Nutritional Supplements and Health

[Gumby]

Pres, have you had your Vitamin D levels tested? If you come across enough Vitamin D naturally — which is entirely possible — then you don't need to supplement it. But, if you're already getting enough naturally occurring Vitamin D, then it's a waste of money to supplement. However, if you have a Vitamin D deficiency, then by all means you should supplement. The same goes with calcium. Your doctor can determine this with a simple test. You don't get extra points for overdosing on manufactured Vitamin D. There are many, many health issues that can crop up by having too many vitamins.

Please understand that I didn't say that naturally occurring vitamins are useless. Naturally occurring vitamins are essential. I just don't feel that we need to spend lots of money on manufactured supplements if you're a healthy individual with a typical healthy diet.

There are also questions about the safety and efficacy of manufactured vitamins. Most vitamins do not dissolve properly as they pass through the digestive track. And there are reports of trace amounts of lead in many vitamins. Like everything else these days, most of the world's vitamins are manufactured in China. For me, I generally try not to swallow too many products manufactured in China on a daily basis.

Again, I have no problem with supplementation for known deficiencies or if it's medically necessary.