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Vitamin and Supplement Series: Multivitamins

Over the counter vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements are a billion dollar industry. It is one of the most common areas I receive questions about…should I be taking any supplements? Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share some tips on dietary supplements. I will discuss the supplements, potential health benefits, safety issues, and whether this supplement is right for you or not.

I’ll start with the most common vitamin supplement available: multi-vitamins. An estimated one-third of the population takes a multi-vitamin. Almost $37 billion was spent on multi-vitamins alone in 2014 accounting for about 40% of all vitamin and mineral sales. It is clearly a popular pill, but is all that money worth it? Does a multi-vitamin actually improve your health?

Let’s start by discussing the different types of multi-vitamins. There are the basic, daily multi-vitamins which are to be taken once a day. These multis are designed to closely meet the adequate intakes (AI), recommended dietary allowances (RDA), or daily values (DV) of the vitamins in the pill. These are the more common types. Another type of multi is a more specialized version of the basic multi-vitamin. These are the kinds that are marketed for specific conditions or goals like weight control, menopause, or improved immune function. They may contain additional vitamins and minerals meant to treat the condition and some vitamins may be above their AI, RDA, DV, or tolerable upper intake level (UL).

Multi-vitamins are taken for a few different reasons: to improve health, increase nutrient intake, or prevent chronic disease. Taking a multi-vitamin will certainly increase your nutrient intake, but that may not be necessary. Research has shown that people who take multi-vitamins generally meet most of their daily nutrient requirements through food alone. A person who takes a multi-vitamin is likely already health conscious and eats better than a less healthy person. Therefore they are getting a more balanced, nutrient-rich diet to begin with and the multi-vitamin doesn’t add anything. Certain people may be deficient in specific nutrients due to their food intake and may need to supplement that specific vitamin. For example, a vegan may not be getting enough iron from the diet and may need an additional iron supplement, depending on what they are eating.

Studies that look into multi-vitamin use and their potential to decrease cancer or chronic disease risk are conflicting. The majority of them do not find any significant benefit or decreased risk of disease with use of a multi-vitamin. The National Institutes of Health in 2006 concluded that "the present evidence is insufficient to recommend either for or against the use of MVMs by the American public to prevent chronic disease.”

Lastly, is a multivitamin safe? A basic multi-vitamin poses no safety risk to healthy people. However, if someone is taking additional supplements, fortified foods, or special multi-vitamins with increased levels of vitamins, adverse effects may occur. Pregnant woman should consult their doctor before taking any vitamins, especially Vitamin A which can increase risk of birth defects. Vitamin A and beta-carotene can also pose a risk for past and current smokers. Several studies have linked high vitamin A and beta-carotene intake to an increased risk of lung cancer.

Multi-vitamins are a generally safe and inexpensive vitamin. If you eat a well-balanced diet, a multi-vitamin is a waste of money. Unless you have specific conditions or limit certain foods, there is no need for the extra nutrients. The vote for multi-vitamins is no.

If there is a specific supplements, vitamin, mineral, or herb you would like me to discuss in the series, please email me at: [email protected].

*Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-HealthProfessional/#h3