'Dangerous' vitamins and supplements revealed in PBS Frontline, New York Times invest

[Admin]

Troubling questions have been raised about the quality and safety of vitamins and dietary supplements, in a joint investigation by the New York Times and the PBS Frontline program.

The report asked leading clinicians and researchers for their assessment of whether products actually did consumers any good.
It found that in the multi-billion-dollar industry, some supplements and vitamins could actually be harmful.
"We love the notion of a magic pill. It's something that makes it all better. It's just too seductive," paediatrician Paul Offit, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said.
He questioned why people were taking supplements and vitamins in the first place.
"You need vitamins to live. The question is, do you get enough in food? And I think the answer to that question is yes," Dr Offit said.

read more

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/hidden-dangers-of-vitamins-and-supplements-revealed/7412382

 

[DocSpachemmen]

People often talk about how cynical of the medical profession they are, yet in Australia the public spends 4 TIMES the amount of money out-of-pocket on supplements and unproven 'natural' products compared to prescription medication.

It is unfortunate that the multivitamin industry has managed to convince so many that they are somehow deficient in things. Even more troubling, is that a number of vitamins are clearly dangerous at high-levels - for example, I've seen a number of people double-dosing vitamin B supplements 'for energy' and then become B6 toxic. It causes a painful neuropathy, which fortunately is usually reversible but can be permanent if not recognised.