Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

vitamin and mineral therapy 105
Vitamins and minerals are important nutrients
the body needs to carry out its many functions. All
such nutrients the body needs exist in nature and
typically enter the body through foods and drinks.
Even drinking water contains numerous minerals.
Most people in the United States obtain adequate
amounts of vitamins and minerals through appropriate
dietary choices, despite concerns that the
American diet on the whole is less than ideal to
support health. People who live in areas where certain
essential nutrients are lacking, such as selenium,
which occurs in specific kinds of soil and the
foods grown in them, may need to take supplements
to acquire adequate amounts of those nutrients.
Women who menstruate monthly may need
supplemental iron to replace that lost to menstrual
bleeding, and health recommendations call for supplementation
of calcium and other key minerals at
age 50 and older to maintain BONE density.
Conventional health experts are divided about
whether healthy adults need or benefit from additional
vitamins and nutrients. Some believe the
ANTIOXIDANT actions of vitamins helps to prevent
chronic diseases that result from cumulative damage
to cells from free radicals, molecular particles
that are the waste products of OXYGENATION functions
(the ways in which cells metabolize nutrients
to produce energy). Clinical research studies
have produced conflicting results about antioxidants,
however, and there remains little scientific
evidence that they prevent disease or the degeneration
associated with aging.
The body requires fairly small amounts of
many minerals and vitamins to meet its functional
needs, and excretes or stores any excess. Accumulations
of certain vitamins, such as the fat-soluble
vitamins A and E, may become toxic and cause
health problems. Excessive mineral consumption
(sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) can
affect the body’s electrolyte balance, consequentially
altering KIDNEY function, cardiovascular function,
and NERVOUS SYSTEM function with potentially
harmful or life-threatening outcomes. The body
excretes excess water-soluble vitamins (the B vitamins
and vitamin C), so ingesting more than the
body needs has no value. Researchers have established
nutritional value ranges for most identified
nutrients.
Nonetheless, many complementary approaches
incorporate moderate to high doses of certain vitamins
and minerals, depending on the person’s
symptoms. Health experts urge caution, and suggest
a comprehensive NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT
before beginning any intensive vitamin and mineral
therapy. Pregnant or BREASTFEEDING women
and people receiving treatment for chronic or
degenerative health conditions who take regular
medications should consult with their doctors, as
some medications and vitamins interact to alter
the action of one or the other or both. Practitioners
such as naturopathic physicians and chiropractors
often incorporate vitamin and mineral
therapy in their practices.
See also DRUG INTERACTIONS; NUTRITIONAL THERAPY.