DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A new study suggests taking a daily multivitamin may not be as effective as many people think.
For healthy adults, taking a daily multivitamin may not lower your risk of death or extend your lifespan, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Thao Tran, a family medicine physician at Kettering Health, says most of the vitamins we take in each day come from the food we eat, as long as we maintain a balanced diet.
“For people who can eat rainbow foods, that’s going to be the best way to get vitamins because that’s how we naturally absorb them,” Tran said.
Tran said when it comes to vitamins, the body has a limit beyond which it becomes overdone.
“If you think about the scenario of a pickup truck, when the pickup truck is fully loaded, no matter how much stuff you put into it, there’s a limit to how much stuff you can fit in the truck,” Tran said.
Not all multivitamins are the same, and Tran said gummies, in particular, don’t always contain all the vitamins and minerals you need.
“Most gummies don’t have iron in them, and most don’t have calcium which other gummies might have, so checking the nutrition label is really important,” Tran says.
Tran said some people may benefit from taking supplements, including pregnant women, adults over 65, vegetarians and those with certain medical conditions or vitamin deficiencies.
That’s why it’s important to continue with regular health checks, Tran says.
“When you come in for a checkup, we can determine if you really have a vitamin deficiency and if that vitamin would be helpful,” Tran says.
