Last month, a study was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine that reported on the efficacy of multivitamins, and it proved to be quite controversial. To quote the physicians: “The message is simple: Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified and they should be avoided.”
Multivitamins don’t save me from death!? Why do I take them?
Here’s an interesting tidbit that I think most people are aware of: All of our “stories” end the same way. A multivitamin is not the key to immortality.
That’s great, but they’re saying it doesn’t prevent chronic disease.
Jokes aside, I have an issue with the study, and I know there are many people who agree with my argument (since they’ve brought it up themselves): A multivitamin is a type of dietary supplement. A dietary supplement is meant to supplement a healthy diet with nutrients or compounds that are either deficient in the diet, or the dietary supplement is meant to bring about a specific result. Before we get too far in my editorial, let’s look at some parts of the study:
“. . . the researchers examined whether high doses of multivitamins and minerals could prevent heart attacks, strokes and death in 1,700 people who have already had a heart attack. After an average follow-up of five years, the results didn’t show a difference between participants who took dietary supplements and those who didn’t.”
I can’t argue with the data, but in the same vein, I never knew that multivitamins were supposed to have any effect on mortality rates– I thought it was supposed to add nutrients to my diet that I may be missing.
“The new review study looked at clinical trials that included a total of 450,000 older adults. All together, the researchers didn’t find clear evidence of a beneficial effect of supplements on cancer and heart diseases.”
Interesting. So taking a multivitamin did not help treat cancer or heart disease. How can people be so misinformed!? Better yet– Why are we allowing the vitamin companies to make these outrageous claims that their product will help fight cancer!?
Let’s look at a multivitamin label:
Where are the claims about fighting cancer?
“Kirkland Signature Daily Multivitamin helps maintain and support:”
- Bones & Teeth* – Makes sense since there is a small amount of calcium; and if you’re not getting 100% of your RDI (Recommended Daily Intake), this extra 20% could help you get an adequate amount. (Not to mention other minerals that help.)
- Eye Health* – Makes sense since there is Vitamin A, which is important for eye health and development according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
- Heart Health* – Makes sense since there are B Vitamins in the product; B Vitamin deficiencies can lead to irregular heartbeat, heart failure, high blood pressure, and more.
- [There are a few more, but you get the picture.]
“* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
Wait a second. So they say it could support eye health, heart health, and other aspects of your life by preventing nutrient deficiencies, but at the same time has a mandatory label informing it can’t treat or prevent a disease.
What were these physicians thinking about!?
It’s a [Big Pharma / Illuminati / Political / Alien] Conspiracy!
While I find the “Big Pharma” conspiracy theories entertaining, this is obviously a form of reactionary extremism.
There are those out there that eat absolute garbage and claim they’ll be okay by taking a multivitamin– In the case of those people, this new study is absolutely correct, and this news should be a sort of wake up call for anyone who lives their life with that sort of mindset.
However, I would argue that the physicians that took part in the study failed to acknowledge that the majority of multivitamin users do so as a way to make sure their bodies aren’t deficient– Not to make up for a garbage diet. To altogether claim that multivitamins are useless and / or “harmful” and not acknowledge that they could prevent nutrient deficiencies is absurd.
It’s also worth noting that there are studies that have shown positive effects from multivitamin supplementation in certain subgroups; for example:
- The Vitamin D and Calcium can help prevent fractures in older users.
- Zinc and Antioxidants helped with age related macular degeneration.
To close this out, here’s why I still take a multivitamin: Look at your body like a car. A car needs many different fluids, lubricants, and fuel to work properly. If you drain the coolant from your radiator, your car may run for a few minutes, but you it will overheat, and you will likely run into a catastrophic problem. If you don’t give your body all of the micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) it needs, how can you expect it to work properly? I strive to eat healthy, but rather than track my micro-nutrients (on top of my macros and calories), I prefer taking a multivitamin.
(Full disclosure: If you suffer from any chronic diseases, or you’re pregnant, you should consult your physician about vitamin choices as these states of being can be harmed by supplementation. It’s also worth noting that there is an upper limit of intake for most micro-nutrients that can lead to toxicity, but this hasn’t been observed in multivitamin supplementation in apparently healthy adults.)
Sources and Further Reading
Report on Study: http://sams.scientificamerican.com/article/multivitamins-are-a-waste-of-money-doctors-say/
About B Vitamins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins
All about Vitamin B6: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-b6-pyridoxine
All about Vitamin B1: http://chp.sagepub.com/content/16/1/12
All about Vitamin A: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
All about Calcium: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-QuickFacts/
All about Multivitamins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivitamin
Multivitamins and Treating Chronic Diseases: http://archive.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/multivit/multivit.pdf