Are there any benefits from pharmacy vitamins. Why are pharmacy vitamins harmful? Research on the health effects of pharmacy vitamins

Dear readers, I suggest you talk about vitamins today. We all perfectly understand how important they are for our health. We especially remember vitamins when in the spring we have drowsiness, a feeling of fatigue, irritation ... We immediately understand that immunity has depleted with the arrival of spring, and our body lacks vitamins. All fruits and vegetables that we eat, perhaps even in unmeasured quantities, do not give results in improving the condition. And we run to the nearest pharmacy to buy some kind of vitamin complex.

Do you know what is the difference between natural vitamins that we get from food and synthetic ones that we buy at the pharmacy? And the difference, by the way, is big.

Today our conversation is about whether there is any benefit from synthetic (pharmacy) vitamins or whether they are harmful to our health.

Vitamins in the human body are involved in almost all biochemical processes. They are catalysts of metabolic processes, regulate many functions in the body, but they are not produced in the body, so they come to us in the form of food.

Vitamin complexes regulate the body's metabolism through the enzyme system. A deficiency of at least one of the vitamins will certainly negatively affect general condition person. Therefore, they are important components of our enzyme system, regulate metabolism, keeping our body healthy.

But at the same time, vitamins are not pills that stimulate vigor, they cannot replace proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nor minerals... They do not possess any energy value as they do not contain calories. These are complex biological complexes and their activity depends on many factors.

Synthetic vitamins or pharmacy vitamins?

Vitamins that the doctor recommends to us and we buy at the pharmacy to increase immunity or with some therapeutic purpose, synthetic. This means that they are obtained by chemical transformations or by extracting certain components from natural ones.

Synthetic vitamins are absorbed by our body by only 15 - 20%, since they are foreign chemical compounds otherwise it is a synthetic poison. The remaining 80-85% is excreted in urine, feces and through sweat. You may have noticed this. Patients who are prescribed vitamins in solution or in tablets have a sharp and saturated color of urine and smell like a "hospital".

However, even with an obvious need and benefit for the body, synthetic vitamins are drugs. And medications must be taken correctly, as prescribed by the doctor, otherwise an overdose is possible. If a person takes them in unlimited quantities, then negative consequences are possible.

What is the difference

In fact, ascorbic acid is not vitamin C, but alpha-tocopherol is not vitamin E, retinol is not vitamin A. What is the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins, Let's take a look at the example of vitamin C.

Whatever material we have discovered on health improvement, everywhere ascorbic acid is associated with vitamin C. This is fundamentally wrong. Ascorbic acid is an isolate, just one of the fragments of natural vitamin C. In addition to ascorbic acid must be present rutin, bioflavonoids, thyronidase, ascorbinogen, factors K, J, R. Did you feel the difference? And to get it natural vitamin C, it is necessary to observe these components in the right proportions. And the ascorbic acid in vitamin C is necessary to prevent the rapid oxidation of the vitamin and its breakdown.

The benefits and harms of synthetic vitamins

Vitamin C

The daily norm in vitamin C is 75-100 mg per day. Overdose is possible if we take more than 1000 mg per day or 10 tablets of ascorbic acid per day, with the following negative consequences possible.

Work is disrupted gastrointestinal tract, excess acid can irritate the stomach lining, causing or exacerbating gastritis or pancreatitis;
Possible destruction of tooth enamel due to exposure to ascorbic acid, which can lead to the development of caries;
Kidney function is impaired;
Problems with the cardiovascular system may occur;
There is a risk of sexual dysfunction disorders or a delay in menstruation.

There may be periods in a person's life when it is necessary increased amount vitamin C. This happens after chronic diseases and operations in recovery period, during pregnancy, in the spring.

What products contain a large number of vitamin C? The record holder is bell pepper, citrus,. Moreover, 100 g of rose hips contains 1111% of daily allowance vitamin C. So, these foods should always be present in your diet.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Vitamin D enhances the absorption of calcium in the body, which can cause hypercalcemia. It is very dangerous in people with cardiovascular disease. Soft atherosclerotic plaques are calcified as a result of excess calcium, blocking the lumen of the vessels, which can even lead to myocardial infarction.

In addition, an excess of vitamin D accelerates the destruction of old bone tissue, despite the fact that the new one has not yet had time to form.

Excess calcium salts begin to be intensively excreted by the kidneys, which in turn can lead to calcium deposition in the kidneys and kidney stone disease with attacks of renal colic.

