ABC Health Insider

Whatever...in the mean time, I'll keep taking my vitamins. I never expected that they would keep away a major disease or even that they would cure one, but it sure doesn't hurt to get some vitamins in a supplement...have you ever tired to eat enough food to get the proper dosage of certain nutrients...impossible.

Agreed, sounds like another attempt by the doctors that we all know are owned by they pharmaceutical companies, to discredit their biggest competitors, the vitamin and supplements industry. God forbid society actually becomes healthy and breaks the bonds and dependencies to the chemicals they have been stuffing down our throats since we were born.
“Similarly, healthy people have high levels of vitamins because they engage in many behaviors that are linked to good health, including eating more vegetables and getting more exercise. When healthy people take vitamin supplements, it makes it seem as if the vitamins are giving them some benefit, when the truth is that they were already unlikely to get sick.”
This sounds like a statement a politician would make! They have no more evidence to support this statement than they do any of their other claims.
I have personal health records that date back 18 years, from a time when I led a very unhealthy life style to now, where I currently run as much as 20 miles a week and bike 50 miles a week. I credit a certain amount of this turn around to changes in lifestyle of course, but the bulk of the physical repair to the damage done to my body was, and continues to be done by a strong regime of vitamins, supplements and hormone monitoring and modification. No one will ever convince me of anything different! Like most people who use supplements, I am aware of the cost, as they are not cheap, and therefore, I carefully monitor and “try out” any and all supplements for results. No results, no supplement, it’s that simple. Those of you who use supplements know this as well for your own regimes, I’m sure.
BTW, I haven’t been to doctor in 15 years, ever since the last one was furious when I refused to go on Statin drugs for cholesterol.
PS. I haven’t been sick in 15 years either and my cholesterol is now normal, thanks to vitamins and supplements!

These types of studies come out all the time and it is foolish to go one way or another on them. On the whole, most Americans probably get enough of the major vitamins - but this is hard to control for in many of these studies.

In the Journal of the American Medical Association several years ago, looking at a lot of these studies, it was found that although convincing evidence of efficacy was lacking it was still probably a good idea for everyone over 30 to take a regular multivitamin. I think this advice probably still stands from most doctors.

That study was totally misleading and bordering on stupid. It used 400 IU of vitamin D, which is virtually nothing. it is like adding a thimble full of water to the ocean Another study showed that taking about 1,400 IU vitamin D along with calcium for four years reduced the risk of all cancers in women by 60-77%. Other sresearch has shown a direct, consistent reduction of breast cancer as blood vitamin D levels increase, and still another shows a 65% reduced risk in women who have the most exposure to summer sunlight.

If someone is starving, you don't feed him a peanut to save him; he will still die. 400 IU is barely enough to prevent rickets, much less stave off cancer. Get real! Summer sunlight can produce up to 20,000 IU of vitamin D in 20 minutes of full-body exposure. As I stated, 400 IU is NOTHING. In winter, most men and women need at least 4-5,000 IU daily for optimal health.

Marc Sorenson, EdD Author of Vitamin D3 and Solar Power.

All vitamins,minerals and other phyto chemicals found in fruits and vegetables are essential to health. So is exercise, avoiding stress, overweight,smoking,alcohol,narcotics and enough sleep. All these things work together to make us healthy. Therefore, you can't just research into just one or two nutrients and say they are not up to standard. According to my view, it will take many years to solve the mystery of the above mentioned nutrients and , in the meantime, it is good for everyone to be attentive to his or her nutrition to avoid disease. When it comes to vitamin D, it is not a good idea to take more than 400iu daily,as overdosage may clog the heart valves and arteries by dissolving bone minerals and adding the extra calcium to the bloodstream.

What a waste that all those research dollars went into a meaningless study. 400 IU of vitamin D?? It's been so well established that we need much more than that to have beneficial effects. Yet the headlines continue to read "Vitamin D of no value...". Perhaps the intent is to scare people away from better nutrition so that they have to rely on drugs and expensive medical care to "save" them.

