A wise man once told me: “Say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong.” But according to new research, your vitamins might be basically useless.
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, from St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto, found that a majority of vitamins added zero or little health benefits. The study examined existing data of vitamins and mineral supplements between 2012 and 2017. The trials included information on vitamins A, B3, B9, C, D, and E, as well as supplements including calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. plus multivitamins.
The research revealed that the most common supplements: multivitamins, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D, did not provide any health benefits. None of these supplements showed evidence that they prevented cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke or premature death.
“We were surprised to find so few positive effects of the most common supplements that people consume,” lead author of the study, David Jenkins, said in a statement. “Our review found that if you want to use multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium or vitamin C, it does no harm — but there is no apparent advantage either.”
Some vitamins even showed evidence that they may harm the body. Some antioxidants and niacin, which is a form of vitamin B3, had adverse effects on blood-sugar levels and were linked to a higher risk of death by any cause. But it was a very small increase.
There were a few vitamins that seemed to help the body. Folic acid and B vitamins with folic acid could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke according to the study. A healthy diet is still recommended to our daily dose of vitamins and help prevent health ailments.