Vitamins supplement suffered a hard wrap in 2003 with the Pan Pharmaceuticals debacle over hallucinatory effects of travel sickness medication which lead to massive recalls of products and affected the alternative supplement industry. Brands such as Bio-Organics, Nature’s Own and Cenovis suffered under an investigation and subsequent recall of 219 products by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) that had far reaching effects and impacts on these large industry powerhouses. The good to come of it was the effects of cleaning up the Therapeutic Supplement industry with stricter labelling, definitions of products and operation standards such as Manufacturing cleaning to avoid cross contamination of potentially allergic products.
According to a Roy Morgan poll conducted in 2018, 8.3 million Australians purchase vitamin supplements, with 60% of women in the 35-49 age bracket (the most populat demographic) purchasing supplements in the past 6 months. Growth in the sector has dropped slightly in the years after 2014 and whilst a small growth in consumer figures has been recorded, as a population percentage the figures show a slowing decline of purchase in the timeframe to 2018.
So what of Multivitamins? Are you one of the people who are predisposed to picking up a pack of Women’s Health Pills at the supermarket as a way to supercharge your body against the stresses of modern living? The question begs to be asked - is it really helping? According to sources in leading scientific journals, the decision is inconclusive. Dietary intake of minerals and nutrients plays a huge role in our health, longevity and in battling diseases and illness. Supplementing these with synthesized vitamins doesn’t necessarily equal better health. The research and debate is wide and varied but an interesting take on this is that the TYPE of people who are actually buying multivitamins may not be needing to regulate their intake in the first place.
Tim Crowe from METAFACT - a fact checking website originating from the University of New South Wales Professor Dr Ben McNeil, talks about the demographics of multivitamin takers being the defining aspect of those who swear allegiance to the benefits of vitamin supplements. According to Crowe “these people are more likely to have a higher education level, higher incomes, lower body mass index and higher physical activity levels – all factors that are linked to better health.” The research seems to indicate that people who are the primary purchasers of multi vitamins already have a high micronutrient intake and are even bracketed in their own genre of the ‘worried well’ group. People who are so concerned with their health and well being that they have reinforced their lifestyle to such an extent that they have put themselves into a really healthy position, with planned diets, regular exercise, reduced stress and stimulant intake - to the point that they are among the healthier groups in the population spectrum.
But what of multivitamin intake? Do they really work. The scientific research from mutliple studies concludes that mutlivitamin intake has no apparent intake on health and well being and being free from risk of chronic illness. As far back as 2009, observational studies and randomised control trials have all concluded across multiple systemic reviews that multivitamin use has little to no impact on the variance of suffering chronic illnesses or diseases. The Women’s Health Initiative study in the US in 2009, a systemic review of over 18 observational studies and more than 2 million participants found no benefit to multivitamin use and risk of heart disease by the American Heart Disease Assocation in 2018, as well as the Physicians Health Study in 2012 with 14,000 men in the US running randomised control trials also found no correlation between heart disease and mutlivitamin use. The most recent critical review in 2015 by Tufts University in Bostons Giana Angelo concluded ‘no significant effect in taking multivitamins and the reduction of risk of chronic illness’. This study did find that there was a slight (8%) decrease in male risk of developing cancer but not in women.
Mutlivitamins however can be an appropriate use for helping with dietary intakes that are specifically low in certain nutritional elements. When dietary intake is insufficient in vitamins and minerals, in this instance, supplementation can go towards helping to create a more balanced nutritional profile.
elderly patients on restricted diet plans
women planning pregnancy - use of folic acid/iodine/iron and vitamin D
Vegans who often need bolstering of B12
Alcohol abusers
those who have undergone bariatric stomach surgery
people suffering from GIT issues such as Coeliacs, Crohns disease, Cystic Fibrosis or Pancreatitis
Dr Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz from the University of Wollongong talks about these people needing dietary supplementation and that in these specific instances, multivitamin supplementation has scientific benefit to help balance out the system that may be affected by external influences.
As a broad based prescription, multivitamin use doesn’t necessarily contribute to us having a stronger than normal immune system or a more resilient health profile. If our diet is sufficient and well adjusted, our nutrient intake should be sufficient to keep us in balance and the most robust of health. If you fall into a category of specific dietary shortcomings such as those mentioned above, then yes supplementation is a consideration for you pending medical assessment and tailored findings as to inefficiencies and specifics of what vitamin/mineral is lacking. Crowe from Metafact makes it definitive… “If you feel that you could be lacking in certain nutrients, it may be better to look at changing your diet rather than reaching for supplements”.
