Multivitamin researchers say "case is closed" after studies find no health benefits

www.cbsnews.com...

“Enough” with the multivitamins already.

That’s the message from doctors behind three new studies and an editorial that tackled an oft-debated question in medicine: Do daily multivitamins make you healthier?

After reviewing the available evidence and conducting new trials, the authors have come to a conclusion of “no.”

“We believe that the case is closed -- supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful,” concluded the authors of the editorial summarizing the new research papers, published Dec. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.”

They went on to urge consumers to not “waste” their money on multivitamins.

Ugh, really? I take multivitamins and I feel the difference. I'll continue to take them, mainly because I don't eat many veggies or fruits. Although I do try to drink a Green drink now and then.

What say you ATS, multivitamins yay or nay?

If you're deficient, yes.

Doctors wont want to advocate things they can't profit from. They will say stop eating vitamins and then come to us for a pill to fix your deficiency.

An apple a day keeps the doctor poor and broke and he spent 8 years learning how to take dollars out of your wallet, once he realised that healing people was for the birds.

But taking multivits for the sake of it, I don't see the benefits. And you have to remember, that most of the health store products are made by companies with even less morals than the doctors who would give you a pill to stop you eating then give you a pill to help you gain weight.

People are full of money and these guys know how to squeeze it out of them juussst right.

reply to post by Swills


Why do you need multivitamins if you have a balanced diet? People forget how much vitamins are in food. I've done the diet/suppliment thing for sports and for health, and I found if I just eat three really big meals that has a good mixture of everything I am far better off.

What I see is people starving themselves of nutrients (fad dieting) simply to take a multivitamin and think they're healthy, while still downing junk food in between…

reply to post by winofiend


I agree and I would say that many Americans are deficient, our waistbands prove it (except for mine)! Big Pharma makes $ 0.00 profit from multivitamins so I can understand why doctors would not recommend such things. That said, if you're gonna take multivitamins then I would suggest doing some research because as you've said, there are plenty of snake oil salesmen out there.

reply to post by boncho


In America we don't do balanced anything, that goes double for our diets. I suppose I could give up my vitamins for a well balanced diet but that's easier said than done, for me anyway.

reply to post by Swills


They also fail to mention or push the benefits of honey, cinnamon, organic coconut oil, organic apple cider vinegar, black strap molasses....all natural & cheap

Now a days, all 'healthy' *cough cough* meds must come from the pharmaceutical companies...[/sarcasm]
Yeah right

reply to post by Swills


The biggie of "vitamins" is C. Vitamin C is really ascorbic acid, and there isn't enough in multi-vitamins to make a difference. You have to supplement either by several 1000mg tablets a day or by the liquid form written about heavily here on ATS.

The thing these doctors or CBS News isn't telling you is that you have a major genetic disease. Our ability to make ascorbic acid in our bodies broke a long time ago, somewhere around the lemurs. All primates - monkeys and apes - can't make it in their bodies, although we are trying every moment (four of the five steps work, the other one is broken). But everyone else makes it in their bodies every second - fish and plants and birds and mammals and algae and seahorses and cats and on and on, every living thing you see makes Vitamin C within their body. Except for guinea pigs. For some reason guinea pigs broke too, just like us apes.

Vitamin C builds connective tissue, for one thing. Think about that. And all you have to do to "cure" your major genetic disease is to supplement large amounts of Vitamin C. And please don't keep this information to yourself, but pass it on. Thanks.

reply to post by Swills


Its the placebo effect, unless you are nutritionally suppressed it is all in your head (not that it is a bad thing), I'm a strong defender of positive delusions. But it only rational and logical that someone that is well nourished has not real benefits from supplements (of course that it all depends of the supplements and the situation of those taking them). There is also a good understanding on the effects of some vitamins and how they affect aspects of human physiology depending of external and parallel interactions. As a general notion I see nothing to object here...

Panic2k11
reply to post by Swills

 

Its the placebo effect, unless you are nutritionally suppressed it is all in your head (not that it is a bad thing), I'm a strong defender of positive delusions. But it only rational and logical that someone that is well nourished has not real benefits from supplements (of course that it all depends of the supplements and the situation of those taking them). There is also a good understanding on the effects of some vitamins and how they affect aspects of human physiology depending of external and parallel interactions. As a general notion I see nothing to object here...

Except for Vitamin C. You can't get enough vitamin c to really keep you healthy from eating or drinking. The orange juice industry wants you to think you can, and that's why the USDA "suggested" amount is a paltry 60 milligrams a day (this is criminal, it really is) when the body works on all cylinders on several grams a day.

