After 20 years of taking vitamins and other over-the-counter supplements, and after being an advocate for them for almost as long, I have come to the conclusion that they have all been a waste of time and money. Therefore, once my current supplies run out, I will not be replacing them. Instead, I will take the money that I have been spending on them and use it to buy more fruits and vegetables.
Too many recent studies have shown that taking vitamins in the form of pills is of no benefit whatsoever. And there seems to be some anecdotal evidence that such products might even be harmful. Apparently, the human body just doesn’t absorb vitamins when they are taken that way. The way to get the vitamins one needs is to eat more fruits and vegetables. That’s the way nature apparently intended for us to acquire our vitamins and other nutrition.
Not surprisingly, the companies that produce vitamins, supplements, and similar pills insist that their products are both safe and effective, and vehemently dispute studies that indicate anything to the contrary. And if it were only a handful of studies that called their products into question, I would tend to side these companies. However, I’ve recently read about independent study after independent study coming to similar conclusions about the inefficacy of vitamin supplements.
Of course, the manufacturers of those products counter with studies of their own. But who are you going to believe, impartial scientific studies or those conducted by corporations who have everything to gain from a particular outcome? Obviously, each individual has to make his or her own decision regarding vitamins and supplements, and I’m in no way trying to tell anyone else what to do. I’m just saying that I’m basing my decision on the available science.
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