Andrew W. Saul, Editor
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service
The 39th annual report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers shows zero deaths from vitamins. Confirming data is in Table 22B, p 1613-1615, at the very end of the lengthy report published in Clinical Toxicology.1 It is interesting that it is placed way back there where nary a news reporter is likely to see it. But there it is: no deaths, none whatsoever, from vitamin A, niacin, pyridoxine (B-6), or from any other B-vitamin. There were no deaths from vitamin C, vitamin D, or vitamin E. There were no deaths from multiple vitamins. There were no deaths from any vitamin at all.
Furthermore, there were no fatalities from mineral supplements. Two fatalities from “Iron and Iron Salts” were clearly stated as not being due to supplemental iron (p 1607).
No deaths from vitamins. No deaths from minerals. Want to bet this will never be on the evening news? Well, have you seen it there? And why not? This is of real importance to the public. After all, at least two-thirds of the US population takes daily nutritional supplements. A Harris Poll indicated that for American adults, the number is 86%.2 But let’s just use the lower number. Should each of those people take only one single tablet daily, that still makes over 220,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of well over 80 billion doses annually. Since many persons take far more than just one single vitamin tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of vitamin supplements is all the more remarkable.
Throughout the entire year, coast to coast across the entire USA, there was not one single death from a vitamin or mineral supplement. If supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA, the news media, and even some physicians still claim, then where are the bodies?
References
1. Gummin DD, Mowry JB, Beuhler MC et al. (2022) 2021 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System (NPDS) from America’s Poison Centers: 39th Annual Report, Clinical Toxicology, 60:12, 1381-1643, DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2022.2132768
https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2022.2132768
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About the Author
Andrew W. Saul is Editor-in-Chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, now in its 19th year of free publication. He is also a member of the Japanese College of Intravenous Therapy; the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame; and is author or coauthor of twelve books. He has no financial connection whatsoever to the supplement or health products industry.