Science vs. Tradition in the Battle over Vitamin Consumption

Should you be taking a vitamin dietary supplement? The answer given by leading health organizations within the United States including the American Medical Association, The American Institute of Nutrition, The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, The American Dietetic Association, and The National Council Against Health Fraud may surprise you.

According to these and many other federal and world-wide authorities, if you are a healthy man or woman eating a balanced diet, you probably won’t benefit from a vitamin supplement.

Most medical authorities agree that individuals diagnosed with certain medical conditions and those with unique lifestyle situations can benefit from taking a quality vitamin dietary supplement. Such exceptions include:

• Pregnant or lactating women


• Alcoholics or heavy drinkers


• Smokers


• Senior citizens


• Individuals with food allergies or malabsorption conditions


• Some vegetarians


• Individuals on extremely low calorie diets

Physicians also generally recommend and administer newborns a dose of vitamin K to prevent abnormal hemorrhaging.

Although there is no conclusive evidence supporting the idea that taking a daily multi-vitamin is necessary or even advantageous, studies show that nearly half of all adults do so. If you are one of them, chances are you believe our foods are not as nutritious as they used to be, or that a vitamin dietary supplement can help prevent diseases or sickness. Some of us believe both statements are true, despite the lack of support from research. Whether it’s marketing hype, myth, or some other phenomena, vitamins are now a tradition for many families and individuals as well as a billion dollar industry.

While many health experts note that a vitamin supplement may be unnecessary or even useless for most individuals, they also conclude that taken per recommended doses, they also should not be harmful. When consumed at safe levels, it seems likely the only harm done by taking vitamin supplements is to our wallets.

Banking on Health Benefits Despite the Odds

Perhaps the gist of it is, saying we don’t need or benefit from taking a vitamin supplement isn’t what we want to hear. Is the notion of better health through pill popping so engrained in our society, we refuse to give up supplements even when there’s no real reason to take them? Or, could it be that we believe research will eventually show health benefits associated with supplements? Either way, it seems likely that contrary to what science and the medical authorities may say, few of us will be giving up our vitamins.