We have all heard people talk about having vitamin A every morning or having ginseng tea at least twice a day for improving health. Unfortunately this can only be termed as ‘wishful thinking’ as there is very little scientific evidence which confirms the efficacy of vitamin supplements in tablet form which can benefit us and our health. On the contrary there is enough scientific research data which tells us that some vitamins can actually harm us by increasing the risk of cancer, heart ailments, hip fracture and other disease conditions. There are also some vitamins which taken in high doses can be fatal. The extent of research about vitamin supplements has been so wide that medical practitioners are today convinced about the fact that many of these vitamin supplements either have no effect on our health or are harmful.
 
 If we want to be more specific, we could take a clinical report from the Cleveland Clinic which was published in 2003 which mentioned: "the use of vitamin supplements containing beta carotenes and Vitamin A, beta carotene's biologically active metabolite, should be actively discouraged because this family of agents is associated with a small but significant excess of all cause mortality and cardiovascular death. We recommend that clinical trials of beta carotene should be discontinued because of its risks...we do not support the continued use of Vitamin E treatment and discourage the inclusion of vitamin E in future primary and secondary prevention trials..."

One of the most important things about vitamin supplements to remember is that the goodness of vitamins are found best while they are still contained in the foods which contain the. Much of the nutritional value is lost when they are formulated in pill or capsule form. Take the example of an orange which ion its natural form contains several forms of Vitamin C. The same vitamin when made into a tablet would contain only one of the many varieties of vitamin C.  Every kind of vitamin is provided by nature – and they are available in their purest and untouched form in most vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes and lean protein. If you study the many clinical trials done with vitamin supplements you would notice that excessive intake of vitamins either through fortified foods or pills and capsules, result in increased risk of osteoporosis. The people of Denmark are a glowing example of this phenomenon. These fortified foods can be breakfast cereals, or any other food which we have every day. One of the most dangerous things about the imminent danger of excessive vitamins is that there is very limited knowledge about the toxicity of vitamins and minerals in our country, especially with regard to the food consumed by children. Interestingly, the European Union has already stipulated a limit on the amount of vitamins and minerals that can be added to food.

It has also been seen that women who regularly take vitamin a either through diet or through supplements run the risk of hip fracture resulting from osteoporosis which is 48% higher than women who are easier on their vitamin A intake. The whole idea is not to scare you of vitamin and mineral supplements but simply to make you aware that if you have a balanced diet which is rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, grain and lean protein, you really do not need any ‘supplement’ to be added extra to your daily diet.