What vitamins really should be taken, and which are not?

How to maintain your health? Among all the tips, we chose the three most obvious: to eat vegetables, exercise and take vitamins. However, the authors of scientific research conducted in the last decade could argue with us about the unconditional benefit of the third position of the list. Scientists have not been able to detect any significant health benefits from taking multivitamins. Moreover, some of the known food additives bring the body only harm. In the laboratory, it was found that one group of vitamins can provoke cancer, and the other contributes to the deposition of kidney stones. Do not know which vitamins are superfluous? Carefully study this list.

Multivitamins are not required for consumption

If you really care about your health, balance the diet. In this case, multivitamins will be superfluous in your healthy list. The body will take all the necessary trace elements and minerals from food. For many decades, we were taught that multivitamins are the decisive factor in maintaining the health of the body. We are sure that vitamin C strengthens immunity, vitamin A protects eyesight, and vitamin B gives the necessary energy. Only we always forget that all these substances the body receives from food. The overabundance of these vitamins in the long term leads to disastrous consequences. Therefore, take multivitamins only if you are currently using a rigid diet without vegetables and fruits.

Vitamin D is indispensable

This biologically active substance, synthesized in the body by penetration of the skin under the skin of ultraviolet rays, is present in a very limited group of products. However, it is vitamin D that helps calcium maintain our bones and teeth. In the summer, ultraviolet rays can be too active and dangerous. In winter, on the contrary, there is a shortage of sunny days. That is why physicians recommend calciferols to be taken as a biologically active additive.

Excessive amounts of antioxidants provoke cell mutations

You can not pay attention to advertising and skip an additional intake of antioxidants. The packaging of these drugs contains information that they contribute to the rejuvenation of the body and the removal of toxins. Only manufacturers often keep silent about side effects. For example, their excess is associated with the occurrence of certain types of cancer. Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E. In many fruits, vegetables, and especially in berries, they are in high concentration. The perniciousness of the overabundance of antioxidants is clearly demonstrated in a long-term study of male smokers. Those of them who regularly took vitamin A, had a better chance of "getting to know" with lung cancer.

Additional intake of vitamin C will not save you from the common cold

The excitement around taking vitamin C for preventive purposes happened with the application of the chemist Linus Pauling in the 70s of the 20th century. People started buying up the drug in pharmacies, eating it with handfuls and piously believing that it will certainly save colds during seasonal exacerbations. However, numerous studies have shown that vitamin C, contained in a dragee, is virtually powerless in preventing colds. But a regular megadose, exceeding 2000 mg, increases the risk of developing kidney stones. Want to protect yourself from the common cold? Then enter into the diet of citrus fruits and berries. They will be much more useful.

Vitamin B is not required to be taken

Instead of synthetic B vitamins, enter the fish (salmon, tuna) and beetroot into the diet. For many years, this substance has been recommended for the treatment of many ailments, from Alzheimer's disease to diseases of the cardiovascular system. However, a study conducted in 2014 showed that bringing the drug to a minimum in patients with heart disease reduced cholesterol, the frequency of heart attacks and strokes. In another experiment, it was found that people who took B3 as an additive were more likely to have liver problems and internal bleeding than people who took a placebo.

The effectiveness of probiotics has not been proven

Science does not have sufficient knowledge about the strength and benefits of probiotics. If you want to improve the work of the gastrointestinal tract, eat yogurt. Buying probiotics in a pharmacy is not a cheap pleasure. The annual profit that goes into the hands of producers exceeds $ 20 billion. The idea of these drugs is simple: they must support trillions of beneficial bacteria that live in the intestine. However, in practice this good idea is much more difficult to implement. Sometimes they help, sometimes they do not. So think three times before you spread a hundred rubles for just one tablet.

Zinc is effective in treating colds

Unlike the useless synthetic vitamin C, zinc can be very useful in preventing colds. This micronutrient interferes with the replication of rhinoviruses. When in 2011, scientists conducted a review of studies on the effects of zinc, it was found to be effective in reducing the severity of cold symptoms, as well as in reducing the duration of the disease.

Vitamin E in large doses causes cancer

Additional intake of vitamin E (as well as other antioxidant drugs) is associated with an increased risk of developing certain cancers. Tocopherol acetate is useful for maintaining basic functions in the body and in sufficient quantities found in spinach, as well as in other dark green vegetables.

Folic acid is indispensable for pregnant women

Folic acid is used by our body to create new cells. Therefore, an additional intake of the drug is indicated for pregnant women and those who wish to become pregnant. The recommended daily dose is 400 mcg. Folic acid also helps prevent the developmental defects of the brain and spinal cord in the fetus.