We all have heard the words: YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR VITAMINS! I know when I was younger to me the Flintstones Vitamins were unbelievably delicious. I would even sneak 2-3 when no one was looking. Now as I have gotten older and into adulthood, physicians and commercials probe you and recommend you take all these supplements, from Omega-3 to Vitamin A, B, C, D (essentially all the letters of the alphabet).
After doing some research I learned that taking
supplements (i.e. Vitamins) may not necessarily be as healthy for you as
advertised. Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says, "Vitamins live under this notion
that you can't possibly hurt yourself…But you can, by challenging Mother Nature
and taking these vitamins and concentrating them to these exceptionally large
quantities that you would never normally eat." He says, “It’s not uncommon
to hear of someone taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, but that's about the
same amount in 14 oranges.”
I understand that vitamins are crucial for
converting food into energy, but how much is too much?
Since there is no set dosage for how much fish oil or
vitamins you should take, research suggests that consuming large amounts of
omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil supplements and in fresh
tuna, salmon, and trout, may not be right for everyone. In an article, Dr. David B.
Samadi, a robotic prostate surgeon, responds to fish oil findings linked to
prostate cancer risk. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer
Institute (JNCI) found a strong association between high consumption of omega-3
fatty acids and a 43 percent increased risk of prostate cancer. Dr. Samadi
says, “This isn't a definitive warning for men to steer clear of fish oil, but
the findings are significant enough to warrant discussion.”
To join in on the discussion, I found that the American Heart
Association suggests supplements can be beneficial, but the key to vitamin and
mineral success is eating a balanced diet. With a routine diet we should be
able to receive all the necessary nutrients the body needs. In some cases where
there are food deserts, people may not receive all the nutrients the body needs
and should possibly take vitamins to reach the recommended daily amounts. However
it is highly recommended for anyone considering taking supplement to first
speak with their physicians. Ultimately, everyone is going to make their own
decision, but it is extremely important to remember that these supplements are
not replacements and with anything in life should not be consumed in excess.
Feel free to add to the discussion on vitamins and health!!
Works Cited:
I think that taking a daily multivitamin can be beneficial especially in a society where we tend to eat whatever is readily available despite its lack of nutritional value. I would argue that like many things, multivitamin supplements are good in moderation. Unfortunately, I think that also perpetuates the idea that we can eat whatever we want to - because all the major nutrients are taken care of in our vitamin supplements. It’s also important to remember that many water soluble and fat soluble vitamins will be filtered by the kidney (1), and if you’re taking an absurdly high dose of vitamins each day that means extra stress on the kidneys. Acute renal failure has been attributable to both excess vitamin D and vitamin C consumption (2,3).
ReplyDelete1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11505798
2. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/
3. http://www.renalandurologynews.com/vitamin-c-supplementation-and-ckd/article/138500/
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that you post about this because I was the exact opposite when I was little. My Mom had to force me to take my vitamins and she ended up giving up after a while. However, after I was not able to give blood this week, I had a revelation that maybe supplements could be good for you? I agree with you, I think that a balanced diet can yield all the proper nutrients that we are supposed to receive. But, according to the criteria set by the Institute of Medicine, Americans get less than the adequate amounts of vitamins from their diet. Specifically, more than 90% of Americans get less than the estimated average requirement for vitamin D and E in their diet. The Harvard School of Public Health promotes the use of multivitamins, especially for pregnant women and elderly people, regardless of other studies that have proven otherwise. So it seems like we have two options; take multivitamins or have a healthy and balanced diet.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/multivitamin/
I agree that the issue of vitamin supplement versus natural nutritional supplement is a fine line – vitamins consumed from the food we eat are healthier for us, but sometimes eating the best kinds of food is still not enough to reach nutritional requirements. The best we can do is keep ourselves informed about healthy vitamin levels, and when supplementation is necessary. One instance where fortifying a diet with supplements is critical is during pregnancy. While research on the specific dietary needs of each life stage is somewhat lacking, studies show that certain vitamins are necessary during pregnancy, lactation, and infancy in order to prevent major developmental disorders. Vitamin A is required during pregnancy for immune functions, mucosal integrity, fetal development, organogenesis, limb formation, and body symmetry. Vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy is known to cause xerophthalmia, night blindness, anemia, a higher susceptibility for intestinal and respiratory infections, and teratogenic effects on various organs. Vitamin D is essential for bone formation, immune modulating, regulation of gene expression, direction of immunity towards tolerogenic behavior [thus preventing autoimmunity], and prevention of Ricketts and other disorders involving vitamin D deficiency. Folate is the first vitamin to come to mind when considering pregnancy supplementation, since lack of folate is known to cause neural tube defects (NTDs). Folate deficiency was such an issue that a mandatory fortification of cereal products was implemented worldwide. It is required for DNA replication, the provision of single carbon units, and epigenetic methylation reactions. Consumption of high-folate foods is an insufficient amount of vitamin for the developing fetus, and with vitamin D deficiency already a widespread problem in developed nations it is really vital for pregnant women to educate themselves about what supplements they need to be taking for the health of their babies.
ReplyDeleteElmadfa I and Meyer AL. 2012. Vitamins for the first 1000 days: Preparing for life. Int J Vitam Nutr Res [Internet]. [cited 2013 Nov 26]. 82(5): 342-347. DOI: http://10.1024/0300-9831/a000129 Available from: http://medcontent.metapress.com/content/e7022230l43t52m5/fulltext.pdf
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your cited article by Dr. Samadi (2013), I could not believe the findings. I dug a little deeper and searched some other articles and found some interesting facts. The general consensus is that eating a lot of fish and fish products can be bad for you, which you did claim, but also beneficial. In an article recently published by Dr. Torfadottir et. al (2013), they found some very interesting trends. They found that high fish consumption in early and midlife was not associated with prostate cancer, however, those that ate smoked or salted fish were twice as likely to have prostate cancer. Perhaps the most interesting claim is that, older men that eat fish have a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer. What I inferred from this was, “You either eat fish and don’t stop eating it or don’t eat any fish at all!” I believe that we will begin to read on this topic a lot more in next few years and maybe we can get a definitive answer.
Samadi DB. July 2013. Omega-3 fish oil: Good for the heart, bad for the prostate. RoboticOncology.
Torfadottir J, Valdimarsdottir UA, Mucci L, Kasperzyk JL, Fall K, Tryggvadottir L, Aspelund T, Olafsson O, Harris T, Jonsson E, Tulinius H, Gudnason V, Adami HO, Stampfer M and Steingrimsdottir L. Apr 2013. Cosumption of fish products across the lifespan and prostate cancer risk. Public Library of Science. 8(4): 1-11