Most people could probably benefit from taking a multivitamin, say researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, but popping a pill can't erase the health effects of a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
They found substantial data to suggest that higher intakes of folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and vitamin D will benefit many people, and a multivitamin will ensure an adequate intake of other vitamins for which the evidence of benefit is indirect.
Taking a multivitamin is particularly important for women who may become pregnant, people who drink one or two alcoholic beverages daily and urban residents who may not be able to afford to eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Elderly people should also take a multivitamin, the report indicates, because they tend to have a difficult time absorbing vitamin B12 and to be deficient in vitamin D. And vegans might also want to consider a multivitamin because they may lack vitamin B12.
Willett and Stampfer highlight the benefits of folic acid for women of child-bearing age, because the nutrient can prevent them from having a child with neural tube defects.
The authors also believe that vitamin E supplements are reasonable for most middle-aged and older Americans who are at increased risk for heart disease.
But the authors emphasize that a vitamin pill is no substitute for a healthy diet because foods contain additional important components, such as fiber and essential fatty acids.
Furthermore, "a vitamin supplement cannot begin to compensate for the massive risks associated with smoking, obesity or inactivity.
The New England Journal of Medicine 2001;345:1819-1824
One of the authors of this study is Dr. Willet who is the chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard. He is probably the leading traditionally oriented nutrition expert in the country and I agree with much of his outstanding work.
Many of the readers of this newsletter would agree with his conclusion:
"Given the greater likelihood of benefit than harm, and considering the low cost, we conclude that a daily multivitamin that does not exceed the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of its component vitamins makes sense for most adults."
There are not many who would dispute this statement, even in the natural medical field.
I do have a problem with it though as it tends to reinforce the traditional paradigm of taking a pill to solve a problem. Wouldn't it be nice if that were possible?
There is no question that supplements can compensate for some of the damage that we do to ourselves, but my experience is that many, if not most, people use the supplements to justify their poor choice of foods.
That makes about as much sense as building a boat with rotten wood and using the best screws in the world to fasten them together. The boat will hold together, but it will still leak.
The boards in the boat are like the macronutrients in our body. The protein, carbohydrates and fats that we consume. If we make poor choices here it really doesn't matter to much what types of screws we use the boat won't work very well.
Most vitamins serve as catalysts for reactions to occur in our body. While we certainly need catalysts, it is more important to obtain good fuel for the reactions to properly occur.
Also, a funny thing happens when you start out with good fuel (raw organic food): it has most of the vitamins and minerals you need packed right in there in the perfect balance and at no extra charge.
Amazing.
Most of the new patients I see are spending more than $100 a month on supplements and many a few times more than that.
So don't fool yourself.
Supplements will not fully compensate for not eating properly. Use food as your supplement and you will be much healthier.
Having said that, there are certain clinical conditions that clearly warrant and more than justify the use of nutrients and supplements as drug alternatives. I think this is more than reasonable, and use this approach quite frequently.
One just needs to remember to minimize the long-term use of supplements. I really don't think most any of us should be on more than five supplements a day if we are healthy.