“Don’t forget to take your vitamins!”
How many times have you heard that before? This time-old phrase can almost be considered a cliché from our childhood. Familiar to way too many of us, did you know that multivitamins aren’t recommended for everyone? The heavenly sent creation of multivitamins that mothers ritually give their kids has only been around since the 20th century, and people survived just fine before then. So, why are we so obsessed with enhancing our vitamin intake?
Humans always want more. We want to feel better, stronger and healthier in every way. What most people don’t realize is that we are already eating vitamin-fortified foods. And, while you may not see any negative side effects when over-doing the “high vitamin” diet in the short-run, in the long run you may develop a variety of health conditions. This is especially directed to those who think gummy multivitamins “taste like candy."
Multivitamins are vitamins composed of minerals, water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Usually around the (recommended) age of four, parents begin to work multivitamins into their children’s daily lives. This is probably when our pro-vitamin mentality began to form. Truth is, you can theoretically overdose on vitamins and require medical attention. Depending on the specific vitamin you overdose with, possible side effects include dizziness, nausea, headaches, coma, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, etc. While most water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C, B) that can be found in riboflavin, niacin, folate, B-6 and B-12, are flushed out of your body when taken in excessive amounts, this isn’t the case for fat-soluble vitamins. Excess amounts of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K are stored in the liver and fatty cells.
Basically, keep in mind that consuming an overabundance of certain vitamins can be dangerous. For example, a large surplus folic acid supplements have been linked to prostate and breast cancers as well; while an overabundance of vitamin A, since it is fat soluble, can accumulate to the point of accelerating bone loss. Multivitamins are recommended for people with special dietary needs—like vegetarians, or those with sensitivities to certain foods. Vitamins are in no way an alternative for healthy food. However, they are great if added to support your diet while you improve eating habits. So make sure to do some research on your multivitamins because you might be overdoing it!
