Should we take vitamin supplements daily?

My chemistry teacher, Father Wheeler in Kansas City, would say that the only thing affected by vitamin supplements was your pocketbook. Research shows that vitamin supplements are only needed if a deficiency is confirmed by a laboratory test. In fact, unnecessary vitamin intake might cause harm, especially because fat-soluble vitamins sit in fatty tissues.

So what are vitamins? Vitamins and minerals are chemical substances that are essential for proper function of our cellular metabolism.

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Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K.

The Endocrine Society has released guidelines that suggest that vitamin D supplements should only be taken by people in specific risk groups — exclusively breastfed infants, children and adolescents aged 1-18, pregnant women, and adults with pre-diabetes.

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Most vitamin E is obtained from nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals. Daily intake from food usually meets the daily requirement of 15 mg for adults and children older than 4.

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Found in green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, and cereal grains, vitamin K helps with blood clotting and wound healing. Actually a family of compounds, vitamin K is needed in microgram quantities per kilogram body weight, and a balanced diet should furnish the daily requirements, any excess being stored in the liver.

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