Vitamins/supplements

The official medical view on taking supplementary vitamins seems to be pretty negative.  They generally say that you should get enough from good nutrition.  It is hard to understand their paternalistic attitude.  Of course, some vitamins are bad for you if you take too much – but others simply flow through the system.

An example of the traditional medical view as expressed by the Mayo Clinic can be found here http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/supplements/NU00198

Here is a link to an article about a study that suggested calcium and vitamins help prevent breast cancer http://www.naturalnews.com/029936_vitamins_breast_cancer.html

In my view, so long as the supplements aren’t harmful, why wouldn’t you take them in the hope of achieving the possible benefits.

For the last 9 years I have been a regular (some might say religious!) taker of a number of supplements – yes some mornings I feel like I rattle but I am convinced, rightly or wrongly, that they are doing me good.  This is the list of what I take:

Vitamin D3

Vitamin C with Echinacea

A Vitamin B complex (Blackmore’s Executive Stress)

Spirulina capsule

Fish oil (sometimes it comes combined with Vitamin D3)

2 Brazil nuts – for the selenium

I also used to take Broccoli extract but Comvita have stopped making it – a shame, because it was a much more pleasant way to get enough broccoli than eating it all the time.


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