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The Multivitamin BS is Exposed

49 Replies

A new study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that multivitamins consumed by older women do not increase lifespan. In fact, some supplements were shown to slightly increase mortality. Close to 40,000 women were followed over the course of 25 years in what is known as the “Iowa Study”.

The survey asked about use of multivitamins, vitamins A, C, D and E as well as beta-carotene, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc. For the most part, there was no difference between women who used supplements and those who did not. For calcium use, there was a slight increase in lifespan, but for iron there was a slight increase in mortality.

The $20 billion supplement industry did not wait even a minute for the ink to dry in order to refute the study:

“This study, however, is quite limited in scope; the data is observational and self-reported so contributing factors are not addressed. Subsequently, the authors cannot conclude any cause and effect and there is no reason why women should change what they’re doing based on this report.”

What do we learn from this?

The supplement industry is huge and plays off of our fears: We know that our diet is not good. We know we need more vitamins and minerals. Isn’t it great to take a daily pill or two or ten as insurance?

Well, maybe some people do need to supplement. Pregnant women need more folate. People with certain deficiencies need to take a pill. But for the most part, healthy people need to get their nutrients from real food not a magic pill.

What about you? Do you take a daily multivitamin? Why?

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  • Danapopham

    thats why I eat whole food juice plus+ on top of healthy diet rich in fruit and veg.

  • Gerome

    One study. What does one study equal? (Go on, I’ll wait.) Dr. Oz will be all over this.

    • Climb4time

      Dr Oz is already all over it. He had a vitamin thing last week. :D

  • JR24

    Wow, harsh title!  I think you need to concentrate on the BS of the supplement industry as a whole, NOT just multivitamins!  Multivitamins are pretty inexpensive (as long as you’re not buying into the super expensive ones that claim to be ‘better’).

    You quoted the study as saying that multivitamins do not increase lifespan.  Were they ever purported to do so?  Multivitamins help our bodies in the ‘now’.  I would much rather ‘insure’ my eating habits are rounded out a bit with a multivitamin, especially if I’m going to live the same number of years whether I take it or not?  Fine.  I’ll take it anyway.

    You really need to concentrate on the supplement industry as a whole- like the companies who offer each vitamin individually, in the maximum RDI or even TUL amounts.  This is where the danger lies.  Or the companies who push protein, protein, protein, when you dont need it (especially when its SO expensive!) because you can easily get it in food sources (getting ALL the vitamins and minerals are a little more difficult to get everyday, however protein is easy!).

  • Gerome

    One more remark: you say that maybe pregnant women should take folate. Why? Has it been proven to increase lifespan? That seems to be the only measure that this study or the review of it cares about. It’s not always about living longer.

    How about eye health? Beta-carotene may not add a day to my life, but could help keep me from bumping into the furniture.

    • http://laruse.wordpress.com/ Kim

      Pregnant women with a typical, even healthy American diet, need folate to guard against birth defects in their unborn; specifically spinal bifidus.

      • Gerome

        Kim and JR 24. Sorry, I was confusing. My point was that the study looked at longevity only and vitamins and mineral contribute to health in exactly the ways you have noted. Yes, of course expecting moms should take folate. My point was that if we used the measure of this piece of research, you should not take folate because it does not contribute to longer life… except oh, wait, it does other really important things that contribute to heath. That’s all.

        • JR24

          Ha, sorry Gerome I didnt read your post correctly : )  I see it now, when I re-read it : )   And yes, you are entirely correct!

    • JR24

      Pregnant women need to take folate because it their diet is lacking in folic acid (think leafy green vegetables) their child wont fully develop neurologically.  This could mean decreased IQ, or even mental retardation.

  • Gerome

    One more remark: you say that maybe pregnant women should take folate. Why? Has it been proven to increase lifespan? That seems to be the only measure that this study or the review of it cares about. It’s not always about living longer.

    How about eye health? Beta-carotene may not add a day to my life, but could help keep me from bumping into the furniture.

  • Gerome

    One more remark: you say that maybe pregnant women should take folate. Why? Has it been proven to increase lifespan? That seems to be the only measure that this study or the review of it cares about. It’s not always about living longer.

    How about eye health? Beta-carotene may not add a day to my life, but could help keep me from bumping into the furniture.

