After three new studies were published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the research findings suggest that multivitamins aren’t as beneficial as people thought. Dr. Edgar Miller, editorial co-author and professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, stated that people would be better off spending money on healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low-fat dairy, and exercise.
In light of the “sobering evidence” of no health benefits, US adults are spending more and more on multivitamins. Each year US consumers spend over $28 billion a year on supplements alone.
The first research was a 12 year study that consisted of 6000 male doctors 65 years old or older, who were randomly chosen to either take a daily multivitamin or a placebo pill. The data showed that the long-term use of a daily multivitamin did not provide cognitive benefits.
Another research was conducted to see if the use of vitamin and mineral supplements would help prevent heart disease and cancer. The researchers concluded that there was “limited evidence” to justify that regular supplementation of vitamins and minerals would help prevent cancer and heart disease. Researchers also found that the supplement beta-carotene actually increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
A third research studied over 1700 patients who were recruited at least 6 weeks after a heart attack. These patients were randomly chosen to take a high dose of multivitamins and minerals, or placebo pills for 5 years. Once the data was collected there was no difference in chest pain, another stroke, need for hospitalization, or early death between the two groups taking the multivitamins and the placebo pills.
The authors of the studies note that the result of each study should be treated with caution because not all participants took the pills as directed.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), representing the supplement industry, was not shy to object to these new findings. The CRN says that the studies fail to see “real life,” and assumes that people are all eating healthy and getting everything from food alone.
