Are Vitamins Dangerous?

This is a question that seems to keep coming up (at least in our news feed), so let’s discuss!

Headlines just last week were all over the internet about a new cohort study from Tufts University which illustrated the lack of benefits associated with vitamin supplementation. In the study researchers questioned over 30,000 Americans over the age of 20 on their dietary nutrition and vitamin supplement use. Subjects were followed for 6 years and mortality rates (deaths) were compared to nutrition habits. Long story short, there was no protective benefit found from regularly taking vitamin supplements.

And this isn’t the first result of it’s kind. A few years back research done on people using antioxidant supplements found they had no protective benefit and may actually have been at higher risk compared to those not supplementing. These trends only were seen with supplements – more antioxidants from food (ie fruits and vegetables) were found to be protective.

So, if you’re looking to decrease your risk of dying, nutrients from food are without question beneficial, whereas supplements may not be, and in fact could be harmful.

HOWEVER! Some things should be kept in mind. Recall bias is a serious issue with nutrition studies, so asking people what they remember eating and taking isn’t exactly reliable. And, there are very real examples of vitamin supplements being beneficial, such as:

• When there is no reliable dietary source (as with vitamin B12)
• When you can’t get enough of a nutrient from your environment (like Vitamin D for those in cold climates)
• To treat a deficiency (like Iron supplementation for Anemia)
• If you have a specific issue involved in the absorption or metabolism of a vitamin or mineral.
• If you don’t have access to a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. (as with poverty, food deserts, living in remote areas, or areas without a climate conducive to farming/gardening)

So, what are we to do??

Well, here’s our thoughts:

1. Make it your #1 priority to consume A LOT of whole plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Like, way more than you’re even thinking right now. That much!
2. Supplement with B12, or consume it regularly via fortified foods.
3. If you have dark skin or live in a cold climate, supplement with vitamin D.
4. 2-3 days a week, take a food-based multivitamin as insurance against deficiencies.

This last is a strategy we’ve followed on and off for a few years, and we recently found it’s what Dr Valter Longo of The Longevity Diet also recommends. Our tips are to make sure your multivitamin is food based (meaning the nutrients are derived from food rather than chemically synthesized), and take them on a full stomach to enhance absorption. We’re especially careful to get these in during winter when produce isn’t as fresh!

One brand’s we’re trying out now that we’re very happy with is Performance Lab. Their multi’s are gender specific (women need more iron for example), food-based, and the caps are made from the pre-biotic inulin rather than gelatin, so even the casing is a healthy addition. We’re not getting a commission, but if you’re looking for a good multi to try they have our recommendation!

Other than that, it doesn’t get any better than eating lots of Beans & Greens (and fruits, and vegetables, and whole grains, and nuts and seeds… you get it)!