Frequently Asked Questions

Should everyone take vitamin supplements?
For most healthy adults, eating a varied, healthy diet provides all the vitamins you need so there is no need for vitamin supplements. It is generally advisable to get your vitamins from your diet rather than supplements.

It is the mixture of vitamins in food that is beneficial to your health, rather than a high intake of one particular vitamin. Foods are better than supplements because a healthy balanced diet will contain certain other nutrients, such as fibre, which supplements cannot replace.

What happens if I don't get enough vitamins?
If your body doesn't get the right amount of vitamins, you may get certain symptoms. If your body continues to lack vitamins over a long period of time, the symptoms become more severe and you may develop a deficiency disease.

Which vitamin supplement should I take?
Choose a multivitamin rather than a high dose of any single vitamin. Make sure that it contains at least 200 micrograms of folate (or 400 micrograms for women who are or may become pregnant).

Avoid taking supplements that contain just one or two specific vitamins or minerals unless your doctor or state-registered dietitian has advised you to. This is because vitamins and minerals work in harmony and an excessive amount of just one can impair the absorption or effectiveness of others. Correct balance is important. There may also be a risk of overdosing. Supplements sometimes co ntain over ten times the level of vitamins that we need.

Is it possible to overdose on vitamins?
Yes. It can be dangerous to take too many fat-soluble vitamins as these can build up in the body. Taking too many water-soluble vitamins is less harmful because the body can get rid of these easily.

High doses of vitamins over a long period of time can lead to side-effects. Scientists don't know what the risks might be for all vitamins. Some examples of the risks we know about include:

Vitamin A - an increased risk of broken bones, which may be permanent
Vitamin B 6 - loss of feeling in the arms or legs called peripheral neuropathy, which is usually, though not always, reversible when intake is reduced.
Vitamin C - diarrhoea, stomach pains and wind, which is reversible when intake is reduced.

There is also evidence that taking high doses of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E may increase the risk of cancer.

I've heard that vitamin supplements protect against cancer. Is this true?
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that taking vitamin supplements protects against cancer. However, eating a healthy, varied diet does.

But most experts agree that vitamins are good for your health, and the best way to help lower your risk of getting cancer is to eat a healthy balanced diet rather than rely on supplements.

Will vitamin supplements protect me against heart disease?
There is evidence that taking a supplement that includes 200 micrograms of folate each day reduces the chance of heart disease in some people.

Vitamins that are antioxidants are also thought to protect the heart by removing free radicals from the blood. Research suggests that antioxidants may stop the clogging up of arteries that causes heart disease.

Will vitamin C stop me getting colds?
Vitamin C does not prevent the common cold, but there is some evidence that taking a high-dose (up to 1000mg) supplement may reduce severity of symptoms.