8 Vitamins That Are a Total Waste of Money—and Could Even Be Dangerous

Too much of a good thing?

Vitamins and minerals are essential to health, but that doesn’t mean that megadoses will keep you out of the hospital or make you live longer. Some may be harmful. In most cases, it’s preferable to get these nutrients from a balanced diet. High doses of certain vitamins and minerals may be appropriate for certain people, though. Talk to your doctor about supplements if you are a woman of childbearing age, are a vegetarian or vegan, have limited exposure to the sun, are an athlete in training, or suspect for any reason you may be malnourished. Here’s the lowdown on eight common supplements—most of which are vitamins you probably don’t need.