invulnerable. These false impressions exist mainly because there is an unavoidable neglect of various studies conducted by respected health care professionals. It is evident that “consumers don’t know that taking megavitamins could increase their risk of cancer and heart disease and shorten their lives; they don’t know that they have been suffering too much of a good thing for too long”(Offit, “Don’t Take Your Vitamins”). Increased rates of cancer and fatalities are a serious matter and caution should be taken when approaching vitamins.
Although many may argue that vitamins are essential to people who suffer from defects in their body’s vitamin absorption, an excessive amount is not favorable for all. While they can be key in treating individuals with diagnosed deficiencies “most Americans eat well enough to get the vitamins and nutrients they need without taking supplements” (Gann). Their confusion on the correct dosages leads to the deposition that backs up the previously mentioned claim that “seven previous studies had already shown that vitamins increased the risk of cancer and heart disease and shortened lives” (Offit, “The Vitamin Myth”). An effort to clear up these blurred lines would go a long way in stopping the misuse of vitamins.
The gathered evidence that vitamins, when not used under the appropriate circumstances can produce negative effects must become common knowledge. Even though essential nutrients introduced to the body through the consumption of food