An article in Readers Digest has gotten me thinking a lot about multivitamins. I’ve been taking a multivitamin as part of my supplement regime for P90X. When I did Body For Life years ago, I did the same thing. When not doing Body For Life, my nutrition slipped, as did my use of a multivitamin. Seems like a multivitamin is a no brainer right? It helps to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need and might be missing from your diet. You are working hard on your body, putting it through the paces, making big changes. The multivitamin guarantees that your body is getting what it needs to recover from workouts and stay healthy while you push it to new limits. Or does it?
Much of the article from Readers Digest covered major disease prevention like cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Another myth it takes on is whether vitamin C prevents or fights colds. Readers Digest sites studies in 2007 that discovered this is not the case. The article even addresses the “Can’t Hurt” mentality. Apparently it could hurt. Several more studies are cited as showing increased risk of some diseases due to high doses of certain vitamins or minerals.
The readers digest article does not actually have links to these studies which I find frustrating. It’s easy enough to say “a 2007 study showed” without actually producing a citation for the study. I’m not saying the article’s author would make it up, but I like to be able to see these things for myself and not just take the word of a writer who is trying to make a specific argument.
Wikipedia does a better job of citing in its entry on multivitamins. This entry has both an “Evidence in Favor” and “Evidence Against” section with citations for the studies, including some web links. Seems like much of the same against material is cited here.
I can’t argue with the RD writer’s basic premise that a good balanced diet will provide our bodies with the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy. However, is this for adults with normal amount of activity in their lives? What about someone trying to lose weight and cutting calories? What about someone cutting calories and adding an exercise program into their daily routine? These are scenarios in which a person might find themselves eating healthier, but not necessarily balanced enough to get every vitamin and mineral needed. Add to this the new strain on the body that an exercise program places and I’m left wondering if it’s not necessary to supplement our vitamin intake.
I’m certainly not a nutritionist or physician, so I can’t get into specifics about what the body needs and doesn’t. In other words, I’m no expert. For adults who are taking on an exercise program like P90X and who are changing their caloric intake, it seems like a multivitamin makes sense as a supplement. What do you think?
