Vitamins in food better for you

It is almost always recommended to consume vitamins and minerals through food rather than to take a supplement, said Patricia Brevard, a registered dietician from the Health Science Department.

A vitamin supplement is a pill containing a specific vitamin or combination of vitamins.

"A lot of nutrients in food come in a combination, which makes them better for the body to absorb," Brevard said. "Antioxidants work together with vitamins and minerals."

An antioxidant is a compound that inhibits the damaging effects of oxidation. The best sources of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables, Brevard said.

A combination of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals comes only from eating food. Nobody knows how to recreate the combination in pill form, Brevard said.

Some vitamins are dangerous at high levels, Brevard said. She also said that taking a single nutrient could result in an overload of that nutrient and a deficiency in another. "But that applies more to minerals than vitamins," Brevard said.

Brevard said another reason to consume vitamins and minerals through food is that supplement composition is never certain.

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements as closely as it regulates food, Brevard said.

Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, it is the responsibility of the supplement manufacturer to ensure its product is safe, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is responsible for taking action against unsafe supplements after they are on the market.
These manufacturers do not need to register their products with the FDA or get approval before selling the dietary supplements. It is up to the manufacturer to make sure the label information is honest, according to the FDA.

Senior Evan Bolick said he takes vitamins daily because he doesn’t get all the nutrients he needs through food.

"My schedule is so hectic most days that I don’t have time to sit down and eat something healthy," Bolick said. "So I got into the habit of taking vitamins so I wouldn’t have to worry as much about eating a balanced meal."