Question

Nutrition Question- -

.what's wrong with the following hypothesis. How can it be improved?    Multivitamins mineral supplements improve health

Answer 1

"multivitamins  mineral supplements improve health"

there are ofcourse some minerals and vitamins supplement that are useful for us. for eg- defects of neural tube prevented by the use of follic acid. vit D is suggested to prevent any deficiency in breast feeding babies. in newly born babies vitamin K protect from catastrophic bleeding. but the main reason for taking supplements is not a need, it is just our belief that we fulfil the gaps that comes in our diet. another bilieve is that if we take more vitamins that must be better just because vitamins are useful and good.

my concern is that if we are truly benefited by supplements then we should verify this hypothesis by studying the health effects of those people who consume vitamins for many years. there is clear evidence come out fromm those studies that regular supplement of multivitamins does not provide fuitful health benefits.

most multivitamin supplement does not protect or prevent from diseases or death. multivitamins do not provide prevention from cardiovascular diseases and cancer. multivitamin supplementation in older healthy males have no benefit of it and there was undetectable effects of multivitamins on cognition. therefore dietary minerals, viatamins,etc that means a proper balanced diet is important to maintain good health.

source: US Preventive Services Task Force. (2003). Routine vitamin supplementation to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease: recommendations and rationale. Annals of internal medicine, 139(1), 51.