With all of the reports in the news about vitamin D deficiency, the importance of calcium, B12, and many other vitamins and minerals, Americans are ingesting vitamin supplements like candy. These supplements aren’t cheap and the research is unclear about the benefits. But we’re taking them anyway. A new study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics stated that the percentage of adults taking supplements rose from 42% in 1988-1994 to 50% in 2003-2006. 
The largest increase was for calcium. The number of women aged 60 and over who take calcium supplements increased from 28% to 61%. Interestingly, the number of women who can get pregnant and who take folic acid, which is known to prevent neural tube defects, remained constant.
Calcium and folic acid have been proven to prevent disease, but there is a lot of controversy about other vitamins, especially vitamin D. MicroNutrient tests can provide information about whether you are absorbing enough of specific nutrients based on recommended intake numbers from the FDA. The real question is whether the numbers that are provided by the FDA provide enough of the necessary nutrients. Controversery over how critical vitamin D is to overall health and disease prevention may have limited the number of people who would reach for a vitamin D supplement. Currently, the FDA does not support megadoses of vitamin D and in fact, there may be research to support a claim that too much vitamin D can cause health problems. It is important to know whether you are getting the right amount of key minerals and vitamins, but don’t go overboard until there is solid research to support it.
Written by www.labtestingnow.com