Should You Kick the Multivitamin Habit? (chapter1)

If you are like many readers, Prevention multivitamins were an essential part of your daily routine since ... well, forever.

As recently as 2002, no less an authority than the Journal of American Medical Association recommends that "all adults take a multivitamin daily." We at Prevention have suggested you dozens of times over the years as well. And many doctors and nutritionists also encourage a multivitamin for any "eater of less-than-perfect" to compensate for dietary deficiencies.

But today, a tsunami of scientific data that resulted in a reversal in the thinking of many experts, including community health and nutrition, including Miriam Nelson, PhD, director of the John Hancock Center for Research in Physical Activity, Obesity and Nutrition at Tufts University . "The multivitamin as an insurance policy is a fairy tale," and we need to demystify it, "she says.

Radical change is supported by two massive studies. The first, a review of 63 randomized, controlled studies (the gold standard research method) in multivitamins, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, found that multis did nothing to prevent cancer or heart disease in most populations ( with the exception of developing countries where nutritional deficiencies are common). In the second article, published last year, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center followed 160,000 postmenopausal women for nearly 10 years. The researchers' conclusion: ". Multivitamins could not prevent cancer, heart disease and all causes of death for all women whether the women were healthy eaters or eat fewer fruits and vegetables, the results were the same," says author Marian Neuhouser, PhD

Maybe you never expect the Multi to prevent breast cancer or head of a heart attack. Maybe you just felt that it would take a make it healthier by increasing their immunity or energy level. But research on the benefits is also disappointing, especially in groups that specialize in what you would expect them to have an impact. For example, a British review of eight studies found no evidence that multis reduction of infections in older adults. Another study found that the vitamins did not improve fatigue in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. And the inner city school that had a cross made no better on tests and have fewer sick days than those students who do not have one.

"There is still a small body of evidence that may suggest damage of a cross," says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of the Prevention Research Center Yale University School of Medicine. A study of 2010 Swedish women found that those who took multivitamins were 19% more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer over a period of 10 years than those who did not. A document dated 2007 in the Journal of National Cancer Institute found that men who took multivitamins along with other supplements were at increased risk of prostate cancer. And other research related to excessive intake of folic acid with an increased risk of colon cancer in people who are predisposed. "In terms of a risk-benefit ratio," says Dr. Katz, "Why would you take even a small risk, if you're not getting any benefit?"

So why previous researchers so wrong? One reason is that they were studying the wrong people. It is now known that people who take vitamins tend to be healthier than some of the planet to begin. Researchers have shown that vitamins tend to be thinner, richer and more educated. They smoke and drink less because they exercise more and go to the doctor. In other words, they are healthy, despite their use of multis.