Vitamins, Supplements, and Painkillers: Should We Be Taking Them Or Not ?

It appears most of the vitamins our body needs are already present in the food we eat. However it also depends on how nutritious they are. Our bodies only need tiny amounts of vitamins to function properly. Science writer, Catherine Price in her latest book, "Vitamania" confirms that the amount of vitamin recommended daily is far smaller than a fraction of a grain of table salt as compared to the standard multivitamin content.

The solution to this problem, Price writes, is staggeringly simple: Eat better, and stop relying on a pill, according to a report in MSN. If you're well with no symptoms of illness and adheres to a reasonable diet, it's very unlikely that you got a significant vitamin deficiency.

People spend a fortune on vitamins, supplements and painkillers each year. It's been proven that most leafy greens are high in vitamins A, C, and E. Carrots and colorful peppers are rich in vitamin A, avocados are rich in vitamins C, E, and potassium while fish and nuts are good sources of omega-3s.

There's also a growing demand for supplements which promotes the awareness of healthy living and an ageing population with the current fast-paced lifestyle. Most elderly would take this marketing hype, promising pain-free joints and eternal youth. Painkillers taken by some people are not assured of its effectiveness.

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— Life Extension (@LifeExtension) May 7, 2016

Decades of research failed to find significant evidence that vitamins and supplements can do any good. Pointing in the opposite direction, recent studies found that certain vitamins may be bad for you. High levels of vitamin A can be toxic, for instance.

Several supplements have been linked to cause an increase in certain cancers. Others are associated with higher risk of kidney stones. Some are even tied to risk of death from any cause.

Vegans may take iron supplements regularly for it's difficult for them to get enough iron or B12 sometimes. Some who decided to stick to fruit and veggies without supplements had a better blood test result after a year. Others have also testified that eating oranges or drinking orange juice to treat colds is far much better than taking pills, reports The Guardian.

As what Catherine Price concludes, understanding nutrition may be complex and eating in the healthiest way possible is not complicated at all.