[disneysteve]

I have been purposely staying out of this thread, but I guess it is time to weigh in. I'm going to keep this short and sweet rather than going into a long-winded dissertation.

We all need certain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients to maintain good health. By far, the best and most effective way to get those nutrients is through the foods we eat. You can not make up for a lousy diet by popping a few pills each morning. Study after study has shown that our body uses vitamins in their natural state better than those in supplement form.

So my advice to anyone who is concerned that they aren't getting adequate vitamins in their diet is to improve your diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat more whole grains. Get 15 minutes of sunshine daily when possible, but use sunscreen the rest of the time.

I see nothing at all wrong with taking an inexpensive multivitamin, like Centrum. In fact, I do so myself. I buy the Target or Wal-Mart generic version of Centrum. A year's supply costs about $10. I figure it can't hurt. What can hurt, your wallet if nothing else, is going to GNC and spending hundreds of dollars on mega-man (or mega-woman) vitamin packs that make all kinds of unsubstantiated health claims.

I see patients every day who eat McDonald's breakfast sandwiches every morning, Chinese takeout for lunch, maybe a TV dinner after work and a dish of ice cream in the evening while sitting in front of the TV. Those same patients will hand me a list of all the vitamins and supplements they take. Those people quite simply are wasting their hard-earned cash.