A recent study by the St. Michael’s Hospital in Canada and the University of Toronto suggests that taking Vitamins may not give us the health effects that we are looking and paying a lot of money for. Data on four different types of vitamins – multivitamins, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Vitamin C – showed that these dietary supplements had no effect on preventing health issues such as heart problems, stroke, or premature death. Although, according to study’s lead author David Jenkins, the vitamins did not show significantly negative effects on the body, the data suggests that consumption does not, in fact, provide any noticeable benefit for human health.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, focused on the effects of popular supplements such as the A to E vitamins, calcium, and beta-carotene in combating coronary Heart Disease, heart attack, and stroke. Folic acid and B vitamins, among the vitamins studied, were the only supplements shown to significantly reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Other past studies, too, have called the usefulness of taking vitamins to support human health. Over half of the Americans, most over the age of 65, take multivitamins as part of their daily routine. However, a $2.4 billion study by the National Institute of Health over the past 20 years suggests that such dietary supplements not only have no noticeable impact on preventing cancer and heart disease, but may actually increase risk of certain diseases. For example, beta-carotene may heighten the chance of lung cancer in smokers, while vitamin E may increase risk of heart failure and male prostate cancer.
Another 2012 review by in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that antioxidants, including vitamins E and C, folic acid, and beta-carotene actually have detrimental effects on the body. Out of 27 clinical trials, only seven suggested that these supplements reduce risk of heart disease and pancreatic cancer. Ten demonstrated no effect whatsoever, while another ten actually deemed that antioxidant supplements worsened human health by increasing risk for serious illnesses such as breast and lung cancer. Countless other studies have shown similar results, concluding that we may be paying for vitamins that simply don’t work or even make us worse off than before.
Clearly, scientific evidence indicates that the best way to maintain health and increase longevity is to incorporate heart-healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and other vitamin-rich foods into one’s daily diet. According to Marjorie McCullough, the American Cancer Society’s strategic director of nutritional epidemiology, fruits and vegetables may contain phytochemicals or other substances that enhance the effects of the vitamins present.
Perhaps the obesity epidemic in the United States is linked to the regular use of multivitamins and other supplements. Instead of trying to adopt a healthy and well-balanced diet, people may be tempted to substitute vitamins for the heart-healthy foods they fail to consume as part of their daily routines. America, after all, faces a major obesity epidemic. According to a Harvard School of Public Health report, the constant marketing of junk foods and sugary drinks and lack of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts in the traditional Western diet creates a toxic environment that supports obesity and associated diseases, particularly coronary heart disease.
The dietary supplement industry also may be focusing on reaping profit rather than on coming up with products that actually benefit the American population. The industry, which brought in $32 billion in 2012 alone, seems to be relying on scientifically unsound claims in order to attract consumers. Making matters worse, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks sufficient administrative power to regulate the industry. For example, St. John’s wort, an herbal supplement that can actually curb the effectiveness of other drugs such as antibiotics and birth control, continued to be sold on drugstore shelves despite a warning to doctors by the FDA.
Therefore, anyone looking to make improvements to his or her health should focus on diet and exercise above all rather than rely on ineffective or even harmful supplements. Vitamins may not only be a waste of money, but fool people into believing they are making “healthy” life choices when they are indeed doing the complete opposite.
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