Coke and Pepsi are entering the functional food arena with 2 vitamin-fortified sodas. Dogged by increasing evidence linking soft drink consumption with obesity, and stymied by flagging sales, the two behemoths are marketing these new products as “sparking beverages.” Coke is entering with “Diet Coke Plus”, fortified with niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, magnesium and zinc. Pepsi’s entrant is with the web 2.o sounding name, “Tava” which will contain vitamins B3, B6 and E, and chromium.

Whether consumers will buy into these health benefits remain to be seen, but any real benefits are doubtful. In fact, recent evidence suggests some vitamin supplements show no clear health benefits and may even pose potential harm. Whole fruits and veggies remain your best sources of vitamins.

Mom was right. “Eat your Broccoli it’s good for you.”

Now recent evidence has shown that the antioxidant protection from 2 servings of broccoli per day is superior to taking a multivitamin supplement. Oxidative stress was reduced 22% by eating 2 servings of broccoli, while no change was observed with a multivitamin. Like rust damaging your car, oxidative stress causes your body to rust and age prematurely.

There is mounting evidence that getting antioxidants from food is superior to supplements. In fact, several studies have suggested that some vitamin supplements may do more harm than good.

Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables which also includes arugula, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, collards, kohlrabi, mustard, turnip, red radish and watercress. Notice the wonderful pepper taste when you eat cruciferous vegetables? These are the organosulfur compounds that are so good for you and provide you with antioxidant and cancer protection. So take 2 cruciferous veggie servings and…

Popping vitamin pills may do you more harm then good according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Association. In an analysis of 68 studies involving 232,606 people, researchers found no effect on mortality. However, when only high quality studies were considered, they found the death rate increased by 4% for vitamin E, 7 % for beta carotene and 16 % for vitamin A.

While analysis of vitamins from food sources show benefits, several studies analyzing their synthetic-supplement counterparts have shown troubling results. For instance, food sources of beta carotene are protective against lung cancer, but two large scale human trials showed a 28% increase in lung cancer risk among smokers taking high-dose beta carotene supplements. Follow up studies demonstrated that betacarotene in high dose supplement form increased the formation of precancerous lung cells.

Why are food sources of vitamins best? The health benefits of vitamins may be due to a synergistic interplay among different antioxidants. We know that vitamin E, for instance, interacts with vitamin C to regenerate back to its active form. Keep in mind that singling out one vitamin and ingesting it in high doses may upset this delicate balance. Rather than providing antioxidant protection, these vitamin supplements could have pro-oxidant effects causing cellular damage and accelerated aging.

At best, these vitamin supplements show no benefit and may even cause harm. Tastier than pills, stick with wholesome veggies and fruits and do your body good.