Vitamin E

In pursuit of youth and beauty, capsules with vitamin E are taken. This vitamin is often included in anti-aging dietary supplements. The use of several dietary supplements (separately for the skin, for immunity, for strengthening hair or nails) with vitamin E can also cause an overdose.

In case of an overdose, fluid accumulates in the body, and this leads to an increase blood pressure... In patients suffering hypertension, it can cause a hypertensive crisis;
Excess prevents the absorption of vitamins A, D, K;
Possible violation of sexual activity; Violates the activity of the central nervous system, possible double vision, muscle weakness, feeling of fatigue, headache;
Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are possible;
Reduced immunity.

As an alternative to synthetic vitamin E, natural can be obtained by eating hazelnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds.

Vitamin A

It is often taken in combination with vitamin E to improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails, as well as to improve vision.

In case of an overdose, nausea, pain in the liver area, jaundice are possible skin, headache, muscle weakness, high blood pressure.

Vitamin B 6

Abuse of vitamin B6 leads to impaired metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. And it is expressed in depression of mood or, conversely, hyperactivity, violation of the sense of touch.

Chromium overdose

Excessive use of dietary supplements with chromium can also have negative consequences, namely:

With an excess of chromium, glucose tolerance is disturbed, that is, the absorption of glucose in the body, which can lead to diabetes mellitus;
Possible failure of kidney and liver function;
In large quantities, chromium can lead to cell mutation and further development oncological diseases.

By the way, 100 g of mackerel contains 110% of the daily requirement of chromium.

In this video you will find out which vitamins have no effect on the body. I recommend watching, very informative.

In conclusion, I would like to note that vitamins from a pharmacy are medicines. And drugs without a doctor's prescription should not be abused. There are certain dosages and periods of their use for taking medications. Uncontrolled reception such vitamins are dangerous! Don't forget about it, then you won't have negative consequences from taking synthetic vitamins. And best of all, take vitamins that are found in food.

My dear readers! If this article was useful to you, then share it with your friends by clicking on the social buttons. networks. It is also important for me to know your opinion about what you have read, write about it in the comments. I will be very grateful to you.

Good health wishes Taisiya Filippova

Our expert - doctor medical sciences, Professor Vladimir Spirichev.

From what and for what?

There are no parents who would doubt whether a child needs vitamins. But the question "what" is controversial. Even the most advanced mothers and fathers sometimes believe that if a child gets enough fresh fruits and vegetables, he does not need pharmacy vitamins. And at first glance, it would seem that they are right. Moreover, European and American nutritionists persistently insist: it is enough to eat 5 servings of fresh vegetables and fruits every day (one large apple or one vegetable dish) and everything will be fine.

Is it really? After all, from plant products we get mainly vitamin C and carotenoids - substances that turn into vitamin A only if carrots are eaten with sour cream or drunk carrot juice with cream: without fat, vitamin A is not formed or absorbed. And we live in a country where most years are forced to eat not fresh fruits and vegetables, but those that were brought and lay in storage for a long time, the greatest benefit from which is alimentary fiber that improve the work of the stomach. And the vitamins of group B, which are necessary for metabolism, and for hematopoiesis, for the brain and nervous system, are absent in vegetables and fruits at all. They are found only in meat, liver, kidneys, and cereals with a shell.

In addition, vitamins must work in conjunction with minerals and vice versa. For example, iron is actively absorbed only with the help of ascorbic acid, calcium - vitamins D, and so on. This means that so that the child does not experience vitamin deficiency, he must eat very correct and balanced food. From day to day. Do many people succeed in this? So it turns out that to provide the child's body with vitamins and minerals from natural products- it is unrealistic.

How to detect a deficit?

Does the child have enough vitamins and minerals or not? It is rather difficult to answer this question. Hypovitaminosis (vitamin deficiency) does not manifest itself for years. A child can get tired faster, catch colds easier, and get sick more often if vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, is lacking. With a lack of vitamins B2, K and F, diarrhea sometimes occurs, and with a lack of A, nails break, eyes begin to ache. There are many examples, but how many parents associate these symptoms with vitamin and mineral deficiency?

An objective picture of the supply of vitamins can be identified with the help of blood and urine tests. For example, the level of B1 is determined by erythrocytes, B2 by erythrocytes and leukocytes in blood serum and urine, A, D and E - by examining blood plasma, etc.

Monitoring vitamin levels is important when a child has chronic diseases... For example, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, enteritis), with diabetes mellitus the processes of removal of vitamins and minerals are disrupted. Suction fat-soluble vitamins A, E, K and D affect the condition of the gallbladder and liver. In these cases, sometimes higher doses of vitamins and minerals are needed, but which ones and in what quantity must be decided with the attending physician.

About what is not in the instructions

Should you take vitamin breaks? The opinions of experts on this matter differ. Some believe that they need to be accepted. all year round, others advise taking a break in the summer, since during this time the child receives vitamins from fresh fruits and vegetables. And yet, in some ways, the opinions of experts coincide. Most of them believe that taking vitamins is a must:

● in the off-season - from December to April;

● when the climate changes, even if you are traveling with a child to relax in the velvet season;

● a month and a half before the child enters a kindergarten or school;

● during and after illness, especially if the child has received antibiotics. But there is an important caveat: at this time you need to give vitamins without trace elements in order to reduce the risk allergic reactions.

A vain precaution

Do you still have doubts? Then let's look at the arguments put forward by the opponents. pharmacy products... In fact, many of them do not correspond to reality.

Myth 1. Synthetic vitamins are chemical substances, they cannot be more useful than living natural products.

In fact, all pharmacy vitamins are completely identical to natural vitamins in terms of chemical structure and biological activity. These are not surrogates, but the same compounds that are found in any plant and animal cage... By the way, they are received mainly in a natural way: D - from fish liver, E - from soy protein, B vitamins - from yeast due to the synthesis of microorganisms.

Myth 2. Artificial vitamins are absorbed worse than vitamins from natural products.

Everything is exactly the opposite. In products, vitamins are in bound form, and in preparations - in pure form, so the body does not spend energy on freeing them from accompanying substances, but immediately starts work.

Myth 3. Pharmacy vitamins can cause allergic reactions in a child.

Natural products provoke allergies more often. Firstly, because any product consists of a complex complex of chemicals, each of which can become an allergen for a child. Secondly, there is practically no pure food now: most products contain preservatives, dyes, flavor enhancers, flavors and many other substances, allergic... Vitamins are not foreign to the body, they do not cause the formation of antibodies, which means they cannot provoke allergic reactions.

Myth 4. Taking artificial vitamins can lead to hypervitaminosis (excess of them).

There are only two vitamins - D and A, long-term intake which can cause an overdose. But for this they need to be taken in quantities exceeding the need for them hundreds (!) Times. All other vitamins do not accumulate: once they enter the body, the excess is excreted in the urine.

Important

For colorants, flavors, stabilizers, flavoring additives, which are sometimes included in the composition vitamin preparations, some children may have allergies. Conscientious manufacturers warn about this in the instructions attached to the vitamins. Remember to read it carefully before giving your child this medicine. Effervescent vitamins are not suitable for all children. They should not be given for diseases of the esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, as they can cause irritation and pain in the abdomen.

The vitamin complexes provide a dosage of 50 to 100% daily requirement child's body in vitamins. The higher the number, the more effective the drug is.

It is best to buy drugs from large manufacturers who have been working in this area for a long time: the products of such companies pass clinical researches, corresponds international requirements in the pharmaceutical industry GMP.

It is not only the content that is important, but also the form: for example, for the smallest, drops are preferable, which are convenient to add directly to food. After two years - syrups, and after three you can use drugs in the form gummy, effervescent drinks, pills, tablets.

Be sure to pay attention to what age this or that drug is intended for. Vitamin-mineral complexes differ primarily in dosage, as well as in the components included in it, depending on the age of the child.

Personal opinion

Emmanuel Vitorgan:

- In my opinion, natural vegetables, fruits, juices are preferable, but in those days when my son was growing up, much was in short supply. Including - and high-quality fruits. Therefore, we also sometimes used pharmacy vitamins.

Are synthetic vitamins great? Until recently (the first crystalline vitamin substance was isolated in 1911 from rice bran), humanity, not yet affected by the epidemic of metabolic diseases, received vitamins from vegetables, fruits and other food products. Technological progress has brought us quick way get vitamins: why eat a lot of apples, if you can provide yourself with one tablet essential substances? But is it all so cloudless?

Everyone knows about the benefits of ascorbic acid - it is an excellent antioxidant. In food products, for example in lemon, it works with a substance - an assistant flavoinoid: ascorbic acid is oxidized, and the flavoinoid reduces it. And so they work long time without putting unnecessary stress on the liver. And synthetic ascorbic acid in its pure form, without a substance - an assistant, is oxidized only once and immediately enters the liver for excretion from the body, overloading it. For example, calcium supplements contain calcium carbonate, an insoluble mineral that clogs the kidneys.

