Keep your cash.
The science is in — and those who make a living selling vitamins and mineral supplements for the supposed health benefits of these products should be shaking in their boots.
Many of these vitamin supplements do little other than create very pricey urine, to put it bluntly.
“We were surprised to find so few positive effects of the most common supplements that people consume,” said Dr. David Jenkins, lead author of a new study, in a statement. “Our review found that if you want to use multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium or vitamin C, it does no harm — but there is no apparent advantage, either.”
The most common supplements — multivitamins, vitamin D, vitamin C, and calcium (a mineral) — won’t give you any advantage in preventing cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, or premature death, according to research published earlier this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
On the plus side, they’re also not ordinarily going to hurt you, either, the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital-based researchers concluded.
It’s important to note a couple of exceptions to this general rule, however.
The first exception, a positive, is for folic acid (Vitamin B9) alone and B vitamins that contained folic acid. There is evidence to suggest that folic acid plays a role in reducing risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers noted, though, that the preventive effect they found for folic acid was based largely on a study done in China — and China’s lack of folic acid fortification could explain the finding. In the United States, folic acid fortification of all enriched grain products is mandatory.
The second exception, a negative, is for antioxidant mixtures and niacin (vitamin B3) supplements. The researchers concluded that use of these supplements showed a “marginally significant increase all-cause mortality.”
The researchers examined data across a number of studies published between 2012 and 2017. They reviewed A, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folic acid), C, D and E; and beta carotene; calcium; iron; zinc; magnesium; and selenium, according to a press release from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
The researchers recommend an increased focus on maintaining a healthy diet and ramping up consumption of vitamin and mineral-rich, plant-based foods.
Globally, the dietary supplement industry is a $121.2 billion business, according to New Hope Network, to which the National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) refers. One in three dollars spent on supplements — or $40.5 billion — is spent by American consumers.
ODS offers the following caution for consumers of dietary supplements: “Supplements should not replace prescribed medications or the variety of foods important to a healthful diet.”
Related: Vitamins and Minerals: What You Need, How to Get Them
It added, “Dietary supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions.”
These findings, of course, should never replace a physician’s advice. Jenkins, the study’s lead author, encouraged patients to always consult with their physicians, especially if they are suffering from specific nutritional deficiencies, in StudyFinds.
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.