Can diet, cigarettes, or medication affect a person’s vitamin requirements?

Vitamin Requirements

Yes. What you put in your body can sometimes sap the strength of certain vitamins or undermine your body’s ability to process or manufacture them. Whenever this happens, you will probably need to consume more than the U.S. recommended daily allowance of vitamins (although these allowances are more than ample for most people).

Chain smokers, for instance, need extra vitamin C, and booze-hounds and sugar fiends require more of the B complex vitamins than their moderate companions. Additional B complex vitamins are also recommended for people using antibiotics for extended periods of time, and for women taking birth control pills (who also need extra vitamin C).

However, you need not offset a lack or loss of vitamins with supplementary vitamin pills. Increasing one’s intake of fruits and vegetables usually accomplishes the same mission more efficiently.