It seems that doctors, chiropractor and other health professionals are always encouraging folks to take a daily vitamin. If you're a person who downs a bunch of pills 
with her morning cup of coffee or OJ every morning, then you may be surprised to hear this horrible news — research shows that people who take antioxidant supplements, including vitamins A and E, may be unknowingly shortening their lives. Ironically quite the opposite of what they are hoping to do. In this Danish review of 67 studies done on 230,000 healthy men and women, the team of scientists found no evidence that taking antioxidant supplements had any positive effect on preventing diseases such as cancer. Actually, some supplements may even increase susceptibility of getting sick and dying sooner.
Wait, I thought antioxidants were good for you. If you're confused too, then read more.
Yes, it's true. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E, beta carotene and selenium, are considered essential for our health, because they support the immune system and help rid the body of free radicals that can possibly lead to disease. Many of us already get the recommended amount or these vitamins and minerals each day in the food they eat, and there's no scientific data that says that more is better. Plus, people aren't exactly sure about dosage amounts when it comes to vitamins. The RDI of vitamin C is about 75mg, but you can buy tablets of 1,000 mg. Taking a huge amount of any vitamin all at once could throw your system off balance.
Of course there are scientists who don't agree with these studies, and feel that there is some merit to taking a daily vitamin. For those not getting enough from their diets, vitamins could help to promote overall health.
So what's your opinion on taking supplements? Do you take vitamins everyday, or do you feel it's not necessary?
Celestina
Great Plains
Givenchy
you can design a study so that it will conclude whatever you please.
1I take a vitamin. But my body is out of whack anyway with my colitis. When I'm sick, I'm realllllllly sick for a long long time. If I didn't have a vitamin, things might not be so good.
2I take a vitamin every day...well, most days, when I remember, but I'm pretty good about it. I've noticed since I've started taking them I don't get sick as often and when I am sick, it gets over a lot quicker. So, I don't know. Maybe vitamins shorten your life a little, but if I didn't take vitamins, I'd spend a lot more time of my hypothetically longer life being sick.
3I think the goal should be to get your vitamins ect. with your daily food, not with pills. And unless your doctor runs some blood tests to find out what exactly it is you are missing and need I don't think it's a good idea just too swallow a bunch of pills. Too much of a good thing can be harmful.
4haha, i just popped a vitamin as i was reading this...
5I take a daily Multi-Vitamin and a Vitamin C pill (500 mg) every morning... but, I at least want to use up my bottles before figuring out if I should keep taking them or not! I think it's a good idea for me right now, because I'm studying this semester in Buenos Aires and getting in enough fruits and veggies every day is unfortunately not guaranteed with my host family
6I don't think taking something like centrum is going to hurt. But the multivitamins at the vitamin stores, those things have like 1000x your rdi of some stuff. The bottle said to take three, so i would take 1 and still feel sick all day. I think that's a little overkill.
I take calcium magnesium vitamin with a little bit of some other vitamins thrown in
I think calcium's pretty important b/c I know I don't get enough. And I'm short as it is. Anything I can do to keep from shrinking when I'm older, lol.
7I don't take a multivitamin but I do make sure to stock up on calcium! As a woman, especially a young woman, it's incredibly important. I'm mildly lactose intolerant so I have to be sure I meet my daily calcium intake.
8I don't take a multi but I do take a Vitamin D and Biotin supplement. Multivitamins seem like going overboard if you're usually getting your daily through food.
9I was taking solotron, because I figured my diet was ridiculous and I wasn't getting the needed nutrients.
I took it for about three and a half months, but got tired of my pee being highlighter yellow and reeking to high heaven. I also think the iron was stopping me up. I'd like to continue taking a vitamin, but I'd need one with far less B vitamin(even 50mg of b6 was throwing things off), and less iron. I could probably stand to ingest more fiber as well.
10I don't take vitamins. Instead, I eat really healthy foods. I get all of my vitamins and minerals from food.
11I have such a hard time remembering to take my vitamin. I need to be more consistent.
12Occasionally I do take a multivitamin
13Isn't it always better to be getting all the nutrients you need from your diet and not relying on pills to pick up where you fail in your diet anyway?
14I do think it is better to get it from food - but for now, I'm getting it from a multi... I am pretty sure I don't have the right balance in my food, though I'm thinking I'd love to try... someday...
15I always take a calc/magn/vit D supplement and fish oil because most people don't get enough of these in their diet. I often take a multi, but I take one that has a low amount of vitamin A and 100% or less of everything else. I don't think it's necessary to take mega supplements if your diet is decent.
16I read an article a while back that talked about how vitamins are poorly regulated and some vitamins have things like lead in them. there was actually a list of vitamins to avoid (including popular brands like natures health). I dont personally take a vitamin. I try to eat "clean" ie lots of fruits and veggies, lots of lean protein, so I hope im getting what I need from what I eat. On the flip side, Ive heard stories of patients my mom has encountered that swear by their vitamins and are in great health. Who knows
17I sometimes take gummy vitamins, which have maybe half what a regular multivitamin has. I get horrible heartburn when I take vitamin or calcium pills. Chewables for me when I remember to take them.
