Reply #7: Could it be that people took vitamins *because* of health problems?

[LeftishBrit]

For example, women often take vitamin D because they have, or are at risk for, osteoporosis; and that can be associated with other problems.

Or perhaps some of them used vitamins as a substitute for other medical treatments that were more necessary?

I find it hard to believe that vitamins in themselves would harm you, unless you overdosed on the few that can be poisonous such as vitamin A. Which leads to the next question: was there a check on *how much* people took of *which* vitamins?