Strength Conditioning and Nutrition 101

Megavitamins 

Everybody knows about multivitamins and more than likely have helped make them into the number 1 supplement. Multivitamins are the largest supplement in the supplement industry. With the huge demand for them, every supplement company is competing in producing thousands of gimmicks to make them stand above the rest.

These supplement companies are praying on the consumers who have heard from the TV doctors that multivitamins are great. Many TV doctors and famous health books have put multivitamins as one of their top 5 supplements everyone should take. However, they haven’t provided us with much information on what constitutes a good multi vitamin.
Today I write in order to educate and protect you from the supplement companies propaganda and the health risks associated.
Yes multivitamins are perfectly fine for you and can be beneficial for the majority of North America but only when multivitamins do not exceed 100% of the RDA value.
I know that the majority of multivitamins on the market have 800% of this, 1600% of that, and so on. This comes with an awesome tag line/gimmick “multivitamins that meet the athletes needs” or bodybuilder or weight lifter and so on.
Unfortunately, this is completely bogus and puts you at incredible health risks. Once your enzyme system becomes saturated the vitamins taken in “megadose” begin to act as chemicals (drugs) in the body.

This probably doesn't mean much to you so let us look at a couple of examples.



A Megadose Of Vitamin C:

• Can raise serum uric acid levels and precipitate gout in persons predisposed to this disease. 
• At intakes above 1000 mg daily can cause an acceleration in the formation of kidney stones in those susceptible. 
• In some African Americans, Asians, and Sephardic Jew, we see a genetic predisposition to hemolytic anemia.
• In people who are Iron deficient (most women), a megadose of vitamin C may destroy significant amounts of vitamin B12 (important for red blood cell production thus further increasing anemia)   

On top of this, vitamin C taken above recommended levels does not protect you from upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).

If this still isn’t enough to sway you, let’s look at other vitamins in excess:

• When vitamin B6 is taken in excess, it can cause liver disease and nerve damage 
•  Riboflavin (B2) in excess can impair vision
• A megadose of niacin functions as a potent vasodilator and inhibits fatty acid mobilization during exercise. This could more rapidly deplete glycogen reserves.
•  Folic acid in excess can cause and trigger allergic reactions, hives, light-headedness, and breathing difficulties. 
• Possible side effects of vitamin E in excess include headache, fatigue, blurred vision, gastrointestinal disturbances, internal bleeding, muscular weakness, and low blood sugar. 

The list can go on for a great deal more. However my purpose is not to create a comprehensive list of possible health issues involved. Rather, it is to demonstrate taking multivitamins that provide vitamins in EXTREME MEGADOSES is very dangerous and can lead to many health issues long term. I hope next time a supplement store employee tries to sell you a Megavitamin, chew him out.