Vitamins: Go For It!

It is in fact true that a well-balanced diet should provide most of the nutrients you need. However, a majority of people don’t have healthy eating habits. That is simply why adding a multivitamin into your daily regimen can help supplement one’s diet, and in fact, may contain added health benefits.  Not all scientists agree on multivitamins and some do not recommend them because of claims that there is not enough evidence that multivitamins boost health. Some say that there’s not enough proof that multivitamins boost health. There are also others who reference studies that seem to show an association between use of a multivitamins and an increased risk of death. However, Harvard School of Public Health claims these studies to be flawed. Scientific data demonstrates that dietary supplements are favorable for overall health and for managing some health conditions. (The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: National Institute of Health, 2011). Looking at all the evidence, the potential health benefits of taking a standard daily multivitamin seem to outweigh the potential risks for most people (Harvard School of Public Health).

According to a study performed in 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, multivitamins are the most commonly used dietary supplement. The study found that 110 million Americans use vitamins and supplements every year, which amounted to close to 50 percent of the population (Gahche et. al, 2011).The dietary habits of many Americans do not satisfy recommended nutrient intake levels. Many people in developed countries are not consuming recommended amounts of nutrients (Troesch et al., 2012). Multivitamin supplements allow for people to acquire the vitamins and minerals their bodies need (Fulgoni et al., 2011). Dietary surveys report insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals among the population that are outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture) Additionally, these supplemental vitamin recommendations for some population groups are also highlighted in reports from the Institute of Medicine relating to Dietary Reference Intakes (Insititute of Medicine, 1998).

            A study surveyed several nurses and physicians to investigate if they personally used multi-vitamins (dietary supplements) on a daily basis.  The Healthcare Professionals Impact Study (HCP Impact Study) showed that 72% of physicians and 89% of nurses in this sample used dietary supplements regularly, occasionally, or seasonally (Dickinson, A., Boyon, N., & Shao, A., 2009). The study also reported that most common reason provided for using dietary supplements was for overall health and wellness (40% of physicians and 48% of nurses). Interestingly enough, the survey also found that close to 80% of doctors and nurses recommend dietary supplements to their patients. Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee supports that if parents wish to give their children supplements, a standard pediatric multivitamin generally poses no risk.

            Due to the fact that multivitamins pose as a greater benefit than harm, is recommended by an overwhelming majority of doctors, and its affordability, a daily multi-vitamin seems logical for most adults. Taking daily multi-vitamins typically costs between $20-$40 per year. The cost of a multivitamin supplement is affordable and comparable to about a quarter serving of vegetables. Therefore, it is not likely to compromise nutritious foods in a persons’ grocery budget. According to the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Source, A daily multivitamin is an “inexpensive nutrition insurance policy” and recommends that you try to take one every day.

 American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Nutrition, Feeding the Child (2009). Pediatric Nutrition Handbook: 145-174.

Dickinson, A., Boyon, N., & Shao, A. (2009). Physicians and nurses use and recommend dietary supplements: report of a survey. Nutr J, 8, 29.

Fulgoni, V. L., Keast, D. R., Bailey, R. L., & Dwyer, J. (2011). Foods, fortificants, and supplements: where do Americans get their nutrients?. The Journal of nutrition, 141(10), 1847-1854.

Gahche, J., Bailey, R., Burt, V., Hughes, J., Yetley, E., Dwyer, J., ... & Sempos, C. (2011). Dietary supplement use among US adults has increased since NHANES III (1988-1994). NCHS data brief, (61), 1-8.

Harvard School of Public Health, the Nutrition Source: What Should I Eat?

Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press; 1998.

Troesch, B., Hoeft, B., McBurney, M., Eggersdorfer, M., & Weber, P. (2012). Dietary surveys indicate vitamin intakes below recommendations are common in representative Western countries. British Journal of Nutrition, 108(04), 692-698.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S.Department of Agriculture. In Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office; 2005.

Willett, W. C., & Stampfer, M. J. (2001). What vitamins should I be taking, doctor? New England Journal of Medicine, 345(25), 1819-1824.

