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Media Credit: sportsposterwarehouse.com A variety of vitamins available

People have heard it before, how certain types of vitamins help weight gain, weight loss, avoid aging and wrinkles, or even prevent one from getting cancer. Overall, vitamins are good for one's health. As positive as the word vitamin can sound to most people, certain types and forms of vitamin supplements may have some hazardous side-effects that consumers might not be aware of.

Why take vitamin supplements? According to Kidshealth.org, vitamins and minerals boost the immune system, support normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs.

Although vitamins come from many foods that people consume, some people might need the extra vitamin A or C supplement to help with better growth and development. While some people need the extra vitamins, others can overdose on them, as it is quite possible to do so.

Another issue one should take into consideration is if these alternatives complement a healthier diet. In an article, Dietary Supplements: What the Industry Does Not Want You to Know, written by Ron Schmid, ND (Naturopathic Medicine), there are three types of food supplement vitamins.

One is taking the standard USP (United States Pharmacopeia) vitamins which are manufactured in laboratories by a biochemical processes and putting them in tablets or occasionally capsules with dried foods and herbs.

Another type is made by adding standard USP vitamins to a liquid broth containing yeast.

The third type of food supplement is products that are actually dried foods, often organic, pressed into tablets with the aid of manufacturing additives.

Taking food supplement vitamins are much like eating good organic foods in very small quantities. These alternatives are very low in terms of the amount of minerals and vitamins presented.

Most consumers do not know the difference between the various forms of supplements. When deciding on what to take, all should avoid the synthetic forms of vitamins. According to Schmid's article, "even small amounts of the synthetic forms of fat-soluble vitamins may be toxic. In fact, the toxicity of these synthetic forms has contributed to the media frenzy about the alleged dangers of vitamins A and D."

Medical researchers established the safety of natural vitamin A and D about a decade ago. Even though it is proven to be safe, one should not overdose on it either. Some side-effects of taking an excessive amount at one time could cause liver damage, headaches, vomiting, and may tint the skin orange according to brighttots.com.

For years, people believed that vitamins only had positive aspects on consumer's lives as it reduces heart disease, stroke, and colon and breast cancer. As stated in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Kavita Mishra, recent studies have doctors wondering how to advise patients who need the vitamin supplement and who to tell to avoid taking too much of it.

More and more research is being performed each day. The Journal of the American Medical Association published back in June of 2007 concluded that high doses of folic acid may promote benign tumors in the colon, which led to the precursors of colon cancer in people who had a history of these polyps. Instead of helping one's health, certain forms of supplements and over usage can cause more harm than good.

So who should take vitamins and who should avoid them? The website healthfullife.edu came up with the following:

* All older persons (over age 60) should be on a vitamin supplement that supplies folic acid (400 micrograms), vitamin D (400 international units), and vitamin B12. Older persons do not absorb dietary folates from the intestinal tract as well as younger persons.

* All women of childbearing age who might become pregnant should take a daily 400 microgram folic acid supplement and include high folate foods in their daily diets.

* Vegetarians should take a one-a-day B complex vitamin supplement because they may not get enough vitamin B12 and, perhaps, other B complex vitamins.

* For all other adults, a daily multivitamin is optional.

To all, think twice, and ask a physician for further information before taking that Flintstone or SpongeBob vitamin.

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