Are Vitamin Supplements Necessary?

Most people don't need to take vitamin supplements, but nearly 40% of American adults do anyway. Are supplements really necessary for good health, and what are vitamins?

The body produces many of the chemicals it needs to maintain proper function. There are many compounds, however, that the body can't make including some amino acids and a few fatty acids. Vitamins are required in very small amounts. These compounds which the body can't make are provided by foods in the diet. Most foods generally contain at least one or more different vitamin. However, no food contains all the vitamins in the correct amounts required by the body. It is important to eat a wide variety of foods to insure an adequate intake of all the necessary nutrients.

How much of the vitamins does a person need? The National Research Council establishes daily allowances for these necessary nutrients on the basis of recommendations made by scientists chosen for their research experience on vitamins in human metabolic studies.

The allowances are set at a generous level to cover most healthy people's requirement with a reasonable margin of safety. Comparing these allowances against the nutrient composition of a typical varied diet demonstrates that adequate amounts of nutrients are provided by average amounts of food. A diet of fruits and vegetables, dairy products, enriched or whole grain products along with some meat or meat substitute should provide all the nutrients that a healthy person needs without having to take supplements.