In two days I read two opposing views on multivitamins. One saying they can be harmful, the other, obviously in response touting their benefits. Common wisdom has been that they're good for you especially if you workout, are stressed, unable to eat right or get proper nourishment, or perhaps due to other deficiency. But researchers point out that taking multivitamins usually means you're getting more of certain nutrients than you need. And normally your system removes the excess, but at what cost? They say this stresses your system unnecessarily and can lead to various symptoms which I forget at the moment... I take a small amount, half a pill of multivitamin everyday now and feel more energetic, one of the recognized benefits. In the 1970s I took a packet of NOVA vitamins everyday. I think there were like 9 pills in each pack. For the couple of years I took them I was the most healthy ever, never even got a cold, despite riding my bicycle miles everyday in Oregon winters. So I think the good outweighs the bad, especially if you need multiple vitamins for whatever reason. Just use on moderation.
I say vitamins are good for you, but too much of anything is the opposite... Nova vitamins were great, but costly... I paid around $30 a box for a month back in the mid-70s. Now it costs about $50 which isn't that much more, considering how much time has passed.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) tablets that are 30 times the daily dose, 60 in one case. Potassium tablets that in event of ruptured stomach ulcer would put enough potassium into your bloodstream to kill an elephant. I could keep this one up all day. Harold Shipman could keep it up for two days.
