Do You Need Vitamins?
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By Kathleen Brown
With studies on vitamins giving conflicting information, the Bay Area Senior Advocates (B.A.S.A.) series on nutrition would like you to know the pros and cons for vitamin supplements. You may have already read articles and advertisements claiming vitamin supplements are a cure for everything and a suitable alternative for a diet rich in nutritional value, but beware.
Thus, you might ask, do I even need vitamins and the answer would be “yes”, but not necessarily as a supplement. The human body needs vitamins and minerals in small but steady quantities for normal growth, function and health. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot make most of the vitamins and minerals we need, they must be ingested. There are 13 vitamins the body absolutely needs: A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins (B1, 2, 3, 6, 12, folic acid, pantothenic acid & biotin). The best way to supply them for your body is through a varied healthy diet. Yet, more than 150 million Americans take a vitamin or supplement daily. These supplements are not a substitute for a healthy diet and they are not intended to replace food. However, if you are going to take vitamins, it is important that you take them safely.
The complex nutrients and benefits of whole foods are simply not found in supplements. If you do not eat enough healthy foods or if you do not eat a variety of them, then a multi-vitamin may be appropriate for you. If you have a medical condition or take medications that affect how your body absorbs, uses or disposes of nutrients, you also may need supplements.
Federal Law does NOT require dietary supplements to be proven safe before they are marketed. Labeling claims of a dietary supplement, do not need to be proven, accurate or truthful. Only after a product is on the market, does the FDA’s (Food and Drug Administration) role begin with certain safety monitoring and then only as resources allow the monitoring. In addition, good health advice is generally based on research done over time, not a single study highlighted by the media. Ask a health professional before taking any “quick fix” supplements. If they sound too good to be true, they usually are.
Choose quality supplements. Make sure the product is from a reputable manufacturer. Check for a toll free number and web site where you can get further information from professionals. The USP (United States Pharmacopeia) verification mark indicates that all manufacturing operations used to make the supplement have been audited. Find a manufacturer who guarantees purity, potency and quality.
FDA has a MedWatch program to receive information about adverse reactions to supplements and medications. Call 1-800-FDA-1088 or report online www.fda.gov/medwatch.
It is important for your physician and pharmacist to have a list of all supplements you are taking. Some have interactions with medications, lab tests, and/or disease states. Vitamins may interact with prescription medications and either raise or lower the level of medication. Have your pharmacist perform an interaction check for all the prescriptions and supplements you take. Include these supplements on all medication lists.
More is not always better! Some products may be harmful in high amounts. We thought vitamin E would help to lower the risk of heart disease. After studies were done, high doses were shown to offer no benefit for heart disease and they slightly increased overall mortality. Also, be sure to consider duplication of supplements. You may be taking a multi-vitamin that has calcium and vitamin D, while also taking a calcium/vitamin D specific product twice daily. Add these amounts together, when deciding if the dose is too high for you.
You may be getting less of the vitamin than you think! The strength that is displayed so boldly on the front of the bottle, may actually be for two or three tablets. The back of the bottle will tell you the serving size - read the whole label.
Vitamins are essential nutrients that contribute to a healthy life. Please use them safely and wisely.
Kathleen Brown is a staff pharmacist at Munson Community Health Center; she is the Michigan Community Pharmacist Association’s Pharmacist of the Year, does medication care therapy management and works with diabetes and asthma education at Munson.