Vitamins Supplement

Vitamins The body does need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals to maintain its vital organs and promote system functionality. Most of these vitamins and minerals can be acquired through a healthy diet. Therefore, many Americans are taking vitamin supplements unnecessarily. The reasons why Americans may be taking vitamin supplements unnecessarily include misinformation, trend, and clever marketing making some vitamins "in vogue," (Nierenberg, 2014).

Taking vitamin supplements may be necessary in some cases, as when a patient cannot absorb a certain vitamin or mineral due to a preexisting condition or dietary allergen. In other cases, patients may need temporary dietary supplements. Pregnant women, for example, often need to supplement with iron, calcium, magnesium, or zinc according to their specific needs.

Without supplementation, as many as 75% of pregnant women would be deficient in at least one vitamin and even with supplementation, an average of 20-20% of women suffer from a vitamin deficiency during pregnancy (Hovdenak & Haram, 2012). Generally, though, well-fed people do not need supplements and should consult doctors and nurses prior to spending their money on the products. Some patients will actively need to stop taking supplements that could interfere with their medications.

Although most cases of over-supplementation will not cause serious side effects, in some cases, taking too much of any one or several vitamins can cause health problems. According to Nierenberg (2014), routinely taking in an excess of vitamins and minerals can hurt you. Taking what are known as "megadoses" of a single supplement or a group of vitamins or minerals at one time can also be harmful (Nierenberg, 2014).

Some of the side effects of too many vitamin supplements are minor and include headaches, nausea, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, diarrhea, irritability, and stomach cramps. This is generally the case with water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C, in which excess is excreted in the urine. However, even an excess of Vitamin C can lead to problems like kidney stones (Miller, 2012).

Furthermore, as Miller (2012) points out, some fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamins A and E, when taken in excess of what the body needs, can lead to serious and life-threatening diseases like cancer because the body stores the excess in fatty tissue and does not excrete it as efficiently as it would water-soluble vitamins. Heavy metal poisoning has also been reported in some cases in which patients rely on supplements (Perharic, et al., 1994).

An excess of Vitamin A has been linked to " serious liver problems, birth defects, and disorders of the central nervous system," (Miller, 2012). Vitamin D excess can also be harmful, and has been known to cause birth defects when taken by pregnant women (Hovdenak & Haram, 2012). Folic acid excess has also been linked to birth defects (Nierenberg, 2014). An excess of calcium and folic acid have also been shown to be problematic in some cases (Nierenberg, 2014). Heart problems may result from overdosing on Vitamin D, too (Nierenberg, 2014).

Therefore, consumers need to be aware of their diets and medical histories before embarking on supplementation. Pregnant women or persons.