  • Kath

    I would like to know who funded the study. Could it have been a pharmaceutical company? Also, what kind of vitamins were used? I take vitamins and minerals that are made from food.

    • Thedecadeofshe

      The National Cancer Institute was the primary funding source for this study.  Why would a pharma company fund a study like this?

  • Kath

    I would like to know who funded the study. Could it have been a pharmaceutical company? Also, what kind of vitamins were used? I take vitamins and minerals that are made from food.

  • Kath

    I would like to know who funded the study. Could it have been a pharmaceutical company? Also, what kind of vitamins were used? I take vitamins and minerals that are made from food.

  • gwellness

    A Cross-Sectional Study done by Gladys Block at UC Berekley (and others) proved that taking Shaklee supplements you were more likely to have optimal
    concentrations of chronic disease-related biomarkers, and less likely
    to have suboptimal blood nutrient concentrations, elevated blood
    pressure, and diabetes compared to non-users and multivitamin/mineral
    users. See http://www.landmarkstudy.com for details

  • Dr. Rebekah

    Of course I take a multivitamin/multimineral supplement, one that is whole-food based and not synthetic. Why? Because have you seen the FOOD industry lately!?!? There’s so little vitamin/mineral content in the food due to farming practices for quantity over quality! So I choose to SUPPLEMENT (not take the place of) my healthy diet with foods raised with stricter-than-California organic standards, processed with GMP at stricter-than-pharmaceutical standards into a good quality, relatively low cost pill to maintain and possibly increase my health! Note: I don’t take a multi to prolong my life…I take it to enhance it. Maybe that’s part of the problem with the study???

    • Christa

       I couldn’t agree more with this post; I believe there are big differences between the synthetic, isolated ascorbic acid made in a lab and the Vitamin C I get from carrots in my whole food supplement.

    • http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com Nancy – The Frugal Dietitian

      Couldn’t disagree more!!!

    • Thing

      So hang on- the food you eat (which you can see and choose yourself) is nutritionally inferior, so you take the processed version of that same food (which you can’t see the ingredients of) instead? How does that make sense?

      Even if it’s organic- (a) organic veg are also grown for quantity over quality (b) why can’t you just eat the veg? and (c) do you honestly believe they would put the best, easiest to sell organic produce into pills when it’s as easy to put the not-so-nice stuff?

      Where’s the evidence that modern fruit and veg don’t have enough vitamins and minerals anyway?

  • Wendy

    NutritionFacts.org just blogged about multivitamins and mortality: http://nutritionfacts.org/?p=4597 (NF is non-commercial and completely science-based)

  • http://www.awakenedwellness.com Rachel Assuncao

    Just because one study says that multivitamins don’t increase lifespan doesn’t mean that we should all give up on taking them.  As has been suggested already by other comments below, whether or not something extends life as the only measure of importance is a very limited scope.

    Scientific study is showing over and over the importance of a variety of vitamins and minerals to ensure that we are as healthy as possible for the duration of our lives.  For example, more and more studies are showing the importance of vitamin D for cancer prevention, bone density, general health through an improved immune system and many more things.  For many of us who work office jobs and live in northern climates, taking a good quality vitamin D supplement is the only way to ensure we’re getting an adequate dose.

    For me, it would be interesting to examine the benefits of whole food vitamins vs. synthetic vitamins – is there truly a difference?  Many studies suggest that there are, but they are often sponsored by the vitamin companies themselves.

    • http://onestaorganics.com Heidi

      Many of the studies showing differences between synthetic/isolated and whole nutrients come from patients via MDs.  E.g., calcium deposits caused by excess isolated Ca intake; while excess Ca from foods is excreted, the other form isn’t as easily and is therefore deposited in the body where it doesn’t belong.  Or the recent study on > 35K men which found that isolated vitamin E wasn’t beneficial at all for prostate health (it rather seemed to increase prostate cancer).

      Many vitamins in pills are genetically engineered.  And made abroad in countries with low regulatory oversight.  Synthetic vitamins are often made using toxic chemicals which can remain in the end product.  Synthetic isolated vitamins lack synergistically acting nutrients which are normally present in food.  This makes isolates very potent and can result in exaggerated, no or opposite results than those achieved by food nutrients.

