Are Multivitamins Good For You?

Are Multivitamins Good For You?

Article
Health & Wellness
Nutrition & Dietetics
Contributed byKrish Tangella MD, MBAAug 01, 2017

As a substitute for natural foods, many individuals think that multivitamins have the ability to replace home-cooked meals. An array of studies suggests that using multivitamins every day may not be very beneficial, when trying to prevent chronic diseases. 

A paper, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, reviews three experiments about how vitamin and mineral supplements prevents long-term diseases. The authors of the paper say that vitamins and supplements are not only pointless, but may be harmful to your health.

One of the reviews found no benefit in preventing early mortality, heart disease, or cancer. The second review concluded that using multivitamins did not fight off the decline of brain function with age. The third study found that a high dose of multivitamins does not help individuals who had a heart attack to avoid another.

Fortmann and colleagues, researchers from the first study, cautiously studied the trial evidence to update the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on the effectiveness of vitamin supplements for a primary prevention community living adults with no nutritional lacks. After reviewing more than 400,000 random participants in the three trials of multivitamin supplements, the writers revealed that there was no clear evidence of a positive effect of supplements on all-cause mortality, heart disease, or cancer.

In the second study, Grostein and colleagues evaluated the value of everyday multivitamin intake to prevent the decline in brain function among 5,947 men over the age of 65, participating in the Physicians’ Health Study II. There was no change found between the multivitamin and fake-vitamin groups in brain function or oral memory, after 12 years of check-ins.

The third study with Lamas and colleagues assessed the potential aids of increased use of multivitamin supplements in 1,708 men and women with a heart attack in the past in Trail to Assess Chelation Therapy. After approximately 4.6 years, there was no significant difference in recurrent heart problems with multivitamins compared with placebo.

Additional Resources:

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1789253 (accessed on 04/02/2016)

Bazzano, L. A., Song, Y., Bubes, V., Good, C. K., Manson, J. E., & Liu, S. (2005). Dietary intake of whole and refined grain breakfast cereals and weight gain in men. Obesity research, 13(11), 1952-1960.

Penniston, K. L., & Tanumihardjo, S. A. (2003). Vitamin A in dietary supplements and fortified foods: Too much of a good thing?. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 103(9), 1185-1187.

Erie, J. C., Good, J. A., Butz, J. A., & Pulido, J. S. (2009). Reduced zinc and copper in the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid in age-related macular degeneration. American journal of ophthalmology, 147(2), 276-282.

Wooltorton, E. (2003). Too much of a good thing? Toxic effects of vitamin and mineral supplements. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 169(1), 47-48.

Droz, N., & Marques-Vidal, P. (2014). Multivitamins/multiminerals in Switzerland: not as good as it seems. Nutrition journal, 13(1), 1.

Block, J. P., Gillman, M. W., Linakis, S. K., & Goldman, R. E. (2013). “If It Tastes Good, I'm Drinking It”: Qualitative Study of Beverage Consumption Among College Students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(6), 702-706.

Tarn, D. M., Paterniti, D. A., Good, J. S., Coulter, I. D., Galliher, J. M., Kravitz, R. L., ... & Wenger, N. S. (2013). Physician–patient communication about dietary supplements. Patient education and counseling, 91(3), 287-294.

McMillan, J. (2016). Health and wellbeing: Nutrition: The good oil. LSJ: Law Society of NSW Journal, (19), 54.

Shim, Y. S., Kim, K. J., Seo, D., Ito, M., Nakagawa, H., & Ha, J. (2012). Rapid method for the determination of vitamins A and E in foods using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of AOAC International, 95(2), 517-522.

Was this article helpful

On the Article

Krish Tangella MD, MBA picture
Approved by

Krish Tangella MD, MBA

Pathology, Medical Editorial Board, DoveMed Team

0 Comments

Please log in to post a comment.

Related Articles

Test Your Knowledge

Asked by users

Related Centers

Loading

Related Specialties

Loading card

Related Physicians

Related Procedures

Related Resources

Join DoveHubs

and connect with fellow professionals

Related Directories

Who we are

At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.

© 2023 DoveMed. All rights reserved. It is not the intention of DoveMed to provide specific medical advice. DoveMed urges its users to consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and answers to their personal medical questions. Always call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you have a medical emergency!