Quick answer. NO! The information below is
summarized from
Mayo Clinic's web site
regarding this topic.
Vitamins and minerals are substances your body
needs in small but steady amounts for normal
growth, function and health. Together, vitamins and
minerals are called micronutrients. Your body can't
make most micronutrients, so you must get them from
the foods you eat or, in some cases, from dietary
supplements.
Dietary supplements can complement your regular
diet if you have trouble getting enough nutrients.
But they aren't meant to be food substitutes.
Dietary supplements can't replicate all of the
nutrients and benefits of whole foods, such as
fruits and vegetables. So depending on your
situation and your eating habits, a daily dietary
supplement may not be worth the expense.
Whole foods: Your best source of
micronutrients
Whole foods are your best sources of vitamins and
minerals. They offer three main benefits over
dietary supplements:
- Greater nutrition. Whole foods are complex,
containing a variety of the micronutrients your
body needs — not just one. An orange, for
example, provides vitamin C plus some beta
carotene, calcium and other nutrients. A vitamin
C supplement lacks these other
micronutrients.
- Essential fiber. Whole foods provide dietary
fiber. Fiber, as part of a healthy diet, can help
prevent certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes
and heart disease, and it can also help manage
constipation.
- Protective substances. Whole foods contain
other substances recognized as important for good
health. Fruits and vegetables, for example,
contain naturally occurring food substances
called phytochemicals, which may help protect you
against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high
blood pressure. Many are also good sources of
antioxidants — substances that slow down
oxidation, a natural process that leads to cell
and tissue damage.
- Who needs dietary
supplements?
If you're generally healthy and eat a wide
variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, legumes, lean meats and fish, you
likely don't need dietary supplements.
However, if you can't or don't eat enough healthy
foods, or can't or don't eat a variety of healthy
foods, you may need a daily dietary supplement.
Dietary supplements may be appropriate if you:
- Don't eat well or consume less than 1,600
calories a day
- Are a vegetarian and don't substitute or
complement your diet appropriately
- Are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or
breast-feeding
- Are a woman who experiences heavy bleeding
during your menstrual period
- Are a postmenopausal woman
- Have a medical condition that affects how
your body absorbs, uses or excretes nutrients,
such as chronic diarrhea, food allergies, food
intolerance or a disease of the liver,
gallbladder, intestines or pancreas
- Have had surgery on your digestive tract and
are not able to digest and absorb nutrients
properly
- Talk to your doctor or a dietitian about
which supplements and what doses might be
appropriate for you. Be sure to ask about
possible side effects and interactions with other
medications.
Choosing and using dietary supplements
If you decide to take a vitamin or
mineral supplement, consider these factors:
- Check the supplement label. Read labels
carefully. Product labels can tell you what the
active ingredient or ingredients are, which
nutrients are included, the serving size — for
example, capsule, packet or teaspoonful — and the
amount of nutrients in each serving.
- Avoid supplements that provide 'megadoses.'
In general, choose a multivitamin-mineral
supplement that provides about 100 percent of the
Daily Value (DV) of all the vitamins and
minerals, rather than one which has, for example,
500 percent of the DV for one vitamin and only 20
percent of the DV for another. The exception to
this is calcium. You may notice that
calcium-containing supplements don't provide 100
percent of the DV. If they did, the tablets would
be too large to swallow. More importantly, divide
your calcium intake throughout the day.
- Look for 'USP' on the label. This ensures
that the supplement meets the standards for
strength, purity, disintegration and dissolution
established by the testing organization U.S.
Pharmacopeia (USP).
- Look for expiration dates. Dietary
supplements can lose potency over time,
especially in hot and humid climates. If a
supplement doesn't have an expiration date, don't
buy it. If your supplements have expired, discard
them.
- Store all vitamin and mineral supplements
safely. Store dietary supplements in a dry, cool
place. Avoid hot, humid storage locations, such
as in the bathroom.
- Store supplements out of sight and away from
children. Put supplements in a locked cabinet or
other secure location. Don't leave them on the
counter or rely on child-resistant
packaging.