Vitamin tablets really could give you a daily boost — but only in the mind
For those who take multivitamin supplements, the health benefits may be all in the mind.
Their bottles are to be found on millions of breakfast tables each morning.
For those who take multivitamin supplements, however, the health benefits may be all in the mind.
A team from Harvard University in the United States found no measurable clinical differences when they compared users with non-users, but those taking the pills felt they were in better health.
According to the Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA), 69 per cent of adults in Briton take supplements, and almost half of them take multivitamins. That equates to millions of people a day.
The research, published in the online journal BMJ Open, involved 21,603 US adults who were asked about their use of multivitamin and mineral supplements. As part of the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, they also gave details that allowed the researchers to make an objective assessment of their health.
The study found no differences between multivitamin users and non-users when it came to needing help with routine daily activities, a history of long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes and arthritis, psychological distress, or health problems such as infections or memory loss over the past year.
There was, however, a difference in “self-reported overall health”, with users 30 per cent more likely to rate their health as good, very good, or excellent.
The study raises the prospect that multivitamins might ease pressure on health services from the “worried well”, a group that the researchers say account for the majority of sales.
The researchers pointed to “a growing body of evidence” that “positive expectation influences treatment outcomes for diseases including heart disease, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and obesity”.
That, they said, might mean multivitamin users were “more likely to harbour a positive expectation regarding the clinical efficacy [of supplements] and thus are more likely to self-report as having excellent or good overall health”.
They added that the effect of positive expectations might be made even stronger because the majority of such supplements “are sold to the so-called worried-well population who may assign greater weight to the purported health benefits of dietary supplements and alternative therapies”.
The study also found that the 4,933 regular users of multivitamin supplements were significantly older and had higher household income than non-users. They were more likely to be women, hold a degree, be married, and have health insurance.
UK National Health Service guidelines say adults should be able to get most of the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet, without having to take supplements.
They do however advise everyone to consider taking a vitamin D supplement during the winter. Women who might become pregnant or who are in their first trimester of pregnancy should take folic acid supplements.
Graham Keen, executive director of the HFMA, said: “Vitamins and minerals are essential for a healthy life.
“Supplements are an essential requirement for some groups of people with characteristics which put them at risk of nutrient deficiencies, a position supported by the Department for Health. This is never more relevant than now.
“A number of micronutrients are important for normal function of the immune system, such as vitamins D, C, A, B6, B12 and folic acid, plus the minerals selenium, zinc, copper and iron. Maintaining sufficient intake of these nutrients is important for a healthy immune system.”
