Vitamins: Not all they are cracked up to be?

It would be hard in a decent American diet to not get at least essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. We've got fortified stuff. I usually tell my patients to eat healthy, well rounded meals (natural sources are better than fortified or supplements) and unless there is pathology, they usually won't need supplements.
 
Didn't read the article, but it has been known for half a century that too much of anything from water to vitamins to alcohol is bad for you. There are certain vitamins and minerals that aren't common in food that may need supplementation. There are other vitamins and minerals where the RDA probably needs to be raised. Many other vitamins and minerals are taken in excess quantities. These excesses can cause liver problems, impotence or even hair loss depending on the vitamin or mineral in question.
 
The drug cartel periodically puts out these pronouncements. They want you dependent on their patented chemicals, not healthy and feeling good because you have enough B vitamins. There are some vitamins that you can actually see cause improvements in skin, hair, and nails if you take them.
 
The most important part of the article is:

"Many readers of the Well blog say the problem is not the vitamin but poorly designed studies that use the wrong type of vitamin, setting the vitamin up to fail. Industry groups such as the Council for Responsible Nutrition also say the research isn’t well designed to detect benefits in healthy vitamin users."

They continue to design trials in a way to guarantee failure. Despite being told in advance what is wrong with the trials. Who funds the trials? One guess, mostly the drug manufacturers.
 
Vitamins, Herbal supplements, homeopathic meds, etc, are classified as dietary supplements. They are not approved by the FDA and thus are not required to go through the same studies for safety, clinical effect, etc that other meds go through. They are also not required to meet the FDA's good manufacturing practices b/c they are not inspected by the FDA. It is very much buyer beware. I would advice doing research and consulting with health professionals before ingesting any dietary supplement for an extended period of time.

nccam.nih.gov/health/supplement-safety/

www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1998/598_guid.html

I would also recommend buying supplements that the USP seal on them:
www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/
 
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