  • http://www.facebook.com/SuddenlySlim Amy Thomas Polk

    Yes, I take a daily supplement.  I know my diet isn’t always perfect and I believe its practically impossible to absorb the vitamins and minerals my body needs from my daily food intake. Additionally, the supplement I take is formulated for women and helps with  balancing female hormones, menstrual problems, and reduces symptoms of PMS.

  • http://twitter.com/Miss_Ash_of_PP PerilouslyPrecocious

    The study doesn’t show that the supplements increase or decrease mortality – but that there is a correlation.  Which could mean anything. 

    Pregnant women need to have been taking folate from before they were pregnant in order to prevent nervous system diseases in the fetus… not just while they’re pregnant.

    And while I don’t take supplements every day, I do take individual vitamins as needed.  It’s important to be familiar with your body and its nutritional needs, and sometimes it’s good to dose up on certain vitamins.  For instance, taking Vitamin D when the days get shorter helps me with my mood and protects me through the flu season. 

    Also, my child has ADD/ADHD and taking zinc, omegas, and a multivitamin every day seems to be helping. His body may not absorb those vitamins easily and readily, and he’s improved a lot having those extra nutrients in his body.

  • Turtle

    I read an independent 20 year study on Vitamins conducted free of any corporate ties. The research was done in-spite of continuous threats from a cretin giant Pill dispensing corporation who eventually succeeded in keeping the information from going public by closing down the who operation rendering all involved unemployed and blackballed from further research/work….Some of this research in now on line on various sites/blogs. “Do your own research before blindly putting anything into your body”          

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    I’m recently starting to supplement more and educate myself on them – the fillers, capsules, etc. Much like the food industry, it’s filled with a bunch of hype and marketing claims that you gotta wade through. 

  • Thing

    Why is it that everyone recognises that a pharmacy company has an interest in promoting their various drugs, but people seem to be slower to see that they would also have an interest in promoting their vitamins? Bayer and Pfizer sell these too, and they love products that people have to take every day for the rest of their lives. Who wouldn’t?

    Big Pharma wants you to take vitamins every day, they have no interest in disproving this stuff. Bayer’s got in trouble before for claiming their vitamin pills protected against prostate cancer- they’d love a study with positive results. http://www.bnet.com/blog/drug-business/cspi-bayer-falsely-claimed-one-a-day-vitamins-prevent-prostate-cancer/1918

    As we’ve seen again and again, there’s more money to be made out of pills/supplements and promoting dairy etc than in telling people to go eat more vegetables.

    The evidence has been mounting for quite a while on this, that most of the vitamins currently sold have little evidence of benefit and some have evidence of harm.
    Other studies have found an increase in mortality with some of the antioxidant vitamins, for example, though not when eaten in food rather than taken in supplements.
    Get your vitamins from fruit and vegetables- it’s cheaper (speaking as a starving college student), and it’s better for you. I take a calcium/vit d supplement when I remember to, since it’s one of the few out there with any evidence.

    • http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com Nancy – The Frugal Dietitian

      Big Pharma has a say BUT the dietary supplement industry and “crazy” promotions and claims are more of an issue!! We need to change the DSHEA for proper regulation.

  • http://onestaorganics.com Heidi

    No, we don’t take multivitamins.

    We take and give to our pets select whole food supplements. I need to mention that we all eat a very rounded healthy diet (mainly organic, raw, fermented, and adjusted to species and individual needs). The supplements I give/take are whole and treated as foods without the use of toxic chemicals which may remain in the end product. However, the majority of supplements we give/take are real foods (such as seaweeds or spices).  Currently, most commercial vitamin supplements are synthetic and vitamins & minerals are isolated to such degree that they may work more as drugs than food nutrients. I believe that this can be a problem, and there is evidence to support this. 

    I have fed many pets over the decades.  Initially I used foods that were recommended by the ‘experts’ (mediocre low quality, highly processed ‘food ingredients’ that are supplemented with isolated & synthetic minerals & vitamins).  Later I fed exclusively real food (mainly raw, whole, organic,…) without the ready-made vitamin-mineral supplementation. The animals on the latter diets lived healthier lives that were at least as long as the lives of the pets that were fed the supplemented ‘balanced’ diet; these real food eating animals also usually died in a much more gentle way instead of in a struggle after getting chronically sick.

    Using select supplementation with high quality whole food nutrients which are adjusted to the individual’s need, in addition to real food nutrition absolutely has proven best in our home.  I think the key for us is that we are able to select a wide range of real unprocessed foods to provide us with real nutrients.

