Do multivitamins really help?
Looking to get healthy or stay healthy, about one-third of Americans take multivitamins, according to the National Institutes of Health. Americans spend upwards of $30 billion on vitamins, supplements and other wellness products annually.
For most people taking a multivitamin “is like an insurance policy,” said William J. McCarthy, adjunct professor of health policy at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “Like most insurance, taking a multivitamin will be a waste of money for most people, but the minority will benefit greatly.”
Pregnant women and smokers are two categories of people who do benefit from taking a multivitamin, he said.
“Most people get the vitamins and nutrients they need through their diet. Multivitamins are gilding the lily,” McCarthy said.
Others who benefit include those who do not eat a healthy diet, such as some children or college students living away from home, seniors, people who are on a reduced calorie diet and people with certain health conditions, said Sonya Angelone, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Multivitamins may not be a ticket to good health, but they can help fill in nutritional gaps for people who don't get what they need from the food they eat or for vitamins we cannot get from food, said Liz Weinandy, lead outpatient dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
“For example, many people who live in northern climates with longer winters don't get enough vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, so a multivitamin can help get people there,” she said.
Expensive doesn't mean better when shopping for a multivitamin.
Go with a known brand and look for the “USP” (United States Pharmacopeia) or “NSF” (National Science Foundation) label, which shows they have been third party tested, Weinandy said.
“This means an outside company tests the vitamin to make sure what is in the supplement is what is on the label. It also makes sure there are not contaminants in the supplement like lead or other unwanted substances,” she said.
A registered dietitian nutritionist can help a person decide whether and what type of supplements are needed, including whether you would benefit from a multivitamin, Angelone said.
Do not take mega doses of supplements unless directed to by a licensed health care provider. Large doses of supplements can be more dangerous than not enough, Weinandy said.
“I frequently see people take mega doses of supplements because they think if a little is good, then more is better,” she said. “Many people don't realize there is a lot of harm in doing this. For example, too many omega-3 supplements can have a blood thinning effect. While this is good to an extent and can help prevent stroke risk, it can also be dangerous if the effect is too great.”
To stay healthy, try to eat a balanced, whole foods diet.
“Aim to eat from all five food groups: fruits, veggies, starches, proteins and dairy each day,” Weinandy said. “If we can get mostly wholesome foods from each food group daily, chances we are going to be meeting most of our needs.”
Go to choosemyplate. gov for a helpful visual guide and try some of Angelone's healthy tips:
• Eat regular meals.
• Try intermittent fasting (eating within a certain window of time such as eight to 12 hours, only with physician approval).
• Drink at least eight cups of clean water a day.
• Eat plenty of produce (five or more servings per day, or two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables per day). • Limit added sugars. • Eat minimally processed foods and fewer overly processed foods.