Times Get Hard for Vitamins

Everyone needs vitamins, which are critical for the body. But for most people, the micronutrients we get from foods usually are adequate to prevent vitamin deficiency, which is rare in the United States. Some extra vitamins have proven benefits, such as vitamin B12 supplements for the elderly and folic acid for women of child-bearing age. And calcium and vitamin D in women over 65 appear to protect bone health.

But many people gobble down large doses of vitamins believing that they boost the body’s ability to fight cancer and heart disease. In addition to the more recent research, several reports in recent years have challenged the notion that vitamins are good for you.

This week researchers reported results from a large clinical trial of almost 15,000 male doctors taking vitamins E and C for a decade. The study showed no meaningful effect on cancer rates.

Another recent study found no benefit of vitamins for heart disease.

And recently, doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have said that vitamin C seems to protect not just healthy cells but cancer cells, too.

Despite a lack of evidence that vitamins actually work, most appear unwilling to give them up. Which is good because in some cases vitamins have been proven to work well for some. Everyone is different, as always consult your doctor prior to see if anything you are taking is necessary and works for you individually.