24 Good Reasons Why You May Need Vitamin Supplements/Alcohol/Smoking/Laxatives

 Many people believe that eating a well balanced diet provides all the 

vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. In ideal 

circumstances, this is the case, but in reality there are many reasons 

why you may need vitamin supplements to cope with living in the 

twentieth century environment. Taking vitamins when required is 

a safe method of optimizing your dietary sources of nutrients, 

providing you follow the instructions on product labels

Vitamin Supplements 1. Poor Digestion

Even when your food intake is good, inefficient digestion can limit your body’s 

uptake of vitamins. Some common causes of inefficient digestion are not 

chewing well enough and eating too fast. Both of these result in larger than 

normal food particle size, too large to allow complete action of digestive 

enzymes. Many people with dentures are unable to chew as efficiently as 

those with a full set of original teeth.

Vitamin Supplements 2. Hot Coffee, Tea and Spices

Habitual drinking of liquids that are too hot, or consuming an excess of 

irritants such as coffee, tea or pickles and spices can cause inflammation 

of the digestive linings, resulting in a drop in secretion of digestive 

fluids and poorer extraction of vitamins and minerals from food.

Vitamin Supplements 3. Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol is known to damage the liver and pancreas 

which are vital to digestion and metabolism. It can also damage the lining 

of the intestinal tract and adversely affect the absorption of nutrients, 

leading to sub-clinical malnutrition. Regular heavy use of alcohol increases

 the body’s need for the B-group vitamins, particularly thiamine, niacin, 

pyridoxine, folic acid and vitamins B12, A and C as well as the minerals 

zinc, magnesium and calcium. Alcohol affects availability, absorption 

and metabolism of nutrients.

Vitamin Supplements 4. Smoking

Smoking too much tobacco is also an irritant to the digestive tract and 

increases the metabolic requirements of Vitamin C, all else being equal, 

by at least 30mg per cigarette over and above the typical requirements 

of a non-smoker. Vitamin C which is normally present in such foods as 

paw paws, oranges and capsicums, oxidizes rapidly once these fruits 

are cut, juiced, cooked or stored in direct sunlight or near heat. Vitamin 

C is important to the immune function.

Vitamin Supplements 5. Laxatives

Overuse of laxatives can result in poor absorption of vitamins and minerals 

from food, by hastening the intestinal transit time. Paraffin and other 

mineral oils increase losses of fat soluble vitamins A, E and K. Other laxatives 

used to excess can cause large losses of minerals such as potassium, sodium

 and magnesium.

Vitamin Supplements 6. Fad Diets

Bizarre diets that miss out on whole groups of foods can be seriously lacking

 in vitamins. Even the popular low fat diets, if taken to an extreme, can be 

deficient in vitamins A, D and E. Vegetarian diets, which can exclude meat

 and other animal sources, must be very skillfully planned to avoid vitamin 

B12 deficiency, which may lead to anemia.

Vitamin Supplements 7. Overcooking

Lengthy cooking or reheating of meat and vegetables can oxidize and destroy 

heat susceptible vitamins such as the B-group, C and E. Boiling vegetables 

leaches the water soluble vitamins B-group and C as well as many minerals. 

Light steaming is preferable. Some vitamins, such as vitamin B6 can be 

destroyed by irradiation from microwaves.

Vitamin Supplements 8. Food Processing 

Freezing food containing vitamin E can significantly reduce its levels once

defrosted. Foods containing vitamin E exposed to heat and air can turn

rancid. Many common sources of vitamin E, such as bread and oils are 

nowadays highly processed, so that the vitamin E content is significantly 

reduced or missing totally, which increases storage life but can lower nutrient 

levels. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which defensively inhibits oxidative damage 

to all tissues. Other vitamin losses from food processing include vitamin 

B1 and C.

Vitamin Supplements 9. Convenience Foods 

A diet overly dependent on highly refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, 

white flour and white rice, places greater demand on additional sources 

of B-group vitamins to process these carbohydrates. An unbalanced diet 

contributes to such conditions as irritability, lethargy and sleep disorders.

Vitamin Supplements 10. Antibiotics

Some antibiotics although valuable in fighting infection, also kill off friendly 

bacteria in the gut, which would normally be producing B-group vitamins 

to be absorbed through the intestinal walls. such deficiencies can result in 

a variety of nervous conditions, therefore it may be advisable to supplement 

with B-group vitamins when on a lengthy course of broad spectrum antibiotics.

Vitamin Supplements 11. Food Allergies

The omission of whole food groups from the diet, as in the case of individuals 

allergic to gluten or lactose, can mean the loss of significant dietary sources 

of nutrients such as thiamine, riboflavin or calcium.

