Vitamins are very confusing. There are seemingly dozens of them and they’re present in food, the sun, pills, etc. Are we supposed to take supplements or are we just supposed to eat healthy, sun bathe, and they’ll just pop up magically in our systems?
It’s a topic shrouded in misinformation, but for starters, it’s important to know that there are only 13 vitamins out there and that your life literally depends on them. Popular Science claims that, for most patients, supplements are not necessary. One study even argues that pills don’t even help people prevent diseases unless they’re deficient in certain areas.
Too little vitamins can lead to sickness and death, and the same goes when you consume too many of them. Catherine Price, author of Vitamania, says that vitamins are miraculous and have completely revolutionized the way in which we think about food, but that taking more of them isn’t necessarily a good thing. “They are miraculous because we need them to prevent diseases, but that was really taken advantage of by food marketers and the dietary supplement industry,” she says.
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A nutritionist would know if you needed more vitamins in your diet, and you probably do, but healthy eating and thoughtful groceries are a better option than taking multi-vitamin supplements, at least for the general population. It’s also important that users get informed about vitamins, how many there are, and their purpose. If you want to learn more, you should check out this link.
