The human body requires vitamins to complete the thousands of chemical reactions and the physiologic functions that make life possible. Vitamins are essential nutrients and are found in the foods that people eat. The National Library of Medicine states that the human body requires 13 essential vitamins and minerals to function properly. Therefore, the pros for including vitamins in the human diet are proper cell function and overall health. The cons of taking vitamins occur when a person overloads on vitamins or when people do not include them in the diet. According to the National Library of Medicine, low levels of certain vitamins may cause a person to develop a deficiency disease and too much of certain vitamins can be harmful.
Types
The National Library of Medicine states that the 13 essential vitamins needed by the body include vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins. They state that the B vitamins include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate. The majority of these vitamins are found in natural foods.
Recommendations
Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health advise people to include multivitamins in healthy diet plans. They indicate that vitamins are essential to overall health and that multivitamins provide a nutritional insurance policy that fills in the gaps in human nutrition. Harvard states that specific vitamins like folic acid have health benefits beyond proper body function including preventing neural tube defects in newborns and lowering risk of heart disease, colon cancer and breast cancer. Harvard adds that vitamin D from a multivitamin can also lower the risk of colon and other cancers. These health benefits are in addition to overall body function provided by the essential vitamins and nutrients required by the body.
Sources
A person can obtain natural sources of the essential vitamins and minerals by consuming a healthy diet. Elements of a healthy diet include a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, water, nuts and healthy oils like olive oil. As an insurance policy a person can take a daily multivitamin to fill in the gaps and make sure that all aspects of proper nutrition have been included in the daily diet.
Considerations
Not including vitamins in the diet can impose health challenges on people because the vitamins are required by the body for proper function. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, states that supplements are not intended to replace the use of natural foods in the diet, therefore a person should still eat a well balanced healthy diet in addition to a vitamin supplement. The FDA also states that some people who are on medications or are having surgery should consult with a physician to see if any adverse effects are possible.
Expert Insight
The pros of taking a multivitamin or eating a healthy diet filled with the essential vitamins and minerals outweigh the cons. The cons of vitamins may include an adverse reaction or an overload of a particular vitamin. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that standard vitamin and mineral tablets are considered relatively risk-free if a person avoids high doses. It is not possible to overdose on vitamins by eating natural foods. A con of not taking vitamins or eating a healthy diet is a vitamin deficiency syndrome. Therefore, a person who is in pursuit of optimal health should include a multivitamin supplement in addition to a healthy diet.
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