In the 'Supplements And Medications' section of our in-depth questionnaire we ask the following question about multiple vitamin supplementation:
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Multiple vitamin supplement. Only include broad-spectrum preparations, not individual nutrients or specialty combinations such as B-vitamins. "One-a-Day" types are usually of low potency; high potency products involve taking several tablets per day.
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Your answer |
...indicates |
...and suggests |
| 1. |
"None / don't know" |
No multiple vitamin use |
A risk factor |
| 2. |
"Minor use in the past only" |
Discontinued multiple vitamin use |
A risk factor |
| 3. |
"Significant use in the past only" |
Discontinued multiple vitamin use |
A risk factor |
| 4. |
"Currently using low to moderate doses" |
Multiple vitamin use |
A risk factor |
| 5. |
"Currently using large doses" |
Multiple vitamin use |
A risk factor |
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Your answer will affect the likelihoods of the conditions below.
Any answers in green reduce the likelihood of the condition.
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| Answers |
Condition |
Comment |
1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
Atherosclerosis |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Increased Folic Acid Requirement |
-- |
1 |
2 |
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4 |
5 |
Multiple Vitamin Need |
There's a long-standing debate among nutrition and health experts when it comes to answering the question, "Do we need to take vitamin supplements?" One clear fact amongst all the confusion is that “Where western diet and farming practices go, chronic disease soon follows.”
One hundred years ago diet alone would have been sufficient to obtain adequate amounts of nutrients. Apart from increased individual requirements, it is still possible today, but more difficult. Many today believe that optimal health, not just adequate health requires careful diet planning and the use of organically grown foods. Modern farming techniques have led to soil depletion when farmers constantly replenish the soil with nitrogen and phosphates, but do little to replace the minerals that are being removed. Plants need these minerals to produce the vitamins they naturally contain. As a result, vegetables no longer contain the vitamin content they once did.
There is no substitute for the health effects that can be gained by a varied and healthy diet. But how many people do you see who routinely consume devitalized or highly sweetened foods for the sake of convenience and pleasure?
Supplementation may be necessary to bring our nutritional standards back to the level of our forefathers, to insure against any nutrient dependencies any individual may have, and to make-up for our often poor choice of foods. |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin A Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin B1 Requirement |
-- |
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3 |
4 |
5 |
Vitamin B12 Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin B3 Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin B6 Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin B-Complex Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin C Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin D Requirement |
-- |
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4 |
5 |
Vitamin E Requirement |
-- |
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GLOSSARY
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Mineral (Minerals)
Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Last updated: May 10, 2007
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