From a biological sense, it does not make any sense whatsoever to take supplements. We evolved eating an omnivorous diet, which remains the diet most suited for our health. In the case of vitamin D, we evolved to make it ourselves in exactly the quantity we need. Unless a specific nutrient is lacking—such as iodine for people who do not have a supply of ocean fish—we should not have to take any supplements.
The effects of chronically overloading one’s body with excess quantities of micronutrients are only now being seriously studied. So far, it looks like this practice has some deleterious health effects.
No one would seriously suggest that one should load up their body with macronutrients (fats, sugars, and proteins). Yet, when it comes to micronutrients, some people eat them like candy. I guess that part of the reason is that we can easily see the effects of gorging on macronutrients—obesity—but the damage caused by gorging on micronutrients is more subtle.
50 years ago just about every vegetable I ate came from the family garden. It was picked when it was ready to be eaten or canned. The food today is cut two weeks before so that it can stand the torture of mechanical processing, then gassed to attain the best color and three days of cold storage during transportation before hitting the market shelves.
The vitamins are not there anymore. You should supplement your diet with vitamins.
“From a biological sense, it does not make any sense whatsoever to take supplements. We evolved eating an omnivorous diet, which remains the diet most suited for our health. In the case of vitamin D, we evolved to make it ourselves in exactly the quantity we need....”
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Well, we didn’t evolve living and working indoors not getting much sunlight. I’ll continue to take my D3 supplement as NEEDED to maintain proper blood levels.
During the previous six million years of hominid evolution we ate animals with about 3% omega3 by weight. We also had virtually no option but to manufacture huge amounts of vitamin d3 via B ultraviolet radiation and cholesterol. Today we bathe away the limited amounts of vitamin d3 allowed by clothing and the limited B radiation delivered in northern latitudes. Omega3 and d3 are essential to human health and are nearly obliterated from contemporary human diet.
Normal foods do not contain D3. Acquiring natural D3 requires getting a substantial amount of sun exposure and certain fats in the diet.
I get very little sun exposure. When I do, I burn very easy.
I’ve been deficient in D3 for 20+ years and slowly developed a number of immune system issues. One of which degraded my quality of life significantly. I’ve been taking D3 (more than 2000 IU a day) for about 3 years now and it changed my life.
There was a direct correlation to my taking D3 and my resulting health. I’ve taken any number of other vitamins and supplements over the years and frankly I couldn’t tell the difference with or without them. This is the only “vitamin” I’ve ever taken that’s had a profound affect - but you have to take much more than 400 IU that’s recommended by the USDA.
Other people that get much more sun exposure may well not benefit from D3 supplements. But for those who do not, D3 can be life changing.
Everything we ingest and absorb from water to oxygen is necessary in some amount. It is fatal to have none and fatal to have too much. In the case of micronutrients the most important factor is digestive efficiency. People with healthy digestive systems will absorb the micronutrients they need from food. Those with disorders that prevent proper digestion might be able to use some supplements, but the irony is that supplements need to be digested properly too. Often there will be wide variations in supplement takers, from none to overdose. Some supplements like iron specifically preclude the absorption of others like copper. Thus inexpensive multivitamins can be do more harm than good.
People really need to focus on their entire health and not assume that popping a supplement while snacking on the couch will accomplish anything at all.