# Should you take a multivitamin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892 "2011-08-16T13:32:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anon11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@anon11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anon11)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/1 "2011-08-16T13:32:23Z")
I feel more alert when I take a multivitamin. Looking through the food sources of various vitamins, I doubt many vegetarians like myself, or even meat eaters get anywhere near close to 100 % RDA. 1. Are these daily values too high or low? 2. Do we feel the benefit, or are vitamins only really useful in preventing disease, like scurvy, that most people don’t suffer from ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/2 "2011-08-16T13:38:22Z")
Vitamins supplements are only required when a deficiency is medically discovered. If you eat a varied diet you are probably getting more than enough of the daily requirements, averaged over time: even as a vegetarian. I recently heard a very good radio interview with a renowned local doctor who said that vitamin supplements are a waste of money, again, unless a specific targeted deficiency has been found due to medical problems. It _usually_ won’t harm you to take vitamin supplements, but it won’t do you any good either. You are feeling the placebo effect. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/3 "2011-08-16T14:19:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > If you eat a varied diet you are probably getting more than enough of the daily requirements, averaged over time: even as a vegetarian. Nonsense. If anyone believes this, all you need to do is plug your daily food intake into [fitday.com](http://fitday.com) or [cronometer.com](http://cronometer.com) and see if you meet the USRDA for each of the various nutrients listed. Most people do not. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/4 "2011-08-16T14:53:04Z")
> **[Dietary magnesium and C-reactive protein levels - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15930481/)** > > Most Americans consume magnesium at levels below the RDA. Individuals with intakes below the RDA are more likely to have elevated CRP, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. > [@](#): > > RESULTS: **Among US adults, 68% consumed less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium, and 19% consumed less than 50% of the RDA**. After controlling for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, **adults who consumed \ or =RDA (Odds Ratio [OR] for intake \<50% RDA = 1.75, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.08-2.87**). Adults who were over age 40 with a BMI \>25 and who consumed \<50% RDA for magnesium were 2.24 times more likely to have elevated CRP (95% CI 1.13-4.46) than adults \> or =RDA. > > CONCLUSIONS: Most Americans consume magnesium at levels below the RDA. Individuals with intakes below the RDA are more likely to have elevated CRP, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. And that’s just one single nutrient. Chris Masterjohn summarizes some other common nutrient deficiencies here: > **[35 Healthy Recipes For A Low Cholesterol Diet](https://recipes.net/articles/healthy-recipes-for-low-cholesterol-diet/)** > > A low cholesterol diet is definitely a must nowadays. After all, your cholesterol and health go hand in hand. Eating too much high cholesterol food can give way > [@](#): > > Most groups have a deficient median intake of magnesium. > Several groups have a deficient median intake of calcium. > Children aged 1-2 and most groups of females have a deficient median intake of iron. > Blacks over the age of 16 and Mexican-Americans over the age of 60 have a deficient median intake of folate. > **All age groups and races have a deficient median intake of vitamins A, E, B6, and copper.** ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/5 "2011-08-16T15:05:04Z")
Another thing to keep in mind when considering RDA is how you differ from the average. If you’re considerably larger or smaller or active your needs for various vitamins and minerals will be different. I’m very active and so I have difficulty just getting enough calories and protein as it is and my diet isn’t as varied as it should be. I can definitely feel the difference with and without vitamin supplements. However, I could probably address some or all of whatever it’s giving me through other means but it would require a much stricter diet than I’m generally able to maintain, so it’s just not worth it. Either way, if you want to know if you should take them, you really should consult a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/6 "2011-08-16T15:05:21Z")
Right, but is it truly necessary to consume 100% RDA of every vitamin and mineral? Are there health problems from the deficiencies mentioned above? IIRC, RDA levels are set very conservatively. From a public health perspective, you want to be sure that even old women with intestinal parasites and pregnant with triplets are getting enough nutrients. But those levels are more than enough for most healthy individual. To be a little more specific, we all know that if you don’t get enough vitamin C you’ll eventually get scurvy. RDA is 90 mg/day. But you actually don’t need anywhere near that much to fend off scurvy – [10 mg is/day](http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6009&page=17) enough to entirely prevent and (slowly) cure scurvy. So if someone only gets 50% RDA they’ll probably be completely fine most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/7 "2011-08-16T15:21:01Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I recently heard a very good radio interview with a renowned local doctor who said that vitamin supplements are a waste