Vitamin C is often taken in megadoses by people to fight colds and relieve stress. But while taking vitamin C in excess doesn't seem terribly dangerous, it's also not beneficial. The biggest thing it gives you is expensive urine, Rimm says. "People who take a lot don't use it and just get rid of it," Rimm said.
Recently, vitamin D deficiency has become a hot topic. Studies find that 40 percent of Americans don't get enough vitamin D, commonly known as the sunshine vitamin. And vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cancers and heart disease. Because most people are staying out of the sun or using sunblock, and because we simply can't get enough vitamin D from the foods we eat, Dr. Michael Holick, director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine, recommends that all adults and children take a vitamin D supplement of 1,000 units every day.
Vitamin E was once considered the miracle vitamin pill, but new studies have tempered that enthusiasm. It was thought that vitamin E was the wonder drug for heart disease, but it turns out that for patients already being treated with blood cholesterol medication and a blood pressure medication, adding a vitamin E supplement does not appear to be helpful. Now gene studies are helping identify which individuals are deficient in antioxidants, and according to Rimm, "for those people who are susceptible to oxidation, taking vitamin E is beneficial for lowering the risk of heart disease."
What about the newly popular supplements like fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids?
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