Are multivitamins actually beneficial?

A significant amount of Americans regularly take a multivitamin.

According to News in Health, a newsletter from the National Institutes of Health, about half of adults and a third of children in the U.S. take one or more dietary supplements each day, or on a majority of days.

That data helps explain why the market for multivitamins is booming. Americans spend more per year on dietary supplements than on over-the-counter medications, with estimated sales reaching close to $49 billion in 2019, according to News in Health.

However, it’s not clear if all this spending is actually paying off.

Johns Hopkins Medicine has highlighted three studies recording insufficient benefits from taking multivitamins. One analysis involving 450,000 participants found that multivitamins did not reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

So are multivitamins OK to take? Is it better to get your nutrients from foods instead?

Should I take multivitamins?

As Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has noted, not everyone has a healthy diet, and some people don’t consume enough of the most important vitamins and minerals each day.

• As an example: More than 90% of Americans don’t get enough of vitamins D and E from their diet, per a 2011 study highlighted by Harvard.

Some restrictive diets limit access to certain nutrients. Elizabeth Ko, medical director of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative, told CNBC that vegan and vegetarian diets tend to be low in vitamin D, as well as iron and vitamin B12.

“There simply aren’t many plant-based sources of these nutrients,” Ko said to CNBC.

Along with nutritional deficiencies, some people may need to take multivitamins for certain conditions.

The Washington Post reported that those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should take between 400 to 800 milligrams of folic acid per day, as directed by health professionals.

Similarly, those who underwent bariatric surgery need to meet their calcium, copper, iron and zinc recommendations, and supplements can provide at least some support toward that goal.

Should I just eat better?

Harvard mentioned that if you already have a diet rich in nutrients — featuring a range of healthy foods, like vegetables and whole grains — then you may not benefit from taking multivitamins.

Similarly, The Washington Post recommended focusing on eating a healthy diet, as it has been established in studies to reverse heart disease and reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Raul Seballos, an internist, told Cleveland Clinic, “Ask yourself, ‘Am I doing everything possible to optimize my overall health before taking a multivitamin and/or supplement?’”

He added, “Smart lifestyle choices are your best guarantee of future health,” per Cleveland Clinic.

What multivitamins should I go for?

According to The Washington Post, multivitamins are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so each brand of multivitamin can vary in content. Some brands, for example, may hold a 70% recommended daily value of vitamin C, while others may go up to 200%.

Generally, experts say you should pick a multivitamin targeting your age and sex. For example, multivitamins labeled for younger women typically have higher amounts of folic acid and iron — the latter of which can be lost during menstruation.

“My best advice is to stick with trusted national brands. When it comes to quality, products that are third-party certified by groups like NSF International or the U.S. Pharmacopeia Corporation (USP) can provide added reassurance,” said Taylor Wallace, a professor of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University, to Forbes Health.