Multi Track

Evans
Jessica Evans
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
30 March 2015
Multivitamins: Dependable or Duds?
It is estimated that almost half of Americans are facing vitamin deficiencies including
vitamin A, C and magnesium. Vitamin A deficiencies throughout the world have caused up to
500 million children to become blind and nearly half of them die within a year of being affected.
But can popping a pill full of vitamin A really stop these children from becoming blind, or can
taking a pill containing vitamin B12 really help women increase their fertility and reduce the rate
of spontaneous abortions? The debate over multivitamins has increased over the years and expert
nutritionists are constantly coming up with conflicting results. A number of experts say taking
multivitamins can help bridge the gaps in insufficient diets, while others are shamefully shaking
their heads at the multivitamin industry and saying they will just leave you with larger gaps in
your wallet. Some experts are even beginning to think that these supplements can be detrimental
to your health. This Multivitamins edition is going to take you on an inside look on the truth
about multivitamins.
WHAT ARE MULTIVITAMINS?
Before we get into the he-said-she-said of all this debate, you need to have a little bit of a
background on multivitamins. A multivitamin is a dietary supplement taken to treat vitamin
deficiencies. While they are most commonly in the form of a pill or tablet, they can also come in
liquids or powders. Typically these vitamins are obtained through food or other natural sources
(i.e. the sun), but multivitamins were created to allow those with diets lacking these vitamins to
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still be able to achieve the same benefits without actually having to eat the food. There are also
times in which your body is in need of vitamins more than others, including childhood and
pregnancy. Some benefits of common vitamins are as follows:
Vitamin A helps to lower prostate cancer risk.
Vitamin B1 and Biotin help keep hair and nail growth fast and healthy.
Vitamin B12 helps keep women fertile and reduces the risk of miscarriage.
Vitamin C boosts your immune system when you feel sick and lowers the risk of
Deleted: is used
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some cancers.
Vitamin D strengthens bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
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Vitamin E helps prevent Alzheimers disease.
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Folic Acid helps prevent birth defects when taken early on in pregnancy.
The real question at hand here is can you get these same benefits from taking a pill as you can
from getting these vitamins through food?
SIDEBAR: Some common terms to keep in mind
1. RDA: Recommended Daily Allowance is the amount of the vitamin needed to ingest
daily to stay healthy and receive the benefits of that vitamin. Typically they can differ
between males, females and different ages.
2. AI: Adequate Intake is another name for the RDA
3. UL: Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the maximum amount of that vitamin that you can
healthfully take without overdosing or causing bodily harm. Different vitamins have
different levels of seriousness when overdosing.
4. DV: Daily Value is the measurement you find on dietary supplement labels. It gives the
intake percentage of your RDA in that dose, typically using a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet.
Evans
UNDER DEFINITION SIDEBAR: CAN MULTIVITAMINS BE HARMFUL?

Its been a common misconception that taking an excess of a vitamin can be extra helpful
and shouldnt cause any harm because its just a vitamin, right? Wrong. In fact, some vitamins
can cause serious harm when taken in large doses. Its important to look for the UL of the
vitamin you are going to be taking. Typically it is safe to take more than the RDA or DV, but
you never want to exceed the UL in which that is the amount of the vitamin taken to cause an
overdose. Each supplement is different which is important to keep in mind when taking them. In
vitamin B6, you can take up to 50 times the RDA and still not reach the UL, but in other
supplements the UL doesnt stray too far from the RDA. Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A,
E and K can cause toxicity from excess build up left in the body. Its also important to keep in
mind that these ULs are not only for supplements, they are for food sources as well--though it is
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much easier and more common to overdose on a vitamin through supplements. ULs are not
typically listed on the supplement itself and some may not have one as most of these
supplements are not regulated by the government, so do your research before you start popping
them down. Its not likely you will reach the UL, but its better to be safe. Included is a chart
with a few ULs as reference.
Vitamin
or Mineral
Calcium
Recommended Dietary
Allowance (RDA) or Adequate
Intake (AI)
Nutrients with AIs are marked
with an (*)
Age 1-3: 700 mg/day
Age 4-8: 1,000 mg/day
Age 9-18: 1,300 mg/day
Age 19-50: 1,000 mg/day
Women age 51+: 1,200
mg/day
Upper Tolerable Limit

(UL)
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The highest amount you

can take without risk
Age19-50: 2,500
mg/day
Age 51 and
up:2,000 mg/day
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Chloride
Choline
(Vitamin B
complex)
Fluoride
Folic Acid
(Folate)
Men age 71+: 1,200

mg/day
Age 19-50: 2,300 mg/day
Age 50-70: 2,000 mg/day
Age 70 and older: 1,800
mg/day
Age 70 and older: 1,800
mg/day
Women: 425 mg/day *
Men: 4 mg/day *
Women: 3 mg/day *
400 micrograms/day
3,600 mg/day
3,500 mg/day
Field Code Changed

