What Are Multivitamins?
Multivitamins are supplements that contain many different vitamins and minerals, sometimes alongside other ingredients Multivitamins are also referred to as multis, multiples, or simply vitamins. Most multivitamins should be taken once or twice per day.
Make sure to read the label and follow the recommended dosage instructions. Multivitamins are available in pharmacies, large discount stores, and supermarkets, as well as online. Summary Multivitamins are supplements that contain different vitamins and minerals.
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December 16, 2019
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The total price tag exceeds $12 billion per year—money that Johns Hopkins nutrition experts say might be better spent on nutrient-packed foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
The Vitamin Verdict
The researchers concluded that multivitamins don’t reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline (such as memory loss and slowed-down thinking) or an early death. They also noted that in prior studies, vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements appear to be harmful, especially at high doses.
“Pills are not a shortcut to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases,” says Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. “Other nutrition recommendations have much stronger evidence of benefits—eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar you eat.”
The exception is supplemental folic acid for women of child-bearing potential, Appel says. “I don’t recommend other supplements,” Appel says.