Vitamin therapy: Any Science?

Advertising schemes and sensationalistic media shamelessly promote all

types of health remedies that have no scientific backing. Vitamin sales are
the backbone of this multibillion dollar industry. Unfortunately real science
(consisting of randomized, blinded, placebo controlled studies) fails to
support these claims in terms of meaningful end points. There is a synergy
of absorption and utilization of vitamins and nutrients through consumption
of natural/ unprocessed foods that cannot be duplicated in pill form.
Vitamins, anti-oxidants and fish oils all have fantastic health benefits when
consumed as a component of their natural food source but not when
provided through supplements.

U.S Preventative Services task Force- evidence is

INSUFFICIENT for or against Vitamins A,C,E, Multivitamin
(MVI) with folic acid or antioxidant therapy for cancer prevention
or cardiovascular disease. Nutr Clin care. 2003 oct-dec;6(3):102-
7

National Institutes of Health (NIH) State of Science Conference on

MVI/ Mineral Supplements and Chronic Disease prevention.-
found few rigorous studies on which to base clear conclusions and
recommendations.
NIH Consensus State Sci Statements. 2006 May 15-
17;23(2):1-30

The Efficacy and Safety of Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement

Use to Prevent Cancer and Chronic Disease in Adults: A
Systematic Review. Conclusion- No proven benefit.
 Ann Intern Med. 2006 Sep5;145(5): 372-85

Johns Hopkins study: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled

Trials- NO protective effects of antioxidant or B vitamin
supplements on atherosclerosis progression.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4) 880-7

What about Omega -3’s? Meta-Analysis of over 600,000 pts

showed NO clear benefits of reducing mortality or combined
cardiovascular events.
CMAJ. 2008 Jan15;178(2):181-182

Gilbert S. Chandler, III, M. D.

L. Todd Stewart, M. D.