10 mg/day
1,000 micrograms/day
Iodine
Iron
Molybdenum
Phosphorus
Selenium
Sodium
Vanadium
Vitamin A
Vitamin B6
150 micrograms/day
Men: 8 mg/day
Women age 19-50: 18
mg/day
Women age 51 and
up: 8 mg/day
45 micrograms/day
700 mg/day
55 micrograms/day
Age 19-50: 1,500 mg/day
Age 51-70: 1,300 mg/day
Age 71 and up: 1,200
mg/day
Not determined
Men: 3,000 IU/day
Women: 2,310
IU/day
Men age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day
Men age 51 up:1.7 mg/day
Women age 19-50: 1.3
mg/day
Women age 51 up:
This applies only to

synthetic folic acid in
supplements or fortified
foods. There is no upper
limit for folic acid from
natural sources.
45 mg/day
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Up to age 70: 4,000
mg/day Over age 70:
3,000 mg/day
400 micrograms/day
2,300 mg/day
1.8 mg/day
10,000 IU/day
100 mg/day
Evans
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
(Calciferol)
Vitamin E
1.5 mg/day
Men: 90 mg/day
Women: 75 mg/day
Age 1-70: 15
micrograms/day (600 IU, or
international units) *
Age 70 and older: 20
micrograms/day (800 IU) *
22.4 IU/day
2,000 mg/day
100
micrograms/day (4,000
IU)
1,500 IU/day
Field Code Changed
Field Code Changed

(alphatocopherol)
Zinc
This applies only to

vitamin E in supplements
or fortified foods. There is
no upper limit for vitamin E
from natural sources.
40 mg/day
Men: 11 mg/day
Women: 8 mg/day
SOURCE: Derrer, David T. "Vitamins and Minerals: How Much Do You Need?" WebMD.
WebMD, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
ONE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

Of course Americans dont have the best reputation of having such great diets This
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explains why millions of Americans arent reaching the recommended daily intake of vitamins.
While the FDA is making efforts to add these vitamins into cereals and breads, multivitamins
posed as a much more viable options. According to Regan Bailey, study author of the National
Institutes of Health, taking supplements added nutrients (for example, magnesium,
phosphorous, and vitamins A, C, and E) for which intakes would have been inadequate from
food alone, found in a study of people ages 9 to 18. This shows that multivitamins may in fact
help avoid insufficient vitamin intake. In January of this year, a study of multivitamins appeared
in the Journal of Nutrition stating that women taking multivitamins for at least three years had
decreased risks of heart disease caused death. However, the same effects were not seen in men.
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So while there may be minute evidence that a multivitamin may help a specific case here and
there, the evidence isnt completely there to support that they are worth dishing out the extra
cash.
AN INSIDE LOOK
In this interview is the expert opinion of the vice president of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for
the council for Responsible Nutrition, Duffy MacKay, ND. She gave her input on the use of
multivitamins to Sheryl Kraft of The Healthy Women Organization.
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Q. So, can a multivitamin help prevent things like heart disease and cancer?
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multivitamins are unnecessary; in fact, they
may even cause harm.
... [1]
A. The evidence that everyone should take a multivitamin to reduce the risk of cancer and heart
disease is limited. But some studies do show a modest reduction in cancer among individuals
who take multivitamins. It's a tough thing to measurethat group studied may be a group that is
more likely to practice healthy behaviors in the first place. The evidence that multivitamins
protect against age-related cognitive decline is limited. In conclusion, if you're taking a
multivitamin to prevent serious disease, you will be disappointed.
Q. Under what circumstances should people take a multivitamin?
A. The number one reason is to fill in the nutrient gaps in our diet. We know that most
Americans are deficient in vitamin B, potassium, calcium and fiber. Additionally, a small
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percentage of people over 50 will have a tough time absorbing enough vitamin B-12 and may be
deficient. And pregnant women will need supplemental folic acid and iron in many cases.
Remember, a multivitamin is not a magic bullet. Neither is it a weight-loss pill. It just fills your
nutrient gaps, as the typical diet for most men and women doesn't supply enough of certain
vitamins (most commonly, vitamin D).
Q. How do people know if they are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals?
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Evans
A. Once you start asking people what they eat and don't eat, the list expands rapidly. For
example, vegetarians are generally low in vitamin B and iron. If someone is lactose intolerant,
where's their calcium coming from? They likely will need a calcium supplement.
Only .05 percent of the population eats "right" and has close to a perfect diet. They may not need
a multivitamin but for all others, I'd recommend it.
Remember, it's best to discuss your diet with your health care provider to access where the
nutritional gaps exist.
In other words, she believes that multivitamins can do their part in helping to support an
insufficient diet, but they are not magical substances that can prevent serious disease.
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relatively small, ranging from between $20 and
$30 per year for brand-name products. If you
purchase the large economy-sized containers, it
can run as little as $10 annually.
... [2]
Multivitamins can be helpful in the case of vegetarians or those who are lactose intolerant due to
the lack of nutrients their bodies are receiving.
NOTE: this interview was not conducted by myself and was not first seen in this article nor do I
claim this interview to be my own.
SOURCE: Kraft, Sheryl. "The Scoop on Taking Multivitamins." Healthy Women. National
Women's Health Resource Center, Inc, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.
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0.5"
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

