"Doctor, should I take vitamins?".

Ingestion of vitamin and mineral supplements is widespread in North America despite the fact that nutritional deficiencies are rare except among small groups with unusual or severely restricted food intakes. Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) for Canadians have recently been revised. These values can be used to assess individual food intakes when the correct procedures for collecting nutrient intake information and the critical difference between the RNIs and a patient's individual requirement for nutrients are understood. Some of the dangers of overconsumption of supplements and the myths which contribute to this misuse are examined.