Multivitamin: Yes or No?

Hello!

Over the last two posts we have learned a little bit more about what vitamins and minerals are, what they do for us and how to obtain the proper amounts for healthy living. The reason for the past posts was in response to one of the common questions I am asked: "should I take a multivitamin supplement"? You may be surprised by the answer I tend to give people, but why don't we look further into the reasoning behind my answer first.

As we already discussed, supplements are meant to fill the void of a substance that we cannot obtain on our own because of either medical issues, lifestyle issues (vegans) or personal reasons and goals.  They are not meant to take the place of the real thing, but unfortunately that seems to be the world we live in today: the "take the pill to fix everything" era is in full swing.  If someone can justify why they are taking a supplement I really have no problem with it, however most people I speak with tend to take them only because they heard it was a good idea, or they give some right field reasoning that has zero evidence to support their claims. Would you drink something that had a skull and crossbones on it just because the big guy at the gym said it will work? I hope not. So why take something everyday without ever knowing why you are truly taking it?

I will be the first to tell you, when I first entered this field, I was one of these people.  I thought every vitamin and herbal supplement on the shelf could give me some sort of health advantage and why not? it stakes it's claim right on the label right?  "Taking xxx may help reduce cancer" or "xxx may help with muscle growth"  Being young and brash I figured I hit pay dirt and started gobbling them up, until one day in my dorm room I was packing up a container for my daily vitamins from my shoe box (yeah there were that many bottles) and realized I had so many that it could qualify for a meal! The sad part was, I didn't know why I was taking so many pills for the price I was paying.

These will not always replace that which you require from actual food.

After I had my little epiphany, I decided to try and learn as much as I could about what I was taking on a regular basis, so I grabbed every book at the library, posted on every health and bodybuilding forum, and read any website with relative information.  To my shock, the information was so split that I didn't know who to believe.  One book said that "supplement xyz is a good idea to take", but the guru on the forum said that "xyz was merely a sales tactic and should be avoided" Here lies the first part to your answer: When educating yourself, believe evidence and take advice at your own risk.  More on that later.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  Here in an article posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which talks about the use of multivitamins and the effects on cancer in men. Their conclusion was that taking a daily multivitamin significantly reduced the risk of total cancer in their subjects.  Well, that's good news right? That proves that a multivitamin is a good thing and I should take it right? Before we jump to conclusions let me show you this article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which also came to a conclusion of multivitamin use and it's effects on breast cancer.  Their results concluded, that a daily multivitamin seems to increase the risk of breast cancer!?!? Here is another shocking article about increased death risk (NBC news report)

Be sure to get information from reputable sources that explain their results and  have proper citations.

So, we have two case studies from two reputable sources, but they seem to contradict each other, what gives?  As I said, be careful about what you believe because in the medical/nutrition/training fields, what was considered correct or right one day may be wrong the next. You also must understand that case studies are circumstantial, which is why most results include phrases like; "seems like" "appears to" "suggests" and so on, because they can only base their results from the test group.  If you are testing 5,000 people there are too many factors that play a role in life that can skew the results, perhaps they lied about their usage, or perhaps the subjects already were destined to get cancer etc., the list of variable is endless.

Am I suggesting that taking a multivitamin will give you cancer?  Of course not, but there are plenty of articles out there that will be in favor of taking a certain drug, then there will be just as many that refute the use of the same drug. This leads to the second half of your answer; can you justify why you need to take a supplement? Actually write out your situation and see if supplementation is necessary, helpful or a crutch to get out of eating particular foods. Once you provide the facts, you may realize that your justification is not the same as it started out to be.

 Here are two more studies about taking multivitamins.  Their results do not show any negative effects, however they also do not show any positive gains either.  Basically the subjects appeared to be no better or worse from when the test began. (JAMA Article) (Article 2).  If you were one of the subjects in the test group and were told point blank that taking this pill for 7 years had little to no advantages, would you still  spend the money on them, especially if you read a few articles that, they may or may not increase the risk of adverse effects of said pill?

It can be very confusing with so much data split down the middle, but with a closer examination, you can help answer your own question

Finally, there is the never ending debate of the absorption of not just multivitamins, but all supplements.  Although I've only seen one article that discussed the actual test of dissolving multivitamins (I believe it was a British journal, if anyone should happen to know of it's whereabouts please feel free to message me and I will post it) there are numerous reports online about how multivitamins pass through our bodies, never actually dissolving and releasing the goodies they contain.  There are also claims of millions of pills in the sewer systems and septic tanks of people's homes due to undigested multivitamins. Since the FDA has not regulated these supplements it's hard to say which is true or false, but one other area that may be a concern is the "vitamin-mineral war" as I call it.  You see certain vitamins and minerals can block the uptake of each other like; C can block copper, and zinc can block magnesium and iron can block calcium etc. How would taking a pill that contains all of these vitamins and minerals in one package absorb properly? Again, the FDA won't touch this area so there is no full answer, but logic seems to be on the counter active side.
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So before I ramble too much longer let's answer the question for myself, together. Should I take (insert supplement here)? We'll stick with a multivitamin and use the following:

Education: believe evidence and take advice at your own risk: I have provided just a drop in the journal article ocean, but the links provided seem not to be able to give a definite answer other than correlations and suggestive themes. I also trust all of these sources due to their peer reviewed style and comprehensible data.

