The myth of the vitamins. How is it that we believe in their favor? Bashny.Net

Nutritionists argue that all the necessary vitamins and trace elements are already contained in the food we eat. Representatives of the industry of dietary supplements and pharmaceutical companies argue that without vitamins, multivitamins and other dietary supplements, we can not do. Three years ago, Paul Offit, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote the book "Do you believe in magic? Common sense and nonsense of alternative medicine »(« Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine »). Under an agreement with the publishing house, we have translated an excerpt from it. He explains how all did this strange fashion for vitamins.




Tenth October 2011, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women who take multivitamins more, die more often those who do not. Two days later, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic published a study that showed that men taking vitamin E, increased susceptibility to prostate cancer. "The vitamin was a difficult week", - commented on the situation leading ABC News Carrie Genn

. These conclusions are not new: the seven previous studies have shown that intake of vitamins increases the risk of cancer and heart disease and shortens life. Despite all this, in 2012, more than half of Americans still take some extra vitamins. Few people realize, however, that their fascination with vitamins goes back to work of one person. Man, that was so impressive right that deserves two Nobel Prizes, and that was so impressive it is not right, that it could be called the greatest charlatan.