It’s a hotly debated question among health researchers. New studies come out every year but we don’t seem to be getting any closer to a definitive answer. About half the studies show that people who take vitamins are healthier and the other half find that taking vitamins makes no difference…or, in a few cases, actually make things worse. I have to admit that I’ve held, at various times in my career, different views on the question.
(See also this Nutrition Diva podcast episode on Multivitamins.)
We know that the nutrients in food play important roles in keeping us healthy. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis, folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, antioxidants repair cellular damage, and so on down an ever expanding list of nutrients and co-factors. It seems like supplementing an (imperfect) diet with additional nutrients is a reasonable way to make sure we’ve got our bases covered.
If we’re talking about a 25¢ one-a-day multivitamin, I guess the vitamin as insurance policy makes sense. But it’s gotten way more complicated than that. For one thing, the list of “basic” nutrients gets longer and longer. A multivitamin used to involve 15 or so nutrients (A, B, C, D, E, and a few minerals.) Now, a typical multi boasts several dozen compounds, from astaxanthan to vanadium. But it’s still not truly complete. Next to it on the shelf you’ll find the anti-oxidant booster, the bone health formula, the immune booster, plus the the formulas for your eyes, skin, nails, hair, memory, joints, and prostate. Before you know it, you’re forking out a couple hundred bucks and month and swallowing a fistful of vitamins every day. But are you getting your money’s worth?
Continue reading “Will Taking Vitamins Improve Your Health?”