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Multivitamins - a Waste of Money?

Lotus the Cat

Lotus the Cat

458
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9
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    • It is well understood that the consumption of vitamins are an essential part of maintaining good health. In striving to maintain our own good health, are we wasting money on multivitamins we don't need?

    It has been argued that if a person is healthy and eats a varied diet chances are they are already receiving all the nutrients and vitamins their body needs. However, there is a counter argument that it is not possible to achieve the RDI levels of vitamins through diet alone – which is where dietary supplements come in.

    Some research has found that the addition of extra vitamin consumption on top of a varied diet does not lead to a greater benefit in health. In fact, taking multivitamins and supplements on top of a good diet or taking vitamin supplements incorrectly may actually cause more harm. In addition to this, if vitamin supplements provide vitamins in a synthetic form there is the possibility that the body may not recognise them – rendering them completely useless.

    Studies urging the use of multivitamins as a waste of money have been critiqued for containing dosage levels too low to result in any measureable benefit. However, as these studies were using a standard off the shelf multivitamin, this surely shows that many people buying similar products are paying for a dosage that does not provide them with any benefit (i.e. wasting their money).

    Note there are situations where there will be a specific dietary gap in nutrition, and in those cases no-one is arguing the benefits of vitamin supplements (e.g. pregnancy), and these should not be discussed in this thread.
     
    Esper

    Esper

    10,769
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    • I don't really know much about this topic other than what was already said, that there are people out there saying that vitamins can have an adverse effect.

    I'm a vegetarian and so I have this vague notion that I'm missing out on some kind of vitamin or mineral or something so I take a multivitamin maybe once a week, though that's only been for the last year or two. I can't say I've noticed any difference, or rather, there have been plenty of other changes to my health that I couldn't separate any one factor as beneficial, neutral or negative.

    I dunno. I think I (and probably a lot of people) have very little knowledge about nutrition.
     
    twocows

    twocows

    The not-so-black cat of ill omen
    4,307
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    15
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    • I've spoken to a nutritionist about this and his (very general, not a professional opinion) advice is that most of them are useless. Most people who don't work outside, spend a lot of time outside, or get a lot of it through their diet could benefit from vitamin D supplements, and most people could also benefit from fish oil supplements. Past that, a lot of women could benefit from (very light) iron supplements if they're not getting enough through their diet; most men other than strict vegetarians wouldn't get much benefit, though.

    Most other supplements aren't really helpful unless your diet is significantly deficient in them (this is more likely if you eat a lot of the same foods and have little variety). This isn't the third world, though; most foods are vitamin-enriched, so you're not likely to be deficient unless you eat nothing but organic, non-processed food all day, every day.

    Oh, also, many people don't get enough fiber in their diet. Forgot to mention that.
     
    S-MAN

    S-MAN

    Banned
    130
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    • Well I do believe there are brands that are useless and people buy because they don't do their homework. In my eyes, vitamins that contain bioflavonoids just as if they were derived from fruit or vegetables is the way to go. There is studies on different types of vitamins. People naturally don't assume there is like 5 or so different kinds of vitamin C, but there is (though specifically on vitamin C, I don't remember). After I read and assessed the different options out there I went with vitamin C with bioflavonoids according to their benefits, it was most convincing to me that it would do something. Solaray is my favorite brand and you should pay attention to their product reviews :-)
     
    ShinyUmbreon189

    ShinyUmbreon189

    VLONE coming soon
    1,461
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    • When I got out of surgery my doctor recommended multi vitamins to help me recover. I got a GNC brand and it not only helps maintain proper nutrition It's also helped me with muscle production and growth. I weighed 120 when I started taking them and 7 months later I'm almost back to where I was. I'm now at 155 and that's with light to moderate work outs. So I'd say no. I'm more than satisfied.
     
    Castaigne

    Castaigne

    欠 を 食べる
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    The whole concept of a multivitamin is that it addresses a widespread chronic lack of vitamins in your body. Which is perfectly fine if you have that, especially for dieters, old people, or people with certain conditions. Beyond that, in some cases getting extra vitamins can help you. In other cases, it can kill you.
    A multivitamin is not really a bad thing but ideally you will get your nutrition from the actual food you eat. And for the record fish oil from farm raised fish is far less healthy than fish oil from a wild fish and if you didn't know increasingly fish oil comes from farm raised fish. So I wouldn't urge anyone to go waste money on ineffective fish oil pills.
     

    piphulk

    grawr.
    5
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    8
    Years
    • I was pretty much raised eating a chewable vitamin every day for a good decade. I was just told "it keeps you from getting sick."

    As an adult now, I still take multi-vitamins but it's usually when I feel an onset of cold symptoms... which means I'm probably too late anyway. Or after a really harsh workout.
     
    Hiidoran

    Hiidoran

    [B]ohey[/B]
    6,213
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    18
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    • Multivitamins certainly have their role in improving peoples' health, don't get me wrong. As you all have previously stated, they are certainly helpful for people who need a little extra boost (ie someone recovering from surgery, enforcing dietary restrictions, the elderly whose metabolism is a little different, etc.). That being said, however, many of them on the market are a complete and utter waste of your money. Many of them do not even come close to being within the therapeutic window for a small animal, let alone a full grown human being. and that little nugget of information came from a long time pharmacist I worked under for years... Diet alone can provide adequate nutrition for the common person.

