Vitamin Supplements: no benefits and potential harm

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.

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