By Tanya Menoni on April 15, 2011 in
Like many Americans, I diligently pop a multivitamin every day, smug in the satisfaction that I’m doing something good for my health. Multivitamins have long been marketed as ‘dietary insurance’ for those days when our diets fall a little short -- and that seems to happen more often than not, at least in my case.
However, more experts are questioning the value of multivitamins for healthy individuals, but there are some people who can benefit from supplementing their diets. Are you one of them? Take this quiz to find out.
1. Are you pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to become pregnant?
Numerous studies have shown that folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. Since the neural tube develops before some women even know they are pregnant, experts recommend that all women of childbearing age take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. Once pregnant, experts recommend 600 mcg per day. Pregnant women also need more of other nutrients, including iron, magnesium and vitamin B6.
2. Are you a strict vegan or vegetarian?
Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal products, so strict vegetarians may fall short on this nutrient. Vegetarians may also need more iron and calcium.
3. Are you over the age of 50?
As we age, we absorb less vitamin B12 from food. Seniors also have higher needs for calcium and vitamin D than younger individuals.
4. Do you have a chronic health condition like cancer or diabetes?
The American Cancer Association recommends a daily multivitamin for any cancer patient who can’t eat a normal diet. Some studies, including this one from the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest some benefit for diabetics as well (but always talk to your doctor first!).
So what if you don’t fall into the above groups? Numerous health experts say you might be wasting your time -- and money -- on a daily multivitamin. “There is no scientific basis for recommending vitamin-mineral supplements to the healthy population,” says Benjamin Caballero, M.D., Ph.D., a nutrition professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The National Institutes of Health came to the same conclusion in 2006, when it said there is “insufficient” evidence to recommend for or against multivitamins.
A study published in the February 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine found that multivitamin use had no effect on the risk of cancer or heart disease among more than 150,000 women. “What is really the benefit of spending money on these products, if they are not going to decrease the risk of common diseases that affect women or benefit health? It's a waste,” the study's lead author, Marian Neuhouser, told The Washington Post. But for every study that proves that supplemental vitamins and minerals are not healthful, there is usually another study proving just the opposite. It makes it difficult to come to a definitive conclusion—should I or shouldn’t I take a multivitamin?
As with most health matters, talking with your doctor is the best course of action. You can read more on this debate in our recently updated multivitamin report.