In 1923, Dr. Glen King established the chemical structure of vitamin C, and in 1928, Dr. and biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi first isolated vitamin C, calling it hexuronic acid; in 1933, Swiss researchers synthesized ascorbic acid, identical to vitamin C.
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) C6H8O6 is a water-soluble vitamin used by the body for biochemical redox processes, promotes the formation of deoxyribonucleic acid.

Now consider the previous two paragraphs. A hundred years ago, mankind did not know any synthetic vitamins, and today they are ingested by more than half of the population. developed countries Europe and America.

It is believed that among the symptoms of a lack of vitamin C in the body are weakness immune system, bleeding gums, pallor and dryness of the skin, delayed tissue recovery after physical damage (wounds, bruises), dullness and hair loss, brittle nails, lethargy, fast fatiguability, weakening of muscle tone, rheumatoid pain in the sacrum and extremities (especially lower, pain in the feet), loosening and loss of teeth; fragility blood vessels leads to bleeding of the gums, hemorrhages in the form of dark red spots on the skin. However, as of today (August 2011) no enough studies, on the basis of which it could be reliably asserted that there is a connection between the mentioned symptoms and a lack of vitamin C in the body. rare disease- scurvy.

Have we been counted?

The first thing that is alarming is statistics. 80% of people are deficient in vitamin C (A, B and further alphabetically). Have you ever had a blood test for vitamins for research purposes?

Artificial vitamins are not functional, they are copies of natural, isomers, their structure differs from the structure of natural vitamins. Their use leads to the fact that the amount of ballast, artificial chemicals in the body increases, causing irreparable harm to the body.

The renowned scientist Pauling, who at one time actively promoted artificial vitamin C, died of cancer. The beginning of the theory of "horse doses" of vitamins was laid by an American scientist, winner of two Nobel Prizes Linus Pauling. In his book Cancer and Vitamin C, he argued that very large doses of ascorbic acid improved the condition of patients with certain types of cancer and significantly prolonged life. At the end of his life, Pauling focused on natural sources necessary for a person nutrients.

They decided to test Pauling's theory in practice. For several years, scientists have been conducting clinical trials, but they all convincingly proved that high doses of vitamin C neither prevent cancer nor the common cold, much less cure.

British The Times published the results of a study by doctors from the University of Leicester. They say that the standard dosage of vitamin C, which is widely advertised as an anti-heart attack, aggravates a number of diseases.

Back in 2000, at the annual conference of the American Heart Association, a group of scientists made a statement that large doses of vitamin C cause a more rapid development of atherosclerosis. The study involved 570 people. Comprehensive survey of volunteers, average age who was about 54 years old, showed that their blood vessels are normal. A year and a half later, the examination was repeated, and it turned out that atherosclerosis carotid arteries supplying blood to the brain, 2.5 times more often observed in those who were overly addicted to ascorbic acid. It is noteworthy that people took 500 mg of vitamin C per day just for the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Pediatricians note an increase in allergies in children who were actively fed "in preventive purposes»Increased doses of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is not a medicine, but a vitamin! In some children, the breakdown of vitamin C into its final products may be impaired due to a lack of enzymes that regulate metabolism. With usual doses of the vitamin, these disturbances would have been compensated, but with large doses, decompensation occurred. Undigested metabolic products - oxalates - cause allergies, can injure the renal tubules and become a source of their diseases (nephritis), and subsequently initiate kidney stone disease.

Vitamin C is synthetically derived from glucose.

After scientists proved the importance of vitamins for human health, they began to be synthesized artificially, but it turned out that the degree of absorption and effectiveness of such vitamins is an order of magnitude lower than their natural counterparts. There are several reasons for this. First, the problem is in the presence of the so-called left- (L) and dextrorotatory (R) isomers. Many substances, due to the complexity of their chemical structure, can exist in the form of two or more isomers, that is, as if mirror images of each other.

Vitamin C consists of 7 isomers, that is, the complete picture of a natural vitamin consists of 7 mosaics, which are in the finest bonds with each other. These connections cannot be made artificially .. Ascorbic acid, which is known to everyone, is just one of the 7 isomers of natural vitamin C. It is easy to guess that only natural vitamin is suitable for a person, because only it is recognized by the body and absorbed. It's the same story with other vitamins. Chemically synthesized vitamins are absorbed by the body by less than 10%.

