Comment (51) Tweet Share on LinkedIn Related News Processed Foods: 7 Steps to Purging Them From Your Diet Greek Yogurt vs. Regular Yogurt: Which Is Better? High-Protein Diets for Weight Loss: Are They Healthy? 
If you take a vitamin pill, these warnings probably apply to you By Anna Miller February 24, 2012 RSS Feed Print 
If you tuned into The Daily Show earlier this month, you would have heard Jon Stewart’s guest, David Agus, a physician and author of the new best-selling book The End of Illness, fret about what could be called America’s vitamin abuse problem.
There have been 50 large-scale studies on supplements, he said, and not one has shown a benefit in heart disease or cancer. “I don’t get it,” he said. “Why are we taking these?”
Agus is not alone in his frustration. Other experts liken buying vitamins to flushing money down the toilet. In some cases, they mean it literally: If the body gets more of certain vitamins than it needs, it often excretes the excess in urine.
That doesn’t stop Americans from spending about $28 billion a year on dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbal supplements.
In some cases, people may be spending money only to put their health at risk. “As Americans, we think more is better, but that’s not the case with vitamins,” says Dee Sandquist, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Here are three popular vitamin supplements that prove you can, in fact, get too much of a good thing.
Vitamin E. Supplement skeptics often point to the story of vitamin E, which was once considered a promising tool for cancer prevention. The National Cancer Institute was so hopeful that vitamin E supplements would decrease rates of prostate cancer that in 2001 it funded a study designed to test the theory. Instead, the findings revealed that the men who took vitamin E were 17 percent more likely—not less—to develop the disease.
While vitamin E is a key player in immune function and cell communication, it’s best obtained through diet—in foods like wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and broccoli—and worst when taken regularly in high doses. Like many vitamins, it appears to lose its main benefits when taken in excess.
Vitamin A. Vitamin A is what gives carrots their good-for-your-vision reputation. Found in both animal and plant-based products, it’s also important for reproduction, bone health, and immune function. Supplements can be important for people with certain conditions that hinder fat absorption, including celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and pancreatic disorders.
But vitamin A deficiency is uncommon among healthy Americans. And partly because the nutrient can build up to toxic levels in the body, taking more than you need over time can lead to serious liver problems, birth defects, and disorders of the central nervous system.
A form of vitamin A called beta-carotene is thought to help prevent cancer—but perhaps only when obtained through the diet. In pill form, it seems to do just the opposite. Much as the pivotal vitamin E study backfired, so did the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, which found that male smokers who took beta-carotene supplements were 18 percent more likely to develop lung cancer, and 8 percent more likely to die, than the ones who did not.
Gerard Mullin, director of integrative gastrointestinal nutrition services at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and author of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health, has cared for patients who developed liver fibrosis because they overdosed on vitamin A. “A lot of people don’t know it can be dangerous,” he says. “They think it fights infections."
Vitamin C. Infection-fighting prowess is often attributed to vitamin C, as well. From orange-flavored chewables to Emergen-C packets, mega-doses of vitamin C are staples in many American medicine cabinets. While the natural form of the vitamin supports immune function, there is only a weak scientific link between regular use of vitamin C supplements and shorter or less severe colds. There’s no good evidence that vitamin C pills can prevent a cold altogether.
1 2 > Tags: health, medicine, vitamins, exercise and fitness Reader Comments Read all comments (51) Add Your Thoughts Comment Your comment will be truncated to the first 3000 characters. Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image. Incorrect please try again
Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear: 
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ. Exclusive Diet Rankings
Find the best diet for your needs.dd.americas-best p.more { margin-bottom: 2px !important;}
Best Diets Overall Best Diets for Healthy Eating Best Weight-Loss Diets Best Diabetes Diets advertisement
Featured Video 
Suffering from Migraines? Know your triggers to prevent a migraine meltdown.
Women's Health Tips Watch this video for tips on how to stay healthy in 2012.
Depression Learn how to recognize the symptoms.
Find the best diet for you Get the Guidebook
Best Hospitals 2012 The definitive U.S. News guide to hospitals, with 172 full-color pages of rankings, special reports, and more.
Order it now advertisement Hospitals » Hospitals by Specialty Cancer Hospitals Cardiology & Heart Surgery Hospitals Diabetes & Endocrinology Hospitals Orthopedics Hospitals Hospitals » #bottom dl.editors-picks dd p {font-size:1.1em;}Hospitals by City
Chicago Hospitals Dallas-Fort Worth Hospitals Los Angeles Hospitals New York City Hospitals Philadelphia Hospitals Diets » Best Diets for You Best Diets Overall Best Weight-Loss Diets Best Diabetes Diets Best Heart-Healthy Diets Best Commercial Diet Plans Senior Housing » Best Nursing Homes California Nursing Homes Florida Nursing Homes Illinois Nursing Homes New York Nursing Homes Penn. Nursing Homes Health Plans » Top Health Insurance Companies Calif. Health Insurance Florida Health Insurance Mass. Health Insurance Texas Health Insurance Virginia Health Insurance advertisement
Home Hospitals Doctors Health Plans Nursing Homes Diets RSS Employment Opportunities Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Masthead Advertise With Us Subscribe Copyright © 2012 U.S.News & World Report LP All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
View the Original article
No comments:
Post a Comment