I stumbled across an online essay written by a German who's been attending or teaching college in the USA since the early 1990's. He writes one of the few fairly objective comparisons of German and American cultures. There are many American things he likes, but many German things as well - but he says the difference are getting smaller as German culture moves toward American culture.

He points out that Germans think it's hysterical that Americans take vitamin supplements and think it does any good. He says Germans would say to Americans, "Eat your vegetables."

It makes for interesting reading and is at: http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~axel/us-d.html

I see these articles and the notes of others. Focusing on one vitamin and potentially overdosing on that one in hopes that a miracle cure is found is generally ridiculous. But so is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, a better lifestyle is needed. And vitamins/supplements can help that along. They are not the end-all, cure-all. Whoever claims that they are, are now in federal court on misrepresentation/libel/slander/etc (who is that clown on late night selling his vitamin again? oh, yeah, it went out of business.)

I definitely have weight problems and I am rated "obese" according to the BMI index, yet my blood pressure is high but in allowable range and I do not have high cholesterol at all. In fact, my blood pressure was DOWN when my doctor checked it again in his office after I had a checkup through my insurance group with another doctor. So why do the big pharmaceuticals want to push their pills on you, when the side effects are sometimes WORSE than the illness? I cannot eat enough to get all my vitamins I need, so I take vitamins and supplements. I credit them with my having LESS medical problems with my weight than I "should". I am working on my weight with my doctor's guidance (lost about 20 lbs so far safely) and I'm changing my lifestyle too. I used to be on Weight Watchers but dropped them because they were expensive, but I still HIGHLY recommend them. Much as I would love to lose my weight overnight, I did not gain it overnight either. Losing it slowly - maybe 5 to 10 lbs per MONTH - will keep it off me better than losing it in 2 weeks. Don't get me started on how sick and dangerous the "Biggest Loser" weight loss plan is!

My Dad is now 87 years old, still kicking and takes a big regiment of vitamins every day for as long as I have known him. Yes, he has health issues, but he has a lot LESS if he was not taking vitamins, too. And he is still here. Too many others I know are gone and never believed in this "stuff" too. The proof is in who is left now.

I'm taking my vitamins through Nutrilite, company with Amway Global, my own business, too. Others use other vitamin companies - that's fine. JVE.biz, pwd=health, but don't just take my word for it. It wasn't until I saw the main Nutrilite production plant in Buena Park, California that I understood a lot more about the product I take and sell.

Do your OWN research and figure it out for yourself when someone is not sending you spam email or pop-ups. Get a lot of opinions, including those who lifestyle is NOT depending on vitamin OR drug sales. Find some ordinary people who take vitamins regularly. And remember that "google" is simply searching the "bathroom walls" of the Internet. If that is your only research, then you deserve your results.

No, my vitamins and supplements won't cure cancer or solve your diseases. But they are allowing me to work well each day, get things done and support my family. And that is the proof I need for me.

Uh I never expected vitamins to be an instant cure-all. I take at least one multi-vitamin every day and feel a difference. When I don't have enough vitamins in my system, I feel like crap. It is that simple. Not everyone can eat totally healthy or have an ideally healthy lifestyle.

does anyone know why your ear wouldn't work when your standing upright? but when you turn upside down it opens and you can hear anything. no doctors can tell us why this is happening.

I would like to know how do you choose and research you topic. I have a interest topic. I would like to know to submit it.

Has anyone thought to look at what type of vitamins are being used in these studies? Synthetic vs. natural makes a huge difference, as we are organic beings - synthetics will not work to much advantage. Putting sugar in a gas tank is the effect of putting synthetic supplements in the human body. Not going to run like it should - if at all.

Taking a vitamin off the shelf is like throwing money down the drain, and little if any benefit will be found. Natural vitamins, however, work as vitamins would in foods we eat (foods not contaminated with chemical sand anti-biotics, hormones) - blending easily into our bodies and doing what they should.

Most doctors do not believe in supplements (wasn't taught with their drug company education), therefore would certainly go out of their way to prove they do not work. Are they telling us the vitamins in natural foods are not helpful? In other words - unless you take their 'drugs' there is no hope of health. I wonder how much big Pharma paid them to say that?

