One Vitamin a Day Keep Doctors Away

What is multivitamin?
A strip of multi vitamin tablets has become a favorite accompaniment on the breakfast table. Perceived to be healthy and beneficial, they are sometimes taken in self prescribed dosages. The availability of these pills over the counter only spurs one to believe they are safe and healthy. Let us explore the truth behind the multi vitamin pills and the effects of using them excessively.

Multi-vitamins are a combination of many different vitamins that are normally found in foods and other natural sources. They are used to provide vitamins that are not taken in through the diet. They are also used to treat vitamin deficiencies caused by illness, pregnancy, poor nutrition, digestive disorders, and many other conditions. They are undisputedly needed. But, vitamins given in high doses may also have effects that science is only beginning to understand.

Is pill popping safe?
In a test tube, cancer cells consume vitamin C to grow, and studies have shown far higher levels of vitamin C in tumor cells than are found in normal tissue.

The selling point of antioxidant vitamins is that they mop up free radicals, the damaging molecular fragments linked to aging and disease. But some free radicals are essential to proper immune function, and wiping them out may inadvertently cause harm.

This brings us to the question, are vitamins worth it? Several medical studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life. It would certainly be helpful to think twice before you pop in those multi-colored pills of multi-vitamins to enhance your health. Never take more than the recommended dose of a multi-vitamin. Avoid taking more than one multi-vitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to.

Side-effects of multi-vitamins
Taking similar vitamin products together can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side-effects.
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction on taking multi-vitamin tablets:

• hives
• difficulty breathing
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat

Other side-effects of multi-vitamins are:

• tooth staining
• increased urination
• stomach bleeding
• uneven heart rate
• confusion
• muscle weakness or limp feeling
• headache
• upset stomach
• unusual or unpleasant taste in your mouth

The alternative
Consider this: eating a small apple (100g) gives an antioxidant effect equivalent to taking 1500mg of vitamin C –-- so that is a mega-dose supplement. Dietitians, nutritionists and other experts are all agreed that apart from small groups of people in special medical circumstances, most of us don't need to take vitamins or food supplements. We can get what we need from a balanced diet.

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give is to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption. These are the foods that are nutrient rich, vitamin rich and mineral rich. It has been discovered that these foods contain far more than the classic vitamins and minerals we all know about. They contain many other plant substances, known as phytochemicals, which can’t be put in a bottle or made into a pill!

Taking vitamins and food supplements is neither good nor bad, but unnecessary for most of us. They should be treated like any other medicine and consumed only when necessary and prescribed by a physician or a doctor. It is better to rely on consuming a balanced and nutritious diet for good health and longevity.