DANGEROUS
NUTRIENTS
HEALTHY
Many people think that since our bodies need vitamins and minerals, we should take as much as we can get. The problem with this is the body needs a specific amount. For instance, the body needs iron and selenium. Taking too much is poisonous and has led to death. Too much of a good thing isn't always smart.
BAD
Just because healthy Americans probably won't benefit from supplement use doesn't mean others won't. Their purpose is to supplement a deficient diet, and most American diets aren't deficient in a certain nutrient. Those with diseases such as alcoholism or scurvy can definitely benefit from supplementation..
HARMLESS
Many people know about the dangers of taking fat-soluble vitamins in excess, and choose to take water soluble vitamins in high amounts because it's harmless. However, this can cause people to develop worse dietary habits because they're already getting the nutrients their body needs. Have a cheeseburger with that vitamin water!
PROVEN
Every year, groups come out with studies "suggesting" overuse of a certain nutrient could be beneficial to overall health. Examples are melatonin as a method of birth control and Omega-3s to boost brain function. However, the evidence is not conclusive: None of these suggestions have been fully proven and contradicting studies often exist.
SAFE
What could be wrong with taking more of such a good thing? The answer is simple. Taking vitamins in large doses is unhealthy. Taking fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K in large doses can lead to medial complications such as hip fractures and over calcification of bones as well as toxicity.
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6 MYTHS
NATURAL
Vitamins are healthy because they're natural, right? Wrong. In the case of many vitamin supplement pills such as vitamin D3 10000 IU, it'd be hard to find that high a concentration just from a healthy diet. In the example of vitamin D3, you'd have to ingest one kilogram of salmon to get that much.