Mon February 27, 2012 Many people take some form of vitamin
supplement to begin the day. But taking vitamins doesn’t come
without potential risk. In our KERA Health Checkup, Sam Baker
talked about this with Susan Rodder, a clinical nutrition
instructor at U.T. Southwestern Medical Center. To start, do you
need vitamin supplements if you maintain a balanced diet? Susan
Rodder: In certain populations that might have a higher need,
for example, a post menopausal woman who is elderly and doesn’t
need many calories, she may need to take some supplemental
vitamin D, because vitamin D is not found in a lot of foods.
It’s in salmon, sardines. It’s fortified in milk and cereal. But
she may need to take supplemental vitamin D and, for example,
supplemental calcium if she doesn’t like dairy products. But,
otherwise, if you’re eating a well-balanced diet, there’s no
need for you to take dietary supplements. Sam: If you’re not
eating a well-balanced diet, if you’re eating junk food even,
can you take vitamin supplements i