Vitamins: When Less Is More

Are we wasting our money on vitamins and minerals?

About 40 per cent of adult Canadians take vitamins and minerals daily, worried that our diets may somehow be inadequate.

We’re wasting our money, say the editors of the December 2013 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Three studies in the American journal concluded that in healthy people, nutritional doses of supplements don’t keep cancer, heart disease or dementia at bay. Doctors may recommend specific supplements in some cases, such as women of childbearing age (folic acid), vegans and vegetarians (iron, B12), and people with certain medical conditions.

RELATED: Eat Apples, Not Capsules

Dietitians of Canada (DC) advises people 50 and older to take vitamin D daily (400 IU) to help keep bones strong. Even Charles Atlas, seen here circa 1945, needed a sturdy frame on which to build a body beautiful. Check with your physician before taking supplements, because they could interact with medication or contribute to bleeding during surgical procedures. Maybe all you need, after all, is an apple a day.

Zoomer magazine, March 2014