There is so much misinformation about vitamin supplements, some of it from people we believe are experts like physicians, nurses, the media, nutritionists, and even the FDA. All of these “experts” should know better. They continue to promote the idea that vitamins are a waste of money, are detrimental to your health, and have even caused deaths. Unfortunately, too many people listen to and believe them, and as a result may be putting their health at risk. There is so much conflicting information out there that it is hard to know who or what to believe. I will share some facts that you can use to make your own decision about the safety of vitamins as it relates to actual deaths. I will also compare the number of vitamin deaths to the number of deaths from pharmaceutical drugs.
Deaths From Hypervitaminosis
The mere word Hypervitaminosis sounds scary. It isn’t. It means the storage level of vitamins is abnormally high. Do you want to know the real number of people who have died as a direct result of overdosing on vitamins? A big fat 0. Zero. Nada. None. That’s right. Nobody has died from taking too many vitamins. Nobody! According to Andrew W. Saul, editor of Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, there were no deaths from vitamin A, niacin, pyridoxine (B-6), or any other B-vitamin. There were no deaths from vitamin C, vitamin D, or vitamin E. There were no deaths from any vitamins. The same applies to minerals. No deaths from vitamins or minerals. That is a fact!
At least two-thirds of Americans take daily nutritional supplements. A Harris Poll reported the number to be well over 80 billion doses a year. It is phenomenal that not even one death occurred. Saul further confirms that the factual data is in Table 22B, p. 1613- 1615, which is at the very end of a very long report published in Clinical Toxicology. He found it interesting that this news, vital to so many people, was placed in the very back of the report where no news reporter is likely to see it. Why? This should be major nationwide breaking news. Is someone trying to hide the fact that vitamins are, in fact, safe and effective? Is it possible that if people start taking more vitamins, it will reduce the profits from pharmaceuticals? I think so. What do you think?
Over the last 60 years, there have only been 11 “reports” of deaths related to vitamin overdose, and none of them provided reliable evidence to support their claims. Of the eleven people who supposedly died due to hypervitaminosis, an analysis by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) concluded that vitamins were not a direct cause of death.
The AAPCC uses the Relative Contribution to Fatality (RCF) to determine the cause of death. Their rating scale is:
1. Undoubtedly Responsible
2. Probably Responsible
3. Contributory
4. Probably Not Responsible
Each of the eleven deaths reported to the AAPCC received a rating of 4, meaning vitamins were Probably Not Responsible. If vitamins were found not to be Contributory or even Probably Responsible for death, this means they cannot have been the cause. These findings of fact are in direct opposition to the claims that vitamins are dangerous and can be deadly.
Deaths from Pharmaceutical Drugs
According to the CDC, almost 82% of American adults take at least one prescription drug, and 29% take five or more. Compare zero vitamin deaths over the last 70 years to an estimated 100,000 prescription drug overdose deaths in the US in the last 12 months alone. These numbers are startling. Overdoses from opioids increased by almost 76,000 in the past year. Death from prescription drugs is the third leading cause of death in the US. This is not from accidental overdoses. Almost half of the people who died took their drugs according to the doctors’ orders. The other half died due to mistakes made in dosage (too high) or taking drugs against the doctors’ advice. The number of patient deaths from hospital drug error in the United States is estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 people a year. These errors are preventable and are due to inadequate systems for prescribing and ordering medications.
Government agencies such as the FDA and CDC have failed in their responsibility to protect the public. They allow a massive list of warnings and contraindications in tiny print for each drug that they know most people will not read or understand, and that doctors do not have the time to learn. The regulation of pharmaceutical drugs is dismal; science-based evidence of their effectiveness and safety is lacking; some doctors and hospital administrators are bribed; drugs are too easily accessible; and the marketing of drugs on TV and throughout society should be illegal. Until all these issues are reigned in, we will continue to see senseless deaths due to illicit and legal drugs.
Protecting Yourself
Although there is a very reliable source for unbiased data on pharmaceutical drugs, most people don’t know about it, and of course this source is not promoted and encouraged as it should be. Instead, people rely on Google and land on websites unknowingly financed by the drug manufacturers. The Cochrane Library and its reviews are phenomenal. They produce systematic reviews of independent research and summarize the findings in easy-to-understand language so people making important health decisions, such as you or your doctor, can rely on them. This is an excellent resource to check every time your doctor gives you or your loved one a prescription. Importantly, their Reviews are updated regularly so you can be sure to get the most up-to-date and reliable information.
Armed with this data, it becomes much easier to make an informed decision about what is best for you and your family, and it makes it easier to opt out. I’m not saying all pharmaceuticals are bad. Some are absolutely necessary and life-saving. And please do your own research on the health benefits of vitamins and minerals.
LaVera J. Forbes, PhD, MS, CHN, is the founder of Dr. LaVera’s Healthy Aging, LLC. Find free healthy aging resources at drlavera.com.
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