Multivitamin Risk Suggests It's Better to Eat Your Veggies, Fruit and Meat

A new study published today in the journal of biological chemistry brings up questions about the benefits of taking a multivitamin.  I am of the opinion that under most circumstances people shouldn’t be taking a multivitamin- it’s a bit of a crutch- all the necessary vitamins and minerals should be ingested from a well balanced diet of lots of veggies, fruits and meats (I discussed it briefly in aprevious article).  Why should we take processed chemically manufactured substances , especially when we can get the same thing in a natural form?  Some of the available research supports some of this concept.

The study suggests that large amounts of ß-Carotene acts as a blocker of vitamin A, and this in turn can increase the risk of cancer¹.  The mechanism they propose support previous research that showed increased rates of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease².    

These are not the only studies to show some of the potential detrimental effects of supplements.  A study published last year showed an increased risk of prostate cancer in healthy men that supplement with vitamin E³. 

The results of an Iowa women’s health study on the effects of multivitamins and individual vitamin and mineral supplements showed that a multivitamin, vitamin B₆, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper were all associated with an increase risk of total mortality⁴.

Now I don’t want to sound alarmist.  There are definitely reasons why some people may need a supplement or could benefit from a supplement (consult your health care provider about this, but make sure to bring up the potential risks associated with supplementation and perhaps try to find a dietary path to increasing any insufficiencies you may have).  There could be various confounding reason as to explain some of the negative effects of supplementation.  But again, multivitamins shouldn’t be used as a crutch or an “easy way out”.  Eat a colorful palate of veggies and fruits, lots of meat, and you will be getting all the vitamins and minerals you need, from a natural source.

1.       Eroglu A et al, “Naturally Occuring Eccentric Cleavage Products of Provitamin A ß-Carotene Function as Antagonists of Retinoic Acid Receptors” J Biol Chem 2012;287:15886-15895

2.       Omen GS et al, “Effects of a combination of beta Carotene and Vitamin A On Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease” N Engl J Med 1996;334:1150-5

3.       Klein EA, et al “Vitamin E and the Risk of Prostate Cancer” JAMA 2011;306(14):1549-155

4.       Mursu J, et al “Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women” Arch Intern Med. 2011;171(18):1625-1633