Apparently this story is going to spread and people are going to stop taking megadoses of C, which will make doctors, hospitals, the orange industry, and all the rest of the money-men of big phara, have an extra drink and a "job well done" dinner tonight. Shameful and sad, and imnho, criminal.

personal multi vitamin story here

long story short

I had dry cracking around where my upper and lower lips join (face).

Looked up on the web and learned it to be a possible mineral deficiency.

Popped a multivitamin, which I never do, and the next day the condition was gone.

Coincidence? perhaps

But hang on a second.

For a very long time we've been told that the medical science industry is controlled by pharmaceutical companies that just want you to keep buying products.

And yet now we have THREE studies that say NOT to buy anything at all except healthy food.
And the story is published in the mainstream media.

Where's the conspiracy?
Could it be that pharmaceutical companies DONT have control, and we've been lied to?

Yup,
Keep on taking the mega Vit C
and Folic acid
and B12
and Thiamine (particularly if you drink ETOH)
and Vit D, along with some K2.

add some Magnesium
some KCL if you're on a diuretic
and some Zinc.
Throw in some Turmeric
some Cinnamon

Lots of anti-Doctor sentiment here. Don't understand that. Now Big Pharma and Corporate Hospitals do piss me off.

reply to post by Aleister


Agree vitamin C is exceptionally important, there are others that are important because we do not produce it ourselves (as other non vitamin supplements) even environmental conditions to metabolize them properly is important (sun light, temperature, movement) more than quantity the issue there is constancy of access to resources in any case industrial produced vitamins and supplements should be avoided and one should aim to get all by having good eating habit, the Mediterranean diet is exceptionally good at that, fresh non processed food, natural oils (olive oil is king), sea salt etc...

I never pay attention to any of the latest proclamations from the so-called medial experts.

I have a severe auto-immune disorder. What put it in complete remission were vitamins and supplements, specifically the ones to boost the immune system as well as fight inflammation. I'm a firm believer in them, because the proof is in the pudding.

Don't forget, also, that a lot of the vitamins in our foods (especially the water soluble kinds) leech out of the foods long before they ever get to the store.

Certain drugs will drain your body of vitamins and minerals as well....even cigarette smoking depletes the body of vitamin C.

Our modern food supply and our habits mean that we do need supplements for optimum health. They work great for me, got me off all the pain pills I used to take, so why should I pay attention to what somebody who may not have my best interests at heart says?

reply to post by Swills


The doctors in the article are correct, "well-nourished adults" sure don't need a multivitamin. But only if they are well-nourished.

From eating the terrible average American diet, we are mostly obese and a large and growing percentage of us are both fat and malnourished.

And the only people who are well-nourished are those who can afford to shop at the expensive grocery stores, have the sense to eat a balanced diet, and don't eat what the poor eat.

The rest of us, who aren't well-nourished, will just have to keep making do with a multi-vitamin--or going without health.

Soo much BS if you ask me..

The FDA ridiculously claimed that Yerba Mate, one of the most nutritious herbs on the planet, caused cancer and should be avoided at all costs. When asked how it caused cancer, they said the hot water gives you cancer.. Okay..

Case closed for the mindless drones, maybe, who still think these clowns have any credibility left whatsoever. They are likely mainstream scientists probably paid off and used as mouthpieces by FDA, in my opinion that is.

I'm not buying it.

What vitamins?

What people?

There are no "vitamins," there are supplements with certain ingredients within them and those need to be NAMED not just labeled as "vitamins"! I HATE articles like this which suggest something beyond vague is no good in an effort to paint everything with the brush.

Some supplements are worthless - YES. YES, YES YES some supplements are worthless. Some AMA approved medications are WORTHLESS TOO. Some, not all, and some when not needed as opposed to some when needed. Vitamin C is a "vitamin" and it prevents many issues, are we to read from this article that all vitamin C is worthless? Yes we are, we are supposed to read that from this article.

That said, I would guess that Flintstone chewables are worthless, but the liposomal C I buy is not. I would guess VIOXX is worthless...

These kind of articles are the best form of mind control ever.

If you eat a well balanced diet they may be correct. However most Americans now days don't. If they are not effective why do they prescribe them for pregnant women?

This is all part of Codex Alimentarius. www.codexalimentarius.org...

That's because they can't make any money off it while, at the same time, it means that nutritionally deficient Americans get more of the things that they need and don't need treatment for chronic illnesses down the line.

Any study that even has the slightest hint of medical influence in any way, shape, or form is automatically suspect and should be taken with a grain of salt because the pharmaceutical industry runs the medical establishment, which runs things like this.

Is also well known that the American diet is deficient of key nutrients, between processed foods, GMOs, fast foods and no time to seat and enjoy a fresh meal with fresh ingredients people in America are actually starving from nutrients.

Is been a long fight between researches with big pockets full of big pharma and GMO makers money to get people to stay away from healthy food and supplements because that takes away from their profits.