In synthetic vitamins: Vitrum, Centrum, Alphabet, etc. only one of seven isomers is present in the composition. The other six are not synthesized and therefore simply absent from synthetic vitamins.

The same is with vitamin E. Synthetic contains only one of eight tocopherols. It is a very complicated and expensive process to artificially synthesize all vitamin isomers, and pharmaceutical companies are not interested in additional high costs, so synthetic vitamins are harmful, not beneficial.

Imagining with your own eyes the different arrangement of atoms in the molecules of mirror isomers is easier than ever: just bring a piece of paper with the word written on it to the mirror. It seems that the letters are the same, but are reflected topsy-turvy!

Often, chemically synthesized vitamins are just such mirror isomers of natural vitamins, and therefore are ineffective.

The second reason is that in nature all vitamins are not present in isolation, but together with substances that are necessary for their assimilation. For example, natural vitamin C in plants is adjacent to bioflavonoids, which ensure its absorption and themselves have a number of useful properties... Synthetic vitamin C is naturally present in the preparation in isolation, without bioflavonoids, and therefore cannot be adequately absorbed.

WHY DO SUCH "ONE-LEGED" VITAMINS HARM?

It is because of their inferiority that synthetic vitamins are absorbed by an average of 1-5%. A small part is excreted in the urine, and the entire remaining "tail" settles in our body: in the liver, kidneys, joints, blood vessels. It is this fact that leads to diseases that we did not have before the adoption of synthetic vitamins.

It turns out that in the formula of every natural, natural vitamin there is a particle of a protein base, which does not exist in synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are "dead" substances that do not carry any energy, they are practically not absorbed by the body. They have a crystalline structure that is not amenable to splitting and processing in human body... In addition, artificial vitamins contribute to the accumulation in our body chemical substances which are very dangerous.

Proof of this is the color and smell of urine from people taking vitamins. Urine has a characteristic odor, and its color changes. This suggests that the kidneys remove vitamins from the body, working for two. In addition, the liver also feels an additional load.

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V recent times becoming more and more relevant proper nutrition- everyone is literally obsessed with making it "right." It has become very fashionable to buy food in farm stores, cook food in steamers and multicooker, use sugar substitutes, drink 2 liters of water a day, not eat 2 hours before bedtime, sit on low-carb diets and much, much more ... This also includes a passion for vitamins - they are drunk not only during illness, but also just like that, to prevent the health of the eyes, hair, nervous system and everything-everything-everything.

In itself, the tendency towards healthy eating beautiful! The sad thing is that large industrial companies are using this trend not for good, but for harm, aiming only at money at any cost. V this case- at the cost of the health of you and me - consumers. They impose completely false ideas about health on people. These are pseudo-farmers who actually sell the same chemical-laden food that we see in large supermarkets, only for double the price tagged as "farm product." These are vegetarian convenience foods made with the addition of harmful preservatives, thickeners and colorings. And finally, there are absolutely all manufacturers of synthetic vitamins!

Earlier, I myself was carried away by vitamins from pharmacies, sincerely believing that this is how I take care of my health - I support immunity, I get balanced proportions of minerals and vitamins. However, having studied the issue thoroughly, I hasten to inform you - vitamins are harmful, and here I have no doubts.

Pharmacy vitamins are deficient.

First - and this is the most important - scientists have not learned to synthesize any vitamin! Synthetic vitamins are completely different chemical composition relatively natural. Scientists in laboratories have learned to reproduce only small part natural vitamin formulas. For example, vitamin C - in nature it consists of 7 isomers of ascorbic acid, which are linked together in a strictly defined way. Pharmacy vitamins contain only 1 isomer. The rest of the scientists just didn't synthesize. Or vitamin E - only 1 out of 8 tocopherols is synthesized.

This is partly because we do not know how to reproduce the formula, partly because artificially synthesizing all vitamin isomers is a very expensive process and pharmaceutical companies are not interested in large expenditures. What do we get in the end? The fact that we buy an eighth of the vitamin in pharmacies! As a result, the body tries to reject these artificial substances incomprehensible to it. But it cannot completely remove them.