    I am grateful that we don’t depend on isolated synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements to sustain life.  I think the willingness (and maybe ability) to prepare food at home from scratch has a lot to do with healthy nutrition. I doubt that supplements alone (even the whole food pill versions we occasionally use) can sustain health if a body receives predominantly overly processed low quality foods.

  • trishbme

    Nope!  Never have, never will!

  • Anonymous

    Big pharma profits down, no new drugs in
    the pipeline, running out of people to over medicate, time to attack
    vitamins! The bottom line.This study is a classic example of scientific reductionism being used
    to fulfil a particular need. In this case, it’s supplement bashing, a
    well-known preoccupation of Big Pharma. 
     

    • Thing

      Big Pharma make the kind of supplements studied here, they wouldn’t want to bash them. Bad for their bottom line.

      • http://onestaorganics.com heidi

        I may be wrong, but I think I remember reading that big pharma has started selling supplements as well as it is a great (additional) market.

  • Anonymous

    What if I take 38,772 older women in Iowa, and ask them to self report how often they paid attention to observational studies about health topics. Bet I could find a link between early mortality and those who often read such studies. 

  • kg

    amen!

  • http://www.theprofessionalpalate.com Regan @The Professional Palate

    I have always taken a multi, as well as a few extra supplements. This study really made me stop and think. I certainly ground my diet in a healthful approach to eating, but have always viewed a multi as a little extra insurance. Now, I’m really questioning this notion… 

  • Geri

    Let’s be clear here folks. There are only 20, maybe 30 actual vitamins. Do we need to supplement daily? Maybe…maybe not. Most folks don’t have a clue what they are taking or why they are taking it. But there are 100′s of “supplements” or nutrients that I use every day in my clinical nutrition practice that are vital to helping people attain and maintain optimal health without the need for pharmaceuticals. Drug store and “big box” store vitamins are a waste of money and may in fact, do more harm than good. In this case, you get what you pay for.

  • http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com Nancy – The Frugal Dietitian

    Another troubling vitamin in the vitamin supplements people take is folic acid (folate).  There appears to be an increase in colon polyps with intake which MAY increase colon cancer.  More research needed. Our foods are already fortified with folic acid for a select population – childbearing women to decrease neural tube defects. SUCCESS!  But could we be putting another population, everyone else, in jeopardy?

    Folic acid in supplements and fortification are about 100% absorbed. Less than 50% in natural foods. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Monica-Warstler/518805946 Monica Warstler

      I question myself why does the medical community insist that pregnant women MUST take a folic acid supplement daily even if their diet is great and they consume highly fortified cereals. Books on pregnancy claim that you can NEVER get all your nutrients from diet alone, no matter how perfect your diet is.

      This sounds like a lot of BS to me.

  • Livefit4u

    Vitamins should not be taken to INCREASE LIFE SPAN. Vitamins should be taken to enhance their life if taken. If this study is based on people taking vitamins to prolong a longer life, this to me is a the wrong approach for a study and a waste of money. Most people are taking vitamins to enhance their life where they could be lacking. That said, I do not believe using vitamins that are pill form and full of fillers or synthetic. To me it is equivelant to eating french fries. A whole food liquid, organic, supplement that has whole greens, sea plants, and other micronutrients could prove beneficial. We as a consumer need to be a watchdog over who is marketing a product, what it is for, quality control, and do we really need it? Bottom line, if you carry extra weight, This is why we are sick and our life span is short. We need to lose weight. We should take a look at what we are eating and how we eat. If we are eating of the earth, eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, etc. eating organic, eating a variety of foods, exercise, we should not have to consider vitamins. If you are living on fast foods, donuts in the morning as your breakfast of champions, consuming processed foods, processed meats, too many calories, no exercise, and you think a multi vitamin is going to save you? We need a wake up call in what we eat and why we eat. THis is where the money should be spent if you want to give the masses a wake up call on their health!

