Are Vitamins Good Or Bad? – Survey of the Day

Almost everyone I know takes vitamins. My mother had us taking them as children and they always made sense to me.

Until now.

The results of two new studies show that taking vitamins can sometimes cause harm instead of good. University of Minnesota researchers found that elderly women who took vitamins had, on average, a 2.4 percent increased risk of dying over the course of a 19-year study compared with women who didn't take supplements.

Among those linked to the slightly higher mortality risk were multivitamins, vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. However, calcium supplements actually seemed to lower the mortality risk slightly.

A separate study from the Cleveland Clinic found that men who took high doses of Vitamin E for about five years had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer, even after they stopped taking the pills. Both studies show that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.

So, here's the Question Of The Day.

Dave D.