Vitamins
Should people take vitamin supplements?
The Issue
People are increasingly getting their vitamins through supplements rather than diet alone. While supplements are necessary for certain groups of people, such as pregnant women and individuals taking certain medications, researchers are investigating whether such supplements are effective in providing nutritional support for the general population, many of whom continue taking vitamins as part of a complete diet in hopes of living a healthier life.
— Lea Thali, Nia Creator
Most Popular Question
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This Question: 4People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By Users[...] [W]e found an association between MVM [multivitamin-mineral] use of [greater than] 3 years and reduced CVD [cardiovascular disease] mortality risk for women [...].People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersThe failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the general population indicates that routine vitamin C supplementation is not justified [...]
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The data from this large trial indicated that 600 IU of natural-source vitamin E taken every other day provided no overall benefit for major cardiovascular events or cancer, did not affect total mortality, and decreased cardiovascular mortality in healthy women.
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In conclusion, we found no evidence of an effect of nutritional doses of vitamins or minerals on CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer, or mortality in healthy individuals without known nutritional deficiencies for most supplements we examined.
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Pooled together, evidence from double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials suggests that hardly any nutrient supplements have a consistent health effect on people in developed countries.
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Antioxidants, folic acid, and B vitamins are harmful or ineffective for chronic disease prevention [...].
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In male physicians aged 65 years or older, long-term use of a daily multivitamin did not provide cognitive benefits.
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Most Divisive Question
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This Question: 3People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersVery few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child's or an adult's vitamin D requirement.People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersBased upon the totality of evidence the best current recommendation is to have a well-rounded diet with sufficient fruits and vegetables, which should be able to provide most people with all the micronutrients they require.
Remaining Questions
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This Question: 4People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By Users[...] clear roles exist for vitamin supplementation in states of deficiency and in subgroups of older adults at high risk for deficiency of specific or multiple vitamins. In these settings, vitamin supplements help prevent or correct deficiency and related manifestations.People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersIn older women, several commonly used dietary vitamin and mineral supplements may be associated with increased total mortality risk; this association is strongest with supplemental iron.
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This Question: 2People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By Users[...] [D]uring a glaucoma attack, a sight-threatening situation, taking an extremely high dose of vitamin C may help to bring the pressure down rather quickly, although a loose bowel movement may result.People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By Users[...] when people take large doses of antioxidants in the form of supplemental vitamins, the balance between free radical production and destruction might tip too much in one direction, causing an unnatural state where the immune system is less able to kill harmful invaders.
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Go above 4,000 IUs [of Vitamin D], unless there's a specific reason that you need that amount, and you risk kidney stones, calcification of blood vessels and possibly the very cardiovascular disease you were seeking to prevent [...].
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There is also reason to avoid taking megadoses of vitamins, as this can cause toxicity, and even short of toxicity the evidence becomes more compelling at higher doses of the risks of supplementation.
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When vitamins are taken in excess of the Recommended Dietary Allowances or the individual's needs, the vitamins no longer function as vitamins but instead act as drugs, with such pharmacological effects as clinical toxicities and the abnormal utilization of vitamins.
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This Question: 2People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersStrong evidence links folic acid supplementation to a decreased incidence of neural tube defects, and all authorities recommend an increased allowance for women of childbearing age.
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Although an adequate intake of most nutrients can be obtained from a well-balanced, well-planned diet, such diets do not typically provide all nutrients at current RDA levels. Serious consideration should be given to encouraging all women of childbearing potential to take a daily vitamin-mmenal supplement.
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A new study reports that mothers of children with autism and autism spectrum disorders were significantly less likely than mothers of children without autism to have taken prenatal vitamins three months before conception and in the first month of pregnancy.
People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersA systematic review found no consistent effect of supplementation during pregnancy or lactation on infant and child body composition. -
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This Question: 1People should take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersIn 2011, an analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reported that more than one-quarter of the US population are not getting enough of vitamins A, C, D and E, calcium or magnesium.
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Three-quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D, the so-called "sunshine vitamin" whose deficits are increasingly blamed for everything from cancer and heart disease to diabetes, according to new research.
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Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem. With all the medical advances of the century, vitamin D deficiency is still epidemic. Over a billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient or insufficient.
People should not take vitamin supplements because:Top Support Story Added By UsersHere's some good news about Americans' diets: Most of us are getting sufficient amounts of key vitamins and minerals. That's the finding of a nutrition report just out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Vitamins A and D, folate, iron and iodine are just a few of the nutrients assessed in the nationwide survey, which uses data collected between 1999 and 2006. Overall, less than 10 percent of the population appeared deficient in each nutrient.-
The IOM did not consider deficiencies of either calcium or vitamin D to be serious problems in the United States, except among certain population groups.
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Scientists argue over just how important these seemingly widespread subclinical deficiencies are. Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Pete Miller dismisses them as nonexistent. He argues that even with government-recommended nutrient levels, “the threshold for what defines deficiency is probably incorrect”.
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This Question: -2People should take vitamin supplements because:People should not take vitamin supplements because:
Final Thoughts
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Priya Solanki
I think it is important to take vitamins, because most average people aren't getting the proper nutrients through their diets. Being a vegetarian, I especially find it important to take vitamins, because I otherwise wouldn't be getting nutrients I need. I think it's better to take vitamins than not.
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Jordan GrossmanFounder of Niaterra News
While the overall body of research is a bit ambiguous, it seems clear that people should first make sure their diets are good, because there's no replacing a good diet.
From there, if there are known deficiencies and/or the patient is pregnant, taking vitamins are important.
It's not clear if vitamins help beyond that — if they help, they help only a little. That being said, clearly there are risks of taking too many vitamins from megadoses. Balance is important.
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Catalina Gonella
Whether or not a person should take vitamins totally depends on their individual situation. A healthy person with no deficiencies probably has no need for vitamin supplements. However, people with deficiencies or in situations such as pregnancy or poverty could truly benefit from vitamin supplementation.
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Suchita Chharia
You should try to meet your nutritional needs from a natural diet, but if there is a serious deficiency, then supplements aren't necessarily wrong as long as they're not a substitute for a proper diet and have been discussed with your doctor.
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Meenakshi Parashar
There is a risk of megadoses for people who believe that more vitamins equals better health. However, as long as people are well informed and being careful with the dosage of the vitamins they're taking, I believe that vitamins are safe. Vitamins help a lot of people get certain nutrients which they lack in what they eat due to dietary restrictions and access to certain types of food.
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Catherine Thorbecke
It seems based on the research that vitamins and minerals can be beneficial as a supplement to a healthy diet but not as a replacement for a healthy diet.
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Lea ThaliNia Creator
Vitamins have not been shown to have health benefits for the average person. If you are pregnant, taking medication that depletes vitamins, or are on a restricted diet, it might make sense to take supplements, but otherwise people should avoid these costly tablets. If you find that you are deficient in a vitamin, try to modify your diet rather than resorting to these synthesized supplements.
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