Are Vitamin Supplements Good or Bad? Do vitamin supplements prevent diseases?

I used to buy vitamin supplements for my children with the intention to strengthen their immune system. After being introduce to wholesome plant food, I started to research further on the ingredients on vitamin bottles and compared to ingredients on formulated wholesome plant food based on the science of Nutritional Immunology. Now, I switch my family to wholesome plant food.

Vitamins can be chemical vitamin or extracted vitamin.

Chemical Vitamins
Chemical vitamins includes nutrients completely manufactured in a lab with the molecular structure identical to the same nutrients occurring in nature. Manufacturers often prefer this process because of the cost and scarcity of natural resources. Most standard vitamin supplements on the market today are this type.

An example here would be vitamin C. Most vitamin C currently manufactured is synthetic. Vitamin C is a weak acid. Many supplements use salt forms (sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate) to decrease acidity. The most popular form of synthetic vitamin C is ascorbic acid.

Extracted Vitamins

Second type of vitamin are extracted vitamin. These include nutrients from vegetable, animal or mineral sources. But before making it into the supplement bottle, they undergo significant processing and refining. Examples include vitamin D from fish liver oils, vitamin E from vegetable oils, and natural beta-carotene.

Do vitamin supplements prevent diseases?

Research have found that vitamin will only help if people do not have enough nutrient from food. Vitamin supplements don’t promote health or prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Data indicates that vitamin supplements can actually lead to more cancer (specifically breast and prostate), cardiovascular disease, kidney damage (in those with diabetes), and fractures, while not helping prevent infections and sick days.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle 

Vitamins do not help us much these days because people do not suffer from insufficient nutrient in their body. Today, people suffer diseases due to unhealthy lifestyle and improper diet. In order to achieve a healthy lifestyle, we have to practice the following

1) Ensure sufficient sleep and rest - During our sleep, our body cells go into the process of eliminating toxic substances and at the same time repair damaged cells. Hence, it is important to have sufficient sleep and rest.

2) Regular exercise - Walking and deep breathing is an excellent exercise for people of all ages. Do try to do some form of walking as and when your schedule permits.

3) Maintain stable emotions - Be happy and think positively all the time. When we are stressed, our body will secrete hormones called corticosteroid, which will suppress our immune system by up to 80%.

4) Take balanced nutrition - The first three items are fairly straightforward and easy to maintain, but the fourth item requires wisdom, knowledge and discipline to discern and decide on the food that is most beneficial for the body.

If you happen to be in Singapore, you are invited to listen to a health talk by Dr Chen Jau Fei - World renowned Nutritional Immunologist on 26th July 2015 to learn about does multi-vitamins help to prolong life? Is there any benefits from calcium pills and glucosamine pills?

http://thewholesomefood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/live-with-dr-chen-26-july-2015.html

My family have stopped taking vitamins and take wholesome organic plant food.

Read here on how our family benefited from wholesome organic plant food.
http://thewholesomefood.blogspot.sg/2015/06/before-and-after-knowing-nutritional.html?spref=fb

Read here on criteria I took to choose Health Food.
http://thewholesomefood.blogspot.sg/2015_07_01_archive.html