Vitamins: To Supplement or Not to Supplement

Both individual vitamin supplements and multivitamins serve their purpose for those people whose dietary intake fails to provide adequate vitamins and minerals on a regular basis and for individuals who have conditions or diseases that require supplementation of their diets.

But why not just play it safe and take a multivitamin or individual vitamin supplements? Why, instead of concerning yourself with a nutritionally balanced diet, not just pop a pill or two? The truth is, plenty of people do just that.

There are two main reasons why opting for the easy way out when it comes to vitamins and minerals may not be in your best interest:

1.) Some vitamins, particularly the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, are stored within your body and taking too much of them can lead to toxicity. This can also be true for some minerals and electrolytes.

2.) Dietary supplements don't provide the other benefits that come from eating a nutritionally balanced diet such as fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.

It seems easy enough: Go to any big box or drug store and choose one of the many multivitamin supplements on the shelf. These days, there are multivitamins for men, women, seniors, heart health, prenatal period and bone strength from which to choose. Pick one, take it home, pop one daily and good health will come your way.

For some people, a daily multivitamin might be necessary to supplement their daily diet. For many people, the same supplement may be too much of a good thing.

Sometimes, there is no definitive answer as the advocates of vitamin supplementation debate with advocates of balanced nutrition through diet. A review of some of the latest research of both science and medical experts may aid you in your decision-making in this area.

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, there are four specific situations that may call for vitamin supplementation:

1.) Women who may become pregnant need to either eat foods fortified with 400 micrograms per day of folic acid or obtain the nutrient through a dietary supplement.

2.) Pregnant women should take a prenatal vitamin that includes iron or take a separate iron supplement.

3.) People over the age of 50 need to eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 or as a dietary supplement.

4.) Older adults, people with dark skin, and people who get little sun exposure to their skin should eat foods fortified with vitamin D or as a dietary supplement.

Before beginning to take any vitamin or dietary supplement, you should talk it over with your health care provider. If you're already taking vitamins and/or other dietary supplements, be sure to share that information with your health care provider.

The National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic advise that there are additional situations where you might benefit from taking a multivitamin or individual vitamins to supplement your diet. Again, it is important that you discuss these options with your health care provider to get advice and to learn if your particular health condition warrants caution with the use of dietary supplements.

Situations where you may want to consider vitamin supplementation:

1.) You follow a calorie-restricted diet less than 1600 calories per day or generally don't eat well.

2.) You are a vegan or vegetarian.

3.) You eat fewer than two meals per day.

4.) You have lost or gained 10 pounds in the last six months without trying to.

5.) You eat a diet that's restricted in any one food group or you eat fewer than five servings a day of fruits and vegetables.

6.) You drink three or more alcoholic drinks daily.

7.) You take three or more prescription medications or over-the-counter medications daily.

8.) You eat alone.

9.) You are a woman who experiences heavy menstrual bleeding.

10.) You have had surgery on your digestive tract or stomach that decreases your body's ability to digest and/or absorb food and nutrients or a medical condition that does the same.

Update 10/22/2012: The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with more than 14,000 participants. The participants were followed from 1997 through June 2011 for the results of taking either a daily multivitamin or placebo on the effects of developing all types of cancer, except non-melanoma skin cancer.

At the conclusion of the study and examination of the data, the researchers determined that the use of a daily multivitamin in men age 50 or over "modestly but significantly reduced the risk of total cancer."

The study, performed in the most respected scientific method, doesn't indicate that multivitamin supplementation will prevent all disease, but it does point out the benefits of these agents toward prevention of total cancers in men age 50 and above.