Is Your Daily Vitamin Going to Kill You?

Found this interesting factoid in an article about gummy vitamins:

"The people who take multivitamins are often the ones who need them the least — healthy adults who are already concerned with wellness and most likely reach their daily allotment of most vitamins and minerals just by eating a fairly nutritious diet "

- http://greatist.com/health/gummy-vitamins-for-adults

So do most of us even need to take vitamin supplements? 

40% of the adult population report to take a multi-vitamin daily, but do they really need to? Are they wasting time, money or even possibly harming themselves? 

Some experts say it's ok, some say it could kill you. Read on.

I did some research and here is who should take vitamins:

- College students who most likely are not able to eat a well balanced diet

- Pregnant women, prenatal a obviously and these women more than any should get specific advice from their doctor on what to take

- Alcoholics, for whatever reason they really need folic acid 

- Those with Crohn’s disease or anorexia need thaimin, although I'm pretty sure those in the latter aren't too concerned about their health enough to take supplement 

- If you have High Cholestrol you need niacin 

- Vegetarians or vegans may need supplements like vitamin B

- Anyone with a deficiency or disease that prevents proper absorption of a certain vitamin or mineral

- It seems EVERYONE can benefit from fish oil as it helps with brain function, reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, one of my least favorite cancers 

So basically unless you have a special condition or special need you probably won't need to take a multi-vitamin or other supplements (except fish oil- yum!) as they are already in your regular diet. 

BUT if you are like me and you want to be SUPER healthy and extra sure you have all those vitamins, can it be bad for you to take too many supplements ?

Yes

Some vitamins like B and folic acid are water soluble, meaning your body will get rid of the excess 

BUT

Vitamins like A and D

Can build up in your body and be toxic in large amounts .

Too much vitamin C and zinc can cause headaches according to webMD

Too much selenium can lead to hair loss, nerve damage and all sorts of nasty things.

How much is too much?

"While most people aren't getting megadoses, if you eat a fortified cereal at breakfast, grab an energy bar between meals, have enriched pasta for dinner, and take a daily supplement, you could easily be over the recommended daily intake of a host of nutrients."

http://www.m.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/effects-of-taking-too-many-vitamins

Additionally there are some controversies over whether taking a multi-vitamin is actually detrimental and shouldn't ever be taken.

Christopher Ochner, Ph.D. believes "Taking a daily multivitamin is actually associated with an increase in all-cause mortality."

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/02/20/health-myth-do-really-need-to-take-multivitamin/

Apparently studies in the 1940s linked multi-vitamins to increase in cancer and overall death rates.

How is that possible? Isn't it healthy?

It could be a correlation vs. causation situation. Perhaps those who take supplements are those who are relying on vitamins rather than eating healthy or they are people who are overly stressed out about health.

Maybe that explains some, but I find a lot of people today just want to be healthy and take vitamins, while already eating a balanced diet. 

In direct contrast Andrew Shao PhD says "If you're taking a basic multivitamin, there's no need to fear taking too much." 

(Side note: how do all these people with PhDs come up with such completely different research?)

Shao continues:

"Most multivitamins have such a wide margin of safety that even when you're combining them with fortified foods, it's still not going to cause you to keel over."

Shao explains that if you take a daily supplement be sure to find one that has no more than the daily recommended dose. You don't need anymore than that and there is no benefit to exceeding it.

However, I beg to differ. There is something about taking 2000mg of vitamin C when I'm getting sick that seems to miraculously cure me. And if it's all in my head, well that's a placebo effect I'm willing to stick to.

So there you have it. 

The main issue seems to be when you get too much of any supplement.

Your safest bet is to eat a well balanced mixture of foods and get your vitamins naturally. If you feel you may be deficient in some vitamins or minerals, though it's a royal pain, just ask your doctor. I'm the kind of person who would rather take a multi-vitamin everyday then have to schedule a check up and ask if I really need anything. However, it seems that really is the best way. 

You can surely damage your body if you get too much of  a supplement.

So ask your doctor before you introduce a new supplement into your lifestyle.

AND don't eat gummy vitamins like candy!

If you find you do need something extra and you are looking for a good brand of multi vitamin I recommend:

Moringa for a natural herbal supplement with many vitamins

http://www.holistikhealth.com/superfoods/moringa-oleifera/moringa-leaf-powder-capsules.html

Or

For gummy vitamins that don't have too much unhealthy sugars:

http://smartypantsvitamins.com/smartypants-gummy-vitamins-for-grown-ups-adult/