I have been taking vitamin supplements for many years and have always thought that they aided in maintaining my health. However at the same time I started taking vitamins I also started exercising more, quit drinking alcohol, reduced my intake of meat (mostly just small portions of fish or chicken breast), increased my consumption of fruits, veggies and whole grains, and lost 50 lbs. So I really can't say whether the vitamins have helped me any or if the other lifestyle changes are primarily responsible for my health today. After reading the studies maybe I don't need to keep taking the supplements. I am especially concerned about vitamin E causing bleeding in the brain.

One supplement that works, I mean really works, is Resveratrol. It fights the diseases of ageing - heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, MS, and the list goes on. Resveratrol is going to revolutionize health care.

Good day Ms Joanna Schaffhausen, ABC News Medical Unit
I wanted to offer another comment, which may alter your critical look at "supplements and or vitamins" article. Your article does not include Organic-whole food supplements/vitamins and have been successful products since 1929, developed by the famous American Doctor, Dr. Royal Lee.DDS. Henceforth, your article is misleading and untrue. Moreover, your article does not include, what materials are in these "tested vitamins", if organic or made-man products, meaning if these are synthetic vitamins, which are basically "drugs." In part,your article section,"But none of these purported health benefits proved to be true in high-quality studies." is biased against good practices of good organic whole food supplements/vitamins and is a bad article by a medical advisor, if I may. To conclude, I am happy to offer more information about what I know about a really great nutritional supplement, supported by another great doctor, who was on the U.S. President's doctor's list, who also thinks Dr. Royal Lee was a great American, and nutritional genius still fifty years ahead of his time, and many other "professionals" if needed to support my comments, herein. Thank you very much for your time to read my comments.
Very Sincerely
Walter Hoo.... please call or email, if you care to address... this mis-leading article !!!

I've been reading this vitamin propaganda for weeks now on all MSM news papers. Your biggest advertisers are the big pharmaceutical co's, no wonder you would spread such lies about supplements. These studies are bogus. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for writing such trash.

Reply to Jack, after two thousand years of missinformation I find it hard to accept people not getting it, life out there is full of missinformation!, why don't you take it as a chalenge!, missinformation is everywhere you look, it's there to test your ability to get involved, go to a pathmark, shop and stop stores,etc, go try to buy some, say, blueberry jucy, or rasberry, you'll see in the front big picture of the item you want, 100% blueberry than look at the igrediants you'll find most of the juice aple, grape, pineaple, water,and in the end yeas you guesed blueberry, that goes with all the other organic etc, foods, but it's legal,buy red vine?, you see the ingr.,by law only a few of the more than 100 chemical in there, you pay taxes?,look at your 1040 see if you find the word taxes are mandatory? nope you won't it's voluntary,and it's legal,and the same goes for pharmaceutical, the Epa,Fda,news on everything under the sun, and SO WHAT!  you see my friend you can look at all these facts as a way that someone is trying to undermine you or you can GET INVOLVED!or be like the rest of the world!    

News articles like this just seem to cloud the subject of whether or not to supplement your diet. I've been trying to eat well and exercise for years now without additional supplements but started to feel lethargic, had joint pain and brain fog. I started takeing a liquid vitamin/mineral supplement with a greens powder drink and after 2-3 weeks the joint pain went away. I have more energy, and I exercise more because of it. I was surprised when my pants started to get loose and had to tighten my belt a notch. I personally believe that takeing quality nutritional supplements is helping my health, and at 50 years old, I feel better than I have in years and am optimistic I am preventing future health problems.

So many of you folks are criticizing the studies...
You claim that all these studies are at the behest of the big pharmaceutical companies.
Meanwhile, all the enthusiasm about vitamins and supplements is also generated by the not-so-small industries that sell them!
I like the 'German' way; Eat your vegetables!

Has anyone noticed that most of these studies are evaluating only one or a few, at best, vitamin(s) at a time. While that is consistent with experimental dogma, i.e. remove confounding factors, it does not reflect the physiology of vitamin action. If you consider those very few studies that looked at multiple vitamins/supplements, the data are much more encouraging.