Taking multi-vitamin pills ‘does nothing for our health’

  • Research shows vitamin takers are just as likely to develop cancer or heart disease as those who take no tablets

By
Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:24 AM on 27th December 2011

New research shows that taking supplements can actually harm you

New research shows that taking supplements can actually harm you

They  are a daily essential for millions of Britons hoping to ward off ill-health.

But despite the millions of pounds spent on vitamin pills, they do nothing for our health, according to a major study.

Researchers spent more than six years following 8,000 people and found that those taking supplements were just as likely to  have developed cancer or heart disease as those who took an identical-looking dummy pill.

And when they were questioned on how healthy they felt, there was hardly any difference between the two groups.

Experts said the study – one of the most extensive carried out into vitamin pills – suggested that  millions of consumers may be wasting their money on supplements.

Many users fall into the category of the ‘worried well’ – healthy  adults who believe the pills  will insure them against deadly  illnesses – according to  Catherine Collins, chief dietician  at St George’s Hospital in London. 

She said: ‘It’s the worried well who are taking these pills to try and protect themselves against Alzheimer’s disease, heart attacks and strokes.

‘But they are wasting their  money. This was a large study  following people up for a long period of time assessing everything from their mobility and blood  pressure to whether they were happy or felt pain.’

Multi-vitamin supplements have become increasingly popular as a quick and easy way of topping up the body’s nutrient levels.

But a series of studies have indicated that, for some people, they could actually be harmful. 

Two studies published last year suggested supplements could raise the risk of cancer. 

One found pills containing vitamin E, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc increased the risk of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, four-fold.

The other discovered women on a daily multi-vitamin pill increased their risk of breast cancer by up to 20 per cent.

While the evidence that vitamins can do harm is still limited, the latest study seems to confirm that many people are at the very least taking them unnecessarily.

A team of French researchers,  led by experts at Nancy University, tracked 8,112 volunteers who  took either a placebo capsule, or one containing vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium  and zinc, every day for just over  six years.

They assessed the state of their health at the beginning and end of the trial, taking a quality of life survey designed to measure everything from mobility and pain to vitality and mental health.

When researchers analysed how many in each group had gone on to develop serious illnesses over the years, they found little difference.

In the supplement group, 30.5 per cent of patients had suffered a major health ‘event’, such as  cancer or heart disease. 

In the placebo group, the rate was 30.4 per cent.

There were 120 cases of cancer in those taking vitamins, compared to 139 in the placebo group, and  65 heart disease cases, against  57 among the dummy pill users.

In a report on their findings, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers said: ‘The perception that supplementation improves general well-being is not supported by this trial.’

Miss Collins said the results of the study ‘reinforce the idea that if you’re worried about your health and start taking multi-vitamins, you will still be worried about it six years later’.

But the Health Supplements Information Service, which is funded by supplements manufacturers, said the finding that vitamins had no impact on how people perceived their health was ‘to be expected’.

Spokeswoman Dr Carrie Ruxton said: ‘The role of vitamin supplements is to prevent deficiencies and make sure people are receiving their recommended levels.

‘They won’t have a measurable impact on how you feel on a  day-to-day basis but what they  are doing is topping up your recommended levels to the right amount. They are not meant to be a magic bullet.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Who paid for the study, some drug company? I’ll stick with my supplements.

Just eat fruit n veg. How hard is it?

Maybe they’ve proven the placebo effect?
Where was the controll group that took no pills?

More scare stories !
Damned if we do ,and damned if we dont.
I,ve been taking loads of supplements for years,and i would not stop.
But i would say that there are some multi-vitamins that are much better than others……..its the old thing of,”you get what you pay for.”

Well what I know is that I used to be very tired pretty much all the time until I started taking iron pill supplements. While I don’t seem to have as much energy as some people, the difference in my energy levels when I do take them versus when I don’t is quite remarkable. Also I wasn’t allowed to donate blood before because my iron levels were too low, and now they’re perfectly normal. For various reasons over the years, I’ve also come to believe in the benefits of Vitamin C. I’ve tried lots of other types of vitamins as well and I can’t say that I believe anything else has ever helped me much, I do believe that most of it is rubbish. The best thing is – as it always has been – to eat a healthy diet. You’re fooling yourself if you think you can get all of the nutrients that the body needs out of a few pills.

and yet recent research shows that vitamin b supliments reduce the risk of dementia . which would sugest that suppliments do have benefits .study conducted at oxford university involving 250 people.foods rich in vitamin b turkey tuna liver / whole grains potatoes bananas beans .

A DM science article that is well written. I never thought the day would happen. Well done, more like this please.

Unless you measured for every disease out there, there’s no way one can say that it does “nothing” for one’s “health.” Oddly, this study doesn’t mention the prognosis, how likely the people were to survive, etc. Many of those diseases, you may not be able to fight off with vitamins – as there are many factors to getting them in the first place. But it’s known that good overall health can help your progress after you are diagnosed. That is also “health” and should be measured, because how one person responds after a diagnosis can be different than another based entirely on their lifestyle. I really don’t understand the kind of dumb articles that Dailymail writes. I may not really know about multivitamins, but I know for a fact that reading Dailymail articles causes my brain cells to commit sui cide. But it’s like a car accident, you just can’t help but look. :/

Multi-vitamins gave me an appetite and I gained weight! I stopped taking them and I lost weight. I am really curious to know why this is.

Who cares if I’m at the same risk of getting diseases, Berocca still does wonders for a hangover 🙂

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