of money, again, unless a specific targeted deficiency has been found due to medical problems. This just goes to show you how incredibly ignorant most MDs are about nutrition in general. Remember, on average doctors have taken than 20 hrs of training in nutrition: > **[Nutrition Education in U.S. Medical Schools: Latest Update... : Academic...](https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2010/09000/nutrition_education_in_u_s__medical_schools_.30.aspx)** > > schools (that were matriculating students at the time of this study) a two-page online survey devised by the Nutrition in Medicine Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From August 2008 through July 2009, the authors asked their... > [@](#): > > Results: Respondents from 109 (86%) of the targeted medical schools completed some part of the survey. Most schools (103/109) required some form of nutrition education. Of the 105 schools answering questions about courses and contact hours, only 26 (25%) required a dedicated nutrition course; in 2004, 32 (30%) of 106 schools did. **Overall, medical students received 19.6 contact hours of nutrition instruction during their medical school careers (range: 0–70 hours)**; the average in 2004 was 22.3 hours. Only 28 (27%) of the 105 schools met the minimum 25 required hours set by the National Academy of Sciences; in 2004, 40 (38%) of 104 schools did so. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/8 "2011-08-16T15:54:38Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > This just goes to show you how incredibly ignorant most MDs are about nutrition in general. Remember, on average doctors have taken than 20 hrs of training in nutrition: > > [http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Abstract/2010/09000/Nutrition\_Education\_in\_U\_S\_\_Medical\_Schools\_.30.aspx](http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Abstract/2010/09000/Nutrition_Education_in_U_S__Medical_Schools_.30.aspx) I am not sure that this falsifies this doctors statement about the benefits of supplemental vitamins. "no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E may increase mortality.” > **[Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18425980/?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed)** > > We found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E may increase mortality. Future randomised trials could evaluate the potential effects of vitamin C and selenium for... Studies show that they do not help with: Cancer: > **[Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT): Questions and Answers](https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/research/select-trial-results-qa)** > > Learn the results of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial. SELECT was a clinical trial to see if one or both of these substances could help prevent prostate cancer when taken as dietary supplements. [http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/1/14.abstract](http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/1/14.abstract) > **[Effect of combined folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 on cancer risk in...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18984888/?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)** > > clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000541. Cardio: [http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/5/847](http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/5/847) > **[Vitamins E and C in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in men: the...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18997197/?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=3&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed)** > > clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00270647. Really it seems that popping a pill, while convenient, does not make up for an unhealthy lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/9 "2011-08-16T16:07:43Z")
Google “dr. dworkin multivitamin” and read some of the articles. I can’t quote anything because I’m blocked at work because the website is un-categorized. Studies show they are no good: placebo effect at best. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/10 "2011-08-16T17:54:19Z")
Alright guys, don’t let the word get out about this. These are called anti-vegitable pills. You take them so that it allows you to get out of eating toxic waste vegitables. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/11 "2011-08-16T18:00:31Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Alright guys, don’t let the word get out about this. > > These are called anti-vegitable pills. You take them so that it allows you to get out of eating toxic waste vegitables. There is supposed to be a strike-through for “toxic waste.” I guess strike-throughs don’t work on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/12 "2011-08-16T18:05:59Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Alright guys, don’t let the word get out about this. > > These are called anti-vegitable pills. You take them so that it allows you to get out of eating toxic waste vegitables. If they’re prepared properly, vegetables can, you know, taste good. Except for zucchini, that was designed to look pretty and taste like dirty dishwater. [del]Strikethrough[/del] doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-take-a-multivitamin/592892/13 "2011-08-16T18:33:09Z")
> [@Lestrade](#): > > If they’re prepared properly, vegetables can, you know, taste good. Except for zucchini, that was designed to look pretty and taste like dirty dishwater. I’ll politly disagree, but I don’t want to highjack someone’s thread. I’ve had them preprared every which way to Sunday - no game. Actually zucchini is about the best of the bunch.