Vitamins

In the article "Vitamin Pills: A False Hope?" by Tara Parker-Pope brings to light three resent studies, which have all shown no benefit from taking high doses of vitamins. Studies have even shown that excessive amount of certain vitamins can be harmful. For instance, higher lung cancer rate with high doses of beta carotene, and a 5% higher rate of mortality in antioxidant users in a study of 181,000 participants. They suggest the problem is that it is not the specific vitamins in our fruits and vegetables that make them beneficial, it is the combination of the entire food. Next on the agenda for study are whole food extracts. In this article some doctors say they can't understand why despite the evidence that vitamins don't prevent diseases so many people take them. 

I find this article to be very interesting because I am a vitamin user. Although, they say vitamins present not benefit, when I take them I feel more energized and healthier, but I take vitamin B's which weren't focused on in this article. I have a few problem with the studies mentioned because there is not enough information, there are a lot of outside factors that could effect all these tests like a persons diet and exercise levels. I feel that if you are a person who engages in vigorous activity and uses your supply of nutrients than vitamins are important to help replenish those nutrients, there is only so much time in the day to eat. People continue to buy the vitamins because taking them can't hurt. Even though studies show in some cases to much of a good thing can be bad, these aren't high percentages. Plus, they say we receive just enough nutrients from a well balanced diet, but in the hustle and bustle of the times many people are eating fast food and not getting that balanced diet they prescribe. So why not take vitamins?