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Health See other Health Articles Title: Worried about vitamin safety? Experts offer advice The nutritional label of a box of multivitamins is photographed in Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011. Two studies released in Oct. 2011 raised gnawing worries about the safety of vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Vitamins have long had a "health halo" - many people think they won't hurt and at worst might be unnecessary. The industry calls them an insurance policy against bad eating. But our foods increasingly are pumped full of them - even junk foods and drinks often are fortified with nutrients to give them a healthier profile - so the risk is rising that we're getting too much. Add a supplement and you may exceed the upper limit. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) The nutritional label of a box of multivitamins is photographed in Philadelphia on … In this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 photo illustration, multivitamins are poured from a bottle in Philadelphia. Two studies released in Oct. 2011 raised gnawing worries about the safety of vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Vitamins have long had a "health halo" - many people think they won't hurt and at worst might be unnecessary. The industry calls them an insurance policy against bad eating. But our foods increasingly are pumped full of them - even junk foods and drinks often are fortified with nutrients to give them a healthier profile - so the risk is rising that we're getting too much. Add a supplement and you may exceed the upper limit. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) In this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 photo illustration, multivitamins are poured from … Health slideshows Michelle Obama attempts jumping jacks record 13 photos - Tue, Oct 11, 2011 Woman runs marathon, gives birth 3 photos - Mon, Oct 10, 2011 October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 17 photos - Mon, Oct 3, 2011 See latest photos » Two studies this week raised gnawing worries about the safety of vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Should anyone be taking them? Which ones are most risky? And if you do take them, how can you pick the safest ones? Vitamins have long had a "health halo." Many people think they're good for you and at worst might simply be unnecessary. The industry calls them an insurance policy against bad eating. But our foods are increasingly pumped full of them already. Even junk foods and drinks often are fortified with nutrients to give them a healthier profile, so the risk is rising that we're getting too much. Add a supplement and you may exceed the upper limit. "We're finding out they're not as harmless as the industry might have us believe," said David Schardt, a nutritionist at the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest. This week, a study of nearly 40,000 older women found a slightly higher risk of death among those taking dietary supplements, including multivitamins, folic acid, iron and copper. It was just an observational study, though, not a rigorous test. Another study found that men taking high doses of vitamin E — 400 units a day — for five years had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer. As many as one-third of Americans take vitamins and nearly half of people 50 and older take multivitamins, surveys suggest. Americans spent $9.6 billion on vitamins last year, up from $7.2 billion in 2005, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. Multivitamins top the list, at nearly $5 billion in sales. Yet there is no clear evidence that multivitamins lower the risk of cancer, heart disease or any other chronic health problems. No government agency recommends them "regardless of the quality of a person's diet," says a fact sheet from the federal Office of Dietary Supplements. And vitamins aren't required to undergo the strict testing required of U.S.-approved prescription medicines. Some fads, such as the antioxidant craze over vitamins A and E and beta-carotene, backfired when studies found more health risk, not less. And studies that find more disease in people with too little of a certain vitamin can be misleading: Correcting a deficiency so you have the right daily amount is different from supplementing beyond recommended levels. The best way to get vitamins is to eat foods that naturally contain them, said Jody Engel, a nutritionist with Office of Dietary Supplements. "Foods provide more than just vitamins and minerals, such as fiber and other ingredients that may have positive health effects." Schardt adds: "It's virtually impossible to overdose on the nutrients in food." Some folks may need more of certain nutrients and should talk with their doctors about supplements: — Postmenopausal women regarding calcium and vitamin D to protect bones. — Women planning on pregnancy regarding folate, or folic acid, to prevent birth defects. — People over age 50 and vegans who may need vitamin B12. "As we get older, a number of us no longer produce enough acid in the stomach to extract the B12 in food," Schardt explained. — Pregnant women, who may need extra iron. — Breastfed infants and possibly other infants concerning vitamin D. Vitamin D is a nutrient many of us may need to supplement. Last