Because of their inferiority synthetic vitamins are absorbed by an average of 1-5%(usually no more than 10%) - a small part is excreted in the urine, and all the remaining "tail" settles in the liver, kidneys, joints, vessels, forming what we call toxins. That is, artificial vitamins contribute to the accumulation of harmful (and sometimes even dangerous) chemicals in our body, which are almost not excreted from the body. Hence all the side effects of vitamins - it can be hormonal disbalance, metabolic disorders, weakening of immunity and aggravation of certain diseases.

Research on the health effects of pharmacy vitamins.

Here are some examples of some research.

Vitamin C... Research by Professor James Dwyer, 2000 573 volunteers over 18 months. they took 500 mg of synthetic vitamin C. Absolutely all subjects had a narrowing of the blood vessels. By the end of the experiment, the rate of constriction increased 3.5 times. Some studies, however, point to a positive effect of vitamin C on the development of gallbladder disease. But this is not very comforting. This is from the category "we treat one thing, we cripple the other."
Vitamin E and Beta Carotene... The experiment involved 18300 patients. It was planned to complete the study in 1998, but already in 1996 the experiment had to be stopped, because among the subjects who took the synthetic vitamin, cancer diseases increased by 28%, and mortality - by 17% compared with the control group. The director of the Institute for Cancer Research at a press conference on January 19, 1996, said that in addition to this, the number of heart attacks and strokes in the group increased. Similar results were obtained in Finland in 1994.
Vitamin A... A team of scientists from Copenhagen, which studied 250 thousand patients who regularly take certain groups of synthetic vitamins, came to the following conclusions:
chemical vitamin A increased the risk of mortality by 16%,
vitamin E - by 4%,
beta-carotene - by 7%.

In addition to vitamins, plants contain minerals and thousands of other substances useful for the body - they are called "phytocomponents". Therefore, when we eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, then we get the effect of the complex effects of all the components of the plant on the body! There are no phytocomponents in synthetic vitamins, they are inferior... Therefore, it is impossible to predict with accuracy their impact on health.

Pharmacy vitamins: we treat one, we cripple the other.

Scientists in their research usually focus on the narrowly targeted effect of a particular vitamin on specific disease or organ. There is no holistic approach when analyzing the effect on the whole organism. And is it possible? When a synthetic substance enters the body, thousands of chemical reactions throughout the body. Moreover, the influence often lasts more than one day and more than one month. It is impossible to trace all this. So it turns out that at first it is announced to the whole world that vitamin C is supposedly excellent for the flu, and after a few years it turns out that it leads to deterioration of blood vessels. Remember how earlier pills calcium was considered useful, but now it is known that this calcium (of course not natural) is deposited in the kidneys? There are thousands of such stories!

A separate story about the recommended doses that are considered for the "average person" is the same as the average temperature in a hospital. It is impossible to "overeat" natural vitamins. The body is very smart, it easily absorbs everything it needs from plants, just as much as it needs here and now. Residues are efficiently and quickly discharged through different channels. But with synthetic substances, everything is not so simple - they are alien to the body (which consists of organic matter, not synthetics) and an overdose can be dangerous... The consequences can be more negative than the health problem itself, which you wanted to solve with the help of pharmacy vitamins. For example, excessive intake of vitamin A is a direct path to liver disease. An overdose of vitamin D contributes to the development of osteoporosis.

Also it is very difficult to figure out the right combination of vitamins... For example, vitamins C and E are incompatible with nicotine, and this combination is very dangerous. It has also long been known that some vitamins can interfere with the absorption of others. Therefore, I consider multivitamin complexes the most dangerous. This is a great psychological move used by pharmaceutical companies - in modern society people are constantly looking for a "magic button", "a remedy for all diseases." You don’t have to worry about what you eat, you don’t need to waste time on analyzes, you don’t need to “bathe” about anything at all. Just bought a can of pills. Very comfortably! But this is just an illusion of health. Then you will go to the doctor, he will prescribe pills and vitamins for you, after a while again and so on ad infinitum. Not a very bright prospect.

What are pharmacy vitamins made of?

And finally, the very quality of synthetic vitamins. Sadly, but true - they are NOT made from natural ingredients of plant and animal origin. Oil, tar, bacteria, animal waste - these are the raw materials that underlie the production of vitamins in beautiful packages!

How to do without synthetic vitamins?

Therefore, I prefer not to use what I do not understand at all. This is Pandora's box. It is much wiser and healthier to simply avoid "chemistry" in all cases (unless there is a question of life and death) and eat as much as possible rich in vitamins food - vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts. This approach will allow you to get the maximum benefit, avoid overdose, side effects and allergic reactions. And do not listen to horror stories about the fact that you will almost die from a lack of vitamins. All these stories are about the fact that you do not get the whole complex of vitamins from food and immediately your teeth, bones, immunity will deteriorate ... these are myths!

