Most Vitamin Pills Are Useless, But Here Are The Ones You Should Take (2023)

Sounds like simple, obvious advice: eat your veggies, get some exercise, and of course, take yourvitamins.the no.

Decades of research have failed to find any substantial evidence that vitamins and supplements do any significant good.

In fact, recent studies point in the opposite direction, finding that certain vitaminsit might be bad for you.

Several were linked toan increase in certain types of cancer, for example, while others were linked to aincreased risk of kidney stones.

And a large new study released on Wednesday suggests that despite this growing awareness, AmericansPill-taking habits have basically stayed the same for the past decade..

Here are the vitamins and supplements to take and which to avoid:

Multivitamins - Avoid these - you can get all you need from a balanced diet.

For decades, multivitamins were considered essential for overall health.VitaminC for "boosting your immune system", Vitamin A for protecting your eyesight, Vitamin B for keeping you energized.

Not only do you get these ingredients from the foods you eat, but studies suggest that consuming too much of them can cause harm.

A big2011 studyof nearly 39,000 older women over age 25 found that women who took them long-term actually had a higher overall risk of death than those who didn't.

Vitamin D: Take: Helps keep bones strong and is hard to get from food.

Vitamin D is not present in most of the foods we eat, but it is acritical ingredientwhich keeps our bones strong by helping us absorb calcium.

catching the sunlighthelps our bodies producetoo, but it can be difficult to get enough in the winter. Severalrecentto studyassessmentsfound that people who took daily vitamin D supplements lived longer, on average, than those who didn't.

Antioxidants – Avoid – An excess of them has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, and you can eat berries instead.

Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants found abundantly in many fruits, especially berries and vegetables, and have been promoted for their purported ability to protect againstCancer.

But studies suggest that when taken in excess, antioxidantsit can actually be harmful. Alarge long-term studyof men who smoked found that those who took vitamin A regularly were more likely to develop lung cancer than those who didn't smoke.

it is a2007 reviewof trials of several different types of antioxidant supplements put it this way: "Treatment with beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase mortality."

Vitamin C: avoid; it probably won't help you get over your cold, and you can eat citrus fruits.

The vitamin C hype that started witha suggestion by chemist Linus Pauling made in the 1970sand peaked with Airborne and Emergen-C, it's just that: hype.

To studyafterto studydemonstrated that vitamin C does little or nothing to prevent the common cold. In addition, megadoses of 2000 milligrams or more mayincrease the risk of painful kidney stones.

So get your vitamin C from your food. Strawberries are full of nutrients.

Vitamin B3: Skip and have salmon, tuna or beets.

For years, vitamin B3 has been promoted to treat everything fromAlzheimerto heart disease. But recent studies haveasked for an endto the excessive prescription ofnourishing.

Abig study of 2014of more than 25,000 people with heart disease found that giving people prolonged doses of vitamin B3 to raise their levels of "good" cholesterol, or HDL, did not reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes or deaths.

Also, people in the study who took B3 supplements were more likely than those who took a placebo to develop infections, liver problems and internal bleeding.

Probiotics: Avoid: Science is not yet advanced enough for them to have any significant benefit, and you can eat yogurt instead.

Probiotics, expensive bacterial supplements that can cost upwards of $1 per pill but are naturally found in smaller amounts in yogurt and other fermented foods, have become big business with a market of about$23.1 billionem 2012.

The idea behind them is simple: to support the trillions of bacteria that thrive in our gut and that we know play crucial roles in regulating our health.

But putting this idea into practice has been a little more complicated.

Until now, the effects of probiotics have been all over the place. sometimes they helpSometimes no. So instead of paying for a pill that promises to be a panacea, have a parfait.

Zinc: Take it, it's one of the only ingredients linked to reducing a cold.

Unlike vitamin C, which studies show likely does nothing to prevent or treat the common cold, zinc may actually be worth your while. the ore looksinterfere with rhinovirus replication, the insects that cause the common cold.

on aReview of studies from 2011Of the people who got sick recently, the researchers looked at those who started taking zinc and compared them with those who simply took a placebo. Those who took zinc had shorter colds and less severe symptoms.

Vitamin E: Avoid: Too much has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, and you can eat spinach instead.

The antioxidant vitamin E has become popular for its purported ability to protect against cancer. but onebig study of 2011of nearly 36,000 men found that the risk of prostate cancer was actually higher among men taking vitamin E compared to men taking a placebo.

it is a2005 studyassociated high doses of vitamin E with an overall increased risk of death. So if you're looking for more vitamin E, make yourself a fresh spinach salad and skip the pill. Dark green vegetables like spinach are rich in this stuff.

Folic acid: Take if you are pregnant or want to become pregnant.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that our body uses to make new cells.

HeThe National Institutes of Health recommendwomen who are pregnant or who wish to become pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily because their bodies require more of this essential nutrient when pregnant with a growing fetus.

What is more,several grande studiesassociated folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy with reduced rates ofneural tube defects, serious and life-threatening birth defects of the baby's brain, spine, or spinal cord.

An earlier version of this article was published in October 2016.

This article was originally posted byBusiness Insider.

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