AUTHOR
DO MULTIVITAMINS MAKE YOU HEALTHIER ?
Dietitian and nutrition commentator Dr Tim Crowe helps us examine the evidence for multivitamins in health .
Multivitamin supplements are big business and pharmacy and supermarket shelves groan under the weight of choice available to us . So , if you ’ re serious about your health , should you be taking one of these ( even if it is just as an insurance policy for a less-than-perfect diet )? Let ’ s take a look at the evidence .
Who ’ s taking multivitamins ?
Estimates point to around
one in three people being regular consumers of these supplements . Reasons for taking a supplement can vary from health and wellbeing , a perception of a poor diet or even just ‘ out of habit .’
In an ironic twist , people who take multivitamins tend to have
higher micronutrient intakes from their diet than non-users . They also tend to have higher education levels , incomes , and physical activity levels – all factors that are linked to better health . There is indeed some validity to the claim that many users of multivitamins sit within the ‘ worried well ’ group .
How do we define a multivitaminmultimineral supplement ?
There is no standard regulatory definition of what nutrients or to what level a multivitamin must contain . One way to classify a multivitamin supplement is based on it containing most of the recognised essential vitamins and minerals at levels close to their
recommended daily requirements . Formulations will differ , when pitched toward adults , children , men or women , pregnant women and older adults .
What does the science say about multivitamins ?
Most of the studies in this field are observational , which can only suggest an association , but cannot prove definitively if taking multivitamins do , or do not , have a health benefit .
8 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE