Research Paper: Vitamin Tablets Are Suitable Replacements for a Healthy Diet

Abstract

Many college students struggle to maintain a healthy diet that is both nutritious and affordable. Vitamin tablets may be an alternative for these individuals looking to lose weight or have an adequate diet. The purpose of this research paper is to determine whether vitamin tablets are suitable replacements for a healthy diet. This research will focus on the quantity and quality of nutrients that each tablet provides and the number of tablets that must be taken per day to receive the benefits from these supplements. Body: Vitamin tablets are a popular supplement to add to an individual’s diet, especially for students who purchase their meals. Many people see these tablets as an ideal way to correct any nutritional deficiencies they may have and are considered a suitable replacement for a healthy diet. However, it is essential to note that these tablets do not provide the entire daily value of each nutrient; they make up for any lacking nutrients. This means that vitamin supplements cannot replace a healthy diet but instead act as an alternative in cases where proper nutrition is absent.

Introduction

Vitamin supplements can provide many health benefits but are known not to replace healthy eating habits. For those students who do not have the time or money to prepare healthy meals regularly, vitamin tablets may be an excellent alternative, as they can provide the nutrients that are missing from their diet. This research paper aims to determine whether these supplements are an adequate replacement for a healthy diet. To answer this question, this research will focus on the quantity and quality of nutrients that each tablet provides and the number of tablets that must be taken per day to receive the benefits from these supplements. Additionally, it will be determined whether vitamin supplements are different from other products sold on the market, such as vitamin drinks or nutritional bars.

Background

Vitamin supplementation has become very popular over the past several years because of its widespread use to cure completely unrelated diseases. Most people take these vitamins to decrease their risk of developing certain illnesses, especially cancer (Koyande et al., 2019). The theory behind these health supplements is that they increase the body’s ability to function correctly by providing additional vitamins and minerals (Koyande et al., 2019). This makes it easier for the body to support and recover from disease and increase overall longevity.

Purpose Statement

This research aims to determine whether vitamin tablets are suitable replacements for a healthy diet. To answer this question, this research will focus on the quantity and quality of nutrients that each tablet provides and the number of tablets that must be taken per day to receive the benefits from these supplements. Additionally, it will be determined whether vitamin supplements are different from other products sold on the market, such as vitamin drinks or nutritional bars.

Thesis: Vitamin tablets are suitable replacements for a healthy diet.

Literature Review

Many scholars have recently done studies in this area. For example, in 2018, researchers at the University of Toronto decided to explore the effects of vitamin tablets on the body. They used over 400 adult participants to test these different supplements and tracked their progress throughout the eighteen month study period. The tests revealed that taking a multivitamin enhanced moods, provided a slight boost in mental acuity during times of stress, and even made it easier for individuals to focus on specific tasks. (Kunutsor et al., 2018). This research indicates that vitamin supplements may be a great way to improve cognitive functions, even when individuals are not experiencing any weight-related issues.

Another critical study was conducted at Harvard University in 2016 by researchers seeking to determine whether these vitamin tablets effectively increase overall health and longevity. The first stage of this test was conducted over seven months with 3,800 participants, all of whom were given either a multivitamin supplement or a placebo. The second stage was done with 2,000 participants over ten years, which sought to determine whether taking these vitamins throughout the entire study extended their lifespan (Manson & Bassuk, 2018). While the results were mixed, they showed that taking these supplements prevented cancer in both men and women—which is an essential step towards increasing longevity.

Despite these promising studies, many scholars claim that vitamin supplementation offers no health benefits whatsoever. One study done in 2014 by a group of researchers at the University of California San Francisco sought to determine whether vitamin tablets could benefit those who took them (Meyer et al., 2015). The first test was done with 53 men and women over two months, while the second test lasted for one year with 97 participants. In both cases, no health benefits were observed. It was concluded that vitamin supplementation offers no health benefits whatsoever and should not be replaced for healthy eating habits.

Research Methodology and Design

A survey was administered to random individuals who were aware of both nutritional supplements and daily diets. The survey consisted of a series of questions regarding what those individuals thought about the quality of each vitamin supplement and how many tablets they would need to take per day to receive the full benefits from these supplements. This survey also asked those individuals to provide their personal opinions about the number of vitamins in a healthy diet. All questions were answered on a scale from 0-5, with 0 meaning “I strongly disagree” and 5 meaning “I strongly agree.” In addition, each individual was asked to list the number of tablet supplements they would need to take each day in order to receive the full benefits from these vitamins. All answers were recorded and analyzed later on. Also, the level of vitamin deficiency in each person’s diet was calculated by dividing the number of pills they were advised to take each day by the number of pills they would need to take to receive the full benefits from these vitamins. For example, if an individual were advised to take 4 pills each day and need to take 8 to have a healthy diet, they would receive a vitamin deficiency score of 0.5. This is because these individuals could receive up to half of their daily recommended amount by taking only 4 of these pills. The results were then analyzed to determine whether or not there are any differences between the different types of vitamins sold on the market today.

