Will Vitamin Supplements Keep the Bugs at Bay?

How Taking Vitamin Supplements Can Keep the Bugs at Bay?

Vitamin and mineral supplements come in many shapes and sizes. While there are certain groups of the population who could benefit from a supplements (e.g. pregnant women, vegan etc), in many cases vitamin supplements just turn out to be extra expense.  

If you do take supplements, think of them only as a top up of your daily diet. Supplements aren’t magic bullets – they won’t supply everything you get from good food, nor can they counteract a bad diet. They can not make you run faster or jump higher. Even most of our top athletes stay away from these because it is very difficult to guarantee their safety. Some athletes have tested positive for a banned substance, simply because some of these supplements were made in the same factory as another product that contained a banned substance.  

But will they keep you well and out of bed this winter?

May be, may be not. In fact they might even be doing more harm than good. A recent article in the Dominion Post urged supplement users to exercise caution, especially with Vitamin A and E supplements. Many people take these with an aim of reducing their risk of developing diseases such as cancer. However, research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that they may be putting themselves at an increased risk of premature death because high-dose antioxidant supplements may interfere with your natural body defences.

In their review of 67 studies, involving 230,000 supplement users they found no evidence to suggest that these vitamin supplements increase life expenctancy. On the contrary, they found that vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin E actually increased premature death!  

It is best to obtain your vitamins from food, not pills.

Here are five really good reasons why:

1. Food provides vitamins in the most biologically available form
2. Food provides vitamins in the right amounts. You can’t overdose on vitamins when they are in food.  
3. Vitamins are combined with other complementary nutrients in foods and work best together.
4. Most people can meet their vitamin and mineral requirements through eating a well balanced diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains.
5. Save the $20 or $30 you spend each month on supplements, or better still spend it on fruits and vegetables.

By Kath Fouhy, BSc, PG DipDiet, NZRD - 13/06/08

Pulse Personal Training – It’s About Success - www.PulsePT.co.nz