Let's take a look at the history of vitamins. In 1923, Dr. Glen King first established the chemical structure of vitamin C, in 1928, Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi synthesized for the first time a similarity to natural vitamin C, and in 1933 Swiss researchers synthesized ascorbic acid. And now let's think about this information - less than a hundred years ago mankind did not know any synthetic vitamins, and lived well, but today they are supposedly vital to us? This is not convincing to me.

In general, after conducting my investigation, I draw a quite definite conclusion - synthetic vitamins, even the most expensive and carefully selected ones, are just a rather primitive copy of what nature has created. They are not needed by the body, and often they are harmful. Let us still love ourselves and our body, let us not create unnecessary work for it. Let us pamper him with natural plant food)

By the way, if it is psychologically difficult for you to give up the habit of drinking vitamins so abruptly, or for some reason your diet is really inadequate, then I recommend that you buy non-synthetic vitamins. There are now many complexes on the market that are plant extracts, or berries and herbs dried in a gentle mode (40 degrees). They can be dissolved in water or added to juices and smoothies!

More and more scientists are coming to the conclusion that synthetic vitamins are more harmful than beneficial to health.

In the spring, most buyers traditionally go to pharmacies for ... vitamins. The pharmaceutical industry has taught people that without artificial analogs nutrients they simply cannot survive. Meanwhile, more and more scientists come to the conclusion that vitamins are rather harmful rather than health benefits.

Pharmaceutical industry for last years created a real fashion for vitamins. According to media reports, every year for a variety of youth elixirs, antioxidants and other vitamins, citizens of average European country spend up to $ 100 million, and this amount increases from year to year.

There are about 3,500 different products sold in the United States. food additives with multivitamins and minerals, seven out of ten Americans at least sometimes resort to multivitamins, and four out of ten do it regularly. There are no statistics for Russia, but every Russian takes vitamin complexes with relative regularity, either under the influence of advertising, or on the advice of doctors, or trusting the recommendations of pharmacists.

“The rational activity of mankind has led to unreasonable consequences,” says Evgeny Tkachenko, Doctor of Medicine, chief gastroenterologist of the St. Petersburg Healthcare Committee. - We are losing the concept of "biological culture", which inherently includes such a component as proper nutrition. " Scientists and doctors are concerned that people do not know how, do not want or do not have the opportunity to eat right and this flaw compensate with "chemical food"- that is, consuming excessively vitamins, buying newfangled "cleaning from toxins" and other antioxidants.

Employees of the British research company Mintel found out that spending money on these funds is completely pointless as they are of no use. Moreover: the intake of antioxidants and vitamins (especially in large doses) contributes to the weakening of the human body and leads to the destruction of cells. For example, Swedish scientists claim to have found a link between taking poly vitamin complexes and the risk of developing cancer.

In one of the issues of the specialized edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results of 20 years of research on a group of women tested were presented.

It reports that the likelihood of developing breast cancer is 20% higher in women who regularly take multivitamin complexes.

Scientists examined the health status of 35 thousand women aged 49 to 83 years. Other factors leading to cancer were considered: lifestyle, excess weight, smoking and heredity. The survey was carried out in two stages over 20 years.

In 2007, a mammography study revealed that 974 women fell ill with breast cancer in 10 years. Comparing the data from the questionnaires that the participants in the experiment filled out, the scientists were surprised to find that about a third of all breast cancer patients regularly took multivitamins in the hope of protecting their bodies from premature aging and disease. In total, 9 thousand participants in the experiment supplemented their diet with vitamin complexes.

Danish, American and Serbian doctors investigated the effect of vitamin complexes on diseases of the digestive system. It turned out that taking these vitamins slightly, but definitely increases the risk of tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, and the combination of vitamin A and beta-carotene is especially dangerous. It increases the risk of bowel cancer by 30%. According to researchers' calculations, out of a million people who ingest such vitamin supplements in large quantities, about 9000 die annually from cancer of the digestive system. By the way, back in 1998, WHO issued a warning: “Not yet additional information about how beta-carotene and other carotenoids affect the processes leading to cancer, none of these substances should be spread among the population as a means of preventing the development of tumors. " And then there was another warning: “ Prevention of cancer with fresh fruits and vegetables remains more effective than taking one or more of these substances in the form of dietary supplements».

