Love for supplements: Research shows bolder pitfalls

Do you take a multivitamin? It might not be such a good idea.

Their advertisement is the driving force of commerce. There is hardly a commercial break on the radio or television without a spot encouraging us to buy various tablets. However, as it turns out, some of these promises are not fulfilled, and the pills neither support health nor help us live longer.

People have become enamoured with dietary supplements. Instead of looking for individual vitamins in food, we prefer a quick method like pills. We often reach for multivitamins containing a complete set of mineral ingredients.

Although a complete set of vitamins, often supplementing our daily requirements, sounds tempting, in practice, it not only does not protect us from diseases but also does not help to prolong life.

American scientists conducted research among 390,000 adults living in various parts of the USA. The National Cancer Institute monitored their behaviour for as long as 20 years to check if there was a link between regular supplementation and longevity.

They examined supplements. Vitamin pills worse than a placebo

The research did not show that taking multivitamins affected health or prolonged life. It also did not cause differences in the number of deaths caused by cancer. In the overall assessment, however, multivitamins increased mortality by 4%.

The studies' authors emphasise that they still need to examine diverse populations, such as people with deficiencies in essential nutrients or older individuals.

Experts emphasise that supplementation will never replace a healthy, balanced diet. If we want to take supplements, it is worth doing blood tests to see which vitamins we lack.

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