Many people take supplementary vitamins to improve their health. The huge amount of information available about vitamins can be confusing, but the main important facts are easy to understand. There are a number of steps that you can take to make sure that the vitamins you take are right for you and to make sure that you get as much nutritional value as possible from your vitamins.
What Are Vitamins?
Vitamins are also known as "micronutrients" because they are needed in tiny quantities for good health. Macronutrients -- protein, carbohydrates and fats -- are needed in much higher quantities. Vitamins cannot be produced in the body, so they must be consumed from outside sources on a regular basis. If this does not happen, a range of deficiency diseases can occur.
Who Should Take Them?
An article published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" recommends supplementary vitamins for a number of vulnerable populations: people on restrictive diets, people on hemodialysis, alcohol-dependent people, patients with malabsorption disorders, vegans and people who consider themselves to be at risk of specific cancers. The consensus view of the medical community is that vitamin supplements are not needed by the majority of people. A 2010 Cochrane Review found that taking vitamin supplements did not reduce mortality.
How Can I Maximize the Benefits?
Supplementary vitamins may not provide their full benefits if you do not have "helper" substances in your diet. For example, vitamin D absorption is aided by the presence of calcium, and vitamin C and iron aid each other's absorption. A balanced diet is a better nutritional source than vitamin supplements and has more anti-cancer and anti-disease properties. Vegetables and lean meat contain many beneficial substances, such as coenzymes and antioxidants, which enhance the nutritional value of vitamins.
What Could Increase My Vitamin Needs?
When the liver breaks down alcohol, it uses up essential vitamins and minerals, which may deplete your body's reserves if your diet is poor. Vitamin B in particular is depleted by drinking alcohol. Smokers may need twice the vitamin C of nonsmokers, as nicotine detoxification consumes a lot of vitamin C. People over the age of 50 are advised by the Food and Drug Administration to take a vitamin D supplement to protect their bones against brittleness and breakage.
What Are the Dangers?
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, which means that they are the more dangerous vitamins in large quantities. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble, so excess is generally excreted before toxic levels can be reached. Consult your doctor to discuss your personal supplementary needs.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults
- The Cochrane Collaboration: Antioxidant Supplements for Prevention of Mortality
- JAMA: Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements
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