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Originally Posted by BarryRX
Also responding as a pharmacist (retired). It's possible to get all the vitamins you need from a balanced diet, but they can be helpful in filling in "gaps" in our nutrition. Some supplements have shown by studies to be useful. Calcium for bone health and along with it, Vit D to help the body absorb the calcium. Pregnant women need iron and women of child bearing age need folic acid. Fish oil has a bit more research behind it that supports its health benefits. Taking too much of fat soluble vitamins can cause problems because they are stored in the body. Taking too much of water soluble vitamins probably will only result in "expensive urine". Many people our age are on blood thinners, so they should avoid Vitamin K and Gingko Baloba. Earlier research suggested that men who took vitamin E supplements might have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. But a large NIH-funded clinical trial of more than 29,000 men found that taking supplements of vitamin E actually raised—not reduced—their risk of this disease. I think the jury is still out on that one. As always, you can always go to your pharmacy and ask the most trusted and most accessible of health professionals....your pharmacist!
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When I told my doctor I was thinking of cutting back on B-12 because it might be putting my other B vitamins out of balance, he said, "no that won't happen." So I called a pharmacist and she said I was right. She told me to tell him to read a certain journal that had the results of a study. I always believe in double checking.
About calcium: I read in the China Study that taking large calcium supplements can "turn off" the body's natural mechanism for regulating calcium. And dairy makes the body acidic causing calcium to be leached from bones. In that case, I prefer to get my calcium naturally from dark green leafy vegetables. It seems to avoid all of the above issues.