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Vitamins
If there's one thing about nutrition we think we know for sure, it's that vitamins are good
for us. In reality, however, most of us know nearly nothing about vitamins. And our faith
in vitamin supplements or pills, combined with our current beliefs about nutrition and
health, is doing us harm.
Discovered barely a century ago, vitamins were a revolutionary breakthrough in
nutritional science, providing cures and ways of preventing some of the world's most
terrifying diseases. But it wasn't long before vitamins moved from the labs of scientists
to become supplements that could be added to food or taken independently. By the end
of World War Two, vitamins were available in forms not found in nature-vitamin-fortified
peanut butter, vitamin gum, even vitamin doughnuts. Vitamins had entered the scientific
mainstream, yet far from expressing perfectly reasonable scepticism over these
products, the public asked for more. This is a process that has continued ever since.
In the 21st century, we're still such believers in vitamins' Inherent goodness that we
don't realise the extent to which scientists still don't truly comprehend how vitamins work
in our bodies, or how much of each vitamin we require. We're not aware that vitamins
(and our enthusiasm for them) are what opened the door for the array of supposed
wonder nutrients that intrigue and confuse us today, whether they be probiotics or
antioxidants or omega-3s.
We don't notice the ways that food marketers and dietary supplement makers use
synthetic vitamins to add an appearance of health to otherwise unhealthy products; nor
do we acknowledge the extent to which we use vitamins and these other vitamin-
inspired nutrients to give ourselves permission to overeat foods of all kinds. And we
certainly don't recognise that by believing in the idea that isolated dietary chemicals
hold the keys to good health, our obsession with vitamins is making us less healthy.
One assumption about vitamins is definitely true: we do indeed need them. The 13
dietary chemicals that we call vitamins affect each one of us every minute of every day,
helping us to think and speak and move our muscles, extract calories from what we eat,
even see the words on this page. Deficiencies in these vitamins can cause serious
illnesses and even death-something that still occurs around the world today-and when
administered soon enough, vitamins can be astoundingly powerful; give vitamin A to a
girl suffering from the vitamin A deficiency condition of night blindness, and she can
recover full vision within days. Our need for them is no more avoidable than our need
for alr.
But the very power of vitamins makes them a double-edged sword. Their ability to save
lives has promoted the idea that they can do the Impossible in all of us, regardless of
whether we're actually deficient in them. This has led to beliefs in vitamins that are
based more on faith than fact. When we seek out vitamins today, it's not because we're
worried about night blindness, or pellagra
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(a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B3), or beriberi (a disease caused by a vitamin
B1 deficiency), or any of the other conditions that vitamins can actually prevent and
cure. Instead, we use vitamins as Insurance policies against whatever else we might (or
might not) be eating, as if by making up for our bad eating habits, vitamins can prevent
or cure.
But vitamins can save us from ourselves. We think that vitamins will help us live longer
and stay healthier, even prevent or reverse disease. It is now generally accepted that
vitamins will help give us an advantage over other competitors at sporting events. Many
people choose to take more vitamins as they don't want to rely on conventional
treatment by doctors. Perhaps that's why when we hear the word 'vitamin', we
immediately think of pills, turning substances found naturally in foods into something we
don't just eat, but take. Yet, while we all have access to information and research about
the side effects of pills, and it seems unlikely that any one drug could possibly fix all our
issues, we assume that vitamins are both cures and entirely risk-free.
In a way, our attraction to vitamins, like our general obsession with nutrition, is perfectly
logical: our well-being is affected by what we eat, and no one wants to be sick. But that
doesn't explain how the term 'vitamin', a word coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk
before any vitamin had even been chemically identified, has come to be synonymous
with health. Isn't it strange that B12 and E - which are names for the same substances -
seem intimidating, while vitamins B12 and E - which are names for the same
substances - seem good? Isn't it strange that we worry about hydrogenated oils, high
fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and genetically modified food, but allow
synthetic vitamins to be added to nearly anything without question - and then use the
presence of those vitamins to define the food as healthy?
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 30-34 on your answer sheet.
30 The author mentions that vitamins were discovered 'barely a century ago' in order to
A. show how important timing is in scientific discoveries.
B. suggest that scientists started researching them then.
C. illustrate how quickly awareness of them has become widespread.
D. suggest that we are healthier now than in the past.
31 What does the writer imply about the food marketing and dietary supplement
industries in the fourth paragraph?
A. They mislead the public into buying unhealthy food.
B. They were the driving forces behind scientific progress.
C. They believe that vitamins improve food quality.
D. They are currently working to discover new vitamins.
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32 Why does the writer refer to vitamin A in the fifth paragraph?
A. to correct a common misunderstanding about vitamins
B. to question why some people are reluctant to take vitamins
C. to exemplify that vitamins are a necessity for human health
D. to illustrate that some vitamins are less important than others
33 What is the writer doing in the last paragraph?
A. questioning the history of vitamin development
B. outlining the chemical make-up of some vitamin supplements
C. explaining why vitamin supplements can be difficult to manufacture
D. illustrating how we view vitamins differently to other substances
34 What is the purpose of this text?
A. to raise awareness of the need to eat a balanced diet
B. to challenge the public's trust in vitamin supplements
C. to criticize scientists for not publishing their findings
D. to encourage the food industry to carry out further research
Questions 35-40
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
At the end of World War Two, the public should have questioned the practices of food
manufacturers.
Scientists in the 21st century have a thorough understanding of the function of vitamins.
Omega-3s are more important to a healthy diet than some vitamins.
The presence of vitamins in food encourages people to consume too much of it.
Vitamins are more effective at treating pellagra than beriberi.
The substance identified by Casimir Funk was given the name 'vitamin' by a later
scientist.
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Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-G, below.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 41-45 on your answer sheet.
Vitamins: Why they are necessary and some common beliefs about them
People need vitamins because they are essential for a range of 41 _______. Not having
enough vitamins can cause suffering and disease.
However, people overestimate the power of vitamins. They believe these substances
can result in 42 _______ for everyone - even people who are not lacking in vitamins.
Many people believe that vitamins can stop them from getting sick or even prolong their
lives. Many people 43 _______ believe that vitamins can lead to 44 _______ in physical
activities. It is now common for people to think of vitamins as 45 _______. People often
fail to take into account surrounding health and nutrition, and put all their trust in the
power of vitamins to solve their problems.
A alternative medicine B chemical compounds
C improved performance D common sense
E amazing transformations F clear evidence
G bodily functions
