A vitamin supplement is a supplement of concentrated vitamin or vitamins, intended for daily or otherwise consistent ingestion. Vitamin supplements can come in many forms. The most common type of vitamin supplement is in a pill or capsule form, and is taken orally through the mouth with accompanying liquid. Another type of vitamin supplement is liquid, which is also taken orally but is easier to swallow for people who have trouble or an issue with swallowing physical pills. A more uncommon type of vitamin supplement is taken through powders mixed with drinks or food, though these vitamin supplements are usually mixed with additional dietary supplements.

Vitamin supplements can supplement almost every type of vitamin, which is especially useful for those who are deficient in a certain vitamin and need a boost of it each day. Taking a pill or a spoonful of liquid is a simple way to ensure getting enough of  a certain vitamin each today.

But vitamins can also contain more than one vitamin at once! For example, a capsule could contain a concentrated pill full of Vitamin C, or it could be a “blended” mixture of several vitamins! Most of these multiple vitamin pills are intended to give you almost the full amount of your vitamin needs each day. Vitamin supplements that are intended to fulfill most or even all of your daily vitamin requirements are called multivitamin supplements or daily multivitamin supplements.  There are even certain multivitamins tailored towards men and women, and even specific conditions such as pregnancy, athletics, and more!

The price of a bottle of vitamin supplements varies greatly on the brand and type of vitamin. A bottle of generic Vitamin C pills, for example, is going to cost less than a bottle of brand multivitamin pills!

A short history of vitamin supplements: Miracle pills, powdered health and more

Vitamin supplements have been around in various forms since the early 1900s. However, they were not the traditional vitamin supplements that we would recognize today. Before the days of the FDA and food/health safety regulations, products could be sold as healthy or even medically sound without fact or safety checking by an outside party.

For example, it was not unusual for traveling salesmen to sell miracle pills that promised to cure all of your ailments and keep your body full of every essential nutrient and vitamin. These pills were usually mixtures of crushed vitamins, herbs, and usually an ingredient like morphine or another painkiller. The “miracle” was that people who took the miracle vitamin pills were getting rushes from morphine and painkillers, not being cured by a magic vitamin pill.

Powdered vitamin supplements were also common, but often ground up with sugars, cinnamon, and other spices in order to stretch a salesman’s stock—the vitamin in the powder may have only consisted of 1/10th of the powder.

Whatever their form, early vitamin supplements ranged from fake and full of empty promises to downright deadly with excessive ingredients or drugs.

Are vitamin supplements regulated?

In general, any pills and health products sold to the public are much more regulated than they were in the past. In recent years, numerous bills and policies have been enacted to more strictly regulate the dietary supplement industry.

Dietary supplements and vitamin supplements must go through a form of regulation before they can be sold to the public. Unlike certain pills, vitamin supplements are categorized under “food’ and not medicine, thus they have a different set of regulations to pass. The FDA does not require pre-approval before vitamin supplements are sold, unless that vitamin supplement contains a “new” ingredient. In this case, the company behind the vitamin supplements must inform the FDA of the ingredients in their supplement, and agree not to sell their product for about three months. In this time,  the FDA investigates the new ingredient to determine its safety. If the new ingredient passes safety and health tests, the supplement can be freely sold.

This is not to say that vitamins are completely unregulated. In 2007, the FDA passed a policy that ensures a certain level of hygiene, quality control, and safety control when manufacturing and selling vitamin supplements. Vitamin supplements cannot claim to cure any disease or condition, although they may be allowed to indirectly suggest health benefits from certain ingredients of the supplement. For example, a supplement containing melatonin may have "the hormone melatonin helps establish normal sleep patterns” as a permissible description on a vitamin supplement bottle, while, “This product will improve your sleeping pattern” is not allowed. The FDA must be notified of any health claims on vitamin supplements within 30 days of its first sale to the public, but in reality, many companies remain unchecked and unverified when it comes to certain health claims on their vitamin supplement bottles. However, this is more of an issue with dietary supplements rather than straight forward vitamin supplements.

Should I take vitamin supplements? Can a vitamin supplement cure my _____?

Vitamin supplements, particularly multivitamin daily supplements, are very popular. However, they are not always necessary or healthy for you to take on a daily basis. You should always consult with a doctor  before deciding to take daily vitamin pills.

For some groups, vitamin supplements can be a necessary addition to their day. The following groups are a particular risk for vitamin deficiency and may require that extra boost of necessary vitamins that supplements can give:

Women who are pregnant, have just become pregnant, or who are planning to become pregnant will benefit from a daily dosage of 400mcg of folic acid, which will help prevent spina bifida.

People who have limited exposure to sunlight, such as those who consistently cover up their body or are housebound, may have a deficiency in Vitamin D. A Vitamin D supplement can provide them some of their necessary daily dosage.

Vegans that do not ingest dairy or meat products may need to take Vitamin B12 tablets to make up for the lack of Vitamin B12 in their diet.

Someone who is undernourished or consistently malnourished can benefit from daily vitamin supplements. Malnourishment is a particular risk for people that are dieting or who are obese, because their food intakes may not be getting them all of the vitamins they need. Children who are picky eaters can also benefit from taking vitamin supplements to make up for vitamins they miss in their daily diet.

Generic multivitamins are usually a safe addition to your diet if you do not fit any of these categories. However, always consult your doctor before taking vitamin supplements on a consistent basis, because vitamin supplements can be dangerous.

Vitamins are a healthy and necessary thing that your body requires. However, too much of a certain vitamin can lead to illness and even fatal organ damage. Always calculate how much of a vitamin you are getting each day and make sure you do not ingest over the recommended amount—remember, the food you eat contains vitamins, too!