Scientists question vitamins

There is little evidence that vitamins are beneficial, according to a published report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

WASHINGTON — Although more than half of American adults take vitamin and mineral supplements, there is little evidence that most of them are effective — or even safe, scientists said Wednesday.

Concerned that some people may be getting a vitamin overload or taking supplements that could worsen their health, a team of specialists empaneled by the National Institutes of Health called Wednesday for strengthened federal oversight of the $23 billion dietary supplement industry — particularly efforts to determine side effects.

"The product with which we're dealing is virtually unregulated, and as a result of that there can be little confidence in either the quality or the contents," said Dr. Michael McGinnis, a senior scholar at the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, who chaired the panel.

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