For everyone who's been popping vitamins to keep them healthy and strong, Reader's Digest recently published 'The Vitamin Hoax - What Not to Take' in their November 2007 issue.

To my friends (myself included), who have been popping pills like Vitamin A and E everyday by only following a beauty columnist's advice on how to make your skin glow (yes, I'm trying to get rid of wrinkles), the Reader's Digest article claims that studies show:

• Taking antioxidant vitamins increases a person's risk of dying by 16%.
• High doses of Vitamin E taken over 10 years slightly elevated cancer risk in smokers.
• Too much Vitamin A increases the risk of liver and lung cancer.

There's so much more to quote in the recent issue, and that doesn't mean I agree or disagree with the article. I just want to share it with you. Everyone should take the time to read it and decide for themselves about what it says because what we learn about vitamins and supplements seems to change daily.

If you are wondering, yes, I take vitamins (as do my children), and will continue to do so -- but that said -- people should stop depending on supplements and instead get their vitamins from a balanced diet consisting of real food (rather than processed). The problem: Only 3 percent of us actually eat that well, so it's much easier said than done ... and supplements can be a good option if you're not getting what you need from your diet.

Here is the list of 10 Vitamins that Reader's Digest suggests that we do not need to take and their reasons why:

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Red Bull gives you wings, or so says it's well-known slogan. But while that offer is tempting, it's also makes me a bit wary -- what's the magic ingredient that makes you fly? Fitsugar addressed this question recently, and here's the lowdown: A regular Red Bull has 27 g of sugar, which is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons, so that doesn't hurt. It also contains:

• Taurine: originally from bull bile but now synthetically made, it can be used either as a stimulant or a sedative, and it can help regulate your heartbeat.
• Glucuronolactone: supposedly this additive fights fatigue
• Caffeine: one can had 80 mg of caffeine -- three times the caffeine that's in a can of coke
• Niacin: Usually, Niacin helps with cholesterol but it's barely traceable in Red Bull.
  

Fitsugar sums up by saying it's basically caffeine with sugar and I agree. What about you?

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A recent article published in Molecular Cell brought to light the virtues of a vitamin rarely given consideration--niacin. According to a recent study of niacin one of its molecules might lead scientists to a method of slowing the aging process.

I've always known to get enough calcium, vitamin D and vitamin C, and I know just which foods supply the recommended daily doses of each. Niacin, however, is a rather foreign concept to me. A quick scan of the labels of my non-perishables revealed a bias: while the daily allowance percentages were noted for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and even iron, no consideration was given to niacin.

So just what is niacin, where does it come from, and most importantly, is it important in our diet? Formally known as nicotinic acid and vitamin B-3, niacin is part of the vitamin B complex. It can be found in many protein friendly foods such as dairy, meat, nuts and eggs. Niacin assists in the functioning of the digestive system and in the conversion of food to energy. It also aides in the function of skin and nerves.

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