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- Vitamins A, C, B, and zinc are nutrients that Americans typically get enough of through their diet.
- Nutrition experts said Americans should try to get all of their nutrients from food and not through supplements.
- Taking extra vitamin C and zinc is unlikely to prevent a cold, and excess amounts will be peed out.
The supplement industry is exploding, but nutrition experts advise against getting your vitamins and minerals from pills.
Dietary supplement sales hit a record-breaking $55 billion in 2020, and the industry has seen tremendous gains since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emma Laing, clinical professor at the University of Georgia and registered dietitian, said most healthy adults get their nutrients from diet rather than supplements because foods contain biochemicals and fiber that don’t come from a pill.
“Foods like whole grains, vegetables, and legumes are generally considered affordable foods that are also nutrient-dense,” Laing told Insider. “It would be difficult to create a dietary supplement that mimics the exact nutrient profile of these foods and provides the same health benefits.”
Also, Americans may not realize that they are already getting enough vitamins and minerals through their diet. Insider spoke to three nutritionists to understand which vitamins and minerals Americans typically get enough of through their diet, eliminating the need for supplements.
Although Americans usually get enough vitamins A, C, B and
zinc
Through the Western diet, experts said people should strive to get every nutrient through a balanced diet. People with deficiencies diagnosed by a doctor, or those with restricted diets due to food allergies or intolerances, may need supplements, according to Laing.
Vitamin C supplements can reduce the severity or duration of a cold, but overdosing on supplements won’t help
In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stopped requiring sellers to list the daily value of vitamin C and vitamin A on nutrition labels because deficiencies in these vitamins are so rare. The two nutrients are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, and it doesn’t take much to meet your daily needs: According to Medical News Today, just one orange contains most of the vitamin C you need for the day.
Because of the immune-boosting properties of vitamin C, some people take the supplement to prevent colds. Kirstin Vollrath, a registered dietitian and professor at the University of Houston, said taking vitamin C and zinc together at the onset of a cold might reduce symptoms or duration, but won’t stop the virus. A 2013 review of placebo-controlled studies found no evidence that vitamin C supplementation prevents the common cold.
“Our body is much more sophisticated than we give it credit for,” said Vollrath. “Your body knows how much vitamin C it needs, and once it has enough to function, the rest is mostly eliminated through the urine.”
Most Americans get enough vitamin A — but supplements cause overdoses
As with vitamin C, due to the rarity of deficiencies, the FDA has stopped requiring food manufacturers to report the daily percentage of vitamin A.
Vollrath said that although vitamin A deficiency is a common cause of blindness worldwide, the average Western diet contains enough of the nutrient.
In fact, Vollrath said Americans are more likely to overdo it on vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity usually occurs when too many supplements are taken and can cause nausea, headaches, and blurred vision.
“When people think of vitamins, more is never better,” said Vollrath. “We always need enough, and sometimes more is harmful.”
Typical American diets contain enough B vitamins, excluding B12
There are several types of B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and cobalamin (B12). According to Harvard Medical School, vitamin B helps convert food into energy, boosts immunity, and helps form new cells.
Michelle Averill, associate director of the University of Washington’s Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics, said that Americans generally “do well” when they get enough B vitamins, especially when they eat grains fortified with the nutrient. Averill said research has shown that taking vitamin B supplements has “very little benefit.”
Vitamin B12 is a different story, Averill said, as vegetarians and vegans may not be getting enough of the nutrient since it’s primarily found in animal products. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia, sensory problems, and nerve damage.
Adults usually get enough zinc, and taking the mineral will not stop a cold
Averill said young children may benefit from getting more zinc, but the mineral’s deficiencies shouldn’t affect most adults.
“We’re not really that inadequate,” Averill said. “There’s very little evidence that you could take it and prevent things.
She said many people have tried taking zinc supplements to prevent or minimize a cold. A recent analysis of 28 controlled studies found that zinc has moderate to no effect on relieving symptoms of a cold, although it may shorten the duration of symptoms.
But according to Averill, for the best results, zinc needs to be in the body before exposure to the virus. Also, taking zinc supplements via nasal sprays can lead to permanent smell loss, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Some populations may still need supplements for health
Although most healthy Americans wouldn’t benefit from supplements like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B and zinc, Laing said there are groups of people who may need them. Groups include people with a deficiency diagnosed by a doctor, people with restricted diets due to food allergies or intolerances, infants, and people planning pregnancy or who are pregnant. Certain health conditions and medications may also require supplementation, according to Laing.