Vitamin Supplements 12. Crop Nutrient Losses

Some agricultural soils are deficient in trace elements. Decades of intensive

agriculture can overwork and deplete soils, unless all the soil nutrients, 

including trace elements, are regularly replaced. This means that food crops 

can be depleted of nutrients due to poor soil management. In one U.S Government survey, levels of essential minerals in crops were found to 

have declined by up to 68 per cent over a four year period in the 1970’s.

Vitamin Supplements 13. Accidents and Illness

Burns lead to a loss of protein and essential trace nutrients such as vitamins

 and minerals. Surgery increases the need for zinc, vitamin E and other 

nutrients involved in the cellular repair mechanism. The repair of broken 

bones will be retarded by an inadequate supply of calcium and vitamin 

C and conversely enhanced by a full dietary supply. The challenge of 

infection places high demand on the nutritional resources of zinc, 

magnesium and vitamins B5, B6 and zinc.

Vitamin Supplements 14. Stress 

Chemical, physical and emotional stresses can increase the body’s 

requirements for vitamins B2, B5, B6 and C. Air pollution increases the 

requirements for vitamin E.

Vitamin Supplements 15. P.M.T

Research has demonstrated that up to 60 per cent of women suffering from 

symptoms of premenstrual tension, such as headaches, irritability, bloated 

ness, breast tenderness, lethargy and depression can benefit from 

supplementation with vitamin B6.

Vitamin Supplements 16. Teenagers

Rapid growth spurts such as in the teenage years, particularly in girls, 

place high demands on nutritional resources to underwrite the 

accelerated physical, biochemical and emotional development 

in this age group.Data from the USA Ten State Nutrition Survey

 (in 1968-70 covering a total of 24,000 families and 86,000 individuals) 

showed that between 30-50 per cent of adolescents aged 12-16 had 

dietary intakes below two thirds of the recommended daily averages 

for Vitamin A, C, calcium and iron.

Vitamin Supplements 17. Pregnant Women 

Pregnancy creates higher than average demands for nutrients, to ensure 

healthy growth of the baby and comfortable confinement for the mother. 

Nutrients which typically require increase during pregnancy are the B-group, 

especially B1, B2, B3, B6, folic acid and B12, A, D, E and the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorous.The Ten State Nutrition Survey in the

 USA in 1968-70 showed that as many as 80 per cent of the pregnant women

surveyed had dietary intakes below two thirds of recommended daily 

allowances. Professional assessment of nutrient requirements during 

pregnancy should be sought.

Vitamin Supplements 18. Oral Contraceptives

Oral Contraceptives can decrease absorption of folic acid and increase the 

need for vitamin B6, and possibly vitamin C, zinc and riboflavin. 

Approximately 22 per cent of Australian women aged 15-44 are believed 

to be on “the pill” at any one time.

Vitamin Supplements 19. Light Eaters

Some people eat very sparingly, even without weight reduction goals. US 

dietary surveys have shown that an average woman maintains her weight 

on 7560 kilojoules per day, at which level her diet is likely to be low in 

thiamine, calcium and iron.

Vitamin Supplements 20. The Elderly

The aged have been shown to have a low intake of vitamins and minerals, 

particularly iron, calcium and zinc. Folic acid deficiency is often found,

 in conjunction with vitamin C deficiency. Fibre intake is often low. Riboflavin 

(B2) and pyridoxine (B6) deficiencies have also been observed. Possible causes 

include impaired sense of taste and smell, reduced secretion of digestive 

enzymes, chronic disease and, maybe, physical impairment.

Vitamin Supplements 21. Lack of Sunlight

Invalids, shift workers and people whose exposure to sunlight may be minimal 

can suffer from insufficient amounts of vitamin D, which is required for 

calcium metabolism, without which rickets and osteoporosis (bone thinning) 

has been observed. Ultraviolet light is the stimulus to vitamin D formation in 

skin. It is blocked by cloud, fog, smog, smoke, ordinary window glass, curtains 

and clothing. The maximum recommended daily supplement intake of vitamin 

D is 400 i.u.

Vitamin Supplements 22. Bio-Individuality

Wide fluctuations in individual nutrient requirements from the official 

recommended average vitamin and mineral intakes are common, particularly 

for those in high physical demand vocations, such as athletics and manual labor, 

taking into account body weight and physical type. Protein intake influences

the need for vitamin B6 and vitamin B1 is linked to kilo joule intake.

Vitamin Supplements 23. Low Body Reserves 

Although the body is able to store reserves of certain vitamins such as A and E, 

Canadian autopsy data has shown that up to thirty percent of the population

 have reserves of vitamin A so low as to be judged “at risk”. Vitamin A is 

important to healthy skin and mucous membranes (including the sinus and lungs) and eyesight.

Vitamin Supplements 24. Athletes

Athletes consume large amounts of food and experience considerable stress. 

These factors affect their needs for B-group vitamins, vitamin C and iron in 

particular. Tests on Australian Olympic athletes and A-grade football players

 for example, have shown wide ranging vitamin deficiencies.