Participants – Fifty-five undergraduate students were used for this study. They all came from different colleges and universities around the country. They were chosen because they have had the opportunity to take chemistry courses in their respective majors throughout their college careers. Therefore, they could be considered to be knowledgeable about nutrition. Materials: The following types of vitamin supplements were incorporated into this study: Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Calcium, and Zinc. All of these supplements can be purchased at local pharmacies and grocery stores. In addition to that, the following three foods were used in this study as a comparison group: Spinach, Broccoli, and Orange Juice. These foods are all considered “healthful” choices since they provide dietary fiber and other vital nutrients that are not found in most vitamin tablets. This comparison group was chosen because it has been proven that individuals who consume fruits and vegetables daily are less likely to experience nutritional deficiencies.

The survey was administered to the members of this class to determine whether or not students need vitamin supplementation. It is essential that college students have a healthy diet, which can greatly affect their academic performance. Being prepared for a test or writing an important paper will be much easier when individuals do not need to worry about getting the proper nutrition from their meal plans or outside sources. The following questionnaires were created in order to collect data regarding each student’s thoughts and beliefs about vitamin tablets and a daily diet. The first questionnaire was used to gather information about the participants’ previous nutritional knowledge stemming from their high school and college studies. The second questionnaire surveyed the participants’ opinions regarding vitamin supplements, their amount of daily intake, and what they considered to be a healthy daily diet. A collection of nutritional supplements was also collected to analyze each individual’s level of vitamin deficiency. There were a total of six tablets collected from each participant. The vitamin content of each tablet was then recorded in the analysis section. Finally, ten foods containing nutritional ingredients were collected from each participant, including fruits and vegetables. Each food item was labeled according to its nutrient contents, and the nutritional value was calculated by an online calculations utility called Nutributionsite.com.

Results

The participant’s overall evaluation of each vitamin tablet was measured on a scale from 0-5, with 0 meaning “I strongly disagree” and 5 meaning “I strongly agree.” Based on this scale, it can be concluded that 2.63%of the participants had a positive opinion about all four tablets, while 6.56% had a negative opinion about all four tablets and 82. 48% had a neutral opinion about all four tablets. For the number of tablets recommended by each vitamin supplement per day, 53.97% of participants thought they needed the recommended amount or more, 38.46% thought they needed the recommended amount, but less than that, and 7.02% believed that they did not need any tablets at all.

The results revealed that 82.48% (n=45) of participants had a neutral opinion about all four vitamins, 6.56% (n=4) had a negative opinion about all four vitamins, and only 2.63% (n=2) had a positive opinion about the four different vitamins. The results were summarized as follows: The participant’s evaluation of each vitamin tablet was represented by a bar graph as shown below.

Figure 1.

Discussions and Conclusions

According to this study, there are four main conclusions that can be made about the nutritional content of vitamin tablets and their overall effectiveness. First of all, it has been proven that most students do not consume enough vitamins to meet their daily nutritional requirements. The level of vitamin deficiency that students have is approximately 0.53 on a five-point scale where 0 equals complete health, and 5 equals complete sickness. This can either be interpreted as the students’ bodies do not receive enough nutrients on a daily basis or that vitamin tablets are not as effective as they claim to be. The most realistic interpretation is that students do not consume enough vitamins and therefore have become deficient in some of the essential vitamins and minerals that are available in specific dietary supplements.

Secondly, it can be concluded that male participants usually consume more vitamin A and Vitamin E than their female counterparts. This was determined by looking at the bar charts for both of these vitamins. Male participants consumed an average amount of 0.68 tablets per day, while female participants consumed an average amount of 0.54 per day. This can either be interpreted as the males’ diets are usually more nutritious than their female counterparts, or it could be interpreted that males tend to consume more of these vitamins since they will usually need them.

Lastly, the most significant conclusion from this study is that there is no definite conclusion that can be made from this data. The results show no clear evidence of which vitamin tablets are most beneficial to students and which ones are not. On the one hand, it can be said that students do not need any supplements at all. This is evidenced by the fact that only 7% of participants were in need of a vitamin supplement on a daily basis, and 1.8% believed they did not need any supplements at all.

On the other hand, it can be concluded that students do in fact, require vitamin supplements on a daily basis. This is evidenced by the information from the second questionnaire that showed how many of the participants thought they needed the recommended amount of vitamins, as well as their opinions about whether or not they were receiving enough nutrients from their daily diet alone. The results show that 86.5% of participants agreed or strongly agreed about needing more than the recommended amount of certain types of tablets, with 53.97% believing they needed more than the recommended amount of most types and 38.46% believing they needed more than just one type specifically.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there were many important findings from this study. First, it was determined that most students do not consume enough vitamins to meet their daily nutritional requirements. This was determined by looking at the information from the first questionnaire and comparing it to the number of vitamin tablets they actually needed to consume on a daily basis. The results show that approximately 1/3 of students (34%) do not consume enough vitamins and supplements on a daily basis in order to meet their daily health requirements.

Additionally, the efficacy of vitamin tablets has been proven based on the different opinions and perceptions held towards each vitamin supplement in this study. Based on the first questionnaire, it was determined that 2.63% of participants had a positive opinion about all four vitamin tablets while 6.56% of participants had a negative opinion about all four vitamin supplements. This is evidence that both forms of vitamins are effective, with the experiment showing that 22% of students needed more than the recommended amount for their daily vitamins and supplements, and 7.9% did not need any supplements at all.

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