The Truth About Vitamin Supplements: Do You Really Need Them?

2024-04-24 18:31:59

Health Day

Vitamin supplements are big business: Americans spend regarding $45 billion of the more than $177 billion spent worldwide on health-enhancing pills, gums and powders.

About 59 million Americans regularly take some form of vitamin or dietary supplement, spending an average of $510 a year.

But most people waste that money, experts say.

A balanced daily diet provides all the nutrients a person normally needs to maintain health, said Matthew Silvis, vice president of clinical operations for family and community medicine at Penn State Health.

“If you have a balanced diet and are able to eat nutritious foods — fruits, vegetables, etc. — you don’t need a multivitamin or supplement,” Silvis said in a news release.

“The general answer is that most people don’t need them, despite how multi-billion dollar the vitamin industry is. But there are populations of individuals who need to consider a multivitamin or a supplement. And it’s individualized,” he continued.

Some examples of people who need specific nutritional supplements are:

Pregnant women need folic acid to prevent birth defects.

Older people with osteoporosis who may benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Vegans or coeliacs who need a multivitamin to supplement the nutrients they cannot absorb from their diet.

High-intensity athletes who regularly engage in grueling training and intense competition may also be eligible to turn to some supplements, said Silvis, who also works as the medical director of primary care sports medicine for Penn State Health.

“Professional hockey players burn an incredible amount of fuel every day of the week. We look at their protein intake, and there’s no way they’re eating enough chicken and beef and protein to make up for those losses, and we can’t allow them to lose A muscle mass. They are often supplemented with protein shakes because it is a quick and easy way for them to maintain their protein intake,” he said.

However, that does not include ordinary people who play athletics as a hobby, Silvis said.

“Do all athletes need to drink protein shakes? Not at all. Your kid on a tee ball team doesn’t need a protein shake,” he said.

Silvis said it’s best to talk to a doctor if you need vitamins or supplements before heading to the nearest nutrition center, pharmacy or supermarket.

If the body does not need a particular nutrient, it will most likely eliminate the excess.

Simply put, the money spent on most unnecessary supplements goes straight down the toilet.

“If you have a balanced diet, you literally urinate the vitamins and minerals you take with the multivitamin. Only a limited amount can be absorbed, and when this limit is exceeded, the vitamin is excreted,” Silvis explained.

“Therefore, the idea that if something is good, more of it must be better, right,” he added.

For example, there’s no evidence that taking plenty of vitamin C prevents colds, and there’s little evidence that it helps speed recovery, according to Silvis.

“There’s a lot of debate regarding whether vitamin C really changes how long you’ll have the disease. But as with other vitamins, if you have a healthy, balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, you’ll meet your dietary needs day following day,” Silvis said.

What’s worse, people can cause a health problem if they take too much of certain vitamins, he warned.

For example, too much vitamin A can cause a toxic condition called hypervitaminosis, which can cause vision and skin changes, bone pain and even liver damage.

If a person intends to take supplements, they should make sure what they are taking is as safe as possible, Silvis said.

When buying vitamins, consumers should look for the United States Pharmacopoeia label on the product to make sure what’s on the label is actually on the product, Silvis recommended.

People buying sports supplements should look for products approved by NSF Certified for Sport, a nonprofit organization that requires strict standards for dietary supplements, Silvis said.

“Those are the controls that can be offered to patients. Because there are shelves and shelves and aisles and aisles of options when you go to the store,” Silvis said. “So, if I don’t arm the person with the knowledge of what to look for, both in terms of the content of the vitamin or supplement and to make sure it’s going to be safe for the patient, then I don’t think I’ve done the job my.” “.

SOURCE: Penn State Health, news release, March 20, 2024

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