Vitamins are nutrients that we need in small quantities for our bodies to function properly. If you follow the recommendations in Canada's Food Guide, you'll get all the vitamins you need in the food you eat.

This why pharmacists often say that vitamin supplements aren't necessary for most healthy people who have a nutritious diet. Yet, several people take heavy doses of vitamin supplements in search of the "antioxidant" effect.

Is this useful?

An antioxidant is a product that is meant to prevent oxidation in your body. If you are unfamiliar with the term, think of oxidation as the rust on a bicycle or the wear and tear of your body. Oxidation is one of the phenomena that explain why your body's cells, at some point in time, stop operating normally. The oxidation process is said to be involved in many degenerative diseases, such as cancer or blood flow problems (cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis).

Although there are certain studies supporting the theory of antioxidants, we can't say that this theory has been clearly demonstrated. It's obvious that people whose diet is rich in fruits and vegetables don t suffer as much from cancer or cardiovascular diseases, but this data can't be transposed onto vitamin supplements.

Presently, there are epidemiological data supporting the intake of one 400 IU capsule of vitamin E per day to prevent heart disease, but there are few clinical studies to support this recommendation. Vitamin E is a unique vitamin in that it is next to impossible to ingest 400 IU of it per day exclusively from food. This is the dose that some professionals recommend in order to prevent or delay cancer and cardiovascular or neurological diseases.

Vitamin A can become toxic when taken in very heavy doses. This is why many vitamin formulas contain beta-carotene or provitamin A. Beta carotene isn't toxic because your body stops transforming it into vitamin A when this becomes dangerous.

The use of beta-carotene has become less popular since a study showed that it had a negative effect on a population that had never suffered from cardiovascular disease. Currently, it's not recommended to use beta carotene or vitamin A supplements to prevent cardiovascular disease. However it's still useful to eat foods rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, such as orange vegetables, on a daily basis. This may be useful to prevent some types of cancer.

Vitamin C also has an antioxidant effect when taken in very heavy doses (more than 500 mg per day). But at this time, there's not enough evidence to recommend taking more than 100 mg of vitamin C per day. Although no toxicity has been reported in very strong doses of this easily eliminated vitamin, several patients may suffer from nausea or diarrhea. Unlike vitamin E, vitamin C is easy to find in your diet. Foods containing vitamin C also contain other nutrients that can have a positive health impact. These nutrients include other antioxidants, fiber and several trace elements.

Several products claim to have antioxidant effects. Although it's easy to define an antioxidant in theory, it's more difficult to obtain clear data on the effect of supplements on the general population. Presently, we recommend exercising prudence with regard to the antioxidant virtues of products that haven't been as well studied as vitamin E. Always remember that your diet probably plays a more important preventive role than supplements.

Apart from their antioxidant effects, vitamins may be useful for certain diseases and for people taking certain medications or going through certain stages in life. Most professionals agree that the best source of these vitamins and minerals is food. An adequate intake of these nutrients will help manage the disease but shouldn't be considered a treatment. Here's a list of supplements that may complement the treatment of some conditions or be useful in certain groups of people

If you're taking prescription drugs for a chronic disease you may also want to talk to your pharmacist about finding ways to prevent or manage drug nutrient depletion.

A lot has been said and written about the source of vitamins. In the case of vitamin E, it takes twice as much vitamin E (in mg) from a synthetic source to get the same effect as with a natural source. However, since vitamin E is sold according to its activity measured in IU (international units) and not its weight (in mg), it's clear that source is not an issue. In a nutshell, you get the same level of activity for the same dose measured in IU, and for a much lower price. You should focus, solely on the number of IU per dose and price.

Be careful when you buy so-called "natural products. These products often contain impurities, as is the case with calcium or spirulina. Remember that calcium from a synthetic source will be purer than bone meal calcium, or that spirulina may contain toxic heavy metals. In many cases, it's better to look for pure" rather than "natural". Find out more from your pharmacist.

Courtesy - Liverpool Pharmacy 715 Krosno Blvd