The German Foundation for the Fight against Heart Diseases issued a warning about the uselessness of vitamin pills for a normally nourished person. "Vitamins do not prevent cancer or heart attack, let alone treat these diseases," writes the chairman of the foundation, Professor Becker.

In 2003, the journal Lancet published research by cardiologist Mark Penn, who summed up the results of experiments with vitamin E and beta-carotene lasting from one and a half to 12 years. In 82% of participants in the experiments, additional doses of vitamin E did not reduce the likelihood of atherosclerosis, heart attack or stroke, and did not increase life expectancy. Beta-carotene, from which the body produces vitamin A, was used by 140 thousand healthy people, even slightly increased their mortality.

Russian specialists also do not stand aside. So, even 10 years ago in scientific publications (in particular, "Science and Life" No. 2, 8 for 2000), the "war" of free radicals (oxygen compounds with a high oxidative capacity, which oxidize and destroy the constituent parts of cells, thus causing various diseases) with antioxidants, that is, substances that "protect" the body from free radicals.

Vitamins C, E and the same beta-carotene (provitamin A) were named as the main antioxidants. Scientists have proven that if these vitamins are taken in 5-10 times doses, it is possible to significantly reduce the incidence and mortality from cardiovascular and oncological diseases and literally rejuvenate. Research has proven that this statement is not valid. There is no evidence that they are turning back time and stopping the aging process.

“We have our own antioxidant system, and taking high doses of antioxidants will only do harm. That's why healthy person you need to limit yourself to standard multivitamins, - says Igor Artyukhov, a biophysicist, an expert at the Institute of Biology of Aging. - Additional reception antioxidants are recommended if your own defense system does not cope, - when heavy loads or with rare genetic diseases causing accelerated aging ”.

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen have stated that addiction to synthetic vitamins may increase the risk of premature death. Research has shown that people who take antioxidant supplements actually prevent the body from turning on its natural defense functions. Their risk of early death increases by 16%. Scientists emphasize that side effect can only be attributed to synthetic complexes, and not to vitamins that are consumed in natural form along with vegetables and fruits.

The beginning of the theory of "horse doses" of vitamins was laid by the American scientist, winner of two Nobel Prizes, Linus Pauling. In his book Cancer and Vitamin C, he argued that very large doses of ascorbic acid improved the condition of patients with certain types of cancer and significantly prolonged life.

Back in 2000, at the annual conference of the American Heart Association, a group of scientists made a statement that large doses of vitamin C cause a more rapid development of atherosclerosis. The study involved 570 people. A comprehensive survey of volunteers, whose average age was about 54 years, showed that their blood vessels were normal. A year and a half later, the examination was repeated, and it turned out that atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries supplying the brain with blood was 2.5 times more likely to be observed in those who were overly addicted to ascorbic acid. It is noteworthy that people took 500 mg of vitamin C per day just for the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Pediatricians note an increase in allergies in children who were actively fed "for prophylactic purposes" with increased doses of vitamin C. Children's doctor Anna Timofeeva recalls: “Vitamin C is not a medicine, but a vitamin! In some children, the breakdown of vitamin C into its final products may be impaired due to a lack of enzymes that regulate metabolism. With usual doses of the vitamin, these disturbances would have been compensated, but with large doses, decompensation occurred. Undigested metabolic products - oxalates - cause allergies, can injure the renal tubules and become a source of their diseases (nephritis), and subsequently initiate kidney stone disease ”.

The main argument of the opponents excessive enthusiasm synthetic vitamins - their violation of the natural defense mechanism of the body, in which, in particular, the self-destruction of malignant or other "defective" cells is laid by nature. Most scientists are inclined to believe that the bulk of the population is quite enough natural source vitamins in food, fresh fruits and vegetables. In plant foods, in addition to all essential vitamins contains also about ten thousand other substances, balanced by nature itself.

Moreover, one should not blindly trust advertising. As the head of the department of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “State Research Institute of Highly Pure Biological Products of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency”, academician of RAMT Leonid Petrov told Rosbalt, advertising of many products and biological products does not correspond to reality.

Therefore, when choosing a product, first of all, one should be interested in the manufacturer and focus on Russian state scientific centers as having the appropriate personnel and base for scientific testing.

But to small companies it must be treated with caution primarily because they do not have the capacity for appropriate testing.

At the same time, one should not forget that any synthetic product, as alien to the body, in some cases can bring harm, not benefit.