A study released is resulting in articles titled with surprising statements like “Multiviamins a waste of money for general population, reports suggest” and lead-in news stories on television dangling that carrot before commercial breaks. Of course it caught my attention, which is of course the intent.
Reading the article linked above, to find out what exactly was being shared, brought forth a few interesting quotes.
Taking a multivitamin every day doesn’t seem to ward off thinking and memory problems. Nor will it prevent further heart disease or death among people who have already had a heart attack.
Sesso said because of the possible cancer-related benefits tied to multivitamins, they are still worth considering – in particular for people who may not get enough vitamins in their diet.
A prior study by his team found an 8 per cent lower risk of cancer among men assigned to take multivitamins, as well as a lower risk of cataracts.
He said the main reasons people report talking multivitamins are for overall health and wellness and to fill nutrient gaps.
Research shows Americans often don’t get all recommended nutrients from their diets, and that a multivitamin helps fill those gaps, MacKay told Reuters Health.
“That’s reason alone that a multivitamin should be consumed,” he said.
I’m puzzled why articles, and news cast reports, have such a bold statement like the title of the article used to lure people in, when in fact the findings don’t state more than anyone with common sense would know. A vitamin won’t make you smarter, give you an edge over your peers, or stop you from having another heart attack if you have heart disease. It will, however, help with your general health whether you are a relatively healthy person or struggling with your health in some way.
It’s not a magic pill, but for people who don’t read the articles released and simply base their decisions on a controversial news report title, it’s unfortunate.
My kids and I take vitamins daily as part of our routine and I strongly feel that they make all the difference in how often my kids and myself get sick compared to others. Well, that and my whole germo-phobe predisposition. 😉
As much as one tries to follow Canada’s Food Guide, we don’t always get (OK, let’s be honest here, we don’t OFTEN get) all our essential vitamins and minerals in a day. We eat zero fish in our household (because I dislike all fish and I’m the cook!) so of course we use supplements to fill that void. I can’t imagine a family deciding vitamins are a “waste of money” based on the title of an article alone.
Do you take vitamins daily? Do you feel they help? Does this news release and ‘shocking’ lead-in statements tick you off as much as it does me?
I saw the news release. I still take and will take my vitamins. I love all foods and each a variety. Looking at the Canada food guide it is impossible to eat everything daily.
I like to take my Vit D and Vit B especially in the winter time
I agree with Florence. It’s hard to eat everything the Canada Food Guide says to eat. I take a multivitamin and extra vitamin D in the winter.
Wow! I will very much so keep taking my vitamins, regardless… It’s sad that there are people who NEED it who wont take them because of articles like this!
I once had a naturopathic/homeopathic doctor visit one of my anthropology classes, and he said that the absolute cheapest form of health insurance you could buy was a multivitamin 🙂 I do take one every morning, and I do actually feel a little “off” if I go a couple of days without one. I will certainly continue to take mine – I don’t see how it could do any harm!