Daily Multivitamins: A Ubiquitous Article of Faith

Suzanne 3FC · 09-07-2005, 02:30 PM

It's possible that most people will not benefit from taking multivitamins.

Quote:

Popping the daily multivitamin is as routine as the morning cup of coffee. Multivitamins are cheap and easy to access, giving people the quick gratification that they've taken a small step towards protecting their well-being.

Yet the goodness is an article of faith. A multivitamin is not an insurance policy against disease or a guarantee of longevity. It may, in fact, be little more than just another substance for the body to excrete, at least for a healthy adult.

Read the full article at http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHe...Health/tb/1688

jillybean720 · 09-08-2005, 06:42 AM

I think I still benefit from the multivitamins. All that article said was that they most likely do not prevent illness. I never thought they did to begin with! However, I know for a fact that I am not getting all of the nutrients I need daily in my diet, so I need the additional vitamins and minerals. Some have very important "jobs" in the body--they aid in digestion, growth, strong bones and teeth, and numerous other things. I think it is very misleading to say that most people don't benefit from multivitamins. No, they're not some super-pill that will prevent you from getting sick, but how many people actually get all o the nutrients they need to keep their bodies functioning properly from their daily food?

Amarantha2 · 09-08-2005, 09:53 PM

I do benefit from vitamin supplements, but I don't take a multi. However, it is my opinion that adults in certain age categories often lack enough of some nutrients, specifically the B vitamins, calcium and iron. I think I feel better when I take a time-release B-C complex or sometimes I use sublinguial B. I occasionally take an iron tablet.

Suzanne 3FC · 09-09-2005, 08:12 PM

I still take my mulitvitamins. It can't hurt, lol. I don't take excessive dosages of anything, just the usual one-a-day type. I also take fish oil capsules and folic acid. But I've stopped taking a lot of things I used to take, such as Vitamin E, due to a lot of negative studies lately.