Taking vitamin supplements is a common activity for many Americans and can be a useful practice for people with acute or chronic conditions. Since all essential vitamins can be obtained from food and the environment, consider your personal diet and condition when deciding whether a vitamin supplement may be helpful to you.
Vitamins
In the early 1900s, researchers figured out that there were microsubstances in foods that were vital to human life. Vitamins influence everything from blood and eyesight to metabolism and bone growth. The essential vitamins are vitamin A, B vitamins, folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Since there are non-vitamin, unknown substances in foods that are believed to provide a benefit, it is recommended that you consume as many vitamins and minerals as possible from food sources.
Regulations
Vitamin supplements are defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act as "a product that is intended to supplement the diet that contains a vitamin." Marketed vitamins must not be represented as food or as the sole component of a diet. DSHEA also regulates how vitamins can be labeled, preventing companies from making inaccurate claims about their supplements.
Supplements
Vitamin supplements are usually consumed as a pill, capsule, tablet or liquid. Routine use of a multivitamin may be appropriate to prevent deficiencies. There is very little danger of a vitamin toxicity of water-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C, folate and the B vitamins. The risk increases in fat-soluble vitamin supplements. Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E and K.
Conditions
Vitamins help the most when taken is cases in which there is a risk of deficiencies. Unfortunately, vitamin supplementation use is very common among those who are not at high risk for deficiency. Dietary deficiencies are common among the elderly and those with low socioeconomic status. Conditions that cause a particular need for vitamins include cancer, cardiovascular or heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Times of increased vitamin needs also include pregnancy.
Considerations
The most common vitamin deficiencies among Americans are vitamins C, D and E. For healthy people, it is preferable to consume these vitamins from foods containing them rather than taking a supplement, which is more expensive and risky. Foods containing vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices and many vegetables. Vitamin D is obtained from the sunlight as well as fortified milk and egg yolks. Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, such as olive oil and canola oil.
References
- "Krause's Food and Nutrition Therapy"; Sylvia Escott Stump and L. Kathleen Mahan; 2008
- "A Health Professional's Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements"; Allison Sarubin Fragakis and Cynthia Thomson; 2007
- "Understanding Nutrition"; Sharon Rady Rolfes & Ellie Whitney; 2004
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Dietary Supplements
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