Vitamin Supplements: Do We Need Them?

Most of us can recall an encounter with the vitamin aisle at the supermarket, pharmacy or health food store.

It can be a confusing, frustrating event.

Vitamin C for colds, vitamin B for energy, calcium for your bones…we can even have trouble recalling what certain supplements, like copper, are supposedly good for. And there are dozens of brand names to choose from.

I can certainly understand people’s cynicism about supplements, given all the conflicting news out there. Currently, there are no recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on using dietary supplements to prevent such health conditions as heart disease or cancer.

However, there is plenty of data that supports supplementing our diet with certain vitamins to optimize health. This is especially true for people in certain high risk groups and those who are not following a healthy, well-balanced diet.

You Can Do It With Diet…Sort Of

First of all, we need to understand that vitamins and minerals are the building blocks of the healthy function of our bodies. Most people can obtain most of the necessary nutrients (including vitamins and minerals) from a healthy, well-balanced diet. This means we need to eat the following:

• at least 5 serving of fruits and vegetables
• produce belonging to all the major color groups – green, purple/blue, red, orange, yellows/white
• whole grains
• low-fat dairy products
• protein from safe plant and animal sources
• small doses of healthy fats

And all of these preferably every day to get all of the recommended requirements.

But while I may love fruits and vegetables, there’s simply no way I have the time to check off every item on that list every single day!

Topping Off Your Tank

So here are some basic guidelines to help you decide which, if any, vitamin supplement is right for you:

1. Women of childbearing age (read: menstruating) need folic acid, iron and calcium, regardless of whether they are trying to become pregnant. Good food sources of these include dark green leafy (and crunchy) vegetables, fortified grains and cereals, beans, red meat (lean cuts), certain animal organs and low-fat dairy products. Pregnant women should take a prenatal vitamin as well.

2. Older adults (men over 65 and peri or postmenopausal women) need extra calcium and vitamin D to strengthen their bones. Ask your doctor how much is right for you, but the usual recommended daily amount is 1000 mg of calcium and 400 units of Vitamin D (600 if you’re over 70).

3. Adults over 50 should consume extra vitamin B12 in the crystalline form (available in fortified foods and in supplements).

4. Children need adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, along with vitamin C and iron, to promote normal growth and development, and can easily obtain these from food sources. Unless a child has a chronic medical condition or consistently avoids food from one of the major food groups, there is no need to add a multivitamin. The addition of fluoride to drinking water varies by county here in California, so check with your child’s pediatrician before starting any vitamin supplement with fluoride.

5. Any person with a chronic medical condition should consult with their doctor before starting any vitamin or mineral supplements, to ensure there are no interactions with their medications or contraindications due to a health condition. However, there are several conditions that can benefit from dietary supplements, including macular degeneration and dementia. Talk to your doctor.

In conclusion, the majority of the adult population can get most of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals by eating as healthy as possible on a consistent basis. So, for most healthy, active adults, taking a multivitamin is safe and recommended but not necessary.

Always talk to your doctor before starting any supplement if you take any medication on a long term basis, or have a chronic medical illness. And if you still have more questions, you can read more on this topic at the Office of Dietary Supplements website, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.