Medical Questions » Vitamins Questions » Question No. 1518
| Question: | Are megadoses of vitamins harmful for you? |
| Answer: | This is one of the longest-running myths in nutrition today. The truth is there has never been a single death attributed to a vitamin supplement. The most commonly reported scares are that vitamin C can give you kidney stones and increase your risk of heart disease and that vitamin B6 can damage your nerves. Both of these statements have been proven untrue, even at doses 10 times above the highest you' ll find in supplements. While it is true that massively high doses of vitamins A, D and B6 can harm you, in reality these levels are very hard to achieve. The Institute for Optimum Nutrition has monitored over 50,000 people taking supplements and has never seen a case of vitamin overdose.
Having said this, when a person takes a large amount of an individual nutrient, without any others, this can have less desirable effects. That' s why I always say the starting point is a high-strength multivitamin. Beta-carotene is a case in point. Hundreds of studies show that beta-carotene in food protects against cancer. Other studies show that beta-carotene, if supplemented with vitamin C and E, reduces cancer risk. But a couple of studies have suggested that beta-carotene, on its own, may modestly increase risk in smokers. So the way is clear - go for a good multi at the start. |
|
|
