A vitamin a day may do more harm than good
(Newsweek Jan 19, 2007)
IF you’re banking on a daily vitamin to make up for any deficiencies in your diet, you may be getting a whole lot more—or less—than you bargained for.
Of 21 brands of multivitamins on the market in the United States and Canada selected by ConsumerLab.com and tested by independent laboratories, just 10 met the stated claims on their labels or satisfied other quality standards.
Most worrisome, according to ConsumerLab.com president Dr. Tod Cooperman, is that one product, the Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women, was contaminated with lead. He said. “We’ve never seen that much lead in a multivitamin before.”
On a positive note, several of the most popular multivitamins on the market did pass muster, said David Schardt, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “I think this confirms the advice often given: You’re safer choosing a well-known brand sold by some company or store that you have confidence in,” Schardt said.
In the report, tests showed that the Vitamin Shoppe women’s product contained 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving of two tablets.
This amount of lead is more than 10 times the amount permitted without a warning in California, the only state that regulates lead in supplements, Cooperman said. On average, most American adults are exposed to about 3 micrograms of lead through food, wine and other sources, he said, and while 15.3 micrograms of lead per day may not be immediately toxic, the mineral is stored in the body and could build up to dangerous levels with time. Some body said that lead can contribute to high blood pressure.
The analysis also showed that Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, a multivitamin for children, had 216 percent of the labeled amount of vitamin A in the retinol form. Because too much vitamin A can cause bone weakening and liver abnormalities, the Yummi Bears “could be potentially doing more harm than good,” Cooperman said. “Vitamin A is one of those vitamins where you really don’t want to get too much.”
Schardt said the lead and vitamin A findings are worrisome because vitamins are generally taken every day, potentially building up to toxic levels and leading to problems down the line. In particular, he noted, women with high levels of lead in their bodies who become pregnant could pass on problems to a fetus.
The Vitamin Shoppe questioned the new results.
Hero Nutritionals did not respond to calls seeking comment.
ConsumerLab.com also tested a vitamin marketed for dogs and found the product was contaminated with 1.4 micrograms of lead per tablet.
Whether most people—or dogs, for that matter—really need to take a multivitamin is a subject of debate.
Cooperman and many dietitians note that it’s better to get your nutrition from a well-balanced diet.
1. Consumer Lab. Com has tested 21 brands of multivitamin and found that .
A. less than half of them reached the quality standards
B. just 10 of them has stated their functions on their labels
C. they contained much lead which has never been seen
D. the most popular multivitamins are very effective
2. The advice often given to consumers is that .
A. they should buy the most popular multivitamins on the market
B. they should counsel a nutritionist before buying multivitamins
C. they should choose a famous brand in a company or store that they trust
D. they should choose a well-known brand sold by a big company or store
3. 15.3 micrograms of lead per day will .
A. add supplements to the body B. result in sudden death
C. endanger one’s health D. worsen high blood pressure
4. By “Vitamin A is one of those vitamins where you really don’t want to get too much” (line 4, paragraph 7), Cooperman implies that .
A. much vitamin A is good for children’s growth
B. vitamin A is no good to children’s growth
C. people need not to supplement vitamin A
D. too much vitamin A is harmful to one’s health
5. Which of the following statements is NOT true of the passage?
A. The amount of lead permitted by California is less than 1.53 micrograms.
B. Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears does more harm than good to children’s growth.
C. The Vitamin Shoppe has given away questionnaires to prove the new results.
D. Whether most people or dogs need to take a multivitamin is still debatable.
答案及解析
1.细节事实题【正确答案】A
第二段指出“只有10种符合它们在说明书中所宣称的内容或者满足其他质量标准”，因此A符合原文，其他选项分别可在第二、三、四段被证明错误。
2.细节事实题【正确答案】C
根据 “the advice often given” 定位在第四段，从该段最后一句You’re safer choosing a well-known brand sold by some company or store that you have confidence in... 可知C正确。
3.细节事实题【正确答案】C
第六段倒数第四行提到每天摄入15.3毫克的铅，或许并不立刻使人中毒，它会储存在人体内，随着时间的增长达到危险水平，还有人说铅会导致高血压。因此C符合原文。
4.推理题【正确答案】D
在第七段中，Cooperman指出Yummi Bears弊大于利，维生素A是那些你真的不想多吃的维生素中的一种，暗示过多的维生素A对人体有害，因此D正确。
5.判断题【正确答案】C
倒数第五段讲到The Vitamin Shoppe质疑新的研究结果，它并没有发放问卷进行调查以证实研究结果，因此C的叙述是错误的，选C。
来源：《2011考研英语历年真题来源报刊阅读100篇》
