What Vitamins to Take, What to Skip, and How to Know the Difference At very high doses—from taking more than the recommended dose over time—vitamins can indeed become toxic, causing everything from upset stomachs to seizures, depending on the specific chemical. But even just unnecessary supplements can upset the biochemistry of your body. Katz likens the body to a construction site, where vitamins and minerals are the raw materials for building. Get a huge delivery of superfluous concrete, and, well, its only going to be in the way. So which supplements are worth bothering with? How do you know youre not just throwing money out the door when you grab a multivitamin off the shelf? Amidst the confusion, there are certain supplements where the scientific evidence for taking them is much stronger than others. And there are supplements where popular misconception far outweighs the scientific evidence. Of course, science can contradict itself at times. (Does coffee cause cancer? Prevent cancer?) And confounding factors, (coffee drinkers are also more likely to smoke) can muddle the conclusions of poorly constructed health studies. The best studies randomly assign groups to one or the other. But even then, any one study can still be a statistical fluke. I combed through the medical literature to look for meta-analyses, which look at the conclusions of many studies—usually randomized, controlled trials if possible—to come to the most informed conclusion. Disclaimer: The best vitamins and minerals to supplement your diet with of course vary individual to individual, based on your personal health. Naturally, dont let this be a substitute to a good conversation with your doctor.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 22:37:08 +0000