Vitamin Supplementation is huge worldwide. Most of us take vitamins now or have taken vitamins in the past. The US ranks top in dietary supplementation globally. 18.9% of Americans had taken at least one dietary supplement in 2004. Over 100 million Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements everyday. The global market has become a multi-billion dollar industry and the dietary supplement sector is growing the fastest.
The most common reason for supplement use is "to improve overall health and general well being." It is a popular belief that vitamins are antioxidants and can therefore protect us from oxidative stress that causes many health conditions.
The most common supplements taken are:
multivitamin/multiminerals - 22%;
multivitamins plus vitamin C - 15%;
vitamin C as a single vitamin - 13%;
herbal and botanical supplements - 7%;
vitamin E as a single vitamin - 6%.
Over the years, more and more reports on the health benefits of vitamin supplements have emerged, ranging from cardiovascular benefits to cancer prevention. This is mainly due to the antioxidant properties of vitamins that can protect us from oxidative stress. As a result several studies have been conducted to confirm these reports. Some of the latest studies summarized below reveal surprising results to say the least.
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