Contributor: “Dr. J”
Dr. J offers his irreverent, slightly irrelevant, but possibly useful opinions on health and fitness. A Florida surgeon and fitness freak with a black belt in karate, he runs 50 miles a week and flies a Cherokee Arrow 200.

I guess back in the day they had one or two choices for you to get your vitamins. Well, maybe this was mom’s choice, but she did have another one for us. I remember those earlier vitamin delights. I pretty much looked like Lucy when I forced it down every morning under mom’s watchful and approving gaze. It didn’t take long for the food and drug industry to see the green in this product, and the competition was on for our vitamin dollar.

A vitamin is defined as an organic compound which may or may not be synthesized by the organism, which is required by the organism as a nutrient in tiny amounts to survive. Thirteen vitamins have been identified.

I noticed a commercial for One A Day vitamins, and I believe they are one of the most, if not the most popular vitamin. Did you know that they offer 17 specialty types of vitamin products? That is four more than the 13 officially recognized number of vitamins!

Very Creative Marketing

If you look at the ingredients in each of these products, they are quite similar with minor variations to account for the creative names from the companies marketing department, including, Woman’s Active Metabolism, Woman’s Active Mind and Body, and Men’s Pro Edge, for example. In all there are six women’s formulas, three men’s formulas, four unisex, two teen and two for children. I’m sure the teen and children’s areas are vastly under supplied and expect that to be corrected very soon.

Are vitamins necessary? Absolutely! Are vitamin supplements necessary? Perhaps, but certainly not as an everyday need.

A few years ago I read the book, “Stop Aging Now.” The title not withstanding, it’s a pretty good book on how to be healthy and fit. In it they present the vitamin regimens of many reasonably known experts. There is a bit of variation, but for the most part, they are in agreement on taking vitamins C and E. The book was written before the current push for vitamin D, but I expect that would also be one of the top three now. In addition, many take an iron free multi with adequate levels of the B vitamins and Beta Carotene. That’s pretty close to what I take in addition to the micronutrients, chromium and occasional selenium. I do not, however, take them every day.

It would be nice if we could get all of our essential nutrients from natural food sources. My concerns with this ideal is that because of the changes in our atmosphere, terrain and farming practices, as well as the vitamin destructive nature of industrial processing, I fear that our food supply does not have the levels of vitamins and other nutrients that it used to. One of the advantages of exercise is that it allows you to consume a few more calories, and if you are smart, you will use those for foods with high nutritional value.

I’d like to comment on something I’ve heard regarding water soluble vitamins. “Why take them if you just urinate them out.” Did you know that in the early days of the use of penicillin, which is water soluble and excreted in the urine because of the scarcity of the antibiotic — not that I’m trying to give the vitamin companies any ideas — they collected the patients’ urine, withdrew the penicillin and gave it to them again? Between your mouth and the formation of pee, vitamin C, for example, is used for many functions by our bodies.

Is there anything wrong with vitamins? Absolutely not! Is there anything wrong with vitamin supplements? Yes, there can be.

ConsumerLab.com used independent laboratories to test 21 different brands of multivitamins. Only 10 met the claims that the manufacture made on the label or did not have other problems with meeting quality standards. Of the 11 that failed the testing, some had excessive levels of lead or other containments. Some had quantities of vitamins that were only half that on the label, and probably worse, some had levels twice that stated on the label. In a fat soluble vitamin such as A, especially in a children’s product, with every day dosing, it is possible to reach toxic levels.

I feel that supplemental vitamins do have a place in our diet. Pre-natal use, and for the individual who has been on a very poor diet, are prime examples where they have an indication. However, in most situations, my recommendation is to be judicial in their use. Research the brands you choose to buy, and if possible, get as much of your vitamin needs filled from a healthy, nutritious diet, and use supplements, as the term implies, in a supportive role.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 and is filed under Dr. J will see you now. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.