DANGEROUS
NUTRIENTS
THE VITAMIN DEBATE
AGAINST
Supplements are supposed to be taken to ameliorate a nutritionally deficient diet. Those with malnutrition can benefit from supplement use. However, people who care enough about their health and have the money to buy vitamin supplements usually comprise the group that sees the smallest gain from supplement use. This is simply because their diets aren’t deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral. Nutrients are everywhere: injected into your bread, meat, milk, water, and energy drinks. For today’s food manufacturers, drenching products in supplements is something of a trend. This leads to unintentional supplement ingestion, which adds to your daily intake. If you're already taking a supplement, you will have more than the recommended daily value by the end of the day. The diversity of a modern diet makes it easy to meet dietary requirements. In light of this, why are two thirds of Americans taking supplement pills? Even when there is no deficiency, many take vitamins simply because it makes them feel better about their health choices. They see it as health insurance. This attitude is dangerous. When you are already guaranteed to get all the nutrients you need, why worry about eating healthily?
FOR
Vitamins are good for us. We need vitamins to survive. We don't produce all the vitamins our bodies need, so we have to look to external forces such as food to acquire them. The problem is, we don't always get as much as the Daily Value charts say we need. We might skimp on fruit and miss some vitamin C. We might skip our nutrient-enhanced milk and lose some calcium and vitamin D. This is why we should take supplements. With supplements, it's guaranteed we'll get all the vitamins we need. Although there is not a lot of conclusive evidence supporting the claim that supplements are healthy, there are many studies that suggest supplements can be beneficial for a variety of things. What could be the harm in taking water-soluble vitamins? They exit your system quickly and aren't stored in the liver or fatty tissues. You can take 1000% DV of vitamins B and C with no issue. In today's society, vitamins are everywhere. Our food, drinks, and even our lotions and beauty products boast vitamins A to Z. And that's not bad. We are an advanced society and our food has advanced with science. We should continue to take supplements responsibly and be confident in their efficacy.
CONCLUSION
Why do healthy people take supplements? There are a number of answers. They might be concerned about their health and see supplements as a boost. They might see supplements as health insurance, taking them to secure a longer life. They might just take them because their friends or family do and it seemed like a good idea. In any case, the use of supplements in addition to a healthy diet or multivitamin is more from an emotional standpoint than a logical one. How couldn't it be? There is almost no proof that the over-supplementation of vitamins is healthy and effective. You have to take them on faith that they will do whatever you think they will do. In the case of water soluble vitamins, that's not always bad. When taken with a good, responsible diet, there's no issue. That's the point. Healthy people who take vitamins should be responsible. They should stay informed and make sure they know what's going into their systems and the possible effects that could entail for them in the future.