For those who aren’t pregnant, vitamins are a waste of money because the evidence for cardiovascular disease or cancer prevention is lacking, according to researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Patients ask all the time, ‘What supplements should I be taking?’”
Dr Jeffrey Linder, Northwestern University
The researchers penned an editorial in JAMA that supports new recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a national panel which makes evidence-based recommendations on clinical prevention.
Based on a systematic review of 84 studies, the USPSTF’s new guidelines state there was “insufficient evidence” that taking multivitamins, paired supplements or single supplements can help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer in otherwise healthy, non-pregnant adults.
“Patients ask all the time, ‘What supplements should I be taking?’ They’re wasting money and focus thinking there has to be a magic set of pills that will keep them healthy when we should all be following the evidence-based practices of eating healthy and exercising,” said Dr Jeffrey Linder, one of the editorial’s authors.
“The task force is not saying ‘don’t take multivitamins,’ but there’s this idea that if these were really good for you, we’d know by now,” Dr Linder added.
The task force is specifically recommending against taking beta-carotene supplements because of a possible increased risk of lung cancer, and is recommending against taking vitamin E supplements because it has no net benefit in reducing mortality, cardiovascular disease or cancer.
“The harm is that talking with patients about supplements during the very limited time we get to see them, we’re missing out on counselling about how to really reduce cardiovascular risks, like through exercise or smoking cessation,” Dr Linder said.
No substitute for actual fruits and vegetables
Eating fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease and cancer risk, they said, so it is reasonable to think those key vitamins and minerals in pills could prevent disease. But, they explain, whole fruits and vegetables contain a mixture of vitamins, phytochemicals, fibre and other nutrients that probably act synergistically to deliver health benefits. Micronutrients on their own may also have a different effect than when consumed with others in foods.
Dr Linder noted that individuals with vitamin deficiency can still benefit from taking dietary supplements, such as calcium and vitamin D, which have been shown to prevent fractures and perhaps falls in older adults.
New guidelines do not apply to those who are pregnant
The new USPSTF guidelines do not apply to people who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, said JAMA editorial co-author Dr Natalie Cameron, a physician at Northwestern.
“Pregnant individuals should keep in mind that these guidelines don’t apply to them,” said Dr Cameron. “More data is needed to understand how specific vitamin supplementation may modify risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular complications during pregnancy.”
Source: Northwestern University
