Mega-Dosing Bullshit!

You see this all the time in health food stores and in the Vitamin section of any grocery or drug store: The mega-dose supplements. If you follow this long enough, you'll see a very common pattern in the supplement industry. Some studies will come out and declare the benefits of ______(insert a vitamin or mineral here). These studies find that most people are not getting enough of______ in their diets either. So, they need to be taking it in pill form. Well, HERE COME THE PILLS! Before you know it, there are several dozen ______ supplements on the market, each of the promising the maximum payload of ______.

Years ago I bought one of those Navy SEAL workout books and in it, it gave some nutritional information. It devoted several pages to the essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs, it's use in the body, signs of deficiency, and signs of toxicity. That last one is one you don't hear about very much. What will _____ do in high levels to your body? Chances are, you won't like it much. It certainly isn't healthy for you, and there lies the problem.

Certain vitamins and minerals are absolutely essential for your body. You need them in certain amounts and too little of them causes problems. Still, too much is just as bad. Your body is a complex chemical balance that requires specific amounts of everything to function right. If you mega-dose with _____, then you screw this balance up. The body doesn't follow the, "if some is good, then a lot is better, " rule.

Calcium and Vitamin C are two good examples. They both had their mega-dose-moments of fame. Your body needs both, former for strong bones and the latter for the immune system. Too much calcium though creates stones in the body. Too much Vitamin C causes ulcers. So, don't fall victim to some rigged studies and some slick marketing. Eat a balanced meal, study what these vitamins and minerals do for you, and steer clear of the supplements. Realize that your body requires balance, and many of these products don't deliver that.