Truth About Vita-mins I believe that the often brought up question of what it means to be healthy is an extremely objective and

broad spectrum; however, I do not understand how a 27 billion dollar 2009 market is still being questioned whether or not it is healthy for our public (Whats behind). Although many research and scientists support the theory of increased health from vitamin supplementation, I believe through my own research that the prolonged use of vitamins has little to no effect on the publics health and the real health risks are the high-dosages that are easily obtainable to the public. I can confidently claim this because not only are there researchers that support vitamin use, but also ones that have published works on the side effects of prolonged-use of vitamins. How can a 27 billion dollar market be unsure about the impacts on our own publics health? Vitamin, originating from the Latin root-word meaning life, has been known for centuries to provide health benefits on all ends of the spectrum, and it has even been proven that vitamins are co-enzymes which means that they work with enzymes to carry out the chemical reactions that are the foundation of our bodily functions (Vitamins are necessary). For example, Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood. In addition, vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat to cellular organelles called mitochondria, for conversion to energy. Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant(McNabb). Even though I agree with the given information and believe that this proves vitamins are vital for our everyday

life, I think the real problem is that these researchers have failed to look at the prolonged use and or the use of various doses. There are many different resources out there that prove the benefits of vitamin use in daily bodily function, but these articles have failed to bring to attention all sides of the story which decreases the validity of their argument. Vitamins are necessary for everyday life, but the real question that needs to be answered is if they are truly beneficial in continued use of macro-doses? According to the article Vitamins are Necessary for Life, Vitamins are micronutrients, meaning that the body needs them in relatively small amounts(Vitamins). So what does this prove in this academic inquiry? I pose this question upon you to not only make you think about the repercussions of overdosing, but also to see the other side of this argument that the previous articles have failed to discuss. You see, since one can research into all of the different beneficial uses of vitamin supplementation, it is often thought that a higher dosage of supplements will just increase your mortality. When doing research on dosage of vitamin and mineral supplements, I found that it is actually extremely easy to harm yourself, and that you should talk to a physician before you start a regular vitamin routine. Unless your health-care provider tells you that you need more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of a particular nutrient, you probably dont. It doesnt make sense to me to take huge doses of vitamins and minerals unless theres a diagnosed problem, because there is so little evidence that they do good and sometimes a possibility that they might do harm, says Marion Nestle, M.P.H., Ph.D., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. Megadoses of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can cause problems, and even some

standard doses may interfere with certain prescription medicine,(vitamins and Supplements). For example, even though this article poses that the recommended daily dosage of vitamin C is about 90 mg with a maximum limit of 2000 mg and you should not consumer over the daily dosage, a normal daily multivitamin pill contains over 400% of the recommended percent daily value. Unfortunately, the suppliers of this market that consist of about half of the United States population are providing a possible harmful substance to our general public, legally. Subsequently, I contribute the avoidable health risks that are caused by over dosing directly to the source, Federal Drug Administration and the government. If there are doctors in respected fields publishing material on the negative effects of overdosing, you would most certainly think the government would take full responsibility and initiate its own research so that we could prevent a possible future problem. Even when serious safety problems are documented, it's difficult for the FDA to take prompt action to protect consumers. Unless the FDA meets a high standard of proof that a dietary supplement creates a significant or unreasonable risk, it cannot ban it,(Whats). Now from my understanding, I see a need for a serious reform in this sector where the government needs to be held completely responsible. Dont you think this requires reforms from the government to create stricter laws on the suppliers through a more useful, efficient FDA? Even though serious health implications could arise in the near future to a large percentage of the nation, I believe that the problem could easily be resolved, and that supplementation would be healthy and recommended to the public if reforms are made to ensure safety and regulation from the suppliers.

A solution to our nations growing health risk that must occur is to repeal the current ban-laws against these vitamin suppliers. If the FDA will only allow the suppliers to give a certain amount of vitamins and minerals per serving to the public, an exponential decrease in health risks would occur. To decrease these health risks, I propose taking action by turning high dosage supplements into a prescription drug where a deficiency is required to attain it. This would ultimately decrease the amount of individuals taking more than the recommended daily usage, and subsequently cut out all health risks associated with prolonged supplementation. Unfortunately, these regulations have not been made to control the suppliers, and serious reform is needed before health implications arise within the United States. If about half of our population takes some sort of supplementation that could possibly be causing harm, dont you think it would be smart for the government to make reforms as soon as possible? I believe that this vitamin market can easily be trusted if the correct dosages are given to correct patients. Thankfully, no country-wide serious health implications have arisen to our society yet, but you never know what risks you are taking when you ingest a substance with little research on the prolonged use.

"Vitamins are Necessary for Life." nutrition2success.com. Ed. Claire Poulton. goGVO.com, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Vitamins and Supplements: Ten Dangers That May Surprise You." Consumer Reports 12 July 2012: 18-23. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. "What's Behind our Dietary Supplements Coverage." Consumer Reports Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. McNabb, Kevin. "The Function of Vitamin C in our Life." Article-Buzz. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.