Vitamins Health Article

Complications

Although there are few complications associated with vitamin treatment, possible risks depend on the vitamin and the reason why it was prescribed. In general, the higher the dose that is taken, the higher the risk of toxicity. It is also important to remember that vitamins are better absorbed from food rather than in concentrated pill form. Physicians or pharmacists should be consulted about how and when to take vitamin supplements, particularly those that have not been prescribed by a physician.

Health care team roles

Dietitians can provide a wide range of information concerning the well-balanced diet that is necessary to receive adequate amounts of all the vitamins. Dietitians also play an important role in educating people about the dangers of consuming too much or too little of a particular vitamin. When a particular vitamin deficiency is present, consulting a dietitian, pharmacist, or physician about how and when to take vitamin supplements is advised.

KEY TERMS

Anencephaly—A neural-tube defect that causes lack of brain formation and results in death shortly after birth.

Antioxidant—A compound that prevents other compounds from being damaged by oxygen by reacting with oxygen itself.

Genetic disease—A disease that is passed from one generation to the next but does not necessarily appear in each generation. An example of genetic disease is Down syndrome.

Neural tube defects—A group of birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord.

Recommended dietary allowance (RDA)—The recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) are quantities of nutrients of the diet that are required to maintain human health. RDAs are established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and may be revised every few years. A separate RDA value exists for each nutrient. The RDA values refer to the amount of nutrient expected to maintain health in the greatest number of people.

Vitamin status—The state of vitamin sufficiency or deficiency of any person. For example, a test may reveal that a patient's folate status is sufficient, borderline, or severely inadequate.

BOOKS

Brody, T. Nutritional Biochemistry. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998.

Food and Nutrition Board. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th Edition. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1989.

Sizer, F., and E. Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, 7th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997.

Worthington-Roberts, B. S., and S. Rodwell Williams. Nutrition Throughout the Life Cycle, 4th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000.

Lisa Gourley