Taking multivitamins and other supplements may seem like an easy way to improve your health. But do they really help? And if your doctor hasn’t recommended adding a certain type of supplement to your daily routine, do you really need to take it?
It’s a good question, given that new research is casting doubt on the efficacy of multivitamins. A new cohort study of more than 390,000 U.S. adults with no history of significant chronic disease found no evidence that healthy adults who regularly take multivitamins live longer. And it’s not the only study showing that multivitamins may not be protective for your health: A 2022 review of more than 80 studies found that taking multivitamins has “little to no effect” on preventing cancer, heart disease, or death.
So does that mean you should throw out your supplements? Probably not. In some cases, multivitamins and supplements can help improve your health. To find out who might benefit and why, here are five questions to discuss with your healthcare provider:
Are you eating a balanced diet?
Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family medicine physician at One Medical, tells Yahoo Life that most people don’t need to take a daily multivitamin if their diet is high in vegetables, fruits, lean proteins like chicken and fish, healthy fats, and grains.
“It’s actually better to get nutrients from food than from vitamins, which can be costly,” she says.
If you’re thinking about taking fish oil supplements to get your omega-3 fatty acids to make up for not eating enough fish, you might want to think again. If your heart is healthy, fish oil supplements could actually be harmful. One study found that participants without heart disease who took fish oil had a 13% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart-related complications. Healthy participants who took fish oil also had a 5% increased risk of having a stroke.
Meanwhile, people who already have heart disease and take fish oil had a 15% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, the study found.
It’s also worth noting that many people (about 35% of the U.S. population) have a vitamin D deficiency, which can be determined with a blood test. You can get vitamin D through a balanced diet that includes foods rich in vitamin D like salmon, canned tuna, and fortified orange juice, and brief exposure to sunlight (no more than 10-15 minutes two to three times a week), but talk to your doctor about whether you should take a vitamin D supplement.
Are you vegan?
Some people on a vegan or vegetarian diet need to take vitamin B. Although it’s possible to get enough B12, a meat-free diet can leave you deficient in the vitamin. Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy blood and nerve cells and aids in protein metabolism in the body.
“Vitamin B12 is typically only found in meat, but some grains are fortified with vitamin B12,” Dr. Estrellita Dixon, associate professor of internal medicine at UC Health, tells Yahoo Life. “Vegans need to educate themselves on how to get certain vitamins, especially vitamin B12, which is important for blood and nerve health.” Dr. Dixon recommends that strict vegans take a daily vitamin B12 supplement (the recommended intake for teens and adults is 2.4 mcg per day).
Omega-3s are another concern for vegans and vegetarians, says Dr. Patrick Flateron, a cardiologist and integrative medicine physician in New York City: “Because we don’t consume animal products, we have to get our omega-3s from algae. [oil]” he tells Yahoo Life.
Do you have a weakened immune system or a specific health condition?
Flateron suggests that people with weakened immune systems who can’t eat a balanced diet should take a multivitamin: “People with weakened immune systems generally don’t absorb nutrients well, so multivitamins should be taken in liquid form,” he says.
Your doctor may order blood tests to determine how much calcium and magnesium you need, and whether you might benefit from taking certain vitamins, such as vitamins A, B6, B12, folate, C, and D3.
“This is especially important because 40 percent of the population cannot absorb vitamin B12 and folate due to a defect in a gene called MTHFR,” says Flateron. “People with this defect cannot absorb vitamin B12 and folate, which makes it difficult for the body to detoxify them.”
Dixon adds that people who have had certain stomach or intestinal surgeries, including gastric bypass, should ask their doctor what supplements they need, such as vitamin B12, vitamin D and iron.
“Absorption of vitamin B12 can also be a problem with some medications, such as those used long-term. [diabetes medication] It’s metformin, so you need to check those levels,” she says.
Are you trying to get pregnant?
Women who want to become pregnant should take folic acid daily, says Dixon. Folic acid is found in prenatal vitamins, most multivitamins, and stand-alone supplements. Because about half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, the March of Dimes recommends that all women of childbearing age take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. “Taking folic acid during the first eight weeks of pregnancy helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida,” says Dixon.
The March of Dimes recommends that once pregnant, women should increase their folic acid intake to 600 micrograms daily to help support the growth and development of their baby.
If you’re trying to become pregnant, Flateron recommends talking to your doctor to make sure your thyroid levels are normal, as well as getting enough iodine, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.
Are you going through menopause?
Menopausal women are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis due to bone loss. In fact, bone mass can decrease by up to 20% during menopause. Women at this age and beyond can benefit from taking Vitamin D, which reduces the risk of fractures.
In addition to vitamin D (and engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise to build bone mass), Flateron says women should also consider taking the trace minerals boron and calcium for their bones. Talk to your healthcare provider about how much you should be taking.
“The recommended amount of calcium for menopausal women has been lowered because studies have found that high calcium intake in the past puts women at higher risk of heart disease. [because] “Excess calcium gets deposited in the arteries of the heart,” he says.
Conclusion
Adding a multivitamin or supplement to your diet may seem beneficial, and while it’s certainly easy to pick one up at the drugstore and start taking it, be sure to check with your healthcare provider first.
“There’s a lot of information out there about vitamins, some of it accurate, some of it misinformation,” Bhuyan says. “If you have questions or concerns about vitamins, [and] Always consult with your doctor regarding supplements or any other health topic.”
