| The Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports that, in | | | | time. Naturally, not all people think like that and some |
| 2006, Britons spent £220 million on vitamin and | | | | of them do try their best to follow the prevailing |
| mineral supplements and, more surprising, that as | | | | health advice. Nevertheless, they know that they will |
| many as 43 percent of UK adults had taken vitamin | | | | fall short of the ideal and take vitamins as a kind of |
| or mineral supplements over the previous 12 months, | | | | insurance policy. |
| with usage highest among the 50-65 age group. The | | | | Unfortunately for all these people, many studies have |
| most popular supplements of 2006 were cod liver oil | | | | since shown that vitamins from supplements do not |
| and multivitamins, although the fastest growing | | | | act on the body in the same way as vitamins from |
| market is that of 'mega-dose' vitamin and mineral | | | | foods. The best thing to do is to actually eat a |
| products. Some manufacturers of such products | | | | balanced diet and get your vitamins from a natural |
| reported an increase in sales of more than 20 | | | | source. Apples, for instance, are a rich source of |
| percent in the last three years. | | | | vitamin C, which builds up the immune system and |
| Undeterred by the occasional warnings that | | | | also contain many the antioxidants called flavanoids |
| overdosing on vitamins in the morning may damage | | | | and polyphenols that are thought to protect against |
| the body, it seems that people are determined to | | | | cancer. This meant that eating a small apple (100g) |
| compensate for their less than healthy lifestyles by | | | | gave an antioxidant effect equivalent to taking |
| loading up on vitamins. That the body needs vitamins | | | | 1500mg of vitamin C - and you'd have to take a |
| is not in dispute. Vitamins are a small group of | | | | mega-dose supplement to achieve that. |
| substances that are essential in tiny quantities for | | | | A further reason to avoid mega doses of vitamins is |
| growth and development and since most of them | | | | that they can have toxic effects. This is particularly |
| cannot be manufactured by the body, it follows that | | | | true with the fat-soluble vitamins that will be stored |
| they must come from our diet. The problem is that | | | | in the liver, like vitamin A. They can eventually reach |
| some people think that you can eat anything, take | | | | toxic levels and cause liver damage. Even the |
| vitamin pills and enjoy great health. | | | | water-soluble vitamin C can cause diarrhea at levels |
| It's easy to see why the idea that a steady diet of | | | | of 2000mg a day. Taking vitamins and food |
| junk food can be cancelled by bottles of vitamins, | | | | supplements is neither good nor bad, but |
| resulting in a healthy lifestyle is so popular. People like | | | | unnecessary for most of us. There is a lot to be said |
| to know they can do anything they feel like and then | | | | for saving the money and splashing out once in a |
| take a pill that erases all the negative consequences. | | | | while on a nutritious and delicious well-balanced meal |
| It's called having the cake and eating it at the same | | | | at a ritzy restaurant instead. |