![]() The article concluded: “In view of the radical change that has come over the accepted methods of preparing and supplying the food of the nation, it seems that the discovery of the vitamines and the elaboration of Metagen, the most available preparation of vitamines for the use of the physician, are not only timely but of the greatest importance in their bearing upon the health and well-being of the population.”Īround the same time, the American Medical Association endorsed Oscodal, a supplement created by Casimir Funk. Sold to doctors to prescribe to patients, Metagen contained vitamins A, B, and C and, according to a glowing review in American Family Physician, could improve health for virtually anyone, including infants and people with major diseases of the era. Medical Recognition of Multivitaminsĭespite the criticism, in that same year, another medical journal enthusiastically promoted a multivitamin made by a leading pharmaceutical company: Metagen from Parke, Davis & Co., (now part of Pfizer). “The claims set forth on the labels of the medicinal values of these preparations are extravagant and misleading,” said an article in a 1922 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The medical profession wasn’t happy about consumers buying supplements. With vitamins A, B, and C, iron, calcium, and Nux vomica, a homeopathic remedy for heartburn, its label claimed: “This preparation contains vitamines together with other ingredients which should prove of value in helping to improve the appetite, aid digestion, correct constipation, clear the skin, increase energy, and, as a tonic, to assist in putting on weight in weakened, run down conditions due to malnutrition.” This history of the modern vitamin supplement began in 1916 with the development of Mastin’s Yeast Vitamon Tablets. They typically contained “vitamin B” (individual B vitamins had not yet been identified) from yeast and various other ingredients. The initial vitamin discovery spawned various products, such as Yeast Vitamine, Double Strength Yeast and Iron Concentrate, and Super Vitamins. One called these other essential compounds “accessory substances.” Another, Casimir Funk, coined the term “vitamine” in a 1912 scientific paper, and the word later became “vitamin.” Funk, who is credited with discovering vitamins, proposed the idea that various diseases could be cured with nutrients, and during the next few decades, he and other scientists identified various vitamins we know today. Modern vitamin history began when scientists who were trying to solve these problems began to discover that food contained more than three nutrients. These were the people who had access to the “best” food, or so they thought, so these trends were a mystery. Sterilizing milk with heat destroyed vitamin C, and rates of scurvy―(bleeding gums and fatigue are common symptoms)―increased among children in affluent families. The processing of grains destroyed vital B vitamins and led to higher incidence of two of the era’s common diseases: pellagra, a deficiency of niacin, whose symptoms include sores and delusions and beriberi, a deficiency of vitamin B1, or thiamine, which damages nerves and can lead to paralysis. But despite prolonging shelf life, there were some harmful consequences, unknown at the time Rice was polished, and other grains were milled to eliminate husks. Poor sanitation and hygiene were viewed as the root of all disease, and the solution was sterilizing food to get rid of bacteria, mold, and toxins. When the 20th century began, only three essential nutrients were recognized in food: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. But before the supplement could be invented, scientists had to discover the existence of substances we now call vitamins.Īccording to The Journal of Family Practice,more than 90 percent of Americans fall short on at least one essential vitamin or mineral. In fact, efforts to solve that very problem in the early 1900s led to the development of today’s multivitamin. Most of us think of nutrient depletion of our food is a recent problem, but that just isn’t the case. Many people are surprised to discover that vitamin history, the development of the most basic supplement that most of us take for granted, goes back more than a century. ![]() ![]() Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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