While there may be some evidence that multivitamins are worth taking, most experts are
saying not to waste your money. In a study dealing with memory with 6,000 random male
doctors over 65, they were each assigned to take either a Centrum Silver multivitamin each day
or a placebo. After 12 years and 84 percent promising they took their pills every day as
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instructed, there was no difference in the two groups relating to memory problems. In a larger
study done for U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, 27 different vitamin and mineral
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... [3]
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supplements were tested on over 450,000 people. This study found no relation to taking
multivitamins and a benefit for heart disease or prolonged life; it only found a minute assistance
in cancer risk. In fact, the only benefit I found in any study done was related to cancer risk and in
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each scenario it was minimal. So while in a certain case somewhere for a specific group of
people, maybe taking a multivitamin would help, but still isnt worth the investment for most
people. The best way to get the benefits from these vitamins is through food sources. Dr. Orly
Avitzur, medical adviser for Consumer Reports, advises, It's a Band-Aid approach to think you
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can eat poorly and just take a vitamin and you'll be equal to another person who eats well and
exercises and takes care of their health and gets regular checkups, There's no substitute for a
healthy lifestyle." Even with the little evidence multivitamins have on their side, they are still no
excuse to give up a healthy diet. American Dietetic Association spokesperson says you can get
so much more out of eating vegetables than just the vitamin C that multivitamins bring to the
table. She says, its because of the colors, its the words you cant pronounce, referring to
lycopene, quercetin or indoles that provide the real benefits from eating vegetables that you cant
get from multivitamins. Though the evidence is increasing and both sides will continue to debate
for years to come, the safest bet is to stick with a healthy diet and to avoid relying on
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multivitamins as much as possible.
THE MULTIVITAMIN INDUSTRY
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So why are people trying to sell you these so badly? The multivitamin industry has grown
to about a $12 billion yearly industry in multivitamins alone, not including the $30 billion from
dietary supplements as well in the United States alone! In fact CNN announced that about a third
of Americans use supplements. The real question is why wouldnt companies like GNC and
Evans
Optimum Nutrition try and sell something that people are clearly buying into without learning
the real facts. Americans believe that multivitamins are improving their health because of a few
studies done somewhere that have proven some sort of positive outcome and usually these are
only in the cases of pregnant women taking folic acid and possibly vitamin D. Both of which the
results dont even prove solid causation but merely small correlation. Not to mention the
multivitamin industry is largely unregulated and most of the time will not include any negative
side effects, upper intake levels or allergy information on the bottles. In fact recently the industry
has been attacked for fraud for mislabeling and false advertising. CBS New York reported that
supplements sold in Target, Walmart GNC and Walgreens were labeled as medicinal herbs but
failed their test for genetic fingerprinting. With increasing evidence that multivitamins are
useless and the public attacks due to fraud, its safe to say the multivitamin industry is going to
take a toll for the worse unless drastic measures are taken to keep their current and growing
clientele.
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10
Works Cited
Aubrey, Allison. "Multivitamins: The Case For Taking One A Day." NPR. NPR, 30 Jan. 2015.
Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
Derrer, David T. "Vitamins and Minerals: How Much Do You Need?" WebMD. WebMD, 8 Dec.
2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Goodman, Brenda. "Experts: Don't Waste Your Money on Multivitamins." HealthDay Consumer
News Service. 16 Dec. 2013: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
Kraft, Sheryl. "The Scoop on Taking Multivitamins." Healthy Women. National Women's Health
Resource Center, Inc, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.
"Listing of Vitamins." Harvard Health. Harvard University, 9 June 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
"Multivitamins." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Sept.
2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

Park, Madison. "Half of Americans Use Supplements." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Apr.
2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
"Top Ten Interesting Facts About Vitamin Deficiency." Medianet. Medianet Copyright, n.d.
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Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

"Vitamin, Supplement Industry Under Fire For Alleged Mislabeling, False Advertising." CBS
New York. CBS Local Media, 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
Weber, Peter. "How the Vitamin Industrial Complex Swindled America." The Week. The Week
Magazine, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

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Vitamin A helps to lower prostate cancer risk.

Vitamin D strengthens bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Vitamin E helps prevent Alzheimers disease.

UNDER DEFINITION SIDEBAR: CAN MULTIVITAMINS BE HARMFUL?

Upper Tolerable Limit

The highest amount you

Men age 71+: 1,200

Field Code Changed

This applies only to

Field Code Changed

Field Code Changed

Field Code Changed

This applies only to

WebMD, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

ONE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

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Field Code Changed

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

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multivitamins as much as possible.

THE MULTIVITAMIN INDUSTRY

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2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

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