<p>I think by now every CCer has seen the news that multivitamins are a waste of money. But not every supplement is worthless. This groundbreaking study, recently published in the Medical Journal of Australia, suggests that some supplements are preciousss :</p>
<p>There was an editorial claim to that effect, but it is too complex an issue to be resolved by such a simplistic edict. There are plenty of situations where multivitamins can improve your health.</p>
<p>If I stop taking my multivitamin in the winter, without fail within a week I get sick. Could it be completely unrelated? Sure. But I’ll keep taking the vitamin anyway. I take a joint supplement, too.</p>
<p>I read the actual papers. The only one that would likely interest people is the failure of vitamins related to cognitive decline. In other words, no effect. The rest is about prevention of disease and I hope people don’t think vitamins will prevent heart disease or cancer. </p>
<p>The limitations are clear: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>They haven’t tested Vitamin D in enough detail yet, so feel free to take it if you don’t get much sun and/or are old like me.</p></li>
<li><p>The studies looked at people with good diets. In other words, people who didn’t need to take vitamins. If you have a deficient diet … like if you are vegan or lactose intolerant and avoid dairy, then you could perhaps benefit from calcium and some other stuff. And of course this isn’t about what pregnant women should take, etc. The problem is you don’t know if your diet is deficient. It probably isn’t. You can ask your doctor but you’ll likely get a vague answer. </p></li>
<li><p>As to harm, taking large quantities of nearly any vitamin seems to be bad for you. I remember when all sorts of researchers were taking Vitamin E, some in large dose. Turns out it was actually bad for you to take those quantities. I have a similar issue with taking amino acids: if your body produces x and you take a lot of x, then you may be screwing with your body’s abilities and you may be creating side effects from any shifting of what your body is producing. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>In sum, I’m reminded of the foundations of allopathic medicine: the combatting of illness by the use of remedies that attack symptoms and causes. The problem with vitamins is that for most of us - by far - there is no illness to be combatted. Whatever we produce out of food and sunshine, etc. is what we need. </p>
<p>I have to mention I take the following: a multi-vitamin (because my diet is largely vegetarian and I am lactose intolerant) and Vitamin D (because I’m inside too much). I don’t take very large doses. I also use protein supplements but that’s because I workout hard and lift weight and I’ve found that protein curbs my cravings for protein rich food. But I don’t think most people need extra protein.</p>
<p>I will continue taking a multivitamin. I have low thyroid function, so I want to be sure to get adequate iodine and selenium and other trace minerals that help thyroid function. If I could get a vitamin with just those, but it’s cheaper/easier to just take a multivitamin. I take a relatively large dose of Vitamin D in addition. I’ve had my levels tested and they are right where I would like them to be. I get essentially no vitamin D from sunshine, living in NH.</p>
<p>I have no reason to think that the other stuff in a multivitamin is doing me any harm.</p>
<p>A B complex vitamin helps my fatigue, helps me stay on task. No interest in giving that up. The research on the eye vitamins is positive, as is Vit. D and calcium.</p>
<p>I love how the lead researcher on this “anti-Vitamin Study” is making the media rounds touting how we should all spend our money on “healthy” foods instead. Fine. But, then the guy says… “like low-fat diary”. Which tells me that he really doesn’t have much of a clue about what is healthy or not. I would love him to point to a single study that replacing the fat in diary products makes them more healthy. That’s just the tired old “artery clogging fat” nonsense. So why should I believe that his advice on a daily vitamin supplement is any more valid.</p>
<p>BTW, I’m in the camp that believes a multivitamin is probably a waste of money if you eat a real food diet, especially a real food diet with fat.</p>
<p>Adding a magnesium supplement changed my life. Though it sounds hyperbolic, I thought my aches and stiffness were a function of my age, but 250 mg 2 x per day had me feeling like a new person within 72 hrs. YMMV</p>
<p>I’m not in the must-take multivitamin camp (although I do); however, this yet another study where the blaring headlines don’t match the actual study. </p>
<p>In the actual study of multivitamin usage and coronary health, they did not find a statistically significant benefit after five years. However, they did find an 11% improvement, for those taking multivitamins, in their primary goal (composite of time to death from any cause, heart attack, stroke, coronary revascularization or angina requiring hospitalization).</p>
<p>Also, there was an 18% improvement in the secondary endpoint (composite time to cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke).</p>
<p>These are small improvements, and not statistically significant, but they certainly don’t support the inference of the headlines that the paint multivitamins as completely worthless.</p>
<p>The study wasn’t ideal. They test very low potency vitamins. For example, the vitamin D in the pill they gave was only 100 IU. For comparison, Centrum has 600 IU. I take 6000 IU per day.</p>
<p>In the study, a whopping 46% of the subjects in the vitamin group quit taking them. If there were a statistically significant benefit, that would be less likely to show up with almost half the subjects not taking the pills.</p>
<p>Also, not reported from the study was the clear statement that there were no harmful side effects from taking the multivitamins. Thus, it would appear that the only downside is wasting the cost of cheap pills.</p>
<p>idad, I suspect that a lot of folks who truly need just a few supplemental vitamins, e.g., D, take a multivitamin and think that they got the issue taken care of - “it is a multi-vitamin after all, right?”. Wrong, because they are taking a weakened dose. The money (multi are not expensive but are not that cheap either) should have been better spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>People quit taking vitamins… because people generally dislike taking large, not so tasty pills.</p>
<p>Those Centrums or One-A-Day for old geriatric people like me are nothing compared to washing down four fish oil capsules a day… I just get it over with, twice a day, washed down with psyllium husk fiber dissolved in a shaker jar of water.</p>
<p>I had a “duh” moment when I realized that switching to kosher salt because it’s “better” probably left me with little or no iodine in my diet. I switched back to plain old Morton’s iodized salt.</p>
<p>I do know that the 600 IU of Vitamin D in these things isn’t close to what it take to get me up to recommended levels.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to sound like a total moron here, but who takes multivitamins to prevent cancer?</p>
<p>I take one to get iron (I’m a vegetarian and a regular blood donor), Vitamin D, trace minerals, and calcium (for my bones). I’m not trying to unclog my arteries.</p>
<p>I am not stopping my multivitamins, there are lots of various studies, cannot listen to every one, have to go with your experience. My personal experience tells me DO NOT stop. The only supplement I am taking is Q10. I learned that brand is important for this one. I am taking it because my energy level is low without it. But not all brands were helpful. I am sticking to the brand that helps me, I will not listen to anybody for this one either. One of my friend (medical proffesional) told me that exercise is not good for me, I also ignored her.<br>
If you listen to everybody, that is sure way to get into trouble. Listen to your own body, it will tell you much more than any MD could.</p>
<p>Aries, I bet you will be better off taking just an iron pill, because the amounts of iron that actually gets absorbed into your body are quite inadequate in a multivitamin. Do talk to your doc and get a blood test - you might not even need it if you are not anemic.</p>
I just get it over with, twice a day, washed down with psyllium husk fiber dissolved in a shaker jar of water.</p>