How much do vitamin supplements harm us?

The global market for vitamin supplements is worth billions. In 2011 alone, sales of multivitamins were $ 16, vitamin B tablets sold for $ 000 and vitamin C tablets for approximately $ 000. British nutritionist Professor Brian Ratcliffe warned a few years ago that excessive vitamin intake was not good for your health. He has openly accused the vitamin industry of feeding on the fear and money of people who are actually healthy. This is confirmed by prof. Zbigniew Fiałek, director of the National Medicines Institute, who in an interview with PAP said: “Most doctors say loudly that supplements do nothing, and even harm. So buying them is a waste of money ».

In developed countries, vitamin supplements are consumed every day by almost 40 percent. women and 30 percent. men. American scientists recently conducted an extensive analysis of the results of 68 studies focused on the consumption of vitamin supplements, namely beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, E and selenium. More than 200 patients from all over the world participated in these studies. Result? Scientists have found that vitamins A, E and beta-carotene can be dangerous to our health.

Excessive consumption of vitamins can even increase the risk of death. Research shows that taking too much vitamin A increases the likelihood of premature death by 16%, vitamin E by 4%, and beta-carotene by 7%. Only vitamin C and selenium came out of the research, for which no increased risk of death was found. Although scientists do not yet know for sure why this is happening, they suspect that it is an interference with the body’s defense mechanism, a violation of the body’s natural balance.

Of course, there are times when you should take vitamin supplements. A greater need for vitamin A occurs in patients after bypass surgery (artificial vascular bypass, mainly between the arteries), while vitamins D and B12 are prescribed to patients with low blood levels of these components. Let us note, however, that these are cases of sick people. Are additional vitamins needed by healthy people? Vitamin E is not recommended for people who are taking blood thinning medications as it may increase the risk of bleeding. Multivitamins increase the risk of bone fragility (i.e. the development of osteoporosis, especially at a later age). Even small doses of vitamin A can harm the body and cause nausea or headaches. Fat-soluble vitamins are deposited in our fat cells, which leads to an accumulation of the toxin in the liver, brain and heart. Water-soluble vitamins are therefore less harmful as they are removed from the body along with urine. This is the case of the vitamin C that millions of people around the world consume every day to avoid catching a cold. Is it right? While an excess of vitamin C is not as harmful as vitamin A, doctors believe synthetic vitamin C pills act more like a placebo. photo: Shutterstock / Elisanth

Scientists from the University of Maryland (USA) decided to check it. For three weeks, they gave eleven subjects 3 grams of vitamin C per day. The control group received a placebo. Then everyone (with their consent, of course) infected with a virus that causes a cold. They all fell ill, and they all had been ill for just as long. It turned out that vitamin C had no effect on the immunity of the study participants. A similar trial was conducted at the University of Toronto, Canada, but this time on a group of 3 people. Again, vitamin C was not more effective than placebo. U.S. team boss Dr. Paul Offit says at least 3500 different studies have found that vitamin C does not cure the common cold. The scientist also warns not to exceed the recommended daily doses of vitamins.

If supplements are harmful, what can you do to stay healthy? The recipe is simple: we need to focus on enriching our daily diet, and not be stressed about what vitamin supplements and how much we should be consuming. It’s best to buy a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and valuable sources of protein, and stop spending money on vitamin supplements, concludes Dr. John Messmer of Pennsylvania State University.

Because in food they are found in natural combinations and, importantly, along with other nutrients. In this way, it is also difficult to overdose on them. Similarly, you cannot overdose on vitamin D produced under the influence of sunlight.

Many vitamins are sensitive to light and heat. The main enemy of vitamins is therefore industrial food processing – for example, pasteurization of milk destroys almost all vitamin D that is naturally present in milk. Processing white flour causes the loss of most of the B vitamins.

– Vitamins are essential substances for our life. – They enable the proper course of biochemical reactions in the body. – They are involved in the metabolism of proteins, fats and sugars. – They are necessary for supporting many functions of the body. – They strengthen and maintain the proper functioning of our immunity. – The human body cannot produce vitamins by itself (with a few exceptions), so we must provide them with food.

– Excessive consumption of vitamin A increases the risk of death by 16% – Even small doses of vitamin A can be harmful to the body and cause nausea and headaches. – Excessive consumption of beta-carotene can cause diarrhea and yellowing of the skin. drowsiness and disturbed vision. – Vitamin C does not cure colds. – Some vitamins and minerals taken in excess increase the risk of bone fragility (promote the development of osteoporosis). – Excess vitamins in the body can lead to a disease – hypervitaminosis.