    To me, it all comes down to marketing. In the United States, dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the FDA before hitting the market... In fact, the FDA doesn't really step in with dietary supplements until something goes very wrong with them. Companies that produce these multivitamins are pretty much allowed to say whatever they want about them and sell them to the masses without much regulation. If they were only sold to the people who truly needed the extra boost (the ones that work anyway), they wouldn't make enough profit. Just my two cents.
     
    gimmepie

    gimmepie

    25,526
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    • I will admit that multivitamins could possibly be of some use in keeping you healthy if your diet/lifestyle are unbalanced or unhealthy. Generally speaking though, I think it's more about making money by playing off people's fears and insecurities.

    All you need is a bit of logic to work this out I'd say. Human beings, biologically speaking, are just animals and we evolved to be where we are today and in this current state our species has thrived without ever taking multi-vitamins. We don't need to pop a pill every morning, we just need to eat a balanced diet and get enough sun.
     
    Spacy

    Spacy

    Visitor from beyond...
    96
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    • Lotus the Cat said:
    It is well understood that the consumption of vitamins are an essential part of maintaining good health. In striving to maintain our own good health, are we wasting money on multivitamins we don't need?

    It has been argued that if a person is healthy and eats a varied diet chances are they are already receiving all the nutrients and vitamins their body needs. However, there is a counter argument that it is not possible to achieve the RDI levels of vitamins through diet alone – which is where dietary supplements come in.

    Some research has found that the addition of extra vitamin consumption on top of a varied diet does not lead to a greater benefit in health. In fact, taking multivitamins and supplements on top of a good diet or taking vitamin supplements incorrectly may actually cause more harm. In addition to this, if vitamin supplements provide vitamins in a synthetic form there is the possibility that the body may not recognise them – rendering them completely useless.

    Studies urging the use of multivitamins as a waste of money have been critiqued for containing dosage levels too low to result in any measureable benefit. However, as these studies were using a standard off the shelf multivitamin, this surely shows that many people buying similar products are paying for a dosage that does not provide them with any benefit (i.e. wasting their money).

    Note there are situations where there will be a specific dietary gap in nutrition, and in those cases no-one is arguing the benefits of vitamin supplements (e.g. pregnancy), and these should not be discussed in this thread.
    Click to expand...

    I don't take multivitamins, I just eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and get lots of sunlight and I feel and look fairly healthy. I don't think they are necessary if you have a healthy lifestyle. Your body will make more use of the vitamin C found in an orange then that of a pill. Although if you are sick having some extra vitamin C would be a good idea. I don't know very much about the other ones, unfortunately, but taking vitamin C when sick has always helped me get better. However, I don't get sick that often so this information may not be completely accurate. In normal circumstances I'd suggest just eating an orange or something as we have evolved to do. :)

    I believe this also counts for the other vitamins as well.
     
    Sun

    Sun

    When the sun goes down...
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    • Seen Jan 20, 2017
    Imo, it is a waste of money. A well balanced diet gives you the vitamins and nutrition. Don't invest your money in this kinda things, A healthy lifestyle and balanced diet is what you need.~
     
    Aisu

    Aisu

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    • I think that you'd be better off just getting the necessities from food; it's what the body is used to, and as you said, the body might not recognize the processed form of those nutrients.
     
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    Crystal Berry

    Crystal Berry

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    • Synthetic vitamins to my knowledge do work to a degree; however your body doesn't absorb multi-vitamins very well so when you read things like 100% DV on the label your body will only actually absorb a small fraction of that percentage. When I was little my diet was terrible, but I took multi-vitamins daily and got good test results. I think what really matters is the quality of the synthetics used. When it comes to vitamins, there are usually top quality sources you can buy, as well as lower grade sources. For example, Vitamin D3 is much better for you to take as a supplement than Vitamin D2. Synthetic Vitamin C is usually in the form of ascorbic acid, which is synthesized from corn syrup. I take a really expensive Multi-vitamin brand and it seems to work for me.

     
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    Kura

    Kura

    twitter.com/puccarts
    10,994
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    19
    Years
    • Honestly, it depends on what type of multivitamin.. a lot of people who are undereating nutritionally can miss out on a lot of good stuff; folate (part of your B-chains), iron, calcium, and vit A, just to name a few. Even the lesser known vitamins, like K, are good to take. A lot of us get enough essential vitamins in this day and age, but I still think a multivitamin wouldn't hurt! I take a vitamin D pill every day. A couple years ago I was very low on my vitamin D that I had to have a bone density scan for fear that I had early onset of osteopena. I thought I was eating well and getting enough sleep and all that but I was still lethargic.. which made sense after I found out my D levels (they were at 23 just so you know.. and 50 is classed as low.) Now they're up to 200 and I feel more energetic.

    Flinstones vitamins ftw.. just sayin'
     
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