Most people in this day and age have heard about the many benefits of consuming sufficient vitamins and minerals. The claims range the gamut from keeping the skin looking young to preventing or even helping to cure cancer. There is one point, however, that is coming to light in study after study – that taking these vitamins as pill form supplements is very ineffective; and some studies even suggest it might be dangerous.
But everyone knows that vitamins have benefits, so what's the difference?
Vitamins as Nutritional Supplements
According to the LA Times article "Vitamins aren't a cure-all", on December 21, 2008, in that month "two long-term trials with more than 50,000 participants offered fresh evidence that vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium supplements don't reduce the risk of prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder or pancreatic cancer. Other recent studies have found that over-the-counter vitamins and minerals offer no help in fighting other cancers, stroke or cardiovascular disease."
Similarly, according to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 79, No. 1, 86-92, January 2004) vitamin E taken as a pill with nothing more than a glass of milk did little to nothing to raise the levels of vitamin E in the bloodstream; a pill taken with a wheat breakfast cereal provided mixed results; but having similar cereal directly fortified with vitamin E raised the vitamin E content in the blood dramatically.
Vitamins From a Healthy Diet
In the LA Times article, Jeffrey Blumberg, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, is quoted as saying, "You really do need vitamin E. You really do need vitamin C. You really do need selenium. Without them, you die." He goes on to say, "I'm really comfortable telling you to eat whole grains and fruits and vegetables and cut back on saturated fats, even though we don't have clinical trials showing that."
This seems to be the consensus among most nutritionists and medical professionals: yes, those vitamins and minerals are crucially important for the body to function properly, but they should be gotten through a healthy, balanced diet, not as miracle pills to compensate for eating over-processed junk.
Fresh fruits like oranges and grapes, fresh vegetables like broccoli and squashes, whole grains and seeds, and good sources of protein like eggs, fish and lean red meat are all essential to a healthy body. Of course, there are other potential benefits to eating a healthy diet as well, including better immunity to diseases, weight loss, and better overall health.
There is some evidence that a good multivitamin may help to fill in the gaps a bit, but should not be overused or relied upon in place of good, nutritious fresh foods.
For some ideas on what foods to be sure to include in a healthy diet, read Top Ten Overall Immune System Booster Foods.
Genevieve Kiger - Genevieve is passionate about all manner of natural subjects; herbs, herbalism, aromatherapy, and general natural health and body care.
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