Frankly, I’m a fan of vitamins and supplements myself, especially to help bring you back into balance if you have medical problems, but a study last year in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) raises questions about their efficacy and possibly dangers.
At the time, this study provoked fear, intrigue and even criticism, as you can see in these fascinating articles from the BBC, the Organic Consumers Association and Reader’s Digest.
This month, the topic came to light again, with “The Vitamin Hoax,” a fascinating article by the acclaimed holistic health counselor, Andrea Beaman, C.H.H.C., a former featured contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and the host of Wise Up!
Anyhow, Andrea was kind enough to let me post her article here. Here it is.
The Vitamin Hoax
“Recent scientific studies have revealed shocking information about vitamin and mineral supplements. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, antioxidant vitamins increased a person’s risk of dying by up to 16%, The University of Washington found that vitamin E elevated lung cancer risk, and researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that men who took more than one multivitamin daily had higher rates of prostate cancer (1).
Animals in the wild do not need supplements to thrive and neither do humans. We are a part of nature and if we eat wholesome food provided by our environment, it contains all the elements we need in perfect balance (fiber, water, protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, etc.). Our body will use what it needs and naturally discard the waste. As discovered in many studies, overdoses of isolated supplements accumulate in the body and can wreak havoc on our internal system. In the short term supplements may do some good, but in the long term they can cause serious harm. (1)
There are better and more delicious ways to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs without the toxic side effects. For example, when patients get iron injected directly into their blood stream this can cause them problems, you can find out more about it here www.ironinjectionlawsuits.com. Below is a chart of some of many popular vitamins and minerals and the foods sources where you can obtain them safely and naturally (2).
| VITAMIN / MINERAL | FOOD SOURCES |
| Vitamin A | Carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, dark leafy greens |
| Vitamin D | Salmon, fatty fish, eggs, sunshine |
| Vitamin B12 | Shellfish, meat, fish, poultry, eggs |
| Chromium | Poultry, meat, whole grains, cheese |
| Copper | Beets, molasses, beans, whole grains, nuts |
| Iron | Organ meats, eggs, meat, poultry, green leafy vegetables, beets (there must be sufficient hydrochloric acid in the stomach for iron to be absorbed) |
| Magnesium | Whole grains and beans |
| Manganese | Nuts, seeds, whole grains, seaweed |
| Selenium | Whole grains, and meat |
| Iodine | Seafood, sea vegetables, sea salt |
| Vitamin C | Berries, fruit, green vegetables |
| Vitamin E | Vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, eggs, organ meats, whole grains |
| Vitamin K | Dark leafy green vegetables, whole grains, asparagus (most vitamin K is synthesized in the intestines by our friendly bacteria) |
| Folic Acid (folate) | Asparagus, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, meat |
| Calcium | Dairy food, salmon and sardines with bones, green vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, tofu |
| Phosphorus | Found in most foods (deficiency of this vitamin is rare) |
| Potassium | Fish, legumes, meat, poultry, vegetables, apricots, sea vegetables, nuts, raisins, spinach |
| Silicon | Alfalfa, beets, green veggies, whole grains |
| Sulfur | Garlic, cruciferous vegetables, eggs, onions |
| Zinc | Meat, eggs, beans, whole grains |
I encourage you to toss out your costly supplements and use that money to buy wholesome, natural foods. Then, get into the kitchen and cook up a delicious and nutritious meal like the one below:
Monthly Meal
Sources
1. http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/are-vitamins-really-that-good-for-you-/article46647.html
2. Prescription For Nutritional Healing, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Penguin Books
Note from Connie: Special thanks to Andrea Beaman for letting me post this. While this is quite intriguing, I personally am relying on lots of supplements, especially given my recent Lyme disease diagnosis.
One thought on “Vitamins & Supplements? Do We Need Them?”
Based on my study, short term usage of supplements may do some good on our health, but long term dosage could cause serious harm to our system.There are better and more subtle ways to get vitamins and minerals that your body needs without the toxic side effects of using food supplements. But that’s only on my side.
by:kissey
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