Taking Vitamin Supplements: Advantages and Disadvantages

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Introduction

In order to stay healthy, one needs to make sure they have a daily dose of vitamins. However, many individuals are not able to follow this medical advice due to their busy schedule that does not allow them to plan well-balanced meals that would contain all necessary nutrients. In order to rectify this problem, people resort to taking vitamin supplements that promise certain doses of the minerals one needs to stay healthy. This practice can significantly simplify the process of choosing which foods to include in ones daily meals. Additionally, vitamin supplements seemingly help an individual lead a healthier lifestyle. However, while there are advantages to taking such edibles, there are possible disadvantages as well if one does not take the time to research what they are ingesting and the effect it will have on their body. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the pros and cons of consuming vitamin supplements.

The Healthy Benefit of Vitamins

The benefit of following a diet that is rich in vitamins is indisputable. Each nutrient serves a particular role in improving an individuals health and helping the body function. For instance, vitamin A maintains a bodys natural defenses by supporting ones immune system (West). Vitamin C can reduce ones risk of chronic disease, including those related to high blood pressure and the heart (Raman). In general, if one does not intake their daily dose of even a single vital nutrient, it can have a significant negative effect on their health.

Vitamin Supplements

Vitamin supplements are advertised as pills that combine many different nutrients that can help one maintain their health. In general, there is no standard for what constitutes a multivitamin, so their nutrient composition varies by brand and product (Palsdottir). This practice is relatively popular and people consider it an important part of their daily routine. However, multivitamins have both their advantages and disadvantages which will now be analyzed.

The Advantages of Taking Vitamin Supplements

The main advantage was already mentioned in a previous section. Most people do not have time to extensively plan their meals so that they include all the vital vitamins. A single multivitamin contains all the necessary nutrients one needs to maintain their health. So not only do the individuals, taking such supplements, get the benefits of a well-balanced diet, but they save time that can be used for other purposes. Additionally, there are certain vitamins that are hard to include in ones meal plan. With supplements, this problem is easily ratified. However, it is important to note that these benefits take effect only if the multivitamins actually work, which is a rarity due to the number of their disadvantages.

The Disadvantages of Taking Vitamin Supplements

The main problem that vitamin supplements have is that they do not consider which nutrients go together. The reality is that many such compounds cancel each other out. For instance, many supplements contain both vitamin C and calcium which have opposite effects on ones body as one helps and the other one stops the absorption of iron and folic acid (Squires 13). This means that a person is paying for multivitamins which will have no actual result.

However, a bigger problem with taking supplements is the possibility of getting addicted to vitamins. While this may seem like an unlikely outcome it is more common than people think. If an individual takes a look at a multivitamins composition, they can notice what percentage of ones daily dose each vitamin contains. It often happens that supplements can include up to six times the daily dose of any particular vitamin. This can result in a person getting accustomed to in-taking more nutrients than they need in reality, which will make stopping the consumption of multivitamins almost impossible. Apart from that, supplements can cause hypervitaminosis which can hinder ones everyday life. Many people with this affliction experience drowsiness and a general lack of energy which is not the effect of taking vitamins one expects. Additionally, hypervitaminosis can lead to its own array of diseases. For instance, in-taking a large amount of vitamin A can cause liver or kidney damage (Wilson). Consuming a big dose of vitamin D can lead to the calcification of arteries and soft tissues (Wilson). All of these medical issues could be avoided if a person does not resort to consuming vitamin supplements.

Conclusion

Vitamin supplements are popular all over the world with people in-taking them in order to get their daily dose of vitamins and saving some time along the way. While not everyone believes in the benefits of this practice, most individuals do not consider it to be harmful. However, typically multivitamins cause more damage than one might think. Taking supplements can lead to an addiction which will prevent an individuals body from functioning correctly unless it received the said pill. Additionally, multivitamins can cause hypervitaminosis due to the large amounts of compounds present in them. This, in turn, can lead to illnesses one was trying to prevent by taking these supplements in the first place.

References

Raman, Ryan. 7 Impressive Ways Vitamin C Benefits Your Body. Healthline, 2020, Web.

Squires, Sally, Vita-mania. The Washington Post, 1999, p. 13.

West, Helen 6 Health Benefits of Vitamin A, Backed by Science. Healthline, 2018, Web.

Wilson, Debra Rose. Hypervitaminosis D. Medical News Today, 2017, Web.

Wilson, D.R. (2018). Hypervitaminosis A. Healthline. 2020, Web.

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