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Are taking vitamin supplements risky?

According to a recent study, taking too many vitamins pills increases risk of heart disease and cancer. We asked experts for their opinions

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In the quest for improving their health many people take vitamin supplements. And some, in order to compensate for their lack of balanced diet and often skipping of meals. According to a recent health study, Taking too many vitamins pills increases risk of heart disease and cancer. Experts shed light on the matter...

The study
While over-the-counter supplements are promoted for their various health benefits, exceeding their recommended daily amount may have a counter effect in the long run, says US experts who conducted the study. They concluded saying that getting vitamins by eating healthy, nutritious food is more preferable. 

The research found that two decades ago, people who ate more fruits and vegetables tended to have less cancer. Dr Tim Bryers therefore began to investigate if consuming extra vitamins and minerals would further cutdown the risk of developing cancer. Dr Byers said: We studied thousands of patients for 10 years who were taking dietary supplements and placebos. We found that the supplements were actually not beneficial for their health. In fact, some people actually got more cancer while on the vitamins.”

Exploring the effects of beta-carotene supplements, one trial found that taking more than the recommended dosage increased the risk for developing both lung cancer and heart disease by 20 per cent. Folic acid that is believed to help cutdown the number of polyps (polyps are abnormal growths of tissue that can be found in any organ that has blood vessels) in a colon, actually increased the number in another trial. 

But before you hit the panic button and decide to banish vitamin supplements from your life, Dr Byers says, “This is not to say that people need to be afraid of taking vitamins and minerals. ‘If taken at the correct dosage, multivitamins can be good for you. But there is no substitute for good, nutritional food.”

Expert speak
Director, Institute of Renal Sciences, Global Hospital, Dr Bharat V Shah opines that generally, a healthy person taking a balanced diet get all the required vitamins. It is a myth to think that vitamin supplements give strength. Thus, a healthy person needs no vitamin supplements. But what about  the possible side-effects of vitamin supplements? “As a kidney specialist, I don’t know if taking too many vitamins increases the risk of heart disease. However, vitamins do not put any pressure on kidneys, as water soluble vitamins taken in excess will be excreted by the kidneys.”

Dr Shishir Shetty, oncologist surgeon, Aviva Multi-Speciality Hospital says that excessive nutrition is definitely harmful regardless what vitamin pills are being popped. The scenario changes for a sick person but for a healthy person it’s an big no-no. “Today’s ‘pill-popping generation’ is very used to popping any and every available possible medicines irrespective of the tag of the same medical component drug. I wouldn’t be surprised if an excessive taker of vitamin pills turns into one of the oncology patient in near future,” he says.

“The big question arises from, and I am unable to yet understand the same, is that why should a normal person take pills under the name of so-called daily vitamins? Nowadays, people are more prone to vitamins than any antibiotics that are essential. Vitamins should be taken only for medical purpose only and only as treatment and not as supplements on a daily basis,” Dr Shetty warns.

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