fall, the Institute of Medicine, a panel of scientists who advise the government, raised the recommended amount but also warned against overdoing it. People ages 1 to 70 should get 600 international units a day, older folks 800 units. If you do need a supplement, beware: Quality varies. Consumerlab.com, a company that tests supplements and publishes ratings for subscribers, has found a high rate of problems in the 3,000 products it has tested since 1999. "One out of 4 either doesn't contain what it claims or has some other problems such as contamination or the pills won't break apart properly," said company president Dr. Tod Cooperman. For example, one gummy bear calcium product had 250 percent of the amount of vitamin D claimed on the label. Another liquid product made with rose hips had just over half the amount of vitamin C listed. "You don't have to pay a lot. Price is not necessarily linked to quality," he said. "The quality doesn't really relate to where you're buying it. I know many people are surprised by that or don't want to believe it, but that is the case. We find good and bad products in every venue." Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council, suggests looking for "seals of approval" or certifications of quality from groups that spot-test supplements such as the USP, or United States Pharmacopeia; NSF International and NPA, the Natural Products Association. Experts offered this advice: — Keep it simple. The more ingredients there are in a supplement combo, the more chance that one of them will not be the right amount, Cooperman said. — Consider a supplement combo tailored to your gender and age, the Office of Dietary Supplements suggests. Multivitamins often contain little iron, and ones for seniors give more calcium and vitamin D than products aimed at younger adults. — Take vitamin D with dinner. A study found significantly more absorption of that nutrient when it was consumed at the largest meal, which tends to have more fat, than at breakfast, Cooperman said. — Watch out for vitamin K — it promotes clotting and can interfere with common heart medicines and blood thinners such as warfarin, sold as Coumadin and other brands. — Current and former smokers are advised to avoid multivitamins with lots of beta-carotene or vitamin A; two studies have tied them to increased risk of lung cancer. — For cancer patients, "vitamins C and E might reduce the effectiveness of certain types of chemotherapy," Engel said. — People having surgery should know that some vitamins can affect bleeding and response to anesthesia. With any supplement — ask your doctor. __ Online: Vitamin facts: ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-VitaminsMinerals and ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-HealthProfessional FAQs: ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Inf...ntly_Asked_Questions.aspx Dietary advice: www.dietaryguidelines.gov Vitamin E and prostate study: jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/14/1549 Video interview with author: jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/14/1549/suppl/DC1 ___ Marilynn Marchione can be followed at twitter.com/MMarchioneAP Comments: Research the number of deaths in this country using vitamins versus Pharm prescribed drugs and I think you will find it amazing. You see, there is little money in good health. There have been a total of like 15 deaths in this country in the last 20 years alleged to be caused by vitamins. It was never proven to be fact. Do you know what the death rate is for a Pharm drugs in just one year? It's well over 100,000 and documented. All of you need to read the fine print contained in pharmaceutical medications and yes...it could happen to you. Most of you people simply amaze me. Our doctors are wonderful in many respects. They can fix broken bones, repair some of the human body, and treat infections. Our drug companies are good with antibiotics and pain medications. But our drug companies are now greedy and promote their marketing campaigns to the universities (our physicians education) and to even you over your own television. Many of our current physicians are bombarded with drug reps pitching their new patch to a problem. Your family physician should be interested in only you. Period! In fact, your family physician should be interested in finding the root cause of your problem and correcting this rather than providing a "drug" patch which will eventually lead to even more illness and more pharmaceutical medication. Most people do not know that their drugs create burdens in their body elsewhere, too. Only 6% of the physicians have a clue about nutrition. Because, they were taught drugs. What an absolute shame! Reeses: Vitamin safety? Wow? What a huge problem? If you voted for Obama in 2008 to prove you’re not a racist, you’ll have to vote for someone else in 2012 to prove you’re not an idiot. However....you actually already proved you ARE a total IDIOT.......so is OBAMA! You people should lose your right to vote....FOREVER!! What happens is this: You get millions of people on the dole....mooching off the real money makers. Those moochers will vote for anyone that will keep the gravy train going. More moochers....more voters for scummy presidents and the cycle goes on and on! The moochers have doomed us!
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