Can I justify why I need to take a supplement (multivitamin for today's argument): I eat plenty of fruits and veggies a day.  I also eat whole grains and foods that are packed with nutritional advantages, thus achieving my RDI (recommended daily intake) easily each day.  I have no medical conditions such as osteoporosis and of course I'm not pregnant, and I am not a vegan, so increased dosages of particular vitamins and minerals are not mandatory for my current lifestyle  Since, I achieve all my vitamins and minerals through my diet and I have no ailments or lifestyle situations, I cannot rationally justify why I need to take a multivitamin, as it would just take my RDI higher than it needs to be.

My Answer: NO. Now, if I knew I was going to be out for a few days say camping and I knew I wouldn't be getting my usual food intake, then perhaps I would be able to justify taking one for the that time to help, but only in particular situations not on a daily basis.

Now, lets use an example to look at things from a different perspective. Lets say Mr. X is a business man who travels a lot for work and plug that into the equation:

Education: believe evidence and take advice at your own risk: For the sake of time, lets say Mr. X has read these articles and understands that there is a mixed perception of multivitamin use.  He also seems to trust these sources as they are well known and cited.

Can I justify why I need to take a supplement: Since he travels many hours a day, Mr.X tends to only get 2 square meals in his workday.  He tries to eat fruit or drink a smoothie while on the road and when he does eat, he tries to get sources of whole grains and veggies as well.  However, there are some days where his meals are not the greatest nutritional wise and does not get many fruits or veggies, thus not meeting his RDI everyday. On weekends he is able to eat a much healthier variety as he his home and has no restrictions time wise for work. Mr. X has no ailments or specific lifestyle habits in which he needs additional supplementation of a particular kind.

Mr. X's Answer: Yes. A multivitamin can be justified for those days that he travels and his diet suffers while he cannot achieve his RDI, although he should try to better his situation, a multivitamin could conceivably work to his advantage.  On his weekends however, he should be able to get his RDI, so he shouldn't need to supplement his food, since he is able to eat better while not being on the road.

The purest multivitamin source you can get! 

Remember, this is my answer and I don't speak for everyone.  Mr. X's situation and my situation differed enough that our justifications reached separate answers. I would say neither of us was right or wrong, it's just we have different outcomes in our thought processes.  I feel with multivitamins, as well as many other supplements, I have a very healthy lifestyle in which, I don't need to supplement because I attain nutrients from direct sources. Also, I feel no negative effects from eliminating multivitamins as well, so I cannot say that any physical symptoms have suggested I need to take one, but I didn't stretch my reasoning to continue taking a multivitamin like the classic "it can't hurt to take a little more" (which we learned that's not always true and toxicity can be dangerous), because why spend the money on pills when I already spend it on food the provides the same thing? I am not saying that you should or shouldn't take a multivitamin or any other supplement, however I am suggesting that you follow these two simple statements to help you answer your questions on supplements and learn about them before starting.

Knowledge is power and before you go around and start taking a shoe box full of pills, take advantage of the internet and the numerous free journals databases online to learn more about something to help answer your question. I tend to tell people to follow the two statements above to get them started, but remember other precautions remain such as how a particular supplement could interact with another or other medical concerns that may arise, in which you should get a recommendation.  Never be satisfied with a single answer (you ever seen a doctor smoking or over weight telling you to start a healthier lifestyle? You see where I'm going with this.) not even mine and remember that supplements are only to help, not replace a substance.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions about any supplements, vitamins or minerals feel free to leave it at the bottom as it may help others who face similar concerns. If you find this information not what you expected toss me a line and I'd love to discuss things further as everyone is entitled to their own opinion and results.  Also if you happen to come across an article you think can help or educate, you can always post a link to it and I will read and comment on them. Please remember that I provide advice, not diagnoses  and only try to educate those who want to start supplementation, but of course they should always consult their physician before doing so.

Here are some databases with great info and are very reputable:
Journal of the American Medical Association
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
PubMed
Harvard School of Public Health




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*I am not a doctor or a licensed physician.  I am in no way diagnosing anything and recommend that you speak to your physician before making any medical/supplemental/nutritional decisions.

*I am not a registered nutritionist or dietitian. The information presented is for education purposes only.