cases of nutrient deficiency; however, even though prescription is not required, their use should be recommended and monitored by a physician.
Digestive Enzymes
What are Digestive Enzymes and do you need to take them?
Most people selling digestive enzymes, say that the symptoms of low digestive enzyme production are bloating, constipation, or diarrhea, or just general G.I. issues. While this is true, the problem with telling people this – besides the fact that most of us don’t have an enzyme deficiency and won’t benefit from these supplements – is that these symptoms are vague and overlap with the symptoms from a lot of serious conditions. Influencers are not qualified to diagnose you with any of these.
Page last updated 21 July 2024