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Overview
Many patients use vitamins and supplements to treat various conditions. Such patients do not consult a doctor and prescribe themselves their own treatment. The term ‘vitamin’ was coined in 1912 by the Polish biochemist Funk, who suggested that nutrients could prevent nutritional deficiency diseases (Godswill et al., 2020). The only condition in which vitamin intake is necessary is avitaminosis. Only in this diagnosed case, taking vitamins and supplements can be considered the main method of treatment, which can be used only after passing the necessary tests. This study aims to determine whether vitamin and supplement treatments are harmless, beneficial, or dangerous.
Evidence from the Verified Sources
There is ample evidence that vitamins can be part of the treatment for serious disorders. Vitamin D is mentioned as a possible depression correction method. Vitamin D is supposed to correct the course of depression, treatment advocates believe that it affects serotonin and dopamine production, it is claimed that treatment with vitamin D can improve mood. However, this view is controversial and lacks a serious evidence base (Menon et al., 2020). Although vitamin D supplementation may indeed affect depression, there is no evidence for the effectiveness and wide applicability of this method (Menon et al., 2020). This approach cannot be universal and recommended as a method of actual treatment for such a disease as depression.
There is a popular opinion that the consumption of a sufficient number of vitamins can affect the course of a new coronavirus infection and minimize the consequences of the disease. Proponents of treatment with vitamin C expect that it will improve the immune system, respectively, the body will be easier to fight the virus. The mainstay of treatment for coronavirus disease is mainly supportive, as there is currently no effective antiviral treatment. The use of high-dose intravenous vitamin C to treat COVID-19 in China and the US has shown promising results (Abobaker et al., 2020). No adverse reactions have been reported with short-term high-dose vitamin C. Considering that vitamin C is a cheap, available, and safe drug with beneficial effects in the treatment of viral infections and in critically ill patients, it is reasonable to add it to the COVID-19 treatment protocol (Abobaker et al., 2020). However, maintenance therapy should not be limited to adjunctive treatment.
The notion that vitamin therapy can play a role in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system is being popularized. Proponents of vitamin E treatment base their opinion on the general idea of the benefits of vitamins. They think this treatment for osteoarthritis will work because they believe that vitamins have a general strengthening effect on the body. Vitamin E is a potential tool for the prevention or treatment of osteoarthritis due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Cellular studies have shown that vitamin E alleviates oxidative stress in cartilage explants or chondrocyte culture caused by mechanical stress or free radicals (Chin & Ima-Nirwana, 2018). Vitamin E supplementation may improve outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis, but negative results have also been reported. Further research is needed to develop vitamin E as an anti-osteoarthritis agent to reduce the global burden of this disease.
Evidence from the Unverified Sources
Information from unverified Internet articles and blogs may look like vitamin treatment propaganda. For example, the SuperSmart website provides a complete list of vitamins available as supplements and explains what diseases they can be used to treat (2022). The site does not contain any information about potential risks, as well as a warning that a doctor’s consultation is necessary. Links to sources of information are not provided, it is impossible to verify its authenticity. The Cedars-Sinai resource is one of the first for ‘Is Vitamin Therapy Safe?’ The site provides a list of opinions from various professionals that the therapy is “more or less/mostly safe” (Cedars-Sinai, 2019). Many people, following unverified advice from the Internet, make common mistakes that can adversely affect their health. For example, taking vitamin D prophylactically is not worth it, since vitamin D is still a steroid hormone (Capozzi et al., 2020). Another important vitamin, calcium, is not absorbed when the body is deficient in vitamin D and magnesium (Capozzi et al., 2020). Thus, the spread of fakes about vitamin therapy has negative consequences for the health of patients.
Continuation of the Discussion and Conclusion
The main disease for which vitamin treatment is profitable, is avitaminosis. At this stage, it is not possible to recommend vitamin treatment for patients with depression, post-COVID syndrome, or diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The main problem lies in the fact that people follow untested advice and neglect the main treatment, which can be harmful to their health. Thus, it turns out that treatment with vitamins is not only useless, but dangerous. The following questions may be raised for future discussion:
- What impact does the promotion of unproven treatments have on public health?
- What measures can be taken to avoid the dissemination of false information?
- In the treatment of which diseases, vitamin therapy can be indicated as an additional supportive treatment?
References
Abobaker, A., Alzwi, A., & Alraied, A. H. A. (2020). Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19.Pharmacological Reports, 72(6), 1517-1528. Web.
Capozzi, A., Scambia, G., & Lello, S. (2020). Calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, and magnesium supplementation and skeletal health.Maturitas, 140(1), 55-63. Web.
Cedars-Sinai. Does IV Vitamin Therapy Work? Blog. Web.
Chin, K. Y., & Ima-Nirwana, S. (2018). The role of vitamin E in preventing and treating osteoarthritis–a review of the current evidence.Frontiers in pharmacology, 9(1), 946-961. Web.
Godswill, A. G., Somtochukwu, I. V., Ikechukwu, A. O., & Kate, E. C. (2020). Health benefits of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and their associated deficiency diseases: A systematic review.International Journal of Food Sciences, 3(1), 1-32. Web.
Menon, V., Kar, S. K., Suthar, N., & Nebhinani, N. (2020). Vitamin D and depression: a critical appraisal of the evidence and future directions.Indian journal of psychological medicine, 42(1), 11-21. Web.
SuperSmart. (2022). Benefits of vitamins: the complete list! Www.supersmart.com. Web.
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