Vitamin pills 'increase risk of death'!  

Interesting discussion. I take a multi vitamin and mineral pill every day plus I take high strength vitamin C. I have had advice from a nutrional therapist and from reading Patrick Holford's Optimum Nutrition. I would have to have a very high dose of vit A and E to be risking my health I personally believe.

I personally believe the amounts I take are safe and are within optimum levels.

Up until last year I had always thought that you could take as many vitamins as you wanted and not have to worry about getting too many or any side effects . Then they found that I had different problems like with my pressure and Thyroid and things like that and I had to be put on a bunch of different prescriptions , at this time , I found out that there are a lot of vitamins and natural pills that I was not allowed to take for fear of side effects . I never realized anything like this could be dangerous but it really can . I didn't realize that Viatmin A and Vitamin E could be dangerous either , goes to show that when we think we are taking something to help us out we find out that it could have dangerous side effects even from this type of stuff .

I have read more about this study by the AMA journal elsewhere. It is very suspect.

The problem is with their determination of "low bias" and "high quality" studies. We have absolutely no way of determining that the authors did not merely adjust the criteria to eliminate the studies they did not like.

The AMA has had a bias against people taking supplements for decades. Why in the world should we trust their determination of "low bias" when they are themselves biased?

Better would be that if a study was poorly done or bad science, they point out why. Merely adjusting vague subjective criteria to obtain the conslusion you want is not even real science.

It has never been established that vitamin pills have any positive effects on a person unless they have a serious medical problem. It is a spin off from the jesus, mohammed story and revolves totally around the collection plate.

Anything done in excess will be harmful to you!
Even vitamins!!

This is very interesting but it will not make me stop taking my daily multi vitamins-minerals pill :) I believe that studies are very contradictories and if you follow every thing you read you will not be eating anything at all! I guess the thing is just be moderate with everything you consume, vitamins are natural part of our diet, normal or moderate doses of extra vitamins can't do us any harm unless another study proves that supplement vitamins are not healthy as natural ones I will continue to take my daily pill :)

Heheh .. I saw this and must admit I had to laugh .. first we 'have to' take vitamin supplements .. now we are advised not to ..

Personally I think a little of everything is the best way .. and if I had a full and varied diet I would be getting all these vitamins anyway .. but they haven't told people to stop eating have they !!

ROFL -- I'm going to die of being healthy?

I take vitamins but have never done it in megadoses although I have friends who do and preach about it, lol. I just prefer moderation in most things, and that's one of them. I've added magnesium to my routine lately for bone and nerve health, and I had a great experience with it helping my nerve pain. Again, not in a large dose. Otherwise I take calcium and a daily vitamin. Other than that, I think I get enough nutrients from my diet.

I take studies with a grain of salt, because there will be a new one every day. I'm not a scientist, I just try to use common sense.

Thanks for sharing this, Chriss.