  • Livefit4u

    Vitamins should not be taken to INCREASE LIFE SPAN. Vitamins should be taken to enhance their life if taken. If this study is based on people taking vitamins to prolong a longer life, this to me is a the wrong approach for a study and a waste of money. Most people are taking vitamins to enhance their life where they could be lacking. That said, I do not believe using vitamins that are pill form and full of fillers or synthetic. To me it is equivelant to eating french fries. A whole food liquid, organic, supplement that has whole greens, sea plants, and other micronutrients could prove beneficial. We as a consumer need to be a watchdog over who is marketing a product, what it is for, quality control, and do we really need it? Bottom line, if you carry extra weight, This is why we are sick and our life span is short. We need to lose weight. We should take a look at what we are eating and how we eat. If we are eating of the earth, eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, etc. eating organic, eating a variety of foods, exercise, we should not have to consider vitamins. If you are living on fast foods, donuts in the morning as your breakfast of champions, consuming processed foods, processed meats, too many calories, no exercise, and you think a multi vitamin is going to save you? We need a wake up call in what we eat and why we eat. THis is where the money should be spent if you want to give the masses a wake up call on their health!

  • http://twitter.com/EdHans Ed Hansberry

    Taking of multivitamins isn’t BS -this article is!

    1) only white women were tested
    2) There was no analysis on the quality of life (ie illness, etc) during their life
    3) Human nature is to take MORE after the onset of illness. The study did not take that into consideration. Some of these premature deaths can be from overconsumption of multivitamins and supplements.
    4) studies have shown women that take multivitamins on a regular basis are more likely to take hormone supplements their DR recommends as well. The study didn’t factor that in.

    There is more at http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/1014_Flawed-Study-Used-To-Discredit-Multivitamin-Mineral-Supplements.htm

    I am saddened that Fooducate jumped on the typical tabloid sensationalism with this study.

    I am not saying the study is wrong. The study is what it is. But to draw the conclusions you did is an extraordinary leap. 

  • Tshilson

    67-year old male taking 1 multivitamin/mineral pill per day (generic for Centrum Silver) as nutritional insurance. Losing weight is more important to my longevity than a pill. 

  • http://www.bountifullife.ca Joanne

    It would be great if we could get all our required vitamins and minerals from even a clean organic diet, but the fact is that we can’t, hence the need for supplementation with good quality products. Of course, self-prescribing, is not recommended. Rather, a good nutritionist can assess nutrient deficiencies and address accordingly. The article references “healthy people.” I would argue there are very few “healthy people” who have no need of supplementation.

    • http://onestaorganics.com Heidi

      I forgot to mention that we fortunate ones, who can educate ourselves for healthful living and fight for healthful resources, are also helping those who don’t have the same opportunities.  Less fortunate ones can’t afford to research, choose, select, as we can, but if we succeed to keep and make our resources more healthful, everybody will profit.

  • http://onestaoganics.com Heidi

    I think a person who has the time and means to do it can find out a lot about holistic (individualized) food-based nutrition and whole food-based supplementation that’s adjusted to her/his(or their pet’s or plant’s) needs (we did with good results).  I also find it sad to read your thoughts that we should submit to the ‘we can’t survive on food alone’ -  I hope I misinterpreted your words. This statement would tell me that you’re not up to fight for a clean environment/resources but that you’d rather direct people to non-food supplementation, without trying to maintain and improve our essential resources. I think it’s too early to give up hope for healthy food, earth, water, and soil for everybody.  Most ‘supplements’ are sub-quality, so I hope you’re at least recommending whole food-based ones for your clients. As was said before, the main problem of our disease-ridden society is obviously bad food = processed, nutritionally deficient, bad, toxic-loaded foods, air & water (tell me what supplements to take for these, I will listen).

  • http://onestaoganics.com Heidi

    I think a person who has the time and means to do it can find out a lot about holistic (individualized) food-based nutrition and whole food-based supplementation that’s adjusted to her/his(or their pet’s or plant’s) needs (we did with good results).  I also find it sad to read your thoughts that we should submit to the ‘we can’t survive on food alone’ -  I hope I misinterpreted your words. This statement would tell me that you’re not up to fight for a clean environment/resources but that you’d rather direct people to non-food supplementation, without trying to maintain and improve our essential resources. I think it’s too early to give up hope for healthy food, earth, water, and soil for everybody.  Most ‘supplements’ are sub-quality, so I hope you’re at least recommending whole food-based ones for your clients. As was said before, the main problem of our disease-ridden society is obviously bad food = processed, nutritionally deficient, bad, toxic-loaded foods, air & water (tell me what supplements to take for these, I will listen).

  • Cartoonguy_99

    correlation=/=causation