Are Vitamins Good for You? Do Supplements Really Work?

Many believe taking vitamins can help them avoid various diseases, including cancer. However, that belief isn't necessarily true, according to studies.

Are Vitamins Good for You?

Multivitamins are supplements with various vitamins and minerals, occasionally with other substances. Since no definition of a multivitamin exists, each brand and product has a unique nutrient profile.

Other names for multivitamins include multiples, multis, and just vitamins. They come in various forms, including liquids, chewable gummies, powders, tablets, and capsules. The majority of multivitamins need to be taken once or twice a day.

Are vitamins good for you? According to Jeffrey Millstein, MD, a physician at Penn Internal Medicine Woodbury Heights, there are reasons one takes supplements. Generally, vitamins can support your overall well-being with little to no risk.

The common supplements include vitamin B12 to keep nerve and blood cells healthy and prevent anemia, folic acid to reduce congenital disabilities, vitamin D to strengthen bones, calcium to promote healthy bones, fish oil to support heart health, vitamins C and E to prevent cell damage, vitamins A to slow down vision-loss due to age-related macular degeneration, melatonin to help with sleep problems and zinc to promote health skin and slow down vision loss.

However, despite vitamins' benefits, several studies suggest they don't make you live longer, slow cognitive decline, or lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.

Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, echoed the same sentiment. According to him, vitamins are not a "shortcut to better health," nor are they the solution to avoid chronic diseases.

Millstein stressed that it's illegal for companies to claim that their supplements can treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases. He also warned that one should take precautions when taking vitamins.

Multivitamins often don't present any health dangers. However, it would be best to use caution while putting anything into your body.

Supplements may have adverse effects if you have some medical issues, such as liver disease, or if you are about to undergo surgery. They may also combine with other medications you are taking. According to Millstein, some supplements haven't been studied in youngsters, nursing mothers, or pregnant women, so you may need extra measures.

Additionally, compared to prescription medications, nutritional supplements are subject to less federal regulations. Unlisted substances, which could be dangerous, could be found in some supplements. Some items sold as dietary supplements have prescription medications that are not permitted in dietary supplements.

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Do Vitamins Work?

Supplements sometimes work. Appel admitted that he doesn't recommend supplements because he believes that one can get all the vitamins and minerals they need if they follow a healthy diet, maintains a healthy and reduce their consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and sugar.

However, he acknowledges that vitamins work in certain conditions. For instance, when women take folic acid before and during the first trimester of pregnancy, it helps prevent neural tube abnormalities in newborns. For this reason, multivitamins are advised for young women.

All women of reproductive age should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Women capable of having children may also benefit from a multivitamin's iron content.