Vitamin Supplements can be DANGEROUS!
By SageMother
@SageMother (2277)
United States
April 9, 2007 3:04pm CST
I saw a piece on CNN this morning stating there is no scientific evidence that vitamin supplements work. Some vitamin supplements can actually be harmful in mega doses.
I think the focus they used was one of using the vitamins to extend a robust longevity and replace nutrients used by the body during normal function, and comparing that to overblown hype as opposed to balanced evaluations of how people FEEL when they take certain supplements, like vitamin B. I would like to hear your opinions of the information in the article. I feel they looked at extreme examples of supplement usage and not the balanced use of supplements along with a healthy diet!
Take a look at the report:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/09/chasing.supplements/index.html
3 people like this
5 responses
@beaniegdi (1964)
•
9 Apr 07
You are more likely to come to harm from being deficiant in vitamins than taking too many. Most people don't take 50 a day like the guy in the article. Also a couple of the supplements mentioned as not being effective are, for example vitamin E maybe is not good for what is mentioned in the article but is good for fetility and excellent for the skin. Also they mentioned ginko biloba and again that is good for the circulation which they don't mention.
The vitamins that can cause harm in large doses are the oil based ones like vitamin A and D as the body cannot get rid of overdose of these vitamins, whereas other vitamins such as vitamin C if taken in large doses are removed from the body when you urinate.
@SageMother (2277)
• United States
9 Apr 07
Oh i definitely think they chose some pretty extreme people as their example. I think that many vitamins help us feel better. The piece didn't address sane use .
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
10 Apr 07
I don't know if they help or hurt although I do know one should check things out with their medical history before taking them. For example someone who has had a stroke shouldn't be taking a vitamin K supplement or eating anything rich in vitamin K, it promotes coagulation of the blood. Anything in excess is dangerous and one needs to know which vitamins the body stores and which ones if you have too much will be excreted out of the body. If it is one that is stored you want to be careful not to over do on them because then you could be in serious trouble.
For myself most multi-vitamins I cannot take due to them having iodine in them. There is one out there that doesn't have it but it's expensive and when I did take it I didn't notice any difference in how I felt or in how often I got sick.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
9 Apr 07
It has always been said that overdoing anything can be dangerous. I take my "One-A-Day" Centrum Silver and have for years they are balanced correctly to ENHANCE a sensible diet. My doctor and I agree they work wonders for me. To take multiple pills is plain stupid and dangerous.
1 person likes this
@Kaeli72 (1229)
• United States
19 Apr 07
Oh....really? *lol* It's a shame that the FDA, health care, congress and media are all in bed together, sharing the same sticky web of lies they've produced.
I'm currently reading a very interresting book about things like this. The information is very astonding because you think Uncle Sam is your friend...and he's not!
The bottom line is...FDA cannot hold a patent on natural cures.
@VotreAmie (3028)
• United States
23 Apr 07
Thank you for sharing this information. I'm going to read the article on cnn. I have been using vitamins for a long time now and I think they might help a little if you don't take too much. I mainly use calcium supplements. But I agree they can not replace a normal healthy diet and that if you take too much of them they can be harmful. I didn't know there was no scientific evidence about vitamins this is news to me. Thanks again for sharing.
