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Herbal Remedies and
Supplements
This unbiased, interactive authority on herbs, vitamins,
minerals, and other food supplements tells you what's
proven to work - and what's not.
Vitamins and Minerals
Living healthy with vitamins and minerals?
Treating medical conditions
Preventing medication-related nutrient
deficiencies
Do I need to take any vitamin and mineral
supplements?
Table
1. How selected vitamins work in the body and problems
associated with their deficiencies
Table
2. How selected minerals work in the body and problems
associated with their deficiencies
Vitamins
and Minerals
To work properly, our bodies need small amounts of
vitamins and minerals. However, in general, our bodies
do
not make vitamins or minerals. This means they need
to
come from the food we eat or as a supplement (e.g.,
a
pill). A deficiency (not having enough) of a vitamin
or
mineral can lead to illness.
More and more research studies on vitamins and minerals
over the past decade have suggested that a daily
supplement may be appropriate for some people.
Supplements may help treat or prevent medical conditions
and may help keep you in good health.
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Living
healthy with vitamins
and minerals?
Preventing medical conditions
Today’s emphasis is on health, wellness and prevention
of medical conditions where possible. In fact, the number
one reason why many people choose to use natural health
products (NHPs) such as vitamins or minerals is to help
prevent illness or disease. A few common examples are
provided in the table below:
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Treating
medical Conditions
Vitamins and minerals may be taken to help manage
medical conditions. When they are used for this purpose,
they may have to be taken in higher-than-normal amounts
(called a therapeutic dose). However, some people should
not take large amounts of some vitamins or minerals.
Before choosing to use a vitamin or mineral to treat
a condition, be sure to consult your pharmacist or doctor.
Here are two examples of taking vitamins and minerals
to help treat a specific medical condition:
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Preventing
medication-related nutrient deficiencies
In some cases, taking a medication for a long time
can lead to nutrient deficiencies (not having enough
vitamins or minerals in the body). For example, using
birth control pills may decrease folic acid levels.
Tables 1 and 2 list examples of medications that may
lead to nutrient deficiencies.
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Do
I need to take any vitamin and mineral supplements?
The body usually gets all the vitamins and minerals
it
needs from a well-balanced diet. However, it may help
at
times to take a daily multivitamin or nutritional
supplement. People who may need supplements include:
• people who do not drink milk or eat other
dairy products (they may not get enough calcium,
magnesium and vitamin D)
• vegetarians (because they don’t eat meat,
they may be deficient in a number of vitamins and minerals)
• women who are pregnant (they have greater nutrient
requirements and also need extra folic acid)
• people over 50 years of age (they often have
higher daily requirements of many nutrients)
• some people who are taking medications for long
periods of time (their medication may cause them to
deficient in certain vitamins and minerals)
Tables 1 and 2 list the required daily amounts of most
common vitamins and minerals and give examples
of foods that contain them.
If you are taking any medications (either prescription
or non-prescription), or want to take vitamins or minerals
to treat or prevent a condition, consult your pharmacist.
Ask your pharmacist to help you decide if you need vitamin
mineral supplements and, if so, which ones to take.
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