In North America, experts valued the market size of dietary supplements at $52,874.7 million in 2021, with annual spending expected to increase by 5.6% until 2030. According to a survey conducted between 2011–2014, 52% of adults take at least one dietary supplement every month, and 31% use a multivitamin-mineral supplement. The most common reason for taking supplements was “overall health and wellness, to fill nutrient gaps in the diet.” However, studies Trusted Sources how that, for otherwise healthy individuals, taking multivitamins has little to no effect on health and may, in some cases, increase the risk of conditions like cancer Trusted Source. A recent review of Trusted Source of 84 studies found that vitamin and mineral supplementation is linked to little or no benefit in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and death. It also found that beta-carotene supplementation among healthy individuals was linked to an increased risk of lung cancer Medical News Today spoke with five nutrition experts to understand more about how multivitamins affect health, and why they may not be the “superheroes” of self-care. “Strictly speaking, the term ‘multivitamins’ refers to supplements containing only vitamins,” Dr. Sarah Berry, chief scientist at ZOE, and reader in nutritional sciences at King’s College London, told MNT. “However, most supplements contain a mixture of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids.”
The first multivitamins emerged in the early, 1940sTrusted Source. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) split them into three categories:basic or broad-spectrum — taken once per day, they contain all or most vitamins in quantities that do not exceed daily values (DVS)Trusted Source, recommended dietary allowances (RDA)Trusted Source, and adequate intakes (AIs) Trusted Source high potency — containing vitamins and minerals that are substantially higher than DVS, RDS and AIs, or even the tolerable upper intake level (UL)Trusted Source specialized — combining several vitamins and minerals for a specific purpose, such as boosting energy, weight control, or improving immune function. Some of these products might contain amounts of nutrients substantially above the DV, RDA, AI, or even UL. As multivitamins have no standard regulatory definition, their nutrient contents and quantities vary widely between products. Who should take multivitamins Dr. Brian Lind shield, professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Health at Kansas State University, told MNT that people who may develop a micronutrient deficiency should take multivitamins. According to him, “taking a multivitamin can make up for consuming a micronutrient-poor diet.” “It can help prevent micronutrient deficiency, which is important, but the reason that many people take them is they want the health benefits of a micronutrient-rich diet — such as chronic disease reduction — without having to consume the micronutrient-rich diet. But research has found that multivitamins — or single micronutrient supplements — have little to no benefit on chronic disease risk,” he noted. Dr. Kopec added that older people should also consider taking multivitamins. “Eating is a social activity,” she said, “and in the U.S., many older adults live alone.”“They also have physical mobility limitations restricting their ability to carry groceries or to cook, and can have dental disease or false teeth that make chewing difficult, etc. With age, we are also fighting biology, with reduced ability to absorb B12, and reduced stomach acid which limits iron and calcium uptake,” she continued.“Together,” explained Dr. Kopeck, “these factors put older adults at risk, and multivitamins can fill an important gap. Additionally, individuals following an exclusively plant-based diet, parents of picky children, and those with certain health conditions can also benefit from a general multivitamin.” Prof. Giovannucci added that a multivitamin with folic acid may lower Trusted Source stroke risk in populations where folic acid is not added to foods. He added that vitamin D supplements should be taken by people who have low sun exposure, either as a single supplement or a multivitamin, and that levels of 1,000–2,000 international units (25–50 micrograms) are “reasonable targets.” He also noted that specific conditions might also make multivitamins an option. For example, those who are pregnant may need higher nutrient intake, as well as those with conditions that may reduce the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients, such as celiac disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Berry added that iron supplements might also be recommended for women, especially as over a quarter of females in the United Kingdom have iron deficiency anemia. She further noted that long-chain omega-3 supplements may benefit those who do not consume fish or who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.“This is because humans are unable to make omega-3 fatty acids, and we can only convert plant-based sources of omega 3 (linoleic acid) into the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid),” she explained. “In people who do not have adequate intakes, an increase in omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish has been shown to have favorable effects on many health outcomes, including cardio metabolic health outcomes.”
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