18I take multi-vitamin + iron + beta carotene. I think the beta carotene has really helped my skin..
19i take prenatal vitamins...my nails aren't so brittle and my skin looks nicer...that's all i really take, and only when i remember. they don't bother me at all, and the % isn't overkill. sometimes i take fish oil too, but lately have been just eating fish and other healthy fats instead.
20Whenever I've tried to take a multi-vitamin, I wind up feeling like I have a rock in my stomach or I feel sick to my stomach. Not sure what that's all about but I don't like it. So, I just try and get the vitamins and nutrients I need in my food.
21My med school friend told me that taking a multi everyday is dangerous because your body can stop absorbing/ producing natural vitamins? I usually take a multi every few days. I don't eat meat but I still only take a b12 a few days a week because the body stores b12 for long periods of time& doesn't need THAT much of the vitamin.
22So did this study use the regular daily-sized doses or the large 1000% doses?
23Well at least I have a good reason why I don't take my vitamins consistently.
24This study doesn't even mention how much these people were taking. For all we know, it was an excessive amount. Too much of anything is bad for a person. That's just common sense.
25Well, I think anything that is too much is not really a good thing.
26I rarely take vitamin unless I really need it as I can't take bunch of vitamin because every time I do that, the next day I always get shore/ulcer on my throat or whatever that'll make me feel sick.
I take a One-A-Day All Day Energy vitamin (a multi with caffeine and guarana blend) with my lunch on weekdays. The extra kick really helps block the 3 o'clock wall I usually hit.
If I remember I also take two fish oil capsules before bed.
27i take fish oil religiously...and calcium every two weeks for pms issues...
i hope there isnt going to b a new study showing that fish oil is now bad...oy...
28you can design a study to conclude whatever you want. I'm not going to throw out my multi unless you can link me to the study so I can read it for myself.
29i go to a natural path doctor and i take supplements but i am beginning to question them. i know i need to take a b12 supplement because i am a vegetarian, and i also take a EPA/DHA fish oil supplement. beta carotene has done wonders for my skin. all b and c vitamins are water soluble, meaning the body excretes what it doesn't need. i eat a very healthy diet so i am beginning to wonder if my vitamins are superfluous..
30Even though i get my recommended 6-9 servings of fruit and veggies a day I still take a multi-vitamin and fish oil (twice a day for fish oil)
31I probably don't need to take any supplements (besides calcium) but I do anyway. I eat enough fruit, veggies, etc. that I can probably fulfill that way, but I don't want to fall short, so I take them anyway. Plus your body doesn't absorb all that is contained in food/vitamins, so I guess having both is a good precaution that I am actually getting the recommended amount.
32I probably don't get the vitamins from the food I eat so I try and take a vitamin daily.
33today my boyfriend told me he has decided that vitamins are a waste of money. he used to always take a couple of different vitamin pills (multi, fish oil, vit c, etc) but now he doesn't take them BUT he does have a really great regular exercise regime (which he didn't before). i think that shows that a lot of people are using vitamins as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle!
best nutrients are in food not a pill!
34Oh well, I could care less if it shortens my life. I don't believe it does. I think more people should take daily vitamins, it helps you age better also. I have to take vitamin d supplements every day now because I have a deficiency.
35I plan on continuing to take them. There is studies for everything and refuse to base my life around every single one that comes out.
36I don't think the vitamins themselves are shortening lives. It's probably that people who take vitamins generally do not get enough nutrition from their meals. Usually, supplemental vitamins aren't as well-absorbed by the body as those eaten with foods. So these "malnourished" people may die earlier.
I don't think it's the research that's at fault. The media distorts research findings in any way they want. There are so many variables involved!!
37I take a multi, but I would avoid taking any pill that's a mega dose of any one vitamin because of the danger of overdose. I always take a calcium/vitamin D supplement because A)I'm an active female and B)I live in Wisconsin and don't get outside in the winter as often as I should.
38I think it's necessary for me, only because I'm not perfect with what I eat during the week. I wish I could eat enough fruits and veggies, but I know that I'm human and I tend to lead an unbalanced life
39I take a multi-vitamin every morning and I'm not planning to stop based on one medical report...not when there are so many other reports that say it helps.
40I take a multi-vitamin every morning and I'm not planning to stop based on one medical report...not when there are so many other reports that say it helps.
41I am so confused!
42Couldn't the higher mortality rate just be explained by the fact that older people with health issues generally take more multivitamins and supplements than younger people with no health issues; therefore, more of them die earlier?
I mean, on one hand you've got a bunch of college students who don't take vitamins; on the other hand you've got a bunch of 50- or 60-year olds who may or may not have other medical issues due to smoking, age, whatever. Those people could take all the vitamins in the world and they would still die sooner than the twenty-somethings would.
43I take a lot of vitamins and naturopathic remedies (Cod Liver Oil) etc - and I make sure that everything I eat is a whole food. I feel great so I am going to keep doing what works for me.
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