One in three adults regularly drinks a multivitamin, a supplement that contains several vitamins and minerals. One popular formula is a "broad spectrum" multivitamin, that is, a formula that contains all or most vitamins and minerals in amounts that do not exceed the recommended daily values for these nutrients.And if they're part of your morning routine or you're wondering whether you should start doing them for the sake of your health, you've come to the right place. In this article, you'll learn why they're so popular, what the research actually says about their wellness-boosting properties, and whether you should get one or skip it!
The claim about multivitamins
People have their own reasons for taking a multivitamin, whether that is to increase intake of certain nutrients, ensure they get what they need through their diet, to improve their health or to help with disease prevent.
One thought is that taking extra vitamins and minerals - which are important for the body's functioning - in capsule form could serve as protection if you don't get those nutrients through whole foods. "It is reasonable to think that important vitamins and minerals could be extracted from fruits and vegetables and packaged into a pill, and that people could avoid the difficulty and expense of maintaining a balanced diet," the authors of an editorial article JAMA.
And that may be why many people turn to multivitamins. One study found that 92 percent of people who take supplements say they are essential to their health.More specifically, people report using them to fill nutritional gaps in their diet, optimize their well-being, and support their immune function.But are these assumptions valid? What does the research show?
The scientific research into multivitamins
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) analyzed available data on whether multivitamins can help prevent heart disease or cancer. Their conclusion? There isn't enough evidence to suggest they help, and not enough data to weigh the benefits against the harms to make a recommendation either way.
In the USPSTF meta-analysis published in JAMA which looked at 84 studies of multivitamin use, researchers concluded there was "little or no benefit" for the prevention of cancer, heart disease and death - in some cases even beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) actually increased lung cancer in those who were at high risk for the disease.
Although research shows that diets that include fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, there is no clear evidence that packing vitamins into a pill helps prevent these chronic diseases, says Jenny Jia, MD, instructor of medicine and medicine. preventive medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, and one of the co-authors of the JAMA above-mentioned editorial.
Another sticking point, says Dr. Jia, is that the available research on multivitamins and health outcomes does not include a diverse group of people. People who participate in vitamin studies tend to be those who are motivated to be healthy, she says. "They have adopted healthy patterns, such as eating more fruits and vegetables. There are certainly certain gaps in the current research that we have," says Jia. Would the outcome be different - could we see a benefit - if more diverse study participants from different socio-economic backgrounds were included? Without that data it's hard to say.
There is one important time when a multivitamin is needed: if you are considering or trying to become pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says pregnant people need folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, choline, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and vitamin C.You want to get these through food, but a prenatal pregnancy ensures you get what you need to be healthy during pregnancy. Because you are unlikely to get the amount of folic acid you need, which reduces the risk of neural tube defects, prenatal treatment is recommended.
So, should you take a multivitamin?
There is no good evidence that multivitamins are universally useful. "To my knowledge, the preponderance of data does not support an overall benefit of multivitamin supplements for the general population," said Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, senior scientist and Gershoff Professor at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
That means not everyone needs one, but they do you? The diet you eat and the supplements you take is solely your choice. If, after evaluating exactly why you want to take one and weighing the pros and cons, you decide that you are going to take a multivitamin, you absolutely can do so. In that case, Dr. Lichtenstein to find a product that contains no more than 100 percent of the RDA of each of the nutrients in the formula. In addition, she recommends looking for a product that has been third-party certified by an organization like USP, which indicates that the ingredients on the label are in the product, that it does not contain harmful levels of contaminants and is made in a safe and hygienic environment.
Plus, a multivitamin can't cover all your nutritional bases. "If the decision is made to rely on a multivitamin supplement, it is important to know that not all of the nutritional components associated with positive health outcomes are in the pills," says Lichtenstein. "This includes fiber and thousands of other compounds, known as phytochemicals, that we get from food and whose biological actions have yet to be identified or established," she says.
Food contains a matrix of important nutrients and compounds and can support our health in important ways that we are not yet aware of. So you cannot rely on a multivitamin to contain everything you need to be healthy. Lichtenstein points to a 2021 American Heart Association scientific statement she co-authored that clearly lays out the elements of a diet that promotes cardiovascular health:
- Eat the amount of calories that promotes a healthy body weight (this varies by person, and a registered dietitian can help you determine your optimal caloric intake)
- Eat fruits and vegetables
- Eat whole grains
- Eat healthy sources of protein, including plant-based proteins, fish and seafood, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and lean meats
- Use liquid vegetable oils and avoid tropical oils and partially hydrogenated fats
- Choose minimally processed foods
- Minimize added sugars
- Prepare food with little or no salt
- If you don't drink alcohol, don't start; If you do, limit your intake
And yes, that's more steps than taking a pill, but there's good evidence behind establishing those habits for disease prevention, but the same can't be said for a multi. Other lifestyle habits, such as exercise, also protect against disease.
Think about why you are considering taking a multi. "Are you trying to live a long and healthy life? If so, we have a number of evidence-based practices known to help prevent heart disease, such as not using tobacco, drinking alcohol in moderation or less, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly and eating of a healthy diet," says Jia. "We have more evidence for these healthy lifestyle behaviors than multivitamins," says Jia.
The takeaway
Multivitamins are among the most popular supplements for adults. Despite popular belief, there is no good evidence that multivitamins prevent disease. Those who want to become pregnant or are pregnant should take a prenatal supplement, a type of multivitamin.
