Film stars vouch for them in commercials, direct marketing companies peddle them as the ultimate panacea and neighbourhood pharmacies are too eager to hawk them. Multivitamins have suddenly become a hot property in the health and nutrition market. Vitamin pills have always been around but never before were they in the forefront of good health as they appear to be now.
The idea of multivitamins has come about with the fast paced lifestyle in urban settings, where people don’t find much time to cook nutritious meals. To add to this, there is a new understanding that the body needs certain nutrients which cannot be sourced from the regular diet. Vitamin deficiencies of various types can lead to serious disorders and diseases. So popping the pill looks like the easiest way out. That’s why multivitamins are increasingly being projected as some kind of insurance against any possible health problem.
Do all of us actually need multivitamin tablets? New research shows that these pills after all result in no magical remedies. It’s time to have a rethink on this whole idea of synthetic vitamin supplements. The formula for optimal health, doesn’t lie in that supplement aisle of a health store but lies in those fruits and veggies in your kitchen, experts say.
Tall health claims
Vitamin pills are definitely not a magical cure for our health woes, health experts say based on research studies. Among the popular supplements known to have great health benefits are vitamins A, C and E. They fight the damaging action of free radicals, which in turn, have been linked to cardiovascular diseases and other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. But a recently published study by the University of California had found that there was no good evidence that vitamins reduced the risk of cancer in healthy people. The researchers in fact pointed out that large doses of some vitamins like beta carotene, a form of vitamin A, and vitamins C and E can end up promoting cancer.
Another study done by the American Urological Association in 2010 had shown that antioxidant pills don’t reduce your risk of bladder cancer. A US study, reported in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, found that taking Vitamin E supplements in certain cases can increase the risk of prostrate cancer by 17 per cent, with the risk of death increasing as the dose got larger.
A meta-analysis of trials published in 2008 found that vitamin C from food such as oranges and red peppers can offer protection against heart disease, and even reduce the risk of breast cancer in women with a family history of the disease.
However, the reduction of risk was not seen among those taking vitamin C supplements. Scientists have also dispelled the notion that if you take too much vitamin C, the excess is simply excreted by the body. Some of it in fact, is absorbed by the body. The studies had also shown that excessive intake of nutrients in the form of pills can actually decrease the benefits of other nutrients in the body. For example, when we ingest high levels of one type of vitamin E, our bodies kick out the other types to make room for it, studies said.
Dangerous side effects
While it is rare, doctors say that one should not go overboard with multivitamin intake. For instance, women who take multivitamins and eat fortified foods from the market may end up stocking too much vitamin A. If you take a multivitamin at breakfast with a bowl of fortified cereal and milk, you’re likely to ingest more than your daily vitamin A requirement before you step out the door. “Even small excesses of Vitamin A can be linked to an increased risk of birth defects, liver problems, nervous system disorders, as well as long-term bone damage that can eventually lead to hip fractures,” says Dr Kiran Sharma, New Delhi-based internal medicine specialist.
At times, inspite of piling up on multivitamins, you may still not hit the right levels of calcium and vitamin D levels in your body, the reason being you shy away from the real dairy products, which are the true sources of some vital nutrients. Vitamins are essential in small amounts for a normal metabolism because they (with the exception of vitamin D) cannot be synthesised by humans. So they need to be ingested in the diet to prevent disorders of metabolism. While earlier, these used to be sourced primarily through the diet, now they are being supplemented through pills. Doctors caution that excess intake of vitamins A, D, E and K which are the fat soluble vitamins, could result in toxicity. For example, vitamin D in excess can cause nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, increased urination, thirst and confusion.In the same way, vitamin A in excess can cause blurring of vision and liver toxicity and vitamin K in excess can end one with jaundice and anaemia. “The over-the counter multivitamin pills also contain variable amounts of various minerals like calcium, magnesium, selenium, which if taken without medical supervision for prolonged periods could result in various toxicities,” says Dr Vivek Nangia, director, infectious diseases and pulmonology, Fortis Hospital.
Go for the real foodA study published in the Nutrition Journal had found that nutritional elements appear to work best when they are not isolated from the food sources. For example, the various parts of a natural vitamin work together in a synthesised manner, whereas a synthetic supplement for vitamins has its physiological, biochemical and other micronutrient elements disabled. Eating a good meal is more nutritious than swallowing that pill, as a combination of foods always outperformed single foods, the study says. Also, your body absorbs natural foods the best. Our body has evolved to eat real foods. Artificial supplements are not absorbed well and are often disposed off by the body even before they are used.
Many such isolate supplements are not recognised by the body as food and might be interpreted as toxins though there are some pills which are made to be absorbed easily. Unfortunately, they cannot be in any way, compared to real whole foods. “Give your body what it deserves instead of the pills,” suggests Dr Sharma.The value of raw foods is being discovered now by nutritional science. “The benefits of routine supplementation are unproven but not that of real food. High doses of vitamins probably cause more harm than good. If you are concerned about your nutrition then, improve your diet,” says Shivani Verma, New Delhi based nutritionist.
Remember, vitamins and other dietary supplements are not meant to be food substitute. “They cannot replace all of the nutrients and benefits of whole foods. They can plug nutrition gaps in your diet, but it is short-sighted to think your vitamin or mineral is the ticket to good health as the big power is on the plate, not in a pill,” adds Verma.
