Vitamins and supplements constitute a significant industry in the United States, with Americans spending around $45 billion out of more than $177 billion spent globally on drugs, powders, and other forms of supplements aimed at improving health.
Studies indicate that nearly 59 million Americans consume some form of vitamins or supplements, spending approximately $510 million annually on these products on average.
However, food experts believe that this expenditure is a waste of money. Dr. Matthew Silvis from the Family Health and Community Medicine Center in Pennsylvania, USA, asserts that consuming a balanced meal provides all the nutrients an average person needs to maintain their health.
“If you eat a well-balanced meal that includes vegetables, fruits, and other forms of food, you don’t need any medications containing vitamins or dietary supplements,” he added. However, he elaborated, “There are some groups that may indeed need vitamins or dietary supplements, but these are individual cases.”
He explained that these groups include pregnant women who need folic acid to prevent fetal birth defects, seniors who need calcium and vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis, and some people who have digestive problems and cannot absorb certain nutrients from their diets.
Silvis noted that “if you are already consuming a balanced diet, all the additional vitamins and minerals you take through dietary supplements are excreted from the body through urine,” adding that “when the body gets enough of these substances, it gets rid of the excess amounts.”
