If you're striving to give your body the best nutrients possible, you may wonder about the pros and cons of taking a vitamin supplement in comparison to gaining nutrients through the foods in which they naturally appear. No simple answers can provide a blanket response to the question of whether supplements or food sources are better nutrient-delivery systems. Both sources of vitamins have advantages and disadvantages.
Digestion and Absorption
In some cases, gastrointestinal disorders may impede your ability to absorb nutrients from the foods you eat, thus rendering vitamins a more suitable option. Atrophic gastritis affects a large number of elderly people. It occurs when your stomach stops making enough hydrochloric acid to detach vitamins from protein and enable their absorption. Malnutrition in the elderly is common as a result. As another example, people who suffer from pernicious anemia lack an enzyme called intrinsic factor. Without intrinsic factor, your intestines are unable to absorb adequate amounts of vitamin B-12. A B-12 deficiency may cause permanent nerve damage, so those with pernicious anemia often must receive their B-12 through vitamin injections.
Underlying Medical Conditions
An underlying condition may prevent you from taking vitamin supplements. For example, some vitamins may affect your ability to form blood clots. This can be helpful in fighting coronary disease, but harmful to those with hemophilia. Those with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders are advised against taking vitamin E or omega-3 fatty acid supplements, as these can stop platelets from forming clots and may increase bleeding. Obtaining your vitamins through food sources is unlikely to affect this condition, as you'd have to eat huge quantities to get this result.
Drug Interactions
The nutrients that are concentrated in a multivitamin supplement may cause problems by counteracting the effects of needed medications. One example of this is with Coumadin, a medication used to reduce blood clots. This is directly in opposition to the effects of vitamin K, whose main function is to contribute to a chain of chemical reactions that allow blood clots to form. If you're taking Coumadin, your doctor may tell you to refrain from vitamin K supplements and stick to natural dietary sources of the nutrient, such as kale.
Toxicity
Certain vitamins are water soluble, which means they are excreted in your urine. Others are fat-soluble, which means they are stored in your body fat. Fat-soluble vitamins have the advantage of not needing constant replenishment, but they also can build up in your body to levels that are toxic. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. It's unlikely that you'll consume enough of these vitamins from food sources to cause any negative consequences, but popping too many supplements may be disastrous. Vitamin A toxicity, for example, can cause headaches, vomiting, liver abnormalities and birth defects.
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