Multivitamin: Good or Bad?
Do You Need a Multivitamin?
A day’s information about vitamins, minerals and nutrition in general is enough to make your head spin. But what can leave experts and the rest of us alike scratching our heads is when a new finding turns “facts” upside down. Is taking a multivitamin good or bad?
A recent study has caused a storm in the health and supplements industries. What was once good has been all but declared... well, not so good or even bad. Both sides of - for or against health supplements - are showing teeth. But the question remains; do you need a multivitamin?
Multivitamins: Yes or No?
Recent headlines have announced studies finding that taking multivitamins may raise health risks and even slightly increase mortality rates, which was of course quite a shock! Before you panic and throw those bottles away, you need some perspective on the studies. First and foremost, when findings from studies conflict with findings from past studies, it does not mean that the most recent studies are right, it means there may have been flaws in the way the study was done and certainly means that more studies are needed for a consensus.
Since the recent studies show possible doubt, some people are advising that people stop the use of a multivitamin until there is clarity. But before you do, I think it is important to get some perspective.
Let’s look at the most recent controversial study known as The Iowa Women’s Health Study, published just this year in the Archives of Internal Medicine. I have read several criticisms of the study, and I after reviewing the study myself, I have not found many of the criticisms to be true. What’s most important in my mind are the bottom line findings.
If you look at the data before adjustments were made for other factors, it looked as though use of most vitamins and minerals was associated with significantly lower rates of mortality. However, the researchers tried to account for things like the fact that most vitamin users also eat healthier or the fact that some people don’t start taking vitamins unless they are diagnosed with a serious illness.
After adjusting for these and other factors like education level, disease diagnosis, use of hormone replacement and other factors like BMI, the study found that multivitamin users had a slightly higher rate of death, 2%, compared to non-multivitamin users. However, this was only in the first time period, in the second two time periods, the multivitamin users actually had lowered rates of death. There were some individual nutrients that users of had consistently lowered rates of death in all three time periods - B complex vitamins, Vitamin C, and calcium.
Based upon these findings, I certainly would not stop using my multivitamins especially when I review other studies such as one called the Landmark Study, which found that people who used multiple dietary supplements had a higher percentage of optimal nutrient levels in their blood, had better disease biomarker levels, and lower rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. See original story
What Can Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Do for Your Health?
When the food on the plate falls short and doesn’t include essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, some of the nutrients many Americans don’t get enough of, a supplement can help take up the nutritional slack. Vitamin and mineral supplements can help prevent deficiencies that can contribute to chronic conditions.
Numerous studies have shown the health benefits and effectiveness of supplementing missing nutrients in the diet. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found increased bone density and reduced fractures in postmenopausal women who took calcium and vitamin D.
Beyond filling in gaps, other studies have demonstrated that supplemental vitamins and minerals can be advantageous. However, the exact benefits are still unclear as researchers continue to unravel the potential health benefits of vitamins and supplements. See original story
Are Vitamin Supplements Really Harmful?
Marilyn: I heard that a study showed that women who regularly take multivitamin supplements have a shorter life expectancy than women who do not. This seems counterintuitive. Do you know any possible reasons? Marilyn responds: I believe the study has no value except perhaps as a demonstration of why many study results should not be taken seriously. This doesn't mean that I think taking supplements is a good practice. It means only that studies are highly dependent on design, statistical models, and much more. In a great many cases, the results are misleading or wrong. See original story
So, is taking a multivitamin good or bad? Asked in another way, do you need a multivitamin? Well, I would agree with one of the assertions above: food first and then supplements. It is the reason they are called supplements. As for taking my multivitamin, I choose to err on the side of continuing to take it daily.
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