ORLANDO, Fla. – Fifty percent of all American adults take a multivitamin each day, which increases to 70% for people 65 and older.
It’s big business, totaling more than $12 billion a year. But is it money well spent? They come in all shapes and all sizes, with everything from a to zinc. But do vitamins really work?
The verdict is in: “If you eat fruits and vegetables every day, you get more than enough vitamins needed for your body.”
Research involving 450,000 people found that multivitamins did not reduce the risk for heart disease or cancer. Another study tracked men for 12 years and found that multivitamins did not reduce the risk for mental decline. And researchers found too much vitamin-e and beta-carotene may not help but hurt your heart health.
And what about gummy vitamins?
Adults now comprise up to 80% of the gummy vitamin market. ConsumerLab.com found that four out of five gummy products contained more than their listed amounts. This could lead to elevated risks of some cancers. Bottom line, researchers at Johns Hopkins believe eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight may be better than popping a few of these.
Some gummies, including kids’ gummies made by flintstones vitamins and women’s gummies made by nature’s way, passed the consumer lab dot com testing.
Experts agree the exception for vitamins is supplemental iron and folic acid for women who plan to become pregnant or who are pregnant. The recommended daily dose is 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.