The Vaccine Controversy

            Skepticism surrounding vaccinations have been on the rise throughout the past three years. There have been a growing number of parents that have elected not to get their children vaccinated due to a false belief that vaccines are associated with autism spectrum disorder.  For this reason, many children have been unvaccinated throughout the nation. As a result, there was an outbreak of measles within the last year tracing back to California. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 84 people in 14 different states had measles during January of 2015.  News breaks began to circulate following the outbreak detailing that most of those who were infected were exposed either from Disneyland or from a host person who went there. Due to the growing controversy and adverse effects of those electing not to vaccinate their children, schools demanded that those who were not vaccinated to stay at home due to the outbreak of measles. Individuals were disregarding the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation to receive a measles vaccination between the ages of 1 to 4, as well as between the ages of 4 to 6.

            I feel as though taking the position of anti-vaccination is a stance that can be disproven through evidence-based practice. Within the past decade, many reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) have disproven the claim that there is an association between vaccines such as the measles vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. Those choosing not to vaccinate their children are causing harm to their children and children throughout the United States due to making uninformed decisions. Not only is there research to prove there is no association between the two, the original report made by Andrew Wakefield that made claims of vaccines being a causation in 1998 has been retracted.

            The World Health Organization was advised by The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) in 2003 to further investigate the measles vaccine and autism spectrum disorder. The WHO performed a literature review to present to the GACVS to receive it’s considerations. Several relevant studies were reviewed extensively which concluded that there was no association between autism and the measles vaccines. Therefore, the GACVS released that there is no evidence leading to an association between the measles vaccine and autism. Furthermore, in 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report involving eight different vaccines given to children and adults that were found to be extremely safe. The Center for Disease Control also contributed to the findings in 2013 with research performed that investigated antigens levels from vaccines in children with autism and without autism. Therefore, it was concluded that vaccines do not cause autism (DeStefano, F., Price, C. S., & Weintraub, E. S., 2013). In March of 2014, the Global Advisory Committee released a Vaccine Safety Statement in which two studies were declaring a relation between aluminum in vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. It found serious faults and shortcomings in the two studies that discredited their value

            There is much evidence to show that vaccines such as the measles vaccine does not cause autism. In fact, the GACVS recommended when disproving the false claim of an association between autism and vaccines, that the committee suggested that rather, autism and it’s etiology be further investigated.  Not only are vaccines safe, but they save lives! We have a responsibility as informed citizen to be advocates for what is true, right, and what is best to protect future generations.

Clayton, E. W., Rusch, E., Ford, A., & Stratton, K. (Eds.). (2012). Adverse Effects of Vaccines:: Evidence and Causality. National Academies Press.

DeStefano, F. (2007). Vaccines and autism: evidence does not support a causal association. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 82(6), 756-759.

DeStefano, F., Price, C. S., & Weintraub, E. S. (2013). Increasing exposure to antibody-stimulating proteins and polysaccharides in vaccines is not associated with risk of autism. The Journal of pediatrics, 163(2), 561-567.

Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety Statement on the continued safety of HPV vaccination (2014, March 12)

Hoyer, M., Reilly, S.  (2015, February 5). Some parents focus only on own kids, experts say, USA Today, pp. 05A,

Plotkin, S., Gerber, J. S., & Offit, P. A. (2009). Vaccines and autism: a tale of shifting hypotheses. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 48(4), 456-461.

Sabra, A., Bellanti, J. A., & Colón, A. R. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 352(9123), 234-235.

Szabo, L (2015, January 30). 14 states see infection; 'This is a wake-up call.’ USA Today, pp. 01A

Taylor, L. E., Swerdfeger, A. L., & Eslick, G. D. (2014). Vaccines are not associated with autism: An evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Vaccine, 32(29), 3623-3629.

Hi, my name is Krista. I am currently a child life specialist in a children's hospital where I teach children how to cope with illness and hospitalization, as well as educate patients on upcoming tests and procedures. I also provide procedural support during procedures. On the side, I teach yoga to children to promote wellness and mindfulness. I enjoy music, traveling, and great food! I am passionate about children and healthcare and look to gain a better understanding on understanding how to apply the skills sets and knowledge learned from this class into my career. I would like to have a better hold on how to evaluate risk factors and variables that cause disease and be able to apply that knowledge. I am very much looking forward to this class and my next post.