Are multivitamin supplements worth it?
I set off to discover whether the $25 bottle on my desk actually does anything. (spoiler alert: not that much)
The human diet requires both macronutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
While macronutrients provide the main source of calories, micronutrients are required for developmental processes. They are required only in a small amount, but they have a profound impact on health and are vital to body development. (severe deficiencies can lead to things like scurvy)
Because of this, it’s easy to perceive the multivitamin supplement as a sort of futuristic wonder pill: you pop it in and off you go.
Just listen to some of the claims I found on Amazon:
Though the full list of benefits is too extensive to detail, some of the health benefits associated with the 26 essential active multivitamins & minerals are reduction of tiredness & fatigue; maintenance of normal immunity; maintenance of normal bones, teeth, hair and skin; and maintenance of normal muscle function.
This one is the best 🥇:
Easy-Swallow small disc-shaped tablets (just 9mm) so much easier to take compared to traditional large brown smelly torpedo multivitamin tablets that get stuck in the throat. Ideal for people who don't like taking tablets.
A survey from 2011 showed about 30% of the population in the USA is using a multivitamin supplement.
I set off to discover whether the $25 bottle on my desk actually does anything. (spoiler alert: not that much)
I’ll use MVSM as an acronym for multivitamin supplements to save you some scrolling throughout this.
Study limitations
We’re bumping in the same limitations as the BCAA edition: inconsistent definitions and blends. A multivitamin supplement can range anywhere between 3 vitamins all the way to broad-spectrum products with more than two dozen components.
Dietary supplements are regulated as foods, not as pharmaceuticals, by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the EU. The FDA does not review multivitamin supplements before they are marketed.
According to the EU General Food Law Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, food supplements are considered as foodstuffs. Responsibility for the safety of these products lies with the food business operator placing the product on the market.
The third limitation: the person on the other end of the line. Age, the presence of chronic diseases, genetics and many others weigh in to answer the question: is this good for me? Generic statements like: “everyone is better off because of this” are hard to give at a general population level in the case of multivitamin supplements because most of the benefits are:
subjective: increased well-being and energy
or preventive: if you take this, you might get sick of this other disease
Another challenge is selection bias: health-conscious people who take supplements are also the ones most likely to have a nutrient-rich diet already.
Findings
There is a correlation between micronutrient intake and socioeconomic status. Adults in higher income brackets had less chance of inadequate micronutrient nutrient intake compared to those in lower income brackets.
For individuals at risk of inadequate consumption, dietary supplements may be used to fill gaps in nutrient intake without increasing caloric intake. If you live in the modern world and shop in a supermarket, a lot of foods are fortified with vitamins already.
There are no major safety concerns associated with the long-term use of broad-spectrum MVMS because their use does not significantly increase the risk of exceeding the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). In vulnerable subgroups (children and older adults who are already taking multiple dietary supplements), exceeding the UL should be more of a consideration.
There is insufficient evidence to recommend using a MVMS in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease or overall mortality. In some cases, over-supplementation of certain micronutrients has been found to exacerbate the effects of chronic diseases.
If they don’t work, why would so many people use them?
The belief in the use of vitamins has deep roots. The immense benefits of vitamins in preventing diseases caused by a lack of micronutrients (pellagra, rickets and scurvy) in a period where mineral deficiencies were common gave a halo effect to these drugs.
Before the 1990s, scientists like Linus Pauling advocated for certain vitamins and their role in preventing diseases like cancer. Even though those studies caused controversies, the highly publicised comments still linger in the media and in people’s minds.
Unlike drugs, supplements do not need human research to prove that they are safe or effective. Only if the Food and Drug Administration finds them unsafe can they stop the distribution of the products. Because it seems like MVMS are net neutral (with some exceptions), they are perceived as useful only because they are not harmful.
It’s easy to spin high-level claims into inaccurate or misleading advertising by wrapping them up in words that people think they know what they mean: metabolism, immune system, normal cognitive functions.
It gives the perception of taking an active role in your health and longevity with minimum effort. From scrolling through the top 20 results in Amazon for multivitamin supplements, one of the first 3 listed benefits was convenience.
Conclusion
If you eat Oreos all day, every day, a multivitamin supplement might not be that bad for you. (although Oreos are made with enriched flour, so even that is fortified)
However, the studies suggest that you’d be better off taking the $25 dollars you’d spend on it and buying a bunch of vegetables.
I did see people suggest that they take it for “peace of mind” rather than expect a clear benefit from them just to cover their bases. If that’s you and money is not a factor, the studies researched for this edition do not point towards side effects. (the only ones I’ve seen discussed had to do with light stomach aches and potentially an increased instance of rashes)
This article does not suggest that supplements in themselves don’t work, but rather that knowing what to supplement with cannot be outsourced to a multivitamin pill, but needs to be tailored to the individual person at the specific stage in their life.
Sources
I am not a doctor and this does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with a qualified professional.