The top six vitamins you should avoid

Forbes has released a list of the top six vitamins that can harm your health. Several studies have found that there may be no benefits to taking supplemental vitamins. Here is Forbes’ selection of the top six vitamins you should avoid taking (unless recommended by your doctor).

1. Vitamin C

Vitamin C does not prevent or cure colds. Megadoses of 2000 mg or more can increase the risk of kidney stones.

2. Vitamin A

In a large study supported by the National Cancer Institute, smokers who took vitamin A were more likely to get lung cancer than those who did not.

3. Vitamin E

A large study last year of 35,533 men investigated the link between vitamin E and increased chances of prostate cancer. The Mayo Clinic, the largest integrated not-for-profit medical group practice in the world, says a regular intake of high doses of vitamin E may slightly increase the risk of death from all causes.

4. Vitamin B6

According to the National Institutes of Health, taking high levels of vitamin B6 through supplements for a year or longer can cause severe nerve damage, leading to the loss of control of physical movements.

5. Vitamin D

Researchers found that low amounts of vitamin D were the result, not the cause, of poor health.

6. Multivitamins

A huge study, looking at 38,772 women over 25 years, found that the overall risk of death increased with long-term use of multivitamins.

By Lee Shin-young, Intern reporter
sylee@heraldcorp.com