Do adults need vitamin supplements? – Part 2

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

There are many arguments for and against taking vitamin supplements. Everyday a different article is published on one health issue or another. You may read an article one day that states, after many experiments one scientist and his team found that vitamins are great! You may read another two days later that says, another scientist in a different country says they are not. What should we believe?

Lets think about what we all eat everyday! Do the majority of us take in the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables? I think not! The majority of us spend so much time running around between our busy jobs and families, that we usually grab the first food that’s easy and available. So ask yourself this, are we eating a balanced diet? If the answer is ‘no’ then what? Whilst I don’t believe in dosing yourself with hundreds of vitamins, I do believe that replacing with a pill the vitamins we know we did not recieve in our diet can be alright. As with any pill, be sensible, take only when necessary and try to get as much of the natural vitamins from food that you can.

Another thought for us to consider is this! What about the people who have a natural deficiency of a vitamin in their body? Is it not healthy for them to take a pill that supplies their body with what they need to survive? Some women lack iron or B vitamins. Do they not need the help of a supplement to build a healthy supply of the vitamin their body lacks? The same could apply to calcium. As we get older and our bodies do not function as well as they did in our early twenties, should we not think it is necessary if needed, to take a calcium supplement to strengthen our bones? If your eighty year old grandmother is told she has osteoporosis would you not want her to take a small supplement of calcium to strengthen her bones and avoid an unfortunate hip replacement or worse if she should fall?

What about the individuals on a strict diet due to, for example high cholesterol? They may eat less meat, meaning less saturated fat which is good, but less vitamin B12 which is potentially bad. Should they take a vitamin supplement to supply themselves with the vitamins their body is lacking, or should they continue to eat something they know is bad for them in order to get a vitamin. Would it not be healthier for them just to take a dietary supplement? All these are valid questions to ask! Whilst on average a healthy diet does supply us with the nourishment we need, there are those of us in the world that require the help of a vitamin supplement.

As long as we look at this question logically then the answer is ‘yes’ adults do need vitamin supplements. As long as they are taken when needed and in the right amount I see nothing negative in this conclusion.

Share and Enjoy: