According to Penn State Health, 59 million people in the United States regularly use some type of vitamins or supplements, spending an average of $510 annually on them. Full disclosure: I am one of those people. When some people find out that I adhere to a daily vitamin regimen, they ask me if I think whether vitamins actually work or not. Over the years I have seen news coverage landing on both sides of the equation, with some articles and segments finding that vitamins do help boost a person’s health in some manner, and other articles and segments finding the opposite.
I decided to dive into the research in an attempt to help provide readers of this website with some context and things to consider. One thing that initially jumped out to me when going down the multivitamin research rabbit hole was that ‘boosting health’ is somewhat subjective. Obviously, multivitamins cannot do everything for someone’s health. Below are some examples of what multivitamins are not good for according to Johns Hopkins Medicine:
- An analysis of research involving 450,000 people, which found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for heart disease or cancer.
- A study that tracked the mental functioning and multivitamin use of 5,947 men for 12 years found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for mental declines such as memory loss or slowed-down thinking.
- A study of 1,708 heart attack survivors who took a high-dose multivitamin or placebo for up to 55 months. Rates of later heart attacks, heart surgeries and deaths were similar in the two groups.
One vitamin that Johns Hopkins Medicine did recommend is “folic acid for women of child-bearing potential.” From what I have read in various peer-reviewed studies, multivitamins are best at boosting your daily intake of specific vitamins and minerals. To be clear, getting those vitamins and minerals from actual food is almost always a better route, but if you are faced with either getting certain vitamins and minerals from a multivitamin or going without them for one reason or another, there is some evidence that a multivitamin helps in those instances. Meeting daily intake amounts of specific vitamins or minerals comes with its own potential benefits depending on which vitamin or mineral is involved.
According to a fact sheet published by the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, “Taking a multivitamin/mineral (MVM) increases nutrient intakes and helps people obtain recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals when they do not meet these needs from food alone.”
“Individuals who have poor nutrient intakes from diet alone, consume low-calorie diets, or avoid certain foods (such as strict vegetarians and vegans) might benefit from taking an MVM. Health care providers sometimes prescribe MVMs for people who have medical conditions and diseases that impair digestion, absorption, or use of nutrients.” the Institute also stated.
Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses vitamins and minerals at length in his amazing book The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. Below are some excerpts:
- It is necessary to take in water-soluble vitamins on a daily basis, but fat-soluble vitamins can be ingested less often.
- It is a fact that intense exercise increases our need for all types of nutrients. And taking vitamin and mineral supplements is, if nothing else, an easy form of insurance against any sort of nutritional deprivation.
- In general, taking mega-doses of water-soluble vitamins just makes your urine extremely expensive, but large amounts of fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body and can build up to toxic levels.
Arnold hit on some major points that resonate with me. The more that you demand of your body via increased weightlifting and other exercise, the more vitamins and minerals your body will need. You can address that by taking multivitamins, but only do so if you cannot meet that increased intake demand by eating real foods, and even then, see it more as an insurance policy than a guaranteed fix. Also, be careful to not overdo it.
An item of note: a recent study found that a one gram daily dose of omega-3 is associated with a slowing of the aging process to some degree, for what that is worth. You can read more about it in a recent article on this website.
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.