Multivitamins are the most popular dietary supplement sold today. People of all demographics and age groups use multivitamins, and they’re often people’s first supplement.
Many articles and experts recommend a multivitamin as a general health supplement. However, multivitamins are made up of many different compounds, and it’s never a good idea to take a variety of supplements without a good and well-researched reason to do so.
Not everyone needs to supplement with a multivitamin. People with a nutrient deficiency that cannot be alleviated through dietary changes may experience benefits from supplementing with a multivitamin, but that also depends on the kind of multivitamin formulation they buy.
The standard multivitamin
The most commonly used and researched multivitamin formula contains 100 percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of nutrients the body needs. Some compounds, like magnesium and calcium, are physically too large to include in these capsules. Iron is also usually omitted.
Standard multivitamins are an effective and recommended supplement for people who do not get enough nutrients through their diet. Though standard multivitamins are beneficial supplements for people living in low-income areas or food deserts without easy access to nutritional food, they are more often used as preventative supplements by people eating a varied diet.
The experimental multivitamin
Some multivitamin formulas contain 100 percent of the RDI for essential vitamins, but also contain additional “antioxidant support” and other phytonutrients alongside questionable health claims.
These are the multivitamin formulas that tend to be associated with increased cancer risk in clinical studies, since most of the antioxidant claims are based on vitamin E content, which can be harmful at doses above 400 IU (18 times higher than the RDI). Other ingredients, such as lycopene, are included based on promising preliminary evidence, but likely have no effect when supplemented by people through a multivitamin.
At worst, experimental multivitamins can be harmful to your health; at best, they’re a standard multivitamin with a higher price.
The surplus multivitamin
Surplus multivitamins are marketed as general health supplements, whether they contain vitamin C, garlic or another herb. These multivitamins are not vitamins, they are combinations of other supplements and compounds.
Multivitamins and supplements that contain a variety of compounds but hide the doses behind proprietary blends should be avoided. There is no research done on these specific combinations. When doses and ingredients are not available, it isn’t possible to determine the effects and health risks of the supplement.
Multivitamin supplements that list the amount of each ingredient can be supplemented safely, but should only be used if the included ingredients are effective supplements for your specific health goal.
Do you need multivitamins?
Multivitamins, like all supplements, should never be used without a good reason. Before purchasing a new supplement, read the label and ask yourself:
1. What ingredients in this supplement are useful for my health goal?
2. What ingredients in this supplement are not useful for my health goal?
3. Will the ingredients hurt me or be counterproductive?
4. If I buy the ingredients individually, will it be more expensive than this supplement?
If the multivitamin isn’t harmful and isn’t more expensive than